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Request Exam Copy Companion Site

Print Price: $134.99

Format:
Paperback
464 pp.
3 black and white photos, 3 timelines, and 65 boxes, 7" x 9"

ISBN-13:
9780195430301

Copyright Year:
2010

Imprint: OUP Canada


The Making of Social Theory

Order, Reason, and Desire, Second Edition

Anthony Thomson

The Making of Social Theory: Order, Reason, and Desire, second edition, chronicles the development of Western ideas about society and social life from the medieval period through to the rise of modern sociology in the early twentieth century. Theories are examined within a historical social context to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the social circumstances in which various sociological ideologies arose. The new second edition retains its unique coverage of pre-Enlightenment ideas and features new material on Marxism in the twenty century and a chapter dedicated to tracing the evolution of social democracy through Pareto and Mannheim. Taking a uniquely interdisciplinary approach, The Making of Social Theory examines the links between the classical and contemporary worlds, allowing students to see how classical social theory has helped to shape the ideas of today.

Readership : Sociology major and minors in their second and third years will use The Making of Social Theory when studying classical social theory, a compulsory course for degree completion in this discipline.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction: The Unmaking of Traditional Society
Part One: From Reason to Revolution
1. Enlightenment and Revolution: Rousseau and Wollstonecraft
2. The Conservative Reaction and Romanticism
3. Democracy and Social Liberalism
Part Two: From Social Philosophy to Social Science
4. French Positivism and German Idealism
5. Karl Marx
6. Fin de Siècle Social Thought: Feminism, Decadence, and Nietzsche
7. Émile Durkheim
8. Max Weber
Part Three: From Certainty to Doubt
9. Emancipation and Pragmatism: Du Bois, Dewey, and Mead
10. The Individual and Society: Simmel and Freud
11. Early Twentieth-Century Marxism: The Russian Revolution and Gramsci
12. Elites and Social Democracy: From Pareto to Mannheim
13. Conclusion
Glossary
Notes
Index

Companion website includes:
Appendix: online chapter companion provides a description and summary of the theories and theorists covered in each chapter as well as annotated resources, including links to primary-source documents.
Chapter outline
Learning objectives
Glossary

Anthony Thomson is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Acadia University. He earned his MA from Dalhousie and his PhD from Cambridge in 1984. Thomson is an experienced writer, having published previously with Canadian Scholars Press. In addition to social theory, his areas of interest cover the Nova Scotian labour movement, Canadian labour history, Marxism, post-revolutionary societies, intellectual history, criminal justice, and socialist movements.

Social Theory - Edited by Gordon Bailey and Noga Gayle
Social Blueprints - David K. Brown
Classical Sociological Theory - Edited by Michael S. Kimmel

Special Features

  • Interdisciplinary approach. Incorporates a range of cultural forms of expression, including literature, music, art, and film, making the text relevant to today's students.
  • Historical foundation. Opens with a brief exploration of the origins of social theory and presents a range of theories within their social contexts, giving students historical background for the ideas that underpin the discipline of sociology.
  • Classical and contemporary perspectives. Links between classical theory and contemporary society help students understand how classical ideas have shaped modern thought.
New to this Edition
  • NEW! Revised coverage of pre-Enlightenment ideas has been condensed into a concise and manageable introduction.
  • NEW! New chapter covering the fate of Marxism in the early decades of the twentieth century.
  • NEW! New chapter covering the rise of social democracy through the work of Pareto and Mannheim.
  • NEW! Revised part openers feature pieces of classical art related to the theories that evolved in that time, helping students conceptualize and understand theoretical concepts.