Contemporary social theory

HANDBOOK OF SOCIAL THEORY: George Ritzer and Barry Smart; Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd., M-32 Market, Greater Kailash, Part- I, New Delhi-110048. £ 69 (clothbound).

THEORETICAL REFLECTION on social life has changed significantly as late 19th Century attempts to constitute a new discipline of sociology were followed by an institutionalisation of sociological teaching and research most prominently within the distinctive intellectual and cultural tradition as of universities in the U.S. and Europe. Cross- cultural differences are also evident in the ways in which new perspectives or paradigms emerge and the works of particular thinkers are read. Social theory, as the chapters in this handbook demonstrate, continues to accommodate and account for the new forms of social life emerging with the transformation of modernity. The book draws together a team of outstanding international scholars and presents an authoritative and panoramic critical survey of the field.

The volume is divided into three parts: The first examines the classical tradition. Included here are critical discussions of Comte, Spencer, Marx, Weber, Simmel, Durkheim, Mead, Mannheim, Freud and classical feminist thought. This part conveys the classical tradition as a living resource in social theory. It demonstrates not only the critical significance of classical writings, but their continuing relevance. The second part examines the terrain of contemporary social theory. It discusses the significance and strengths and weaknesses of structural functionalism, recent Marxian theory, critical theory, symbolic interactionism, phenomenology, ethnomethodology, exchange theory, rational choice, contemporary feminism, multi-culturalism, post- modernism, the thought Foucault and Habermas and figurational sociology. It provides a comprehensive and informed picture of the essential issues and central figures of the day.

The final part ranges over the important debates in current social theory. Questions relating to positivism, metatheorizing, cultural studies, consumption, sexualities, the body, globalism, nationalism, socialism, knowledge societies, ethics and morality, as well as post-social relations are fully discussed. The dilemmas and promise of contemporary social theory are revealed with pinpoint accuracy.

This book is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the roots, current debates and future development of social theory. It will be required reading for scholars and students in sociology, social philosophy and cultural studies. It is sure to play a role in helping to define social theory at the dawn of the new millennium. A genuinely comprehensive treatment that provides a bridge between European and American perspectives, serving the needs of students and teachers in social sciences.

GEORGINA PETER

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