Changing Theories
New Directions in Sociology
Will be published approx. on 1. March 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-8020-9682-1 (ISBN)
Description
Influenced by Thomas Kuhn's work on paradigm shifts in the social sciences, this overview of contemporary theory identifies major themes, charts the impact of social change on theories, acquaints readers with a sample of individual theorists (the "transitional giants" who shaped contemporary theories), explores the impact of contemporary theories on various areas of sociology, and traces how the great social theories of the past are being reinterpreted and incorporated into new theories. The result is an original interpretation of the important role that theory plays both in the real world and in the shaping of an academic discipline.
Reviews / Votes
Changing Theories makes for a warm and engaging read. The authors have given us a good history and summation of some of the most important contemporary theories in the discipline. [...] Changing Theories would make a strong contribution to the critically engaged contemporary theory course as well as graduate courses on the history of sociology and the sociology of knowledge. - Teaching Sociology The authors manage effectively to paint the bigger picture for their readers, exploring the difficulties of theory and cementing it in the real world, and that's an achievement of which they should be proud. Changing Theories could be an indispensable tool for encouraging new students to engage with theory. More importantly, it could also go a long way to break misconceptions about the inaccessibility of theory. - Times Higher EducationMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
340 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8020-9682-1 (9780802096821)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Roberta Garner is a professor in the Department of Sociology at DePaul University.
Black Hawk Hancock is Associate Professor of Sociology at DePaul University in Chicago. He is the co-author with Roberta Garner of Changing Theories: New Directions in Sociology (2009) and author of American Allegory: Lindy Hop and the Racial Imagination (2013).
Black Hawk Hancock is Associate Professor of Sociology at DePaul University in Chicago. He is the co-author with Roberta Garner of Changing Theories: New Directions in Sociology (2009) and author of American Allegory: Lindy Hop and the Racial Imagination (2013).
Content
Preface
Introduction: What is Theory and Why Does it Change?
Periods of Social Theory
The Organization of the Book
Part I: Changes
Chapter 1: 1968-2009: What Happened?
Why 1968?
A New Global Order: Globalization, Neoliberalism and Market Expansion, and Hyper-Industrialization
Issues without Borders: Population Growth, Urbanization, Health and Environmental Problems, and Regional Conflicts
The Emerging Distribution of Economic Inequality
Cultural Consequences: Postmodern Culture and Ironic Hopelessness
How and Why Did All These Changes Happen?
Conclusion
Chapter 2: Changes in Theory
Introduction: Making Theories
How and Why Have Sociological Theories Changed in the Past Forty Years?
Toward Contemporary Theories
Conclusion
Part II: Transitional Giants
Chapter 3: Erving Goffman (1922-1982)
Major Works, Ideas, and Concepts
Total Institutions and Labels
Interaction Order and Behavior
Frames of Reference and Discourse
The Politics and Feeling-Tone of Goffman's Work
Rupture and Continuity: Goffman as a Transitional Giant and Postmodernist
Chapter 4: Michel Foucault (1926-1984)
Major Works, Ideas, and Concepts
Foucault and the Traditions of Social Theory
Foucault's Impact and Method
Foucault's Politics
Conclusion: Foucault and the Transition to Contemporary Theory
Chapter 5: Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002)
The Craft of Sociology
Habitus, Body, Practice
Symbolic Power, Symbolic Violence, and Misrecognition
Fields, Spaces, and Capitals
Taste, Distinction, and Naturalized Categories
Public Intellectuals and Politics
The Critique of Neoliberalism
Conclusion: A Note on Foucault and Bourdieu
Chapter 6: Stuart Hall (1932- )
Hegemony
Ideology
Articulation
Overdetermination
False Consciousness
The Function of Common Sense
Interpellation and Ideological Subjects
Hegemony, Ideology, and Societies Structured in Dominance
Race: The Floating Signifier
Media: The Politics of Representation
Critical Politics of Contesting Images
Culture as the Arena of Struggle
Identity
The Move to Ethnicity
Thinking about Multiculturalism
Intellectual Labor and Politics of Resistance
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Uneven Impact of Contemporary Theory on Sociology
Legacies, Reinterpretations, and New Paradigms
Beyond Legacies: What's New?
What Will Happen Next?
References and Suggestions for Further Reading
Note to Readers
General Theoretical References (with Jose Soltero)
References and Reading Suggestions for the Transitional Giants
Erving Goffman
Michel Foucault
Pierre Bourdieu
Stuart Hall
Two Specialized Areas: References and Reading Suggestions
Theoretical Development in the Sociology of Families (prepared by Tait Runnfeldt Medina and Julie Artis)
Sociology of Health (prepared by Grace Budrys)
Index
Introduction: What is Theory and Why Does it Change?
Periods of Social Theory
The Organization of the Book
Part I: Changes
Chapter 1: 1968-2009: What Happened?
Why 1968?
A New Global Order: Globalization, Neoliberalism and Market Expansion, and Hyper-Industrialization
Issues without Borders: Population Growth, Urbanization, Health and Environmental Problems, and Regional Conflicts
The Emerging Distribution of Economic Inequality
Cultural Consequences: Postmodern Culture and Ironic Hopelessness
How and Why Did All These Changes Happen?
Conclusion
Chapter 2: Changes in Theory
Introduction: Making Theories
How and Why Have Sociological Theories Changed in the Past Forty Years?
Toward Contemporary Theories
Conclusion
Part II: Transitional Giants
Chapter 3: Erving Goffman (1922-1982)
Major Works, Ideas, and Concepts
Total Institutions and Labels
Interaction Order and Behavior
Frames of Reference and Discourse
The Politics and Feeling-Tone of Goffman's Work
Rupture and Continuity: Goffman as a Transitional Giant and Postmodernist
Chapter 4: Michel Foucault (1926-1984)
Major Works, Ideas, and Concepts
Foucault and the Traditions of Social Theory
Foucault's Impact and Method
Foucault's Politics
Conclusion: Foucault and the Transition to Contemporary Theory
Chapter 5: Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002)
The Craft of Sociology
Habitus, Body, Practice
Symbolic Power, Symbolic Violence, and Misrecognition
Fields, Spaces, and Capitals
Taste, Distinction, and Naturalized Categories
Public Intellectuals and Politics
The Critique of Neoliberalism
Conclusion: A Note on Foucault and Bourdieu
Chapter 6: Stuart Hall (1932- )
Hegemony
Ideology
Articulation
Overdetermination
False Consciousness
The Function of Common Sense
Interpellation and Ideological Subjects
Hegemony, Ideology, and Societies Structured in Dominance
Race: The Floating Signifier
Media: The Politics of Representation
Critical Politics of Contesting Images
Culture as the Arena of Struggle
Identity
The Move to Ethnicity
Thinking about Multiculturalism
Intellectual Labor and Politics of Resistance
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Uneven Impact of Contemporary Theory on Sociology
Legacies, Reinterpretations, and New Paradigms
Beyond Legacies: What's New?
What Will Happen Next?
References and Suggestions for Further Reading
Note to Readers
General Theoretical References (with Jose Soltero)
References and Reading Suggestions for the Transitional Giants
Erving Goffman
Michel Foucault
Pierre Bourdieu
Stuart Hall
Two Specialized Areas: References and Reading Suggestions
Theoretical Development in the Sociology of Families (prepared by Tait Runnfeldt Medina and Julie Artis)
Sociology of Health (prepared by Grace Budrys)
Index