The Giddens phenomenon has been one of the most obvious and talked about features of world sociology since the late 1960’s. This book, first published in 1992, provides a prudent and essential critical introduction to one of the leading sociologists of our time. The book is intended to provide an accessible introduction to Gidden's work and also to situate structuration theory in the context of other approaches. The reissue will be of interest to students of Sociology and those working in the other social sciences.
Anthony Giddens is arguably the world's leading sociologist. In this controversial contribution to the Giddens debate, Stjepan Mestrovic takes up and criticizes the major themes of his work - particularly the concept of 'high modernity' as opposed to 'postmodernity' and his attempted construction of a 'synthetic' tradition based on human agency and structure. Testing Giddens' theories against what is happening in the real world from genocide in Africa to near secession in Quebec, Mestrovic discerns in the construction of synthetic traditions not the promise of freedom held out by Giddens but rather the ominous potential for new forms of totalitarian control.
Anthony Giddens has been described as 'the most important Englishsocial philosopher of our time'. Over twenty-five years, and evenmore books, he has established himself as the most widely-read andwidely-cited social theorist of his generation. His ideas haveprofoundly influenced the writing and teaching of sociology andsocial theory throughout the English-speaking world. In recentyears, his writing has become much more explicitly political, andin 1996 he took up his high-profile appointment as Director of theLondon School of Economics and Political Science. It is in this newposition and with these new political ideas that he has beendescribed as the key intellectual figure of New Labour in Britain.Following the astonishing success of Labour in the 1997 GeneralElection, his ideas have been the focus of intense interest. In this series of extended interviews with Chris Pierson, Giddenslays out with customary clarity and directness the principal themesin the development of his social theory and the distinctivepolitical agenda which he recommends. This volume will be of great interest to second- and third-yearstudents in sociology and social theory, politics and politicaltheory, as well as to the general reader.
Anthony Giddens has made original contributions to the fields of social theory, political sociology, the sociology of stratifications & suicide. This set includes carefully selected secondary articles which bring out the scope of his work.
Anthony Giddens is one of the world's most prominent and prolific sociologists, and yet he is also a difficult study for the beginning student of sociology. This is the first introduction to the work of Giddens, including the major part of his sociological and social theoretical project. The author traces Giddens' development from the late sixties to the nineties in a straightforward, readable style, covering all parts of Giddens's sociology in a well-arranged summary. Also featured is a lengthy interview with Giddens by the author, and the most comprehensive Giddens bibliography to date.
Stjepan Mestrovic takes up and criticizes the major themes of Giddens' work - the concept of 'high modernity' as opposed to 'postmodernity' and his attempted construction of a 'synthetic' tradition based on human agency and structure.
Anthony Giddens is widely recognized as one of the most important sociologists of the post-war period. This is the first full-length work to examine Giddens′ social theory. It guides the reader through Giddens′ early attempt to overcome the duality of structure and agency. He saw this duality as a major failing of social theories of modernity. His attempt to resolve the problem can be regarded as the key to the development of his brandmark `structuration theory′. The book is the most complete and thorough assessment of Giddens′ work currently available. It incorporates insights from many different perspectives into his theory of structuration, his work on the formation of cultural identities and the fate of the nation-state. This far-reaching work also touches on issues such as the transformation of modern intimacy and sexuality, and the fate of politics in late modern society.
The Giddens Reader contains a comprehensive selection of readings from the works of the pre-eminent social theorist Anthony Giddens. A wide range of important theoretical issues are covered, including the author's encounter with the writings of Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Parsons and Foucault. The 'Reader' also presents elaborations of Giddens' own innovative approach to the fundamental questions of social theory. His views on power, time-space and the relationship between action and structure are well represented, as are his highly illuminating analyses of the 'late modern age'. The readings are prefaced by a straightforward introduction by the editor.
Routledge Revivals is a new initiative aiming to re-issue a wealth of academic works which have long been unavailable. Encompassing a vast range from across the Humanities and Social Sciences, Routledge Revivals draws upon a distinguished catalogue of imprints and authors associated with Routledge, restoring to print books by some of the most influential academic scholars of the last 120 years. --Book Jacket.
