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Sociological Theory and the Question of Religion (Theology and Religion in Interdisciplinary Perspective Series in Association with the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group)
by Andrew McKinnon Marta TrzebiatowskaReligion lies near the heart of the classical sociological tradition, yet it no longer occupies the same place within the contemporary sociological enterprise. This relative absence has left sociology under-prepared for thinking about religion’s continuing importance in new issues, movements, and events in the twenty-first century. This book seeks to address this lacunae by offering a variety of theoretical perspectives on the study of religion that bridge the gap between mainstream concerns of sociologists and the sociology of religion. Following an assessment of the current state of the field, the authors develop an emerging critical perspective within the sociology of religion with particular focus on the importance of historical background. Re-assessing the themes of aesthetics, listening and different degrees of spiritual self-discipline, the authors draw on ethnographic studies of religious involvement in Norway and the UK. They highlight the importance of power in the sociology of religion with help from Pierre Bourdieu, Marx and Critical Discourse Analysis. This book points to emerging currents in the field and offers a productive and lively way forward, not just for sociological theory of religion, but for the sociology of religion more generally.
Sociological Theory Beyond the Canon
by Syed Farid Alatas Vineeta SinhaThis book expands the sociological canon by introducing non-Western and female voices, and subjects the existing canon itself to critique. Including chapters on both the 'founding fathers' of sociology and neglected thinkers it highlights the biases of Eurocentrism and androcentrism, while also offering much-needed correctives to them. The authors challenge a dominant account of the development of sociological theory which would have us believe that it was only Western European and later North American white males in the nineteenth and early twentieth century who thought in a creative and systematic manner about the origins and nature of the emerging modernity of their time. This integrated and contextualised account seeks to restructure the ways in which we theorise the emergence of the classical sociological canon. This book's global scope fills a significant lacuna and provides a unique teaching resource to students of classical sociological theory.
Sociological Theory for Digital Society: The Codes that Bind Us Together
by Ori SchwarzThe digital revolution has not only transformed multiple aspects of social life – it also shakes sociological theory, transforming the most basic assumptions that have underlain it. In this timely book, Ori Schwarz explores the main challenges digitalization poses to different strands of sociological theory and offers paths to adapt them to new social realities. What would symbolic interactionism look like in a world where interaction no longer takes place within bounded situations and is constantly documented as durable digital objects? How should we understand new digitally mediated forms of human association that bind our actions and lives together but have little in common with old-time 'collectives'; and why are they not simply ‘social networks’? How does social capital transform when it is materialized in a digital form, and how does it remould power structures? What happens to our conceptualization of power when faced with the emergence of new forms of algorithmic power? And what happens when labour departs from work? By posing and answering such fascinating questions, and offering critical tools for both students and scholars of social theory and digital society to engage with them, this thought-provoking book draws the outline of future sociological theory for our digital society.
Sociological Theory In The Contemporary Era: Text And Readings
by Scott Appelrouth Laura EdlesSociological Theory in the Contemporary Era, Second Edition, combines well-edited, important original writings from sociology′s core contemporary theorists with introductory text that provides a historical and theoretical framework for understanding them. Authors Scott Appelrouth and Laura Desfor Edles use this unique text/reader approach to introduce students to contemporary sociological theory in a lively and engaging fashion. The text/reader provides not only a biographical and theoretical summary of each theorist′s works but also an overarching scaffolding that students can use to examine, compare, and contrast each theorist′s major themes and concepts. The book also offers discussions of past social and intellectual milieus to provide a holistic picture of the development of the theories discussed.
Sociological Theory in the Classical Era: Text and Readings
by Laura D. Edles Dr. Scott AppelrouthSociological Theory in the Classical Era, Fourth Edition is an innovative text/reader for courses in classical theory. It introduces you to important original works by sociology's key classical theorists while providing a thorough framework for understanding these challenging readings. For each theorist, the editors supply a biographical sketch, discuss intellectual influences and core ideas, and offer contemporary applications of those ideas. In addition to the seven major theorists covered, the book also connects their work to "Significant Others"—writers and thinkers who may have derived much of their own perspectives from Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Gilman, Simmel, Du Bois, and Mead.
