This first truly multicultural anthology collects important, readable texts representative of the full range of social theory as it has developed from the nineteenth century to the present. Now that social theory is practiced in many disciplines, it is time to reflect on the variety of theories being read today and the earlier sources that are customarily neglected. If today we read Donna Haraway, Henry Louis Gates, and Michel Foucault, we should also read and understand Charlotte Perkins Gilman and W.E.B. Du Bois, alongside Weber, Simmel, William James, and others of their contemporaries from the end of the nineteenth century.This book, therefore, sets a wider gauge for the understanding of the history of social thought than could have been possible before. It brings texts together in unexpected and exciting ways: those of Parsons and Dorothy Smith, Merton and Lacan, Wallerstein and Frantz Fanon, James Coleman and Molefi Asante. Extensive introductory essays by the editor situate the writings in their times, identifying the currents of social change that shaped fundamental questions of modern and postmodern life. This third edition has been thoroughly revised and updated.
FREE Two-Day Shipping for Students. Learn more |
| ||||||||||||||||||||
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Lemert provides an illuminating introduction to the collection and introductions to each section that provide an overview of the socio-historical context and delineation of key thinkers and texts in each period. Combining important classical and contemporary material, Lemert's collection enables the student and reader to trace out the origins of the modern world to our present global and conflicted condition."
—Douglas Kellner, University of California, Los Angeles
"This collections presents a provocative wide-angle view of the history of social theory, including very recent work which interestingly engages with a future only dimly coming into focus. Well-chosen selections from the new social movements as well as the classics and recent mainstream make this a fine introduction for courses in the social sciences. The collection also offers students and scholars in other fields a valuable overview of the ideas and assumptions that have shaped thought in the humanities, jurisprudence, and public policy more generally."
—Sandra Harding, UCLA, Co-Editor of Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
—Sandra Harding, UCLA, Co-Editor of Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
"Lemert gives shape to a sociological imagination for the twenty-first century. This is necessary reading for us all."
—Patricia Clough, Queens College and CUNY Graduate Center
—Patricia Clough, Queens College and CUNY Graduate Center
"With an equally sure grasp of the classics of the past and the probable classics of the future, Charles Lemert has assembled a remarkable array of stimulating readings in social theory. The result is a well-stocked tool kit for the canon wars of the twenty-first century."
—Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley
—Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley
"Social Theory is an essential guide through the complex contours of multicultural ideology and theory from the nineteenth century to the present. Lemert brings together a surprising range of multicultural voices and perspectives into a powerful and provocative introductory text. Social Theory clearly illustrates how critical ideas have the power to transform societies."
—Manning Marable, Columbia University
—Manning Marable, Columbia University
"A rich, highly textured, historically sweeping, and strikingly inclusive collection that aims to reconstruct, perhaps for the first time, the actual dialogue of contemporary social thought."
—Jeffrey Alexander, Yale University
—Jeffrey Alexander, Yale University
"Charles Lemert captures the surfacing of multiple theoretical voices in the postmodern era. No theory course should be without Social Theory."
—Steve Seidman, State University of New York at Albany
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
—Steve Seidman, State University of New York at Albany
About the Author
Charles Lemert is professor of sociology at Wesleyan University and the author of several books including Sociology After the Crisis (Westview Press 1995) and Social THeory, The Multicultural and Classic Readings, Third Edition (Westview PRess 2004).
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Covers an enormously broad range.,
By not a natural "Bob Bickel" (huntington, west virginia United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings (Paperback)
Lemert's book, Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classical Readings, is worth reading, but it covers an enormously broad range of theoretical perspectives. In some instances, coverage of any one theorist and concepts crucial to understanding his or her work is startlingly brief. George Herbert Mead, for example, is given only five pages to explain the structure of the self and the key role it plays in his social behaviorism. Furthermore, while Lemert's own comments are learned and valuable, this is not the sort of book that provides well-developed concrete examples. Beyond that, little attention in given to synthesizing the complementary efforts of disparate theorists.
While a useful book, this is the kind of text which invites misunderstanding and abuse. Readers are unimpressed by the apparent shallowness of great thinkers who are given too little attention. Ill-tutored instructors are inclined to present material in a disconnected list-like fashion, without developing the ideas listed by Lemert. Perhaps the character of the book was determined by the nature of a specific market at which it was aimed. Sad.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely Comprehensive,
This review is from: Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings (Paperback)
This collection is unmatched in its comprehension, particularly in regards to its inclusion of a wide variety of contemporary perspectives.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic,
By Yark Bark "Yark" (ATL) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings (Paperback)
Heavy on Sociology, yet fantastic for anyone interested in the progression of Western social theory since the Industrial Revolution.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
