Download or read book Structure Interaction and Social Theory RLE Social Theory written by Derek Layder and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A central problem in contemporary social theory is that of providing an account of social interaction that does justice both to the self-monitoring capacities of the individuals involved and to the society that ‘frames’ the interaction. This book attempts to resolve this problem, arguing for an objectivist or ‘structuralist’ account which does not undervalue the importance of the indexical and negotiated aspects of interaction, and which takes seriously the Marxist-rationalist critique of empiricism and humanism and the associated idea that society should be treated as a supra-individual, preconstituted and constraining object of scientific analysis. First, Dr Layder pinpoints certain of the strengths and weaknesses of various schools of thought: social psychology (scrutinized in both its sociological and psychological forms), sociology, the Marxist-rationalist approach. Whilst rejecting the mechanistic or naively deterministic theories which are often associated with an objectivist stance, he argues that the productive activities of situated actors must be understood as existing in an articulated relationship with, and within, sets of preconstituted contextual constraints. This thesis is illustrated conceptually by the development of a framework which distinguishes two types and levels of social structure, with different modes of production and reproduction, and empirically by an analysis of aspects of interaction in the occupation of acting.
Download or read book Agency and Structure written by Piotr Sztompka and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A striking feature of the human condition is its dual, contradictory, inherently split character; on the one hand, autonomy and freedom; on the other, constraint and dependence on social structure. This volume addresses this central problem of the linkage between human action and social structure in sociological and social science theory. Contributions cover several different approaches to the agency-structure problematic, and represent the work of a number of leading international sociologists. Their efforts point to a reorientation of social theory, both on philosophical and methodological levels.
Download or read book Meanings and Situations RLE Social Theory written by Arthur Brittan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-08-26 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meanings and Situations is an account of the ‘interactionist’ position. It is a committed account in the sense that it sees the central concerns of social psychology and sociology as being located in an interpretative and humanistic framework. At the same time, it argues for a bio-social image of man which does not do violence to the way in which men in interaction continuously construct and renegotiate ‘meaning’. This is in contrast to some of the highly fashionable ‘exchange’ and ‘game’ models of interaction which dominate the thinking of proponents of ‘respectable’ behavioural science. Hence, so the author urges, the current upsurge of interest in social phenomenology, ethnomethodology and symbolic interactionism is more than a reaction to the reigning paradigm in behavioural science. Arthur Brittan believes this new interest is essentially a return to the humanistic sources of these disciplines which have been in constant danger of being overwhelmed by the ‘behavioural ideology’.
Download or read book Explorations in Structural Analysis RLE Social Theory written by Ronald L. Breiger and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At a time when most of the innovative techniques in empirical sociology concern themselves with networks of relations among variables (such as indices of occupational prestige, education and income), the central theme of this volume is that there is much substantive insight and analytical leverage to be gained from a conceptualization of social structure directly, as regularities in the patterning of relations among concrete entities. The view adopted here is that variate distributions measure selected consequences of structural pattern (of the actual connections among individuals or organizations) and, as such, they are useful indicators of questions to be asked in analyzing social structures directly, but they are neither descriptions nor analyses of the structure itself.
Download or read book Sociological Theory in Use RLE Social Theory written by Kenneth Menzies and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Central to most sociologists’ self-image is the claim that their theories are based on research. However, using a random sample of 680 articles appearing in major American, British and Canadian journals, Dr Menzies shows that in some areas of sociology the wide gap between theory and research means that much of sociological theory is virtually untested. He explains how theory is embodied in eight particular types of research, critically examines these research theories, and contrasts them with the positions of modern theorists. The sample of journal articles also permits a comparison of British, American and Canadian sociology. By contrasting on how researchers us theories, Dr Menzies is able to reassess several theories. For instance, symbolic interactionist research uses embedded causal claims and stands in a dialectical relationship to other sociological research, while the research version of conflict theory depends on external causes to explain social change. The implications of using statistical techniques like factor analysis and regression are also considered in relation to the form of explanation.
Download or read book Ideas and Intervention RLE Social Theory written by Joe Bailey and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-13 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theorizing in sociology has increasingly become a self-generating and self-fulfilling activity, as sociologists absorb theory as an isolated and formalist part of their discipline. Joe Bailey believes that sociological theory should be a contribution to practical social intervention. His book presents a practical view of social theorizing as an activity at which sociologists are skilled and which they could teach to the interventionist professions. The relation between theory and practice is defined as one in which theory guides practice and makes explicit necessary choices. A description of disciplines and professions is provided as a basis for examining social intervention in three areas – law, social work and urban planning. The author considers some exemplary contributions which sociological theorizing could and should provide, and concludes by proposing a pluralist view of theory as the best strategy for a sociology relevant to practice.
