Social Theory and the Political Imaginary - Practice, Critique, and History

Through engagement with the core problems of social theory as well as recent socio-political thought, this book explores landmark instances of 21st century social contestation, in order to demonstrate the importance of critical social theory to explaining and understanding contemporary social conflict and social transformation.

List of contents

Introduction Chapter 1. Social Theory Chapter 2. The Modern Political Imaginary and the Pronlem of Hierachy Chapter 3. From the Philosophy of Praxis to the Sociology of Practice Chapter 4. The Institution of Critique and the Critique of Institutions Chapter 5. The Political Forms of Modernity: The Gauchet-Badiou Debate over Democracy and Communism Chapter 6. Hong Kong as a Dual Periphery Chapter 7. Austerity and its Antitheses: Practical Negations of Capitalist Legitimacy Chapter 8. Enacting Half-Positions: Creative Disrespect in the 2005 French Riots

About the author

Craig Browne is an associate professor at The University of Sydney. He works in the area of critical social theory. His research into intersubjectivity, creative democracy, social change, contestation, global modernity and social and political imaginaries systematically revises the philosophy of praxis. He is the author of Critical Social Theory, Sage; and Habermas and Giddens on Praxis and Modernity: A Constructive Comparison, Anthem; and co-author of Taylor and Politics: A Critical Introduction, Edinburgh University Press. He co-edited Violence in France and Australia: Disorder in the Postcolonial Welfare State, SUP, and a special issue of Social Epistemology on conceptualizing the political imaginary.

Product details

• Authors: Craig (University of Sydney Browne, Browne Craig
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 06.05.2025
• EAN: 9781032415963
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3241596-3
• No. of pages: 198
• Series: Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; Globalization, Social Theory, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Social Theory, Political science & theory, Political Economy, Pressure groups, protest movements and non-violent action, Political science and theory, Demonstrations & protest movements