Overview

An accessible and provocative survey of contemporary social and sociological theories Written in a conversational style that conveys the author′s enthusiam for theory, this updated edition of Kenneth Allan′s acclaimed text appeals to the reader to consider the ""theoretical you,"" as an individual in 21st-century society. This book introduces students to an array of social theories, each presented from the perspectives of these well-known theorists: Peter Blau, Janet Saltzman, Chafetz George Homans, Jean Baudrillard, Michel Foucault, Talcott Parsons, Herbert Blumer, Harold Garfinkel, Dorothy E. Smith, Pierre Bourdieu, Anthony Giddens, Immanuel Wallerstein, Judith Butler, Erving Goffman, William Julius Wilson, Manuel Castells, Jürgen Habermas, Cornel West Filled with examples drawn from daily life, this edition highlights diversity in contemporary society, exploring theories of race, gender, and sexuality that address today′s most important social concerns. Students will learn to ""think theoretically"" and apply theory to their own lives.  

Full Product Details

Author:   Kenneth Allan
Publisher:   SAGE Publications Inc
Imprint:   SAGE Publications Inc
Edition:   2nd Revised edition
Dimensions:   Width: 17.70cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.790kg
ISBN:  

9781412978200

ISBN 10:   1412978203
Pages:   464
Publication Date:   28 July 2010
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Replaced By:   9781412992770
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   In Print  
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Table of Contents

Introduction (to be read): The Real You Acknowledgments Part I. Introduction 1. In the Beginning There Was Modernity 2. Defining Moments in 20th-Century Theory: Talcott Parsons and The Frankfurt School Part II. The Social Situation and Its People 3. Symbolic Interaction: Herbert Blumer (1900–1987) 4. Organizing Ordinary Life: Harold Garfinkel (1917–) 5. Performing the Self: Erving Goffman (1922–1982) 6. Social Exchanges: George Homans, Peter Blau, and Randall Collins Elementary Forms of Social Behavior: George Homans (1910–1989), Social Exchanges and Power: Peter Blau (1918–2002) Ritualized Exchanges: Randall Collins (1941–) Part III. Social Structures and Systems 7. Structures of Racial and Gender Inequality: William Julius Wilson and Janet Saltzman Chafetz The Declining Significance of Race: William Julius Wilson (1935–) The Structures of Gender Inequality: Janet Saltzman Chafetz (1942–2006) 8. Structuring Class: Pierre Bourdieu (1960–2002) 9. Global Capitalism: Immanuel Wallerstein (1930–) 10. The Network Society: Manuel Castells (1942–) Part IV: Modernity and Postmodernity 11. Modernity and Reason: Jürgen Habermas (1929–) 12. Runaway Modernity: Anthony Giddens (1938–) 13. Defining the Possible and Impossible: Michel Foucault (1926–1984) 14. The End of Everything: Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) Part V. Identity Politics 15. Racial Wounds and the Niggerization of America: Cornel West (1953–) 16. Text, Power, and Women: Dorothy E. Smith (1926–) 17. Embodying Sex: Judith Butler (1956–) Glossary References Index About the Author

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Author Information

Kenneth Allan received his PhD in sociology from the University of California, Riverside (1995), and is currently professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Before moving to UNCG, he directed the Teaching Assistant Development Program at the University of California, Riverside, and coedited Training Teaching Assistants, 2nd Edition (1997), published by the American Sociological Association. In addition to teaching classical and contemporary theory at UNCG, Allan also supervised UNCG’s sociology iSchool program, which offered online introduction to sociology classes to high school students across North Carolina, has designed several online courses for both the college and department, and has regularly taught graduate pedagogy courses. Allan’s research areas include theory, culture, and the self. He has authored several works in the area of theory, including multiple textbooks covering classical and contemporary theory, as well as The Meaning of Culture: Moving the Postmodern Critique Forward, and A Primer in Social and Sociological Theory: Toward a Sociology of Citizenship. His current projects include a social history of American individualism, a sociological analysis of consciousness and self, as well as a novel based in early 20th century American life.

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