Society in Action

Society in Action PDF Author: Piotr Sztompka
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780745606385
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description
Society in Action is the first theoretical statement which seeks to draw general lessons for social theory from the dramatic events which transformed European history in the later 1980s. Sztompka presents a comprehensive and original theory of social change focusing on the self-transforming potential of societies evoked by the universal desires for freedom, autonomy and self-fulfilment. Building upon these theoretical traditions of writers such as Marx and Gramsci, the author attempts to go beyond them, synthesising their basic ideas in a more powerful general scheme.

Society in Action

Society in Action PDF Author: Piotr Sztompka
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226788159
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
In Society in Action, Piotr Sztompka sets forth a highly topical contribution to central theoretical debates of contemporary sociology. Taking the idea and practice of collective mobilization as his theme, Sztompka argues that modern institutions, particularly of late, are characterized by an increasing awareness of collective empowerment. The most obvious concrete expression of this phenomenon, as Sztompka makes clear, is the rise of a diversity of active social movements such as those which dramatically transformed Europe in the 1980s, from the birth of Solidarity in 1980 to the 1989 "Autumn of Nations." Sztompka connects the interpretations of such collective activity to a wider grasp of the nature of social action. The result is a comprehensive and original theory of social change which focuses on the self-transforming influence on society of its members' striving for freedom, autonomy, and self-fulfillment. He develops his theory by means of a general concept of "social becoming," the roots of which he traces to the early romantic and humanist work of Karl Marx and his followers and to two influential sociological schools of today, the theory of agency and historical sociology. Sztompka situates his theory midway between the rigid determinism of social totalities and the unbridled voluntarism of free individuals. Social change, he demonstrates, can be understood neither as the outcome of individual actions taken alone nor as structurally determined actions. Instead, he confers upon social organizations and movements a "self-transcending" quality: they express human agency yet, by virtue of their active character, are quite often able to achieve unpredictable outcomes. Throughout his analysis of social movements and revolutions in history, Sztompka emphasizes the dynamics of spontaneous social change generated from below—a theoretical testimony to the rapid and fundamental social change in Eastern Europe in recent history. Against the fashions of postmodernist malaise, boredom, and disenchantment, his theory of social becoming expresses the possibility of emancipation, of change leading to positive gains. His work registers a belief in progress, not inevitably gained, but its attainment fully dependent upon the creativity and optimism of an active citizenry.

Science in Action

Science in Action PDF Author: Bruno Latour
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674792913
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
From weaker to stronger rhetoric : literature - Laboratories - From weak points to strongholds : machines - Insiders out - From short to longer networks : tribunals of reason - Centres of calculation.

The Theory of Communicative Action

The Theory of Communicative Action PDF Author: Jürgen Habermas
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0745694225
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 512

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Book Description
Here, for the first time in English, is volume one of Jurgen Habermas's long-awaited magnum opus: The Theory of Communicative Action. This pathbreaking work is guided by three interrelated concerns: (1) to develop a concept of communicative rationality that is no longer tied to the subjective and individualistic premises of modern social and political theory; (2) to construct a two-level concept of society that integrates the 'lifeworld' and 'system' paradigms; and (3) to sketch out a critical theory of modernity that explains its sociopathologies in a new way. Habermas approaches these tasks through a combination of conceptual analyses, systematic reflections, and critical reconstructions of such predecessors as Marx and Weber, Durkheim and Mead, Horkheimer and Adorno, Schutz and Parsons. Reason and the Rationalization of Society develops a sociological theory of action that stresses not its means-ends or teleological aspect, but the need to coordinate action socially via communication. In the introductory chapter Habermas sets out a powerful series of arguments on such foundational issues as cultural and historical relativism, the methodology of Verstehen, the inseparabilty of interpretation from critique. In addition to clarifying the normative foundations of critical social inquiry, this sets the stage for a systematic appropriation of Weber's theory of rationalization and its Marxist reception by Lukacs, Horkheimer and Adorno. This is an important book for degree students of philosophy, sociology and related subjects.

Toward a Caring Society

Toward a Caring Society PDF Author: Pearl M. Oliner
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Promoting care, a sense of personal responsibility for the welfare of others, is one of society's primary moral challenges. A caring society is one in which care penetrates all major social institutions including the family, schools, places of work, and worship. The purpose of this book is to present pragmatic guidelines for individuals and groups who want to enhance the caring quality of the social institutions in which they participate. The authors propose principles whereby care can be infused in routine contexts and give real-life examples to illustrate how they have been successfully applied in a variety of social settings.

Taking Action

Taking Action PDF Author: Jane F. Silovsky
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781884444807
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description


Society in Action

Society in Action PDF Author: Piotr Sztompka
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780745606385
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 211

Get Book

Book Description
Society in Action is the first theoretical statement which seeks to draw general lessons for social theory from the dramatic events which transformed European history in the later 1980s. Sztompka presents a comprehensive and original theory of social change focusing on the self-transforming potential of societies evoked by the universal desires for freedom, autonomy and self-fulfilment. Building upon these theoretical traditions of writers such as Marx and Gramsci, the author attempts to go beyond them, synthesising their basic ideas in a more powerful general scheme.

Society in Action

Society in Action PDF Author: Joyce Oramel Hertzler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Sociology
Languages : en
Pages : 502

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Book Description


Society Action and Space

Society Action and Space PDF Author: Benno Werlen
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 0415069661
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
The first English translation of a book which questions the relevance of space for the social world and in so doing offers exciting new directions for both geography and sociology.

Perspectives in Sociology

Perspectives in Sociology PDF Author: E.C. Cuff
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134418841
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 768

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Book Description
From its first edition in 1979, Perspectives in Sociology has provided generations of undergraduates with a clear, reassuring introduction to the complications of sociological theory. This revised and updated edition features: a concise introduction to the major debates of the twentieth century, placing them in historical and philosophical context information on thinkers of the nineteenth and early twentieth century whose relevance to modern social thought is only now being recognized, e.g. Nietszche, Saussure, Simmel connections drawn between post-structuralist thinkers like Foucault and Derrida and the founding figures of sociology: Marx, Weber and Durkheim a completely rewritten chapter on the ‘Synthesisers’ - Bourdieu, Habermas and Giddens - and their attempts to generate a consensus from the apparently conflicting theories of their predecessors a new chapter reviewing the rise of British sociology, with particular reference to the political context and the changing role of ‘class’ in sociological thinking a new chapter describing the attempts of sociological theorists to explain current concerns, problems, and issues in the areas of gender, (homo)sexuality, and ethnicity in the context of the postcolonial world. While retaining its emphasis and wealth of information on the founding figures of sociology, this fifth edition now features a new easy-to-read format, (with particular attention paid to the linking and cross-referencing of chapters), and includes much new material on contemporary social theory with particular reference to its attempts to tackle current problems and issues in the areas of gender, sexuality, and ethnicity in the postcolonial context.

The Principles of Sociology

The Principles of Sociology PDF Author: Herbert Spencer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Sociology
Languages : en
Pages : 460

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Book Description