Sociological Theory in the Classical Era: Text and Readings
by Laura D. Edles Dr. Scott AppelrouthSociological Theory in the Classical Era, Fourth Edition is an innovative text/reader for courses in classical theory. It introduces you to important original works by sociology's key classical theorists while providing a thorough framework for understanding these challenging readings. For each theorist, the editors supply a biographical sketch, discuss intellectual influences and core ideas, and offer contemporary applications of those ideas. In addition to the seven major theorists covered, the book also connects their work to "Significant Others"—writers and thinkers who may have derived much of their own perspectives from Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Gilman, Simmel, Du Bois, and Mead.
Sociological Theory in the Classical Era 3rd Edition
by Laura Desfor Edles Scott AppelrouthSociological Theory in the Classical Era introduces students to original major writings from sociology's key classical theorists. It also provides a thorough framework for understanding these challenging readings. For each theorist, the authors give a biographical sketch, discuss intellectual influences and core ideas, and offer contemporary examples and applications of those ideas. Introductions to every reading provide additional background on their structure and significance.
Sociological Theory in the Digital Age
by Gabe IgnatowWhat is the role of sociological theory in the information age? What kinds of theories are best suited to analyzing the social uses of digital technologies, and for using digital technologies in new ways to study the social? This book contributes to several ongoing conversations on how the social sciences can best adapt to contemporary information technologies and information societies. Focusing on practical or ‘usable theory,’ it surveys the challenges and opportunities of conducting social science in the information age, as well as the theoretical solutions that sociologists have developed and applied over the last two decades. With specific attention to three theoretical approaches in digital social research—critical theory, forensic theory and Bourdieusian theory—the author provides an overview of the history and main tenets of each, surveys its use in sociological research, and evaluates its successes and limitations. Taking a long-term view of theoretical development in evaluating schools of thought and considering their productivity in analyzing and using contemporary digital communication technologies, this book thus treats theory as a tool for empirical research and the development of theory as inseparable from research practice. As such, it will appeal to scholars of sociology and social theory with interests in research methods, the development of theory and digital technologies.
Sociological Theory in Transition (Routledge Library Editions: Social Theory)
by Stephen P. Turner Mark L. WardellCurrent sociological theories appear to have lost their general persuasiveness in part because, unlike the theories of the ‘classical era’, they fail to maintain an integrated stance toward society, and the practical role that sociology plays in society. The authors explore various facets of this failure and possibilities for reconstructing sociological theories as integrated wholes capable of conveying a moral and political immediacy. They discuss the evolution of several concepts (for example, the social, structure, and self) and address the significant disputes (for example, structuralism versus humanism, and individual versus society) that have dominated twentieth-century sociological thought. Their ideas and analyses are directed towards an audience of students and theorists who are coming to terms with the project of sociological theory, and its relationship with moral discourses and political practice. The authors of these essays are sociological theorists from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. They are all established, but not ‘establishment’ authors. The book contains no orthodoxies, and no answers. However, the essays do contribute to identifying the range of issues that will constitute the agenda for the next generation of sociological theorists.
Sociological Theory in Use (Routledge Library Editions: Social Theory)
by Kenneth MenziesCentral to most sociologists’ self-image is the claim that their theories are based on research. However, using a random sample of 680 articles appearing in major American, British and Canadian journals, Dr Menzies shows that in some areas of sociology the wide gap between theory and research means that much of sociological theory is virtually untested. He explains how theory is embodied in eight particular types of research, critically examines these research theories, and contrasts them with the positions of modern theorists. The sample of journal articles also permits a comparison of British, American and Canadian sociology. By contrasting on how researchers us theories, Dr Menzies is able to reassess several theories. For instance, symbolic interactionist research uses embedded causal claims and stands in a dialectical relationship to other sociological research, while the research version of conflict theory depends on external causes to explain social change. The implications of using statistical techniques like factor analysis and regression are also considered in relation to the form of explanation.
A Sociological Theory of Law (International Library Of Sociology Ser.)
by Niklas LuhmannNiklas Luhmann is recognised as a major social theorist, and his treatise on the sociology of law is a classic text. For Luhmann, law provides the framework of the state, lawyers are the main human resource for the state, and legal theory provides the most suitable base from which to theorize on the nature of society. He explores the concept of law in the light of a general theory of social systems, showing the important part law plays in resolving fundamental problems a society may face. He then goes on to discuss in detail how modern 'positive' – as opposed to ‘natural’ – law comes to fulfil this function. The work as a whole is not only a contribution to legal sociology, but a major work in social theory. With a revised translation, and a new introduction by Martin Albrow.
