Social Theory: A Textbook

Description

This textbook offers a new approach to understanding social theory. Framed around paired theoretical perspectives on a series of sociological problems, the book shows how distinctive viewpoints shed light on different facets of social phenomena. The book includes sociology’s "founding fathers", major 20th-century thinkers and recent voices such as Butler and Zizek. Philosophically grounded and focused on interpretation and analysis, the book provides a clear understanding of theory’s scope while developing students’ skills in evaluating, applying and comparing theories. Preface 1. What is Sociology? 2. Capitalism and Alienation: Marx and Weber 3. Recognition and Anomie: Durkheim and Honneth 4. Social Interaction and Marginalisation: Simmel and the Chicago School 5. Power and Stratification: Foucault and Bourdieu 6. System and Differentiation: Luhmann and Habermas 7. State and Market: Althusser and Boltanski & Chiapello 8. Uncertainty and Risk: Bauman and Beck 9. The Reflective Self: Goffman and Giddens 10. Family and Work: Sennett and Hochschild 11. Gender, Body and Identity: Butler and Haraway 12. Factish and Fetish: Latour and Žižek 13. Sociology as an Analytic Praxis