A new history of French social thought that connects postwar
sociology to colonialism and empire In this provocative and
original retelling of the history of French social thought, George
Steinmetz places the history and development of modern French
sociology in the context of the French empire after World War II.
Connecting the rise of all the social sciences with efforts by
France and other imperial powers to consolidate control over their
crisis-ridden colonies, Steinmetz argues that colonial research
represented a crucial core of the renascent academic discipline of
sociology, especially between the late 1930s and the 1960s.
Sociologists, who became favored partners of colonial governments,
were asked to apply their expertise to such “social problems”
as detribalization, urbanization, poverty, and labor migration.
This colonial orientation permeated all the major subfields of
sociological research, Steinmetz contends, and is at the center of
the work of four influential scholars: Raymond Aron, Jacques
Berque, Georges Balandier, and Pierre Bourdieu. In retelling this
history, Steinmetz develops and deploys a new methodological
approach that combines attention to broadly contextual factors,
dynamics within the intellectual development of the social sciences
and sociology in particular, and close readings of sociological
texts. He moves gradually toward the postwar sociologists of
colonialism and their writings, beginning with the most macroscopic
contexts, which included the postwar “reoccupation” of the
French empire and the turn to developmentalist policies and the
resulting demand for new forms of social scientific expertise.
After exploring the colonial engagement of researchers in sociology
and neighboring fields before and after 1945, he turns to detailed
examinations of the work of Aron, who created a sociology of
empires; Berque, the leading historical sociologist of North
Africa; Balandier, the founder of French Africanist sociology; and
Bourdieu, whose renowned theoretical concepts were forged in
war-torn, late-colonial Algeria.
General
Imprint: |
Princeton University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Princeton Modern Knowledge |
Release date: |
April 2023 |
Firstpublished: |
2023 |
Authors: |
George Steinmetz
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
576 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-691-23742-8 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-691-23742-5 |
Barcode: |
9780691237428 |
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