ABSTRACT

Social Theory provides a sophisticated yet highly accessible introduction to classical and contemporary social theories. The author’s concise presentation allows students and instructors to focus on central themes. The text lets theorists speak for themselves, presenting key passages from each theorist’s corpus, bringing theory to life. The approach allows instructors the opportunity to help students learn to unpack sometimes complex prose, just as it offers inroads to class discussion. Chapters on Addams and early feminism, on Habermas and the Frankfurt School, on Foucault, and on globalization and social movements round out contemporary coverage. The book presents and explains key theories, just as it provides an introduction to central debates about them.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

part |2 pages

Part I: Classical Social Theory

chapter 3|8 pages

3Durkheim on Society and Social Order

chapter 9|9 pages

Addams and Early Women Social Theorists

part |2 pages

Part II: Contemporary Social Theory

chapter 16|6 pages

16Mills on the Power Elite

chapter 20|6 pages

Homans on Social Exchange

chapter 21|19 pages

21The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory

chapter 24|16 pages

24Feminist Theory: Yesterday and Today

chapter 25|6 pages

Wallerstein and World-Systems Theory

chapter 26|9 pages

Theories of Globalization

chapter 28|12 pages

Foucault on the Diffusion of Power

chapter 30|9 pages

Social Movements and Transformation