SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Published on 16. December 2000
Book
Paperback/Softback
144 pages
978-0-335-20495-3 (ISBN)
Description
* What does 'social structure' mean?
* What are the principal ways in which societies are 'organized' or 'structured'?
* How can structural ideas be used in sociological analysis?
Despite the importance of the concept of social structure, sociologists have not agreed on how to define it and discussions have been plagued by confusion. In this concise and enlightening text, Jose Lopez and John Scott argue that analysing the conceptual frameworks in which different concepts of social structure are embedded can help to clarify their meanings and reshape debates. They show that competing conceptions of social structure can be seen as capturing significant and different aspects of the reality of social organization. Social Structure is organized around a discussion of 'institutional structure', 'relational structure' and 'embodied structure'. It argues that these conceptions of social structure can be fruitfully combined in order to provide a richer and more powerful overview, incorporating the work of principal contributors from Marx and Durkheim, through Parsons and Simmel, to Giddens, Foucault and Bourdieu. The book provides essential reading for undergraduate courses in sociology, social anthropology, and the history and philosophy of social thought, as well as representing an invaluable reference for researchers interested in social structure and surrounding issues.
* What are the principal ways in which societies are 'organized' or 'structured'?
* How can structural ideas be used in sociological analysis?
Despite the importance of the concept of social structure, sociologists have not agreed on how to define it and discussions have been plagued by confusion. In this concise and enlightening text, Jose Lopez and John Scott argue that analysing the conceptual frameworks in which different concepts of social structure are embedded can help to clarify their meanings and reshape debates. They show that competing conceptions of social structure can be seen as capturing significant and different aspects of the reality of social organization. Social Structure is organized around a discussion of 'institutional structure', 'relational structure' and 'embodied structure'. It argues that these conceptions of social structure can be fruitfully combined in order to provide a richer and more powerful overview, incorporating the work of principal contributors from Marx and Durkheim, through Parsons and Simmel, to Giddens, Foucault and Bourdieu. The book provides essential reading for undergraduate courses in sociology, social anthropology, and the history and philosophy of social thought, as well as representing an invaluable reference for researchers interested in social structure and surrounding issues.
More details
Person
Jose Lopez is a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Nottingham. He is the co-editor of After Postmodernism: An Introduction to Critical Realism (2000).
John Scott is Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex and at the University of Bergen, Norway. He has previously taught at the Universities of Strathclyde and Leicester. He is the editor of the student magazine Sociology Review and, with James Fulcher wrote the introductory text Sociology (1999). His most recent books include Sociological Theory (1995), Poverty and Wealth (1994), and Stratification and Power (1996).
John Scott is Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex and at the University of Bergen, Norway. He has previously taught at the Universities of Strathclyde and Leicester. He is the editor of the student magazine Sociology Review and, with James Fulcher wrote the introductory text Sociology (1999). His most recent books include Sociological Theory (1995), Poverty and Wealth (1994), and Stratification and Power (1996).
Content
Preface and acknowledgements
What is social structure?
Conceptualizing social structure
Institutional structure
Relational structure
Levels of structure
Embodied structure
Bibliography
Index.
What is social structure?
Conceptualizing social structure
Institutional structure
Relational structure
Levels of structure
Embodied structure
Bibliography
Index.