SOCIAL THEORY AND MODERN SOCIOLOGY

In this book Anthony Giddens addresses a range of issues concerning current developments in social theory, relating them to the prospects for sociology in the closing decades of the twentieth century. Composed of closely integrated papers, all written over the past few years, the book includes seven essays not previously published, plus two that have not appeared in English before.

In assessing the likely future evolution of sociology in particular, and the social sciences in general, the author both draws upon ideas established in his more abstract theoretical writings and examines critically competing traditions of thought. Those looking for an accessible introduction to Giddens’s writings will find in this book a set of clear expositions of his basic ideas. By situating these ideas in relation to the critical assessment of the views of others, however, the author provides new sources of insight into the distinctiveness of his own claims.

This work will be essential reading for anyone interested in the development of social theory during the present period, and will appeal to a student and professional audience in sociology, anthropology and political science and philosophy.

Contents
1 What do sociologists do?
2 Nine theses on the future of sociology
3 The social sciences and philosophy — trends in recent social theory
4 Structuralism, post-structuralism and the production of culture
5 Erving Goffman as a systematic social theorist
6 Time and social organization
7 Nation-states and violence
8 Social theory and problems of macroeconomics
9 Out of the Orrery: E. P. Thompson on consciousness and history
10 Reason without revolution? Habermas’s Theory of Communicative Action
11 Alvin Gouldner and the intellectuals
12 The perils of punditry: Gorz and the end of the working class