A relation of cruel optimism exists when something you desire is actually an obstacle to your flourishing. Offering bold new ways of conceiving the present, Lauren Berlant describes the cruel optimism that has prevailed since the 1980s, as the social-democratic promise of the postwar period in the United States and Europe has retracted. People ......
In Pierre Bourdieus Political Economy of Being, Ghassan Hage explores the great French social theorists work and revitalizes conventional and undertheorized aspects of his thinking. Hage focuses on Bourdieus concern with social being and what constitutes a worthwhile and fulfilling life. Such a life is not something that one either has or does ......
Realizing Society's Threefold Unity, A New Goetheanism
We live in a time of multiple challenges to our rights and freedoms - not only in authoritarian regimes but also in liberal democracies around the globe. As the storm clouds of crisis gather, Rudolf Steiners social vision - now a century old - offers a clear way forward. Radical in his time and still so today,
A brief but engaging look at the importance of trust. Gert Tinggaard Svendsen explores how to cultivate this elusive feeling--and why developing trust is so important for maintaining a happy, stable, and economically sound society. Without it, societies become more corrupt and legal systems cannot guarantee justice. Why do Nordic countries like ......
This is a book that thinks about what it means to be human and what this could mean for social research. Addressing ontological shifts across the social sciences, the book reconsiders the nature of self, experience and social reality and their implications for doing research differently. It delves into wide-ranging topics from the self in ......
Habit has long preoccupied a wide range of theologians, philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, and neuroscientists. In Habit's Pathways Tony Bennett explores the political consequences of the varied ways in which habit's repetitions have been acted on to guide or direct conduct. Bennett considers habit's uses and effects across the monastic ......
Welcome to Social Theory is exactly what students want: a lucid and engaging introduction to social theory that carefully uses images, examples and quotations to illustrate new ways of examining contemporary social life. Tom Brock's comprehensive and accessible style produces an indispensable guide to social theory that examine the major theoretical traditions from Marxism through to poststructuralism, and from feminism through to postcolonial theory, new materialism and posthumanism. Welcome to Social Theory gives careful appraisal of classical ideas and debates in social theory and traces their impact on major contemporary theorists - including Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, Anthony Giddens, Margaret Archer, Judith Butler, bell hooks, Kimberle Crenshaw, Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, Gayatri Spivak, Bruno Latour, Gilles Deleuze and Rosi Braidotti. Social theory matters and this book shows why through relevant and compelling examples, including the gig economy, everyday sexism, digital black feminism, animal and environmental activism, stigma and discrimination against migrants, the need to decolonise the sociology curriculum and many more. Chapters include boxed case studies, summaries, review questions, further reading and a glossary to help embed learning. Welcome to Social theory is an indispensable text for undergraduate students who are new to social theory. Dr. Tom Brock is a Senior Lecturer of Sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University.
A Clever, innovative book which makes an important contribution to social theory and social policy. An effective introduction it covers core themes and demonstrates exactly how our everyday life is defined by the rise, change and collapse of social practices.
This Handbook gives a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of grounded theory, taking into account the many attempts to revise and refine Glaser and Strauss' original formulation.