Sociological Theory, Values, and Sociocultural Change: Essays in Honor of Pitirim A. Sorokin
by Harriet MartineauThis volume brings together some of the biggest names in the field of sociology to celebrate the work of Pitirim A. Sorokin, professor and founder of the department of sociology at Harvard University. Sorokin, a past president of the American Sociological Association, was a pioneer in many fields of research, including sociological theory, social philosophy, methodology, and sociology of science, law, art, and knowledge. Edward A. Tiryakian's updated introduction examines major factors, inside and outside sociology, that have led to new appreciation of Sorokin's contributions and scholarship, and demonstrates their continued relevance. This new edition also includes an updated bibliography of works by and about Sorokin.The volume includes Arthur K. Davis, who describes Sorokin's importance as a teacher in the Socratic tradition. Talcott Parsons examines internal differentiation in Christianity in its historical Western development. Thomas O'Dea deals with the institutionalization of religious values. Walter Firey examines how actors relate their conception of a distant future to their present behavior. Florence Kluckhohn focuses upon the problem of cultural variations within a social system. Robert K. Merton and Elinor Barber examine the sociological aspect of ambivalence. Bernard Barber considers the American business's efforts to institutionalize professionalism.Other contributors include Charles P. Loomis, Wilbert E. Moore, Georges Gurvitch, Marion J. Levy, Jr., Nicholas S. Timasheff, Carle Zimmerman, and Logan Wilson. This volume is an essential collection of essays concerning the work of one of the most prominent thinkers in twentieth-century sociology.
Sociological Thought: From Comte To Sorokin
by Dr Francis Abraham Dr John Henry MorganThis is essentially a textbook on Sociological Thought which examines critically the major Sociological thinkers from Comte to Sorokin. The sociological thinkers covered include Comte, Marx, Spencer, Durkheim, Pareto, Simmel, Weber, Mannheim, and Sorokin. Each chapter traces the formative influences, both intellectual and social, which have contributed to the social philosophy of the thinker. A short introduction to each sociological master, titled Life and Times, gives a very useful insight, to the social and political environment and the intellectual traditions, to which the major theorists react. The book is written in a lucid, easy-to-read manner, and essentially sums up the development of sociological thought for over two centuries.
The Sociological Tradition
by Peretz BernsteinWhen first published, The Sociological Tradition had a profound and positive impact on sociology, providing a rich sense of intellectual background to a relatively new discipline in America. Robert Nisbet describes what he considers the golden age of sociology, 1830-1900, outlining five major themes of nineteenth-century sociologists: community, authority, status, the sacred, and alienation. Nisbet focuses on sociology's European heritage, delineating the arguments of Tocqueville, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber in new and revealing ways.When the book initially appeared, the Times Literary Supplement noted that this thoughtful and lucid guide shows more clearly than any previous book on social thought the common threads in the sociological tradition and the reasons why so many of its central concepts have stood the test of time. And Lewis Coser, writing in the New York Times Book Review, claimed that this lucidly written and elegantly argued volume should go a long way toward laying to rest the still prevalent idea that sociology is an upstart discipline, unconcerned with, and alien to, the major intellectual currents of the modern world.Its clear and comprehensive analysis of the origins of this discipline ensures The Sociological Tradition a permanent place in the literature on sociology and its origins. It will be of interest to those interested in sociological theory, the history of social thought, and the history of ideas. Indeed, as Alasdair Maclntyre observed: We are unlikely to be given a better book to explain to us the inheritance of sociology from the conservative tradition.
