Social theory for today : making sense of social worlds / Alex Law.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Law, Alex

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sociology--Philosophy.

Sociology.

Social sciences--Philosophy.

Social sciences.

Physical Description:

333 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Los Angeles : SAGE, 2015.

Summary:

Social Theory for Today guides students through the 'turns' of past and present social theory as it attempts to wrestle with a recurring sense of crisis in social relations and social theory. Drawing on both classical and contemporary sources, this book provides students of social theory with a firm grasp of competing perspectives. Too often social theories attempt to dominate the field by casting rival theorists, past and present, as deluded fools, while the more familiar 'big names' in social theory are subject to ever-increasing commentary that runs in ever-decreasing circles. In this survey of social theory and crisis an attempt has been made to lessen the temptation to engage in internal theoretical polemics and esoteric wordplay. Social theory must become practical and specie if it is to become a means of orientation for uncertain times. A must-read for undergraduate and graduate students looking for a vibrant and extended understanding of social theory confronted with unintended social processes. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Social theory and crisis 13

2 Positivist turn: Auguste Comte 30

3 Marx's turn 49

4 Nietzsche's turn: Max Weber and Georg Simmel 69

5 Ideological turn: Antonio Gramsci and Georg Lukacs 97

6 Reflexive turn: Otto Neurath and empirical sociology 116

7 Modernist turn: Walter Benjamin and Siegfried Kracauer 135

8 Critical turn: The Frankfurt School 155

9 Negative turn: Horkheimer, Adorno and Habermas 173

10 Quotidian turn: Henri Lefebvre 194

11 Corporeal turn: Maurice Merleau-Ponty 214

12 Pragmatic turn: Social theory in the US 233

13 Cultural turn: Social theory in France and Britain 255

14 Relational turn: Norbert Elias and Pierre Bourdieu 276.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [303]-326) and index.

ISBN:

9781446209011

1446209016

1446209024

9781446209028

OCLC:

900437982