Download or read book Social Theory and Social Structure written by Robert King Merton and published by New York : Free Press. This book was released on 1968 with total page 742 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new printing is not a newly revised edition, only an enlarged one. The revised edition of 1957 remains intact except that its short introduction has been greatly expanded to appear here as Chapters I and II. The only other changes are technical and minor ones: the correction of typographical errors and amended indexes of subjects and names.
Download or read book Social Theory and Social Structure written by Robert K. Merton and published by . This book was released on 1962 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Structure of Sociological Theory written by Jonathan H. Turner and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text covers new and emerging aspects of sociological theory and examines the significant contributions of both modern and founding theorists. Seven sections present detailed analyses of key theories and paradigms, including functionalism, evolutionary theory, conflict theory, critical theory, exchange theory, interactionist theory, and structuralism. The Seventh Edition is a less encyclopedic text than the Sixth Edition; despite the in-depth discussions of theorists and their contributions to the field, the text is concise and focused and is appropriate for use in nine- and ten-week courses.
Download or read book The Future of the Sociological Classics RLE Social Theory written by Buford Rhea and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-07-26 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this important volume of specially commissioned essays, nine leading sociologists present their answers to the question, 'What use are the sociological classics today?' They report on the latest scholarship, on neglected features of the various masters, on promising applications and unrecognised implications.
Download or read book Studies in Social and Political Theory RLE Social Theory written by Anthony Giddens and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The studies which comprise this book are essentially organized around a critical encounter with European social theory in its 'classical period' – i.e. from the middle years of the nineteenth century until the First World War – and have the aim of working out some of the implications of that encounter for the position and prospects of the social sciences today. The issues involved relate to the following series of problems: method and epistemology; social development and transformation; the origins of 'sociology' in nineteenth-century social theory; and the status of social science as critique. In each of these areas, Giddens develops views that challenge existing orthodoxies, and connects these ideas to a reconstruction of social theory in the contemporary era.
Download or read book Agency and Structure RLE Social Theory written by Piotr Sztompka and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A striking feature of the human condition is its dual, contradictory, inherently split character; on the one hand, autonomy and freedom; on the other, constraint and dependence on social structure. This volume addresses this central problem of the linkage between human action and social structure in sociological and social science theory. Contributions cover several different approaches to the agency-structure problematic, and represent the work of a number of leading international sociologists. Their efforts point to a reorientation of social theory, both on philosophical and methodological levels.
Download or read book Social Theory and Social Structure written by Robert King Merton and published by Glencoe, Ill. : Free Press. This book was released on 1949 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Institutions Interaction and Social Theory written by Will Gibson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From hospitals and prisons to schools and corporations: no matter how large or seemingly abstract, all institutions are ultimately the result of the actions and interactions of people. In this original and innovative text, Gibson and Vom Lehn show the different ways in which studying people's own meaning-making practices can help us understand the role of institutions in contemporary society. Institutions, Interaction and Social Theory takes the reader through the core conceptual foundations of Symbolic Interactionism, Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis. Engaging with a rich tradition in sociological thought, it suggests that interactionist perspectives have remained largely absent in the study of institutions, and how they contrast with and contribute to the broader field of research in institutional contexts. With chapters on healthcare, education, markets, and art and culture, this text will be of interest to those studying institutions, organisations and work in sociology and in business schools. It will also be valuable for students of social theory interested in interactionism, and in the challenges and opportunities of connecting complex theoretical discussions to real world examples.
Download or read book Functionalism Exchange and Theoretical Strategy RLE Social Theory written by Michael Mulkay and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-13 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: M.J. Mulkay traces the development of certain recent versions of functionalism and exchange theory in sociology, with special attention to 'theoretical strategy'. He uses this term to refer to the policies which theorists adopt to ensure that their work contributes to their long range theoretical objectives. Such strategies are important, he believes, because they place limits on the theories with which they are associated. He shows how each of the theorists he studies devised a new strategy to replace the unsuccessful policies of a prior theory in a process of 'strategical dialectic'. This often has unforeseen consequences for the direction of theoretical growth, and the author interprets changes in theoretical perspective largely as products of these strategical innovations.
Download or read book Approaches to Sociology written by John Rex and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These essays, commissioned by John Rex, reflect the state of sociology in Britain today. Leading representatives of the diverse ‘schools’ provide lucid accounts of their own particular approaches to this complex discipline and in doing so demonstrate the techniques described. Topics covered include the empirical study of stratification, social evolution, survey techniques, mathematical sociology, systems theory, phenomenological approaches, Weberian sociology, structuralism, contemporary Marxism, and the development of theory after Talcott Parsons.
Download or read book The Structure of Social Theory written by Terry Johnson and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