The Sociological Vision
by Christopher PieperNew Edition Now Available! What is sociology? Will I like it? Does it matter in the world? Can it help me? The Sociological Vision is designed to answer these questions and cultivate a new way of seeing social life. Geared primarily toward students beginning a journey into the social sciences, or for those with general curiosity for the subject, The Sociological Vision offers a glimpse into the fascinating, revelatory, and occasionally fun world of sociology. Consider it a " sampler platter" for studying human societies and cultures. The book uses a historical approach, a comparative glance, and a critical eye. It shows students how to hone the skills we all have as "armchair" sociologists in observing, describing, explaining, and evaluating the social world in more systematic ways. It encourages readers to ask tough questions about society and themselves. The book emphasizes the individual's role as both participant in society and a recipient of societal influences. Finally, it focuses on how we each build the social order and considers the larger impacts of these small actions.
Sociological Work: Method and Substance
by Fanny GinorHoward S. Becker is a leading contemporary sociologist who interprets society as collective action and sociology, therefore, as the study of collective action. This volume explores the theory and methods necessary to study collective action and social interaction. Becker includes most of his work on theory and method that has not previously appeared in book form. It reflects his unique way of thinking about and studying society.The first part of the book treats methodological problems as problems of social interaction and lists a series of research problems requiring analytic attention. The second part illustrates Becker's approach through full reports on two of his major research projects. Four theoretical statements on how people change comprise the third part, and the fourth part includes important contributions to the study of deviance. These essays illustrate the need to study deviance as part of the general study of society, not as an isolated specialty.Sociological Work is an important statement of the distinctive theoretical and methodological views associated with the Chicago School of Sociology; it shows a deep concern with the first-hand study of processes and human consequences of collective action and interaction. This illuminating volume is an engaging introduction to some of the issues of importance to sociologists and those interested in the studies of collective action and deviance, and it is well adapted to use in courses in these areas.
Sociological Worlds: Comparative and Historical Readings on Society
by Stephen K. SandersonFirst Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Sociologies in Dialogue (SAGE Studies in International Sociology)
by Chin-Chun Yi Sari HanafiSociologies in Dialogue brings together expert contributions from international scholars, who reflect on the importance of collaboration between diverse sociological perspectives to enhance our understanding of the role of sociology as an academic discipline, and as a vehicle for social change. By exploring the distinctive practices and research of a range of sociologists, the book shows how an open dialogue between sociologists is critical to addressing major sociological issues across the globe such as inequality and ethnocentrism, and challenging the hierarchies of knowledge production and circulation. Contributors also discuss novel strands in theory and methodology such as multicultural sociology, cosmopolitanism, and multiple modernities. An important contribution for researchers and students interested in global sociology, sociological theories and methodologies.
Sociologies in Dialogue (SAGE Studies in International Sociology)
by Chin-Chun Yi Sari HanafiSociologies in Dialogue brings together expert contributions from international scholars, who reflect on the importance of collaboration between diverse sociological perspectives to enhance our understanding of the role of sociology as an academic discipline, and as a vehicle for social change. By exploring the distinctive practices and research of a range of sociologists, the book shows how an open dialogue between sociologists is critical to addressing major sociological issues across the globe such as inequality and ethnocentrism, and challenging the hierarchies of knowledge production and circulation. Contributors also discuss novel strands in theory and methodology such as multicultural sociology, cosmopolitanism, and multiple modernities. An important contribution for researchers and students interested in global sociology, sociological theories and methodologies.
Sociologies of New Zealand (Sociology Transformed)
by Charles CrothersThis book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the various sociologies of New Zealand from the late 19th century to the present day. Opening with previously undocumented insights into the history of proto-sociology in New Zealand, the book then explores the parallel stories of the discipline both as a mainstream subject in Sociology departments and as a more diffuse ‘sociology’ within other university units .The rise and fall of departments, specialties and research networks is plotted and the ways in which external and internal factors have shaped these is explained. Different generations of sociologists, including many immigrants, are each shown to have left their unique mark on New Zealand sociology. The author demonstrates that the rising interest in topics specific to New Zealand has been accompanied by increasing capacities to contribute to world sociology. This book will have inter-disciplinary appeal across the social sciences and provides a valuable study of the development of sociology in a semi-peripheral country.
