Key Sociological Thinkers

Key Sociological Thinkers provides a clear and contextualised overview of the best of sociological thought. Written by leading academics, it offers stimulating and insightful assessments of 24 of the most influential thinkers in sociology: from Marx, Weber and Simmel to Chodorow, Foucault and Bauman. In addition, there are extended glossary accounts of thirteen additional theorists who have influenced, or been influenced by, these key thinkers.
The third edition of this popular and established text is updated to cover the lives, works and legacies of Mead, Du Bois, Latour and Alexander, and to include five newly-authored chapters on Durkheim, Merton, Goffman, Bourdieu and Giddens. It contains a major new introduction, linking sociological theory to events and processes in three different historical periods of modernity.

With frameworks for deep learning around group discussion, and much-valued ‘Seeing Things Differently’ sections to demonstrate how each thinker’s ideas can be used to illuminate aspects of social life in new ways, this continues be an essential text for all students of sociological theory.

Online-only chapters on Adorno, Blumer, De Beauvoir, Freud and Lockwood can be found on www.macmillanihe.com/stones

List of contents

Introduction; Rob Stones
PART I
1. Karl Marx; Bob Jessop
After Marx: Culture and Politics in 20th and 21st Century Marxism: Antonio Gramsci & Ernesto Laclau
2. Max Weber; Lawrence Scaff
3. Emile Durkheim; Edward Tiryakian
4. Georg Simmel; Patrick Watier
5. W.E.B. DuBois; Reiland Rabaka
6. G.H Mead; Filipe Carreira da Silva
7. Talcott Parsons; Robert Holton
PART II
8. Robert K. Merton; Piotr Sztompka
After Merton: Structural Thinking in the 21st Century: Ulrich Beck
9. Norbert Elias; Jason Hughes
10. Erving Goffman; Susie Scott
11. Harold Garfinkel; John Heritage
12. Louis Althusser; Ted Benton
After Althusser: State Theory: Nicos Poulantzas & Bob Jessop
13. Jurgen Habermas; William Outhwaite
After Habermas: Critical Theory and Recognition: Nancy Fraser & Axel Honneth
14. Pierre Bourdieu; Derek Robbins
After Bourdieu: Adding Morals and Emotions to Habitus: Andrew Sayer
15. Michel Foucault; Lawrence Barth
PART III
16. Dorothy Smith; Karin Widerberg
17. Stuart Hall; Michèle Barrett
18. Nancy Chodorow; Karin Martin
Before and After Chodorow: Fruitful Dialectics in Feminist Thought: Simone de Beauvoir & Carol Gilligan
19. Anthony Giddens; Craig Browne
After Giddens: Social and System Integration: Nicos Mouzelis
20. Michael Mann; Ralph Schroeder
Before Mann: The Tradition of Historical Sociology: Barrington Moore & Theda Skocpol
22. Zygmunt Bauman; Tony Blackshaw
16. Arlie Hochschild; Simon Williams
23. Bruno Latour; Steve Matthewman
24. Jeffrey Alexander; Jason Mast

About the author

ROB STONES is Professor in Sociology at the University of Essex, UK.Ted Benton is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, UK.ROBERT J. HOLTON is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.STEVE MATTHEWMAN is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.William Outhwaite is Chair and Professor of Sociology at Newcastle University, UK. His recent publications include The Future of Society (2006),  European Society (2008), Habermas (2nd edn, 2009) and, with Larry Ray, Social Theory and Postcommunism (2005). His work focuses on social and political change in Europe since 1989, for which he was awarded a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship. 

Summary

The third edition of this popular and established core textbook provides an invaluable guide to 24 of the most influential thinkers in Sociology. Written by leading academics in the field, Key Sociological Thinkers provides a clear and contextualised introduction to classical and contemporary theory. Each chapter offers an insightful assessment of a different theorist, exploring their lives, works and legacies, and in a much-valued 'Seeing Things Differently' section authors demonstrate how each thinker’s ideas can be used to illuminate aspects of social life in new ways.

With frameworks for deep learning around group discussion, this continues be an essential text for undergraduate and postgraduate modules on sociological and social theory.

New to this Edition:
- Four new chapters, on Mead, Du Bois, Latour and Alexander
- Five chapters by new authors on existing key thinkers: Durkheim, Merton, Goffman, Bourdieu, and Giddens
- A major new introduction
- An updated, structured and annotated ‘Further Reading’ section for each thinker
- Extended accounts of 13 additional thinkers who have influenced, or been influenced by, the key thinkers

Additional text

A text with the conceptual and pedagogical qualities of Key Sociological Thinkers comes around only once every academic generation, presenting ideas in a way that aids students in developing theoretical literacy and including exercises to help apply theory to real-world cases.

Product details

• Authors: Barrett, Craig Browne, Bob Jessop, Rob Stones
• Assisted by: Ro Stones (Editor), Rob Stones (Editor)
• Publisher: Macmillan
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.12.2017
• EAN: 9781137611208
• ISBN: 978-1-137-61120-8
• No. of pages: 478
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; B, Sociology, Philosophy of Science, Social Sciences, Sociology, general, Sociology;Social theory