Social Theory and Social History

Social Theory and Social History

Author: Donald MacRaild

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-03-14

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 1350317497

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The expansion of social history that took place in the twentieth century has produced some of the most exciting works in the field of historical studies. As the range of the social historian's concerns has grown, so has the range of methodologies and theoretical approaches they employ. Historians have made greater use of the theoretical insights of social scientists, and boundaries between the disciplines have become blurred as a consequence. Social Theory and Social History: - Covers the major developments within social history - Offers an introduction to the most important social theorists - Discusses the relationship between history and the social sciences - Considers the use of theory in the writing of history - Examines current debates within historiography In this concise introductory guide, Donald M. MacRaild and Avram Taylor explore the complex relationship between social theory and social history, arguing that an awareness of the relation between the two is the key to a deeper understanding of the process of historical change.


Book Synopsis Social Theory and Social History by : Donald MacRaild

Download or read book Social Theory and Social History written by Donald MacRaild and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-03-14 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The expansion of social history that took place in the twentieth century has produced some of the most exciting works in the field of historical studies. As the range of the social historian's concerns has grown, so has the range of methodologies and theoretical approaches they employ. Historians have made greater use of the theoretical insights of social scientists, and boundaries between the disciplines have become blurred as a consequence. Social Theory and Social History: - Covers the major developments within social history - Offers an introduction to the most important social theorists - Discusses the relationship between history and the social sciences - Considers the use of theory in the writing of history - Examines current debates within historiography In this concise introductory guide, Donald M. MacRaild and Avram Taylor explore the complex relationship between social theory and social history, arguing that an awareness of the relation between the two is the key to a deeper understanding of the process of historical change.


History and Social Theory

History and Social Theory

Author: Peter Burke

Publisher: Polity

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0745634079

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Taking into account new developments since this book was first published, 'History and Social Theory' discusses topics including globalization, postcolonialism and social capital.


Book Synopsis History and Social Theory by : Peter Burke

Download or read book History and Social Theory written by Peter Burke and published by Polity. This book was released on 2005 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking into account new developments since this book was first published, 'History and Social Theory' discusses topics including globalization, postcolonialism and social capital.


Logics of History

Logics of History

Author: William H. Sewell Jr.

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2009-07-27

Total Pages: 425

ISBN-13: 0226749193

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While social scientists and historians have been exchanging ideas for a long time, they have never developed a proper dialogue about social theory. William H. Sewell Jr. observes that on questions of theory the communication has been mostly one way: from social science to history. Logics of History argues that both history and the social sciences have something crucial to offer each other. While historians do not think of themselves as theorists, they know something social scientists do not: how to think about the temporalities of social life. On the other hand, while social scientists’ treatments of temporality are usually clumsy, their theoretical sophistication and penchant for structural accounts of social life could offer much to historians. Renowned for his work at the crossroads of history, sociology, political science, and anthropology, Sewell argues that only by combining a more sophisticated understanding of historical time with a concern for larger theoretical questions can a satisfying social theory emerge. In Logics of History, he reveals the shape such an engagement could take, some of the topics it could illuminate, and how it might affect both sides of the disciplinary divide.


Book Synopsis Logics of History by : William H. Sewell Jr.

Download or read book Logics of History written by William H. Sewell Jr. and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2009-07-27 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While social scientists and historians have been exchanging ideas for a long time, they have never developed a proper dialogue about social theory. William H. Sewell Jr. observes that on questions of theory the communication has been mostly one way: from social science to history. Logics of History argues that both history and the social sciences have something crucial to offer each other. While historians do not think of themselves as theorists, they know something social scientists do not: how to think about the temporalities of social life. On the other hand, while social scientists’ treatments of temporality are usually clumsy, their theoretical sophistication and penchant for structural accounts of social life could offer much to historians. Renowned for his work at the crossroads of history, sociology, political science, and anthropology, Sewell argues that only by combining a more sophisticated understanding of historical time with a concern for larger theoretical questions can a satisfying social theory emerge. In Logics of History, he reveals the shape such an engagement could take, some of the topics it could illuminate, and how it might affect both sides of the disciplinary divide.