Sociologising Child and Youth Resilience with Bourdieu: An Australian Perspective
by Guanglun Michael MuIn this book, Mu crafts a sociology of resilience through his multi-year research with Australian students. The content is not merely concerned with individual achievements in precarious conditions but also ponders over transformative, reflexive, and power-rejective everyday practices that make social change possible, probable, and even inevitable. Since Emmy Werner and her colleagues discovered the "self-righting" and "invincible" children on the Hawaiian island of Kauai who fared well despite exposure to significant household risks, positive psychology has markedly advanced the knowledge about child and youth resilience to adversities. Yet, many children and adolescents continue to slide through system cracks. This fact does not invalidate psychology of resilience; rather, it urges new frameworks to break the reproductive circle of inequality. Reframing the traditional psychological notion of resilience through recourse to Bourdieu’s relational and reflexive sociology, the book moves beyond individual adaptation to adverse conditions and takes a deep dive into sociological resilience to structural problems. It offers school professionals and educational researchers an epistemological tool to reapproach resilience and reappropriate Bourdieu for social change. Offering scholarship that will interest researchers in the areas of child and youth resilience, sociology of resilience, and sociology of education, the volume is written to engage with the intellectual work of both established scholars and emerging researchers within Australia and beyond. The empirical analyses also provide useful insights for educational professionals in schools and resilience researchers in universities.
Sociologists and Music
by Paul HonigsheimSociologists have always been fascinated with music. In one way or another they have encountered music as an important social force in its own right, as an accompaniment or byproduct of phenomena they studied (such as youth culture or the drug scene), or as a means for obtaining social compliance (as in religious ceremonies or in the military). This book goes one step toward remedying this situation by culling the existing literature for building blocks toward introducing sociological synthesis and by presenting the English version of the extensive writings on music and society by Paul Honigsheim.
Sociologists Backstage: Answers to 10 Questions About What They Do
by Sarah Fenstermaker Nikki JonesPublished social science rarely gives real attention to the actual doing of research, making the process appear magical, or at least self-evident and simple. This book is intended to right the balance by illuminating the craft and the choices made as the research process unfolds for the sociologist. The metaphorical image of going "backstage" speaks to the reader’s experience with each of the seventeen interviews, which illuminate the choices and constraints of researchers as well as unanticipated developments, good and bad. The volume represents a range of interests, themes, research philosophies and approaches from a diverse group of contributors. Particularly suited for advanced undergraduate and graduate research methods students, the volume addresses virtually all of the most vexing methods questions through accessible and compelling first-hand descriptions of sociological research. The volume is an invaluable addition to the library of all social science researchers. From the Foreword by Howard Becker: "The stories in Sociologists Backstage tell how the contributors, who differ in so many ways, dealt with the situations they found themselves in as they did their research, and how who they were and what they had become in their lives intersected with those situations. The stories will fascinate you, and give you a lot to think about as you go ahead with your own research adventure."
The Sociologist's Eye: Reflections on Social Life
by Kai T. EriksonA masterful introduction to and appreciation of sociology as a window into our world The culmination of a distinguished career, this fascinating exploration into the nature of human social life describes the field of sociology as a way of looking at the world rather than as a simple gathering of facts about it. Kai Erikson notes that sociologists look out at the same human scenes as poets, historians, economists, or any other observers of the vast social landscape spread out before them, but select different aspects of that vast panorama to focus on and attend to. Erikson’s lively and accessible volume considers how sociology became a field of study, and how it has turned its attention over time to new areas of study such as race and gender and what Erikson calls “social speciation.” This book provides readers with new ways of thinking about human culture and social life—an exhilarating sense of what the world looks like when viewed with a sociologist’s eye.
Sociologists in Action: Sociology, Social Change, and Social Justice
by Kathleen Odell Korgen Jonathan M. White Michelle K. WhiteThe only text to provide real-life examples of how practicing sociologists use sociology to work toward social change and social justice! Providing vivid examples of how sociologists are using sociological tools to make a positive impact on our society, this one-of-a-kind book helps students better understand how their study of sociology can be put to good use in today’s world. Each of the 14 chapters, closely aligned with key topics in sociology courses, is filled with stories from practicing sociologists that help students better understand how their sociology studies can be applied and provides answers to the question, “…but what can I do with a sociology degree?” Discussion questions and suggested additional readings and resources at the end of each chapter give students the opportunity to delve further into the topics covered and carry out full and nuanced discussions, grounded in the “real world” work of public sociologists. Contributor to the SAGE Teaching Innovations and Professional Development Award Find out more at www.sagepub.com/sociologyaward