A Theory of Fields

A Theory of Fields PDF Author: Neil Fligstein
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190241454
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Book Description
In recent years there has been an outpouring of work at the intersection of social movement thoery, organizational theory, economic, and political sociology. The problems at the core of these areas, Fligstein and McAdam argue, have a similar analytic and theoretical structure. Synthesizing much of this work, A Theory of Fields offers a general perspective on how to understand the problems related to understanding change and instability in modern, complex societies through a theory of strategic action fields.

A Theory of Fields

A Theory of Fields PDF Author: Neil Fligstein
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190241454
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Book Description
In recent years there has been an outpouring of work at the intersection of social movement thoery, organizational theory, economic, and political sociology. The problems at the core of these areas, Fligstein and McAdam argue, have a similar analytic and theoretical structure. Synthesizing much of this work, A Theory of Fields offers a general perspective on how to understand the problems related to understanding change and instability in modern, complex societies through a theory of strategic action fields.

A Theory of Fields

A Theory of Fields PDF Author: Neil Fligstein
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0199859949
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
A Theory of Fields draws together far-ranging insights from social movement theory, organizational theory, and economic and political sociology to construct a general theory of social organization and strategic action.

A Theory of Fields

A Theory of Fields PDF Author: Neil Fligstein
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199977143
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Book Description
Finding ways to understand the nature of social change and social order-from political movements to market meltdowns-is one of the enduring problems of social science. A Theory of Fields draws together far-ranging insights from social movement theory, organizational theory, and economic and political sociology to construct a general theory of social organization and strategic action. In a work of remarkable synthesis, imagination, and analysis, Neil Fligstein and Doug McAdam propose that social change and social order can be understood through what they call strategic action fields. They posit that these fields are the general building blocks of political and economic life, civil society, and the state, and the fundamental form of order in our world today. Similar to Russian dolls, they are nested and connected in a broader environment of almost countless proximate and overlapping fields. Fields are mutually dependent; change in one often triggers change in another. At the core of the theory is an account of how social actors fashion and maintain order in a given field. This sociological theory of action, what they call "social skill," helps explain what individuals do in strategic action fields to gain cooperation or engage in competition. To demonstrate the breadth of the theory, Fligstein and McAdam make its abstract principles concrete through extended case studies of the Civil Rights Movement and the rise and fall of the market for mortgages in the U.S. since the 1960s. The book also provides a "how-to" guide to help others implement the approach and discusses methodological issues. With a bold new approach, A Theory of Fields offers both a rigorous and practically applicable way of thinking through and making sense of social order and change-and how one emerges from the other-in modern, complex societies.

Bourdieu's Theory of Social Fields

Bourdieu's Theory of Social Fields PDF Author: Mathieu Hilgers
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317678591
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
Bourdieu’s theory of social fields is one of his key contributions to social sciences and humanities. However, it has never been subjected to genuine critical examination. This book fills that gap and offers a clear and wide-ranging introduction to the theory. It includes a critical discussion of its methodology and relevance in different subject areas in the social sciences and humanities. Part I "theoretical investigations" offers a theoretical account of the theory, while also identifying some of its limitations and discussing several strategies to overcome them. Part II "Education, culture and organization" presents the theory at work and highlights its advantages and disadvantages. The focus in Part III devoted to "The State" is on the formation and evolution of the State and public policy in different contexts. The chapters show the usefulness of field theory in describing, explaining and understanding the functioning of the State at different stages in its historical trajectory including its recent redefinition with the advent of the neoliberal age. A last chapter outlines a postcolonial use of the theory of fields.

