Written by one of the foremost authorities in the world on sociological theory and a junior colleague (and former student) who specializes, and has already published widely, in theory, this market-leading text gives readers a comprehensive overview of the major classical theorists and contemporary schools of sociological thought. It spans the history of sociological theory from its inception to the latest theoretical developments. Key theories are integrated with biographical sketches of the lives of theorists to place readings in their personal and historical context for students. This book provides students with the context to understand the original works of classical authors as well as the framework to compare and contrast the newest substantive theories that they have learned in other sociology courses. The sixth edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to reflect current debates in sociology and includes completely new sections on Actor-Network theory, neo-Marxian theories of space, chaos in social theory and theories of globalization. |
2004 McGraw-Hill Higher Education