Making History

Making History

Author: Alex Callinicos

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2004-07-01

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 9047404769

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This republication gives a new generation of readers access to an important intervention in Marxism and social theory. Making History is about the question of how human agents draw their powers from the social structures they are involved in.


Book Synopsis Making History by : Alex Callinicos

Download or read book Making History written by Alex Callinicos and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2004-07-01 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This republication gives a new generation of readers access to an important intervention in Marxism and social theory. Making History is about the question of how human agents draw their powers from the social structures they are involved in.


Culture/Power/History

Culture/Power/History

Author: Nicholas B. Dirks

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2021-04-13

Total Pages: 635

ISBN-13: 0691228000

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The intellectual radicalism of the 1960s spawned a new set of questions about the role and nature of "the political" in social life, questions that have since revolutionized nearly every field of thought, from literary criticism through anthropology to the philosophy of science. Michel Foucault in particular made us aware that whatever our functionally defined "roles" in society, we are constantly negotiating questions of authority and the control of the definitions of reality. Such insights have led theorists to challenge concepts that have long formed the very underpinnings of their disciplines. By exploring some of the most debated of these concepts--"culture," "power," and "history"--this reader offers an enriching perspective on social theory in the contemporary moment. Organized around these three concepts, Culture/ Power/History brings together both classic and new essays that address Foucault's "new economy of power relations" in a number of different, contestatory directions. Representing innovative work from various disciplines and sites of study, from taxidermy to Madonna, the book seeks to affirm the creative possibilities available in a time marked by growing uncertainty about established disciplinary forms of knowledge and by the increasing fluidity of the boundaries between them. The book is introduced by a major synthetic essay by the editors, which calls attention to the most significant issues enlivening theoretical discourse today. The editors seek not only to encourage scholars to reflect anew on the course of social theory, but also to orient newcomers to this area of inquiry. The essays are contributed by Linda Alcoff ("Cultural Feminism versus Post-Structuralism"), Sally Alexander ("Women, Class, and Sexual Differences in the 1830s and 1840s"), Tony Bennett ("The Exhibitionary Complex"), Pierre Bourdieu ("Structures, Habitus, Power"), Nicholas B. Dirks ("Ritual and Resistance"), Geoff Eley ("Nations, Publics, and Political Cultures"), Michel Foucault (Two Lectures), Henry Louis Gates, Jr. ("Authority, [White] Power and the [Black] Critic"), Stephen Greenblatt ("The Circulation of Social Energy"), Ranajit Guha ("The Prose of Counter-Insurgency"), Stuart Hall ("Cultural Studies: Two Paradigms"), Susan Harding ("The Born-Again Telescandals"), Donna Haraway ("Teddy Bear Patriarchy"), Dick Hebdige ("After the Masses"), Susan McClary ("Living to Tell: Madonna's Resurrection of the Fleshly"), Sherry B. Ortner ("Theory in Anthropology since the Sixties"), Marshall Sahlins ("Cosmologies of Capitalism"), Elizabeth G. Traube ("Secrets of Success in Postmodern Society"), Raymond Williams (selections from Marxism and Literature), and Judith Williamson ("Family, Education, Photography").


