Central Ideas in Sociology [antikvár]

PrefaceStudents of sociology frequently learn about different aspects of sociology - concepts, theories, schools of thought - in a rather atomistic fashion, so that their knowledge of sociology tends to consist of unrelated pieces and segments. I hope that this book will help the student to develop an overall perspective within which his pieces of knowledge can be placed. I have tried to present central theoretical issues in sociology in some depth whilst maintaining readability and intelligibility for those without previous acquaintance with sociological theory.A book of this length can hardly present a comprehensive introduction to sociological theory, and the table of contents will indicate to the experienced eye that this has not been attempted. As a teacher of sociology, I have never favoured lengthy or comprehensive textbooks, but have preferred students to read widely rather than depend heavily upon a single textbook. There are some fundamental concepts, such as social structure, social change, social organisation and groups, to which I have devoted little attention directly because it seems to me that each of them virtually encompasses the whole of sociology. All sociology is about groups, all sociology is about social structure and social change, and all sociology is about social organisation. The detailed discussion of such concepts here would not, I think, have been particularly helpful. Other concepts are omitted, such as those of social movement, because they refer to a too limited, rather than too extensive, level of generality.Ultimately, however, the selection of concepts chosen represents my own personal approach to sociology: they do, in my view, represent central themes in sociology today. In that this book presents my own personal view of sociology, it follows that there is much that other sociologists might take issue with. It seemed to me that a more interesting and in the end more useful book might emerge from this approach than from merely reflecting orthodoxies and avoiding controversies. It