The revised third edition of the text that combines classical and contemporary theories of sociological theory
Thoroughly revised and updated, the third edition of an Introduction to Sociological Theory offers an in-depth introduction to classical and contemporary theories, and demonstrates their relevance to offer a clear understanding of a broad range of contemporary issues and topics. As with the previous editions, the text continues to combine carefully selected primary quotations from a broad range of theorists with extensive discussion and illustrative examples from a diverse range of countries, helpful timelines of important and thematically relevant events, biographical notes, contemporary topic boxes, analytical photos, and chapter glossaries.
The text addresses topics such as the persistence of economic and social inequality, Brexit, post-truth society, same-sex marriage, digital surveillance and the on-demand gig economy. Written in an engaging style, Introduction to Sociological Theory offers a comprehensive introduction to the pluralistic breadth and wide-ranging applicability of sociological theory. This updated edition of the authoritative text:
- Contains both classical and contemporary theories in a single text
- Builds on excerpts from original theoretical writings with detailed discussion of the concepts and ideas under review
- Includes new examples of current empirical topics such as Brexit, Donald Trump’s presidency, China’s growing economic power, global warming, intersectionality, social media, and much more
- Offers additional resources including a website that contains multiple choice and essay questions, a thoroughly refreshed set of PowerPoint slides for each chapter with multimedia links to content illustrative of sociological processes, a list of complementary primary readings, a quotation bank, and other background materials
Written for undergraduate courses in contemporary and classical sociological theory, the third edition of an Introduction to Sociological Theory continues to provide a comprehensive, in-depth, and empirically engaging, introduction to sociological theory.
Table of Contents
List of Boxed Features xi
List of Analytical Photos xv
Acknowledgments xvii
How to Use This Book xix
About the Website xxi
Introduction - Sociological Theory: A Vibrant Living Tradition 1
Analyzing Everyday Social Life 4
Societal Transformation and the Origins of Sociology 10
The Establishment of Sociology as Science: Auguste Comte and Harriet Martineau 14
Social Inequality and Contextual Standpoints: Du Bois, De Tocqueville, and Martineau 20
Summary 25
Points to Remember 26
Glossary 26
Questions for Review 27
Note 28
References 28
1 Karl Marx (1818-1883) 31
Expansion of Capitalism 34
Marx’s Theory of History 36
Human Nature 40
Capitalism as a Distinctive Social Form 42
The Division of Labor and Alienation 52
Economic Inequality 58
Ideology and Power 61
Summary 68
Points to Remember 68
Glossary 69
Questions for Review 71
Notes 71
References 72
2 Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) 75
Durkheim’s Methodological Rules 78
The Nature of Society 83
Societal Transformation and Social Cohesion 87
Traditional Society 87
Modern Society 89
Social Conditions of Suicide 95
Religion and the Sacred 102
Summary 108
Points to Remember 108
Glossary 109
Questions for Review 110
Notes 110
References 111
3 Max Weber (1864-1920) 113
Sociology: Understanding Social Action 116
Culture and Economic Activity 117
Ideal Types 123
Social Action 124
Power, Authority, and Domination 130
Social Stratification 139
Modernity and Competing Values 142
Summary 144
Points to Remember 144
Glossary 145
Questions for Review 146
Notes 146
References 147
4 American Classics: The Chicago School, Talcott Parsons, and Robert Merton 149
The Chicago School of Sociology 150
Talcott Parsons 153
The Social System 154
Socialization and Societal Integration 157
Social Change and the Secularization of Protestantism 158
Pattern Variables 159
Modernization Theory 162
Stratification and Inequality 165
Robert Merton 167
Neofunctionalism 171
Summary 173
Points to Remember 174
Glossary 174
Questions for Review 177
Note 177
References 177
5 Critical Theory: Technology, Culture, and Politics 179