Book Synopsis Culture/Power/History by : Nicholas B. Dirks

Download or read book Culture/Power/History written by Nicholas B. Dirks and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-04-13 with total page 635 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The intellectual radicalism of the 1960s spawned a new set of questions about the role and nature of "the political" in social life, questions that have since revolutionized nearly every field of thought, from literary criticism through anthropology to the philosophy of science. Michel Foucault in particular made us aware that whatever our functionally defined "roles" in society, we are constantly negotiating questions of authority and the control of the definitions of reality. Such insights have led theorists to challenge concepts that have long formed the very underpinnings of their disciplines. By exploring some of the most debated of these concepts--"culture," "power," and "history"--this reader offers an enriching perspective on social theory in the contemporary moment. Organized around these three concepts, Culture/ Power/History brings together both classic and new essays that address Foucault's "new economy of power relations" in a number of different, contestatory directions. Representing innovative work from various disciplines and sites of study, from taxidermy to Madonna, the book seeks to affirm the creative possibilities available in a time marked by growing uncertainty about established disciplinary forms of knowledge and by the increasing fluidity of the boundaries between them. The book is introduced by a major synthetic essay by the editors, which calls attention to the most significant issues enlivening theoretical discourse today. The editors seek not only to encourage scholars to reflect anew on the course of social theory, but also to orient newcomers to this area of inquiry. The essays are contributed by Linda Alcoff ("Cultural Feminism versus Post-Structuralism"), Sally Alexander ("Women, Class, and Sexual Differences in the 1830s and 1840s"), Tony Bennett ("The Exhibitionary Complex"), Pierre Bourdieu ("Structures, Habitus, Power"), Nicholas B. Dirks ("Ritual and Resistance"), Geoff Eley ("Nations, Publics, and Political Cultures"), Michel Foucault (Two Lectures), Henry Louis Gates, Jr. ("Authority, [White] Power and the [Black] Critic"), Stephen Greenblatt ("The Circulation of Social Energy"), Ranajit Guha ("The Prose of Counter-Insurgency"), Stuart Hall ("Cultural Studies: Two Paradigms"), Susan Harding ("The Born-Again Telescandals"), Donna Haraway ("Teddy Bear Patriarchy"), Dick Hebdige ("After the Masses"), Susan McClary ("Living to Tell: Madonna's Resurrection of the Fleshly"), Sherry B. Ortner ("Theory in Anthropology since the Sixties"), Marshall Sahlins ("Cosmologies of Capitalism"), Elizabeth G. Traube ("Secrets of Success in Postmodern Society"), Raymond Williams (selections from Marxism and Literature), and Judith Williamson ("Family, Education, Photography").


Social Theory

Social Theory

Author: Mark Murphy

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-08-22

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 3030783243

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This textbook delivers a new thematic introduction to social theory that explores theoretical issues in their contemporary social contexts. Each chapter is devoted to a specific thematic area, including the state, governance, the economy, civil society, culture, language, knowledge, the self, emotions, the body, and social justice. Each chapter details the key issues for debate and the relevant theories while linking those debates and theories to everyday life. Distributed throughout the chapters are focused sections on key concepts and their research applications, alongside helpful additional detail including a glossary, further suggested readings, chapter summaries, and questions for discussion. The book also provides useful information on key theoretical movements such as feminism, Marxism, and post-structuralism, as well as biographies of key theorists. As such, it reflects the breadth of social theory and its interdisciplinary nature by drawing on thinkers not just from sociology, but also from philosophy, history, literature, geography, cultural and gender studies. The book’s logical structure and clear pedagogical features make it an appealing and accessible introductory text for students new to social theory. The chapters demonstrate the relevance of social theory to everyday life, such that readers can understand and actively engage with key concepts.


Book Synopsis Social Theory by : Mark Murphy

Download or read book Social Theory written by Mark Murphy and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-08-22 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook delivers a new thematic introduction to social theory that explores theoretical issues in their contemporary social contexts. Each chapter is devoted to a specific thematic area, including the state, governance, the economy, civil society, culture, language, knowledge, the self, emotions, the body, and social justice. Each chapter details the key issues for debate and the relevant theories while linking those debates and theories to everyday life. Distributed throughout the chapters are focused sections on key concepts and their research applications, alongside helpful additional detail including a glossary, further suggested readings, chapter summaries, and questions for discussion. The book also provides useful information on key theoretical movements such as feminism, Marxism, and post-structuralism, as well as biographies of key theorists. As such, it reflects the breadth of social theory and its interdisciplinary nature by drawing on thinkers not just from sociology, but also from philosophy, history, literature, geography, cultural and gender studies. The book’s logical structure and clear pedagogical features make it an appealing and accessible introductory text for students new to social theory. The chapters demonstrate the relevance of social theory to everyday life, such that readers can understand and actively engage with key concepts.


Social Theory

Social Theory

Author: Alex Callinicos

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 9780745616452

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A concluding chapter considers the contemporary condition of social theory including the analysis of "late modernity" by Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens.


Book Synopsis Social Theory by : Alex Callinicos

Download or read book Social Theory written by Alex Callinicos and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A concluding chapter considers the contemporary condition of social theory including the analysis of "late modernity" by Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens.


