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Individualism, Holism and the Central Dilemma of Sociological Theory (Hardcover)
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Individualism, Holism and the Central Dilemma of Sociological Theory (Hardcover)
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Individualism and holism, the concepts embedded in the title of
this book, represent two key theoretical perspectives that have for
many decades steered and shaped sociological thought. For over a
century these two interpretative perspectives have also divided
sociological theory into two camps, accompanied by a band of
scholars trying to bridge this dualism. According to American
sociologist Jeffrey C. Alexander, individualist theories derive
their appeal and strength from their underlying assumption that
humans make decisions as individual, free, autonomous, and
rationally and morally consistent beings. A related belief is that
they are able to express these qualities in their actions
regardless of the situation in society or what economic or moral
conditions prevail. Holistic, or collectivist, theories, unlike
individualism, assign primacy to social entities. This perspective
is important because it creates the basic precondition through
which entities can become the subject of deliberate sociological
analysis. However, there is a price for fulfilling this
precondition. The emphasis it places on the collective, and on
larger entities, logically means that the individual will and free
human decision-making tends to be lost from the field of view. This
book argues that these two perspectives, individualist and
holistic, form the central dilemma of sociological thought. It
provides an extensive review and critique of contemporary
sociological approaches to this antinomy and examines attempts that
have been made to overcome it and unite them. Moreover, the book
proposes a new approach to solving this dilemma via the concept of
'critical reconfigurationism', arguing that the resolution of this
dilemma is vital not just for sociological theory but also for
empirical social research.
General
Imprint: |
Emerald Publishing Limited
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
May 2019 |
First published: |
2019 |
Authors: |
Jiri Subrt
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Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
200 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-78769-038-7 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Sociology, social studies >
Social theory
|
LSN: |
1-78769-038-5 |
Barcode: |
9781787690387 |
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