Against Essentialism
A Theory of Culture and Society
Stephan Fuchs(Author)
Harvard University Press
Published on 23. October 2001
Book
Hardback
392 pages
978-0-674-00610-2 (ISBN)
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Description
"Against Essentialism" presents a sociological theory of culture. This interdisciplinary and foundational work deals with basic issues common to contemporary debates in social theory, including society, culture, meaning, truth, and communication. Stephan Fuchs argues that many mysteries about these concepts lose their mysteriousness when dynamic variations are introduced. Fuchs proposes a theory of culture and society that merges two core traditions - American network theory and European (Luhmannian) systems theory. His book distinguishes four major types of social "observers" - encounters, groups, organizations, and networks. Society takes place in these four modes of association. Each generates levels of observation linked with each other into a "culture" - the unity of these observations. "Against Essentialism" aims to present an alternative approach to the construction of society, culture, and personhood. The book invites both social scientists and philosophers to see what happens when essentialism is abandoned.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 245 mm
Width: 164 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
750 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-00610-2 (9780674006102)
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Book
02/2005
Harvard University Press
€68.30
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