Over the past quarter century, social theory has moved in
diverse and often seemingly incompatible directions, exaggerating
differences of approach that existed even in earlier periods. In a
strikingly original book, Barry Barnes uses this intellectual
diversity not only to identify but also to unify the central ways
of looking at the field. Barnes frames his task by addressing the
most important problem confronting all students of society today:
the apparent conflict between cultural and functional methods of
describing the social order, on one hand, and choice-theoretic
accounts, on the other. But rather than reviewing in detail the
origins and development of these contending views of reality,
Barnes conducts a dialogue between the two perspectives, thereby
revealing their respective strengths and shortcomings. In the
process, he develops a case for a theoretical "third way," an
interactionist understanding of the workings of the social order
and the emergence of behavioral norms.
Barnes successfully applies interactionist analysis, formerly
used mostly for micro-social settings, to macro-phenomena like the
formation of status groups, the origin of social movements, the
politics of class formation, and the dynamics of bureaucratic
action. He shows how these phenomena are inexplicable in terms of
exclusively cultural- functional or choice-theoretic methods: they
can be understood only by showing how norms emerge through
interaction. Barnes has constructed a coherent and learned vision
of the fundamentals of social theory that will excite not only
sociologists but all social scientists and their students.
Originally published in 1995.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand
technology to again make available previously out-of-print books
from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press.
These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these
important books while presenting them in durable paperback
editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly
increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the
thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since
its founding in 1905.
General
Imprint: |
Princeton University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Princeton Legacy Library |
Release date: |
July 2014 |
First published: |
July 2014 |
Authors: |
Barry Barnes
|
Dimensions: |
203 x 127 x 14mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
272 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-691-60815-0 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Sociology, social studies >
Social theory
|
LSN: |
0-691-60815-6 |
Barcode: |
9780691608150 |
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