German sociology--indeed sociology as a discipline--belongs to modern times. This unusual anthology includes works by Theodor W. Adorno, Uta Gerhardt, Jnrgen Habermas, Max Horkheimer, Karl Ulrich Mayer, Georg Simmel, Roberto Michels, Max Weber, Hans Gerth, Hans Speier, Alfred Schutz, Alfred Weber, Karl Mannheim, Theodor Geiger, Ralf Dehrendorf, Rene Konig, Renate Mayntz, Reinhard Bendix, Claus Offe, and Stephan Leibfried. A substantive introductioni by Uta Gerhardt and detailed biographical sketches of the contributors will aid the general reader, student, and scholar alike.

The American sociologist Talcott Parsons was often accused of being an overly abstract, even apolitical thinker, remote in Harvard's ivory tower. Uta Gerhardt dispels this image in her fascinating account of the political nature of Parsons's life and scholarship. Gerhardt depicts Parsons as a champion of American society and democracy. In this respect he followed the lead of his venerable mentor, Max Weber. Parsons's work, Gerhardt argues, was driven by an overriding agenda to develop a sociological understanding and defense of the development of modern democracy.

Erving Goffman (1922-82) was arguably one of the most influential American sociologists of the twentieth century. A keen observer of the interaction order of everyday life, Goffman's books, which have sold in the hundreds of thousands, continue to be widely read and his concepts have permanently entered the sociology lexicon. This volume consists of twelve original essays, all written by prominent Goffman scholars, that critically assess Goffman's many contributions to various areas of study, including functionalism, social psychology, ethnomethodology, and feminist theory.

The Social Thought of Talcott Parsons offers an insightful new reading of the work of Talcott Parsons, keeping in view at once the important influences of Max Weber on his sociology and the central place occupied by methodology - which enables us to better understand the relationship between American and European social theory. Revealing American democracy and its nemesis, National Socialism in Germany as the basis of his theory of society, this book explores the debates in which Parsons was engaged throughout his life, with the Frankfurt School, C. Wright Mills and the young radicals among the "disobedient" student generation, as well as economism and utilitarianism in social theory; the opponents that Parsons confronted in the interests of humanism. In addition to revisiting Parsons' extensive oeuvre, Uta Gerhardt takes up themes in current research and theory - including social inequality, civic culture, and globalization - offering a fascinating demonstration of what the conceptual approaches of Parsons can accomplish today. Revealing methodology and the American ethos to be the cornerstones of Parsons' social thought, this book will appeal not only to those with interests in classical sociology - and who wish to fully understand what this 'classic' has to offer - but also to those who wish to make sociology answer to the problems of the society of the present.

The American sociologist Talcott Parsons was often accused of being an overly abstract, even apolitical thinker, remote in Harvard's ivory tower. The controversial Parsons, in fact, emulated his mentor, the venerable Max Weber, in at least two respects: as a scholar he practised Wertfreiheit (scientific professionalism) and as a political activist he worked for the preservation and expansion of democracy. In this text, Uta Gerhardt traces this double commitment and links Parsons's scholarship to his politics. Utilizing rich archival material, she examines four periods in Parsons's intellectual life in the context of American history and society. From the New Deal and the rise of German fascism to the Second World War, through the McCarthy era and the Civil Rights movement, Parsons's overriding agenda was to develop both a sociological understanding and a defense of the development of modern democracy.

Immer grofiere Teile der Bevolkerung entwickelter Industriegesellschaften leben nicht in Familien. Die Vielfalt nichtfamiliarer Lebensformen wachst. Immer ofter wird bezweifelt, ob die Familie iiberhaupt noch Zukunft hat. Die Herausgeber(innen) des vorliegenden Sammelbandes zweifeln daran nicht. Sie halten es fUr ausgemacht, daB es auch in Zukunft Familien geben wird. Die Frage ist nur, wie viele Menschen unter we1chen Bedingungen in we1chen Formen in Familien leben werden. Die Sprecher(innen) von vier Sektionen der Deutschen Gesellschaft fUr So ziologie -" Familien-und lugendsoziologie," " Medizinsoziologie," "Rechts soziologie" und "Soziale Ungleichheit und Sozialstrukturanalyse" -sind der Meinung, daB die Fragen zur Zukunft von Familien nur dann zureichend zu beantworten sind, wenn die Teildisziplinen der Soziologie zusammenarbei ten. So haben Bernhard Nauck, Uta Gerhardt, Doris Lucke und Stefan Hra dil gemeinsam die Tagung "Familie der Zukunft. Lebensbedingungen und Lebensformen" organisiert. Sie fand im April 1994 in Bonn statt. Fast 50 Familien-, Medizin-, Rechts- und Ungleichheitssoziolog(inn)en, darunter viele der renommiertesten, haben dort Resultate ihrer Forschungen vorge stellt. AnlaB der Tagung war das "Intemationale lahr der Familie," das die Vereinten Nationen fUr das lahr 1994 ausgerufen haben. DemgemiiB waren auch Vertreter von Verbiinden, Parteien und auBeruniversitaren F orschungs einrichtungen in die Konferenz einbezogen. Sie machten ihre Zielsetzungen und Kontroversen deutlich und zeigten, wie viel sozial-und bev6lkerungspo litischen Ziindstoff die Zukunft der Familie enthiilt."

German sociology--indeed sociology as a discipline--belongs to modern times. This unusual anthology includes works by Theodor W. Adorno, Uta Gerhardt, Jnrgen Habermas, Max Horkheimer, Karl Ulrich Mayer, Georg Simmel, Roberto Michels, Max Weber, Hans Gerth, Hans Speier, Alfred Schutz, Alfred Weber, Karl Mannheim, Theodor Geiger, Ralf Dehrendorf, Rene Konig, Renate Mayntz, Reinhard Bendix, Claus Offe, and Stephan Leibfried. A substantive introductioni by Uta Gerhardt and detailed biographical sketches of the contributors will aid the general reader, student, and scholar alike.