Critical Issues in Social Theory

Critical Issues in Social Theory

Author: John K. Rhoads

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 0271032871

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Critical Issues in Social Theory is an analytical survey of persistent controversies that have shaped the field of sociology. It defines, clarifies, and proposes solutions to these &"critical issues&" through commentary on the writings of such influential social theorists as Hobbes, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Mead, Merton, Parsons, and Schutz. Instead of being just another history, or another classification of theories, Rhoads's four-part model allows him to focus attention on issues that remain at the core of sociological theory today. First, Rhoads analyzes the controversy over positivism as the proper methodological model for the study of human society. Is there one science, of which sociology is a branch, or do the peculiarities of sociology's subject matter require a modification of the scientific method borrowed from the natural sciences? Rhoads next considers the relationship of individuals to society and its structures. Does society have a mode of existence distinct from its members, or is it merely an abstraction derived from the characteristics of individuals? Third, a discussion of social order raises the question of whether social order is the consequence of rules and their underlying moral values, or the product of continuous construction based on self-interest. Finally, the relative importance of consensus and conflict in social relationships is addressed. Is society better understood as a community united by beliefs, values, and rules, or is the social dynamic of continual conflict over beliefs, values, and rules more fundamental? In coming to grips with these issues, the author in some instances takes sides and in others arrives at a synthesis of diverse perspectives. In the final chapter he points to the limitations on the possibility of rational action that come to light in the clashes over these basic issues.


Book Synopsis Critical Issues in Social Theory by : John K. Rhoads

Download or read book Critical Issues in Social Theory written by John K. Rhoads and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 1991 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Critical Issues in Social Theory is an analytical survey of persistent controversies that have shaped the field of sociology. It defines, clarifies, and proposes solutions to these &"critical issues&" through commentary on the writings of such influential social theorists as Hobbes, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Mead, Merton, Parsons, and Schutz. Instead of being just another history, or another classification of theories, Rhoads's four-part model allows him to focus attention on issues that remain at the core of sociological theory today. First, Rhoads analyzes the controversy over positivism as the proper methodological model for the study of human society. Is there one science, of which sociology is a branch, or do the peculiarities of sociology's subject matter require a modification of the scientific method borrowed from the natural sciences? Rhoads next considers the relationship of individuals to society and its structures. Does society have a mode of existence distinct from its members, or is it merely an abstraction derived from the characteristics of individuals? Third, a discussion of social order raises the question of whether social order is the consequence of rules and their underlying moral values, or the product of continuous construction based on self-interest. Finally, the relative importance of consensus and conflict in social relationships is addressed. Is society better understood as a community united by beliefs, values, and rules, or is the social dynamic of continual conflict over beliefs, values, and rules more fundamental? In coming to grips with these issues, the author in some instances takes sides and in others arrives at a synthesis of diverse perspectives. In the final chapter he points to the limitations on the possibility of rational action that come to light in the clashes over these basic issues.


Critical Social Theory

Critical Social Theory

Author: Craig Calhoun

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Published: 1995-08-29

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 9781557862884

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In this outstanding reinterpretation - and extension - of the Critical Theory tradition, Craig Calhoun surveys the origins, fortunes and prospects of this most influential of theoretical approaches. Moving with ease from the early Frankfurt School to Habermas, to contemporary debates over postmodernism, feminism and nationalism, Calhoun breathes new life into Critical Social Theory, showing how it can learn from the past and contribute to the future.


Book Synopsis Critical Social Theory by : Craig Calhoun

Download or read book Critical Social Theory written by Craig Calhoun and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 1995-08-29 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this outstanding reinterpretation - and extension - of the Critical Theory tradition, Craig Calhoun surveys the origins, fortunes and prospects of this most influential of theoretical approaches. Moving with ease from the early Frankfurt School to Habermas, to contemporary debates over postmodernism, feminism and nationalism, Calhoun breathes new life into Critical Social Theory, showing how it can learn from the past and contribute to the future.


Social Theory and Education

Social Theory and Education

Author: Raymond Allen Morrow

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1995-03-09

Total Pages: 540

ISBN-13: 9780791422526

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This book summarizes and critiques theories of social and cultural reproduction as they relate to sociology of education.


Book Synopsis Social Theory and Education by : Raymond Allen Morrow

Download or read book Social Theory and Education written by Raymond Allen Morrow and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1995-03-09 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book summarizes and critiques theories of social and cultural reproduction as they relate to sociology of education.