Structure Interaction And Social Theory Rle Social Theory

Author : Derek Layder
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317650662
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.69/5 ( download)

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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.

Author : Piotr Sztompka
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317652592
Total Pages : 332 pages
Book Rating : 4.95/5 ( download)

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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.

Author : Derek Layder
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317650670
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.76/5 ( download)

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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 168 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.

Author : Ronald L. Breiger
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317657586
Total Pages : 206 pages
Book Rating : 4.83/5 ( download)

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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.

Author : Arthur Brittan
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000155862
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.60/5 ( download)

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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’.

Author : Kenneth Menzies
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317657187
Total Pages : 255 pages
Book Rating : 4.87/5 ( download)

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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.

Author : Piotr Sztompka
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317652584
Total Pages : 295 pages
Book Rating : 4.88/5 ( download)

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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.

Author : Joe Bailey
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317651782
Total Pages : 167 pages
Book Rating : 4.89/5 ( download)

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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 167 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.

Author : Jeff Hearn
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317647807
Total Pages : 235 pages
Book Rating : 4.05/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Men, Masculinities and Social Theory (RLE Social Theory) written by Jeff Hearn and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-13 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents a series of illustrative and critical perspectives upon the developing study of men and masculinities and its importance for sociological theory. The contributions, by women and men from Britain and the United States, are organized around the unifying themes of Power and Domination; Sexuality; Identity and Perception. Feminism has raised profound questions for the social sciences, for sociological theory and for the study of men. The contributors to this volume discuss how such questions can be addressed. They demonstrate the range of theoretical traditions that can be brought to bear on the study of men, and underline the importance of understanding ‘masculinities’ in the plural. In a concluding section, three different views upon the controversy surrounding ‘Men’s Studies’ are presented.

Author : Anthony Giddens
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317650638
Total Pages : 488 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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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.