The Classical Theory of Fields

The Classical Theory of Fields PDF Author: Carl S. Helrich
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642232043
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 445

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Book Description
The study of classical electromagnetic fields is an adventure. The theory is complete mathematically and we are able to present it as an example of classical Newtonian experimental and mathematical philosophy. There is a set of foundational experiments, on which most of the theory is constructed. And then there is the bold theoretical proposal of a field-field interaction from James Clerk Maxwell. This textbook presents the theory of classical fields as a mathematical structure based solidly on laboratory experiments. Here the student is introduced to the beauty of classical field theory as a gem of theoretical physics. To keep the discussion fluid, the history is placed in a beginning chapter and some of the mathematical proofs in the appendices. Chapters on Green’s Functions and Laplace’s Equation and a discussion of Faraday’s Experiment further deepen the understanding. The chapter on Einstein’s relativity is an integral necessity to the text. Finally, chapters on particle motion and waves in a dispersive medium complete the picture. High quality diagrams and detailed end-of-chapter questions enhance the learning experience.

Electrodynamics and Classical Theory of Fields and Particles

Electrodynamics and Classical Theory of Fields and Particles PDF Author: A. O. Barut
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486158713
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Comprehensive graduate-level text by a distinguished theoretical physicist reveals the classical underpinnings of modern quantum field theory. Topics include space-time, Lorentz transformations, conservation laws, equations of motion, Green’s functions, and more. 1964 edition.

The Classical Theory of Fields

The Classical Theory of Fields PDF Author: L D Landau
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 1483293289
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
Translated from the 6th Russian edition, this latest edition contains seven new sections with chapters on General Relativity, Gravitational Waves and Relativistic Cosmology, where Professor Lifshitz's interests lay. The text of the 3rd English edition has been thoroughly revised and additional problems inserted

Fields and Rings

Fields and Rings PDF Author: Irving Kaplansky
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226424510
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
This book combines in one volume Irving Kaplansky's lecture notes on the theory of fields, ring theory, and homological dimensions of rings and modules. "In all three parts of this book the author lives up to his reputation as a first-rate mathematical stylist. Throughout the work the clarity and precision of the presentation is not only a source of constant pleasure but will enable the neophyte to master the material here presented with dispatch and ease."—A. Rosenberg, Mathematical Reviews

Classical Theory of Gauge Fields

Classical Theory of Gauge Fields PDF Author: Valery Rubakov
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400825091
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
Based on a highly regarded lecture course at Moscow State University, this is a clear and systematic introduction to gauge field theory. It is unique in providing the means to master gauge field theory prior to the advanced study of quantum mechanics. Though gauge field theory is typically included in courses on quantum field theory, many of its ideas and results can be understood at the classical or semi-classical level. Accordingly, this book is organized so that its early chapters require no special knowledge of quantum mechanics. Aspects of gauge field theory relying on quantum mechanics are introduced only later and in a graduated fashion--making the text ideal for students studying gauge field theory and quantum mechanics simultaneously. The book begins with the basic concepts on which gauge field theory is built. It introduces gauge-invariant Lagrangians and describes the spectra of linear perturbations, including perturbations above nontrivial ground states. The second part focuses on the construction and interpretation of classical solutions that exist entirely due to the nonlinearity of field equations: solitons, bounces, instantons, and sphalerons. The third section considers some of the interesting effects that appear due to interactions of fermions with topological scalar and gauge fields. Mathematical digressions and numerous problems are included throughout. An appendix sketches the role of instantons as saddle points of Euclidean functional integral and related topics. Perfectly suited as an advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate text, this book is an excellent starting point for anyone seeking to understand gauge fields.

Statistical Physics of Fields

Statistical Physics of Fields PDF Author: Mehran Kardar
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139855883
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
While many scientists are familiar with fractals, fewer are familiar with scale-invariance and universality which underlie the ubiquity of their shapes. These properties may emerge from the collective behaviour of simple fundamental constituents, and are studied using statistical field theories. Initial chapters connect the particulate perspective developed in the companion volume, to the coarse grained statistical fields studied here. Based on lectures taught by Professor Kardar at MIT, this textbook demonstrates how such theories are formulated and studied. Perturbation theory, exact solutions, renormalization groups, and other tools are employed to demonstrate the emergence of scale invariance and universality, and the non-equilibrium dynamics of interfaces and directed paths in random media are discussed. Ideal for advanced graduate courses in statistical physics, it contains an integrated set of problems, with solutions to selected problems at the end of the book and a complete set available to lecturers at www.cambridge.org/9780521873413.