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While other academic disciplines claim a focus around specific subject matter, sociologists think of their field as an approach to understanding the often invisible forces and social contexts that shape the way people conduct their lives. How these forces and contexts are structured is central to sociology. But how do sociologists analyze these invisible structures? This book contributes to our understanding by bringing together a remarkable set of master essays about modern sociology written by some of the leading figures of the field. Each author describes a vision of sociological inquiry or offers an example of research that illustrates approaches and problems encountered in doing sociological work. The collection is rounded out with a prologue by Kai Erikson, an epilogue by Paul DiMaggio, and an extraordinary autobiographical essay by Robert K. Merton. The book is introduced by its editor as a set of reflections, a gathering of visions. But the range of topics and the variety of authors represented make it a valuable introduction to sociology as a discipline and as a way of thinking.
List of contents
Part 1 Part I. Prologue Chapter 2 Sociology as a Perspective Part 3 Part II. Sociology as Art and Science Chapter 4 Sociology as Science, Humanism, and Art Chapter 5 The Two Faces of Social Science Chapter 6 Disciplined Artfulness and the Human Sciences Chapter 7 History and Sociological Imagining Chapter 8 The Many Enchantments of Money Chapter 9 Sociology and History: Terms of Endearment? Chapter 10 Social Science: An Imperfect Art Part 11 Part III. Sociology and Public Policy Chapter 12 Toward a Broader Vision of Inner-City Poverty Chapter 13 Race, Localism, and Urban Poverty Chapter 14 Inner-City as Place Chapter 15 Social Science and Social Policy: A Case Study of Overreaching Chapter 16 Epilogue: Sociology as a Discipline Chapter 17 Introduction Chapter 18 De-gendering "Man of Science": The Genesis and Epicene Character of the Word Scientist Chapter 19 On the Moral Authority of Science Chapter 20 Strange Relation Chapter 21 A Life of Learning
About the author
By Kai Erickson - Contributions by Daniel Bell; Paul DiMaggio; Denis Donoghue; Jean Bethke Elshtain; Kai Erikson; Gerald Holton; Michael Katz; Ira Katznelson; Robert K. Merton; Daniel Patrick Moynihan; Neil J. Smelser; Charles Tilly; Margaret Weir; Willia
Summary
Each of the authors who contributed to this anthology describes a vision of sociological inquiry, or offers an example of research that illustrates approaches to problems, and problems themselves, encountered in sociological work.