The Societal Critique of Horkheimer, Adorno, and Marcuse 183
Dialectic of Enlightenment 187
Mass Culture and Consumption 192
Politics: Uniformity and Control 199
Jurgen Habermas: the State and the Public Sphere 201
Summary 206
Points to Remember 206
Glossary 207
Questions for Review 209
References 209
6 Conflict, Power, and Dependency in Macro‐Societal Processes 211
Ralf Dahrendorf ’s Theory of Group Conflict 212
C. Wright Mills: Class and Power 217
Dependency Theory: Gunder Frank’s and Cardoso’s Neo‐Marxist Critiques of Economic Development 222
Summary 228
Points to Remember 228
Glossary 229
Questions for Review 229
References 230
7 Exchange, Exchange Network, and Rational Choice Theories 231
Exchange Theory: George Homans and Peter Blau 232
Exchange Network Theory: Richard Emerson, Karen Cook, Mark Granovetter 237
Actor-Network Theory (ANT): Bruno Latour 242
Rational Choice Theory and Its Critique: James Coleman, Gary Becker, Paula England 244
Analytical Marxism 248
Summary 250
Points to Remember 250
Glossary 251
Questions for Review 253
Note 253
References 253
8 Symbolic Interactionism 255
Development of the Self Through Social Interaction: G. H. Mead and C. H. Cooley 256
The Premises of Symbolic Interactionism: Herbert Blumer 261
Erving Goffman: Society as Ritualized Social Interaction 263
Symbolic Interactionism and Ethnographic Research 275
Summary 275
Points to Remember 275
Glossary 276
Questions for Review 278
Note 278
References 278
9 Phenomenology and Ethnomethodology 281
Phenomenology: Alfred Schutz, Peter Berger, and Thomas Luckmann 282
Ethnomethodology: Harold Garfinkel 292
Gender as an Accomplished Reality: Candace West and Don Zimmerman 296
Summary 299
Points to Remember 300
Glossary 300
Questions for Review 301
References 302
10 Feminist Theories 305
Consciousness of Women’s Inequality: Charlotte Perkins Gilman 309
Standpoint Theory: Dorothy Smith and the Relations of Ruling 311
Masculinities: R. W. Connell 321
Patricia Hill Collins: Black Women’s Standpoint 323
Sociology of Emotion 330
Arlie Hochschild: Emotional Labor 331
Summary 337
Points to Remember 337
Glossary 338
Questions for Review 340
Notes 340
References 340
11 Sex, Bodies, Truth, and Power: Michel Foucault, Steven Seidman, and Queer Theory 343
Disciplining the Body 344
Sex and Queer Theory 353
Summary 360
Points to Remember 361
Glossary 361
Questions for Review 362
References 362
12 Postcolonial Theories and Race 365
Racial Otherness: Edward Said, Frantz Fanon 367
New Directions in the Sociology of Colonialism: R. W. Connell 373
Race and Racism 374
Cultural Histories and Postcolonial Identities: Stuart Hall 377
Race and Class: William J. Wilson, Cornell West 379
Scarring of Black America 381
Culture and the New Racism: Paul Gilroy 385
Summary 388
Points to Remember 388
Glossary 389
Questions for Review 390
References 390
13 Pierre Bourdieu: Class, Culture, and the Social Reproduction of Inequality 393
Social Stratification 395
Family and School in the Production of Cultural Capital 399
Taste and Everyday Practices 402
Summary 410
Points to Remember 411
Glossary 411
Questions for Review 412
References 412
14 Economic and Political Globalization: Wallerstein, Sklair, Giddens, Sassen, Bauman, Castells 415
What is Globalization? 420
Economic Globalization 421
Immanuel Wallerstein: The Modern World‐System 422
Contemporary Globalizing Economic Processes 427
Globalizing Political Processes: The Changing Authority of the Nation‐State 434
Migration and Political Mobilization in a Transnational World 440
Summary 445
Points to Remember 446
Glossary 447
Questions for Review 448
Notes 448
References 449
15 Modernities, Risk, Cosmopolitanism, and Global Consumer Culture 451
Jurgen Habermas: Contrite Modernity 452
S.N. Eisenstadt: Multiple Modernities 454
Ulrich Beck: Global Risk Society 458
Cosmopolitan Modernity 460
The Global Expansion of Human Rights 462
Global Consumer Culture 465
Jean Baudrillard: The Aestheticization of Reality 469
Anthony Giddens: Disembeddedness and Dilemmas of the Self 471
Summary 473
Points to Remember 473
Glossary 474
Questions for Review 475
References 475
Glossary 477
Sociological Theorists and Select Key Writings 495
Index 499
