Overview

The book Contemporary Sociological Theory is a significant collection of modern theories in sociology, viz., Phenomenology, Ethnomethodology, Neo-functionalism, Neo-Marxism, Post-Structuralism, and Post-Modernism. These theories include the con­tributions of intellectuals Talcott Parsons, Robert King Merton, Edmund Husserl, Alfred Schutz, Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann, Harold Garfinkel, Erving Goffman, Jeffrey C. Alexander, Jürgen Habermas, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Anthony Giddens.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sujit Kumar Choudhary
Publisher:   Manohar Publishers and Distributors
Imprint:   Manohar Publishers and Distributors
Weight:   0.550kg
ISBN:  

9789360809348

ISBN 10:   9360809349
Pages:   202
Publication Date:   31 October 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables 7 Acknowledgements 9 Preface 11 1. Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) 13 Biographical Sketch 13 Action Theory 15 Social System Theory 23 Functional Prerequisites or Requirements 28 Pattern Variables or Value Dilemmas 31 Functionalism 35 Cybernetic Hierarchy of Control 37 Social Change 40 Evolutionary Model 42 Conclusion 46 Key Terms 48 References 50 2. Robert King Merton (1910-2003)522 Biographical Sketch 52 Sociological Theories of the Middle-Range 54 Social Structure and Anomie 58 Functional Analysis 63 Bearing of Sociological Theory on Empirical Research 71 Reference Group Theory 74 Science and Society 82 Conclusion 85 Key Terms 86 References 90 3. Phenomenology 91 Introduction and Origin 91 Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) 94 Alfred Schutz (1899-1959) 98 Schutz’s Phenomenological Orientation 100 Schutz’s Analysis of the Social World 104 The Social Construction of Reality: Berger and Luckmann 106 Conclusion 110 Key Terms 111 References 114 4. Ethnomethodology 115 Harold Garfinkel (1917-2011) 117 Erving Goffman (1922-1982) 123 Goffman’s Interaction Order 126 Key Terms 128 References 129 5. Neo-Functionalism 131 Jeffrey C. Alexander (1947- ) 131 Alexander’s Neo- Functionalism 132 Alexander’s Multidimensional Sociology 135 Key Terms 138 References 138 6. Neo-Marxism 140 Ju?rgenHabermas(1929- )141 Habermas’s Analysis of ‘The Public Sphere’ 141 The Theory of Communicative Action 142 Habermas on Neo- Marxism 147 Louis Althusser (1918-1990) 150 Althusser on Neo-Marxism 151 Key Terms 154 References 156 7. Post-Structuralism and Post-Modernism 157 Post-structuralism 158 Post-modernism 159 Michel Foucault (1926-1984) 162 Foucault’s Idea on Knowledge and Power 163 Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) 166 Derrida on Deconstruction 167 Derrida on Grammatology and Writing 168 Anthony Giddens (1938- ) 171 Anthony Giddens’s Structuration Theory 172 Social Practice 175 Structure and System 175 The Duality of Structure 177 The Concept of Structuration 177 Giddens’s Analysis of Modernity 180 The Consequences of Modernity for Ontological Security 183 Key Terms 184 References 186 Bibliography 187 Index 195

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Author Information

Sujit Kumar Choudhary is an Associate Professor and HoD of Sociology at Mahatma Gandhi Central University Bihar (MGCUB), Motihari. Before, Joining MGCUB, he also worked as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi, and Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur. He obtained his MA, M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has been ranked under 2% of World Scientists 2024, and 2025, in a Report released by the Stanford University, USA. He has been conferred many awards, including the most prestigious UGC-Research Award (2016-18). He has published around 46 research papers in both international and national refereed, Scopus, and Web of Science indexed journals, edited volumes, and presented more than 93 papers on national and international platforms, including Harvard University, Boston, USA. He authored five books of international repute; these are Founding Fathers of Sociology: Comte, Spencer, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber (2025), Right to Education in India: A Study of Jharkhand (2022), Interrogating Right to Education in Jharkhand (2023), NGOs, Education and Social Capital: A Micro Study of Tribals (2012), and Thinkers and Theories in Sociology: From Comte to Giddens (2006).

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