Theory for the Working Sociologist

Erscheinungsjahr 2017
ISBN: 978-0-231-18164-8
Verlag: Columbia University Press

Buch, Englisch, 232 Seiten, Format (B × H): 140 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 666 g

Theory for the Working Sociologist makes social theory easy to understand by revealing sociology's hidden playbook. Fabio Rojas argues that sociologists use four different theoretical "moves" when they try to explain the social world: they explain how groups defend their status, how people strategically pursue their goals, how values and institutions support each other, and how people create their social reality. Rojas uses famous sociological studies to illustrate these four types of theory and show how students and researchers may apply them to their interests. The guiding light of the book is the concept of the "social mechanism," which clearly and succinctly links causes and effects in social life. Drawing on dozens of empirical studies that define modern sociology and focusing on the nuts and bolts of social explanation, Rojas reveals how areas of study within the field of sociology that at first glance seem dissimilar are, in fact, linked by shared theoretical underpinnings. In doing so, he elucidates classical and contemporary theory, and connects both to essential sociological findings made throughout the history of the field. Aimed at undergraduate students, graduate students, journalists, and interested general readers who want a more formal way to understand social life, Theory for the Working Sociologist presents the underlying themes of sociological thought using contemporary research and plain language.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rojas, Fabio

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Arbeit/Sozialpädagogik Soziale Arbeit/Sozialpädagogik, Theorie und Methoden

Inhaltsverzeichnis

PrefaceAcknowledgments1. What Counts as Social Theory for This Book?2. Power and Inequality3. Strategic Action4. Values and Social Structures5. Social Construction6. Combining Different TheoriesEpilogueNotesReferencesIndex

Über Autor(innen)

Fabio Rojas is professor of sociology at Indiana University Bloomington. He is the author of From Black Power to Black Studies: How a Radical Social Movement Became an Academic Discipline and the co-author with Michael T. Heaney of Party in the Street: The Antiwar Movement and the Democratic Party after 9/11.