Product Description
Over the past three decades there has been a transformation in the ways that that social science has been conducted. In order to understand what is happening, we have to explore the implications of a rethinking of the meaning of culture, from a hierarchical system of classification to contested space. This wide-ranging introduction to the concept of culture examines the ways in which in which we examine social inquiry, and argues that cultural theory can help to overcome problems in disciplinary and interdisciplinary analysis. Mark J. Smith explores how changes in the meaning of 'culture' have pinpointed key shifts in the way we research society, and draws on contemporary sociology, psychology, politics, geography and the study of crime to consider the ways in which cultural transformation has changed the landscape of social research. He concludes with a persuasive and focussed discussion of the centrality of culture in postdisciplinary social science. This landmark text represents essential reading for students and researchers with an interest in the cultural dimensions of social science
About the Author
Mark J. Smith is Lecturer in Social Sciences at the Open University, teaching and researching in the philosophy of the social sciences, ecology, social and political theory, cultural politics, critical theory and sociology. He is also Visiting Professor in the Philosophy and Methodology of the Social Sciences at the University of Oslo. His recent works include Rethinking State Theory (2000), Thinking Through the Environment (1999), Social Science in Question (1998), and Ecologism (1998), which is also published by Open University Press in the Concepts series.
