Social Theory and Social History

Social Theory and Social History
Author: Donald MacRaild
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2017-03-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1350317497

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
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN: 0745634079

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
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2009-07-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0226749193

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.

Social Theory

Social Theory
Author: Daniel W. Rossides
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 422
Release: 1998
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9781882289509

Social Theory: Its Origins, History, and Contemporary Relevance analyzes the tradition of social theory in terms of its origins and changes in kind of societies. Rossides provides a full discussion of the sociohistorical environments that generated Western social theory with a focus on the contemporary modern world. While employing a sociology of knowledge approach that identifies theories as aristocratic versus democratic, liberal versus socialist and also liberal feminist versus radical feminist; it attempts to construct a scientific, unified social theory in the West. Additionally, it also features African American theory, American culture studies, political and legal philosophy, and environmental theory.

Social Theory

Social Theory
Author: Alex Callinicos
Publisher:
Total Pages: 339
Release: 1999
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780745616452

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

A History and Theory of the Social Sciences

A History and Theory of the Social Sciences
Author: Peter Wagner
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2001-07-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1446264513

Divided into two parts, this book examines the train of social theory from the 19th century, through to the ′organization of modernity′, in relation to ideas of social planning, and as contributors to the ′rationalistic revolution′ of the ′golden age′ of capitalism in the 1950s and 60s. Part two examines key concepts in the social sciences. It begins with some of the broadest concepts used by social scientists: choice, decision, action and institution and moves on to examine the ′collectivist alternative′: the concepts of society, culture and polity, which are often dismissed as untenable by postmodernists today. This is a major contribution to contemporary social theory and provides a host of essential insights into the task of social science today.

Social Theory

Social Theory
Author: Mark Murphy
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2021-08-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3030783243

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.

Critical Social Theory and the End of Work

Critical Social Theory and the End of Work
Author: Edward Granter
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2016-04-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317157028

Critical Social Theory and the End of Work examines the development and sociological significance of the idea that work is being eliminated through the use of advanced production technology. Granter’s engagement with the work of key American and European figures such as Marx, Marcuse, Gorz, Habermas and Negri, focuses his arguments for the abolition of labour as a response to the current socio-historical changes affecting our work ethic and consumer ideology. By combining history of ideas with social theory, this book considers how the 'end of work' thesis has developed and has been critically implemented in the analysis of modern society. This book will appeal to scholars of sociology, history of ideas, social and cultural theory as well as those working in the fields of critical management and sociology of work.

Social Theory after the Internet

Social Theory after the Internet
Author: Ralph Schroeder
Publisher: UCL Press
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2018-01-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 178735122X

The internet has fundamentally transformed society in the past 25 years, yet existing theories of mass or interpersonal communication do not work well in understanding a digital world. Nor has this understanding been helped by disciplinary specialization and a continual focus on the latest innovations. Ralph Schroeder takes a longer-term view, synthesizing perspectives and findings from various social science disciplines in four countries: the United States, Sweden, India and China. His comparison highlights, among other observations, that smartphones are in many respects more important than PC-based internet uses. Social Theory after the Internet focuses on everyday uses and effects of the internet, including information seeking and big data, and explains how the internet has gone beyond traditional media in, for example, enabling Donald Trump and Narendra Modi to come to power. Schroeder puts forward a sophisticated theory of the role of the internet, and how both technological and social forces shape its significance. He provides a sweeping and penetrating study, theoretically ambitious and at the same time always empirically grounded.The book will be of great interest to students and scholars of digital media and society, the internet and politics, and the social implications of big data.

Critical Social Theory

Critical Social Theory
Author: Craig Calhoun
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Total Pages: 356
Release: 1995-08-29
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9781557862884

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.