Summary
Contents
Subject index
No national tradition of social theory has been more seductive to Anglo-American readers than the French.There has been a long-standing fascination with French ideas and debates. This extraordinarily accomplished book, written by one of Britain's leading commentators on social theory, provides a peerless account of the French tradition.The book: provides a systematic account of French social theory from the aftermath of the French Revolution (St Simon, Bazard and Comte) to the contemporary scene dominated by Kristeva, Deleuze, Bourdieu and Baudrillard; divides French social theory into three logically coherent cycles: 1800-80 (positivist); 1880-1940 (anthropological); 1940-2000 (Marxist); provides a detailed guide to the three phases of postwar French social theory - existential, structural and post-structural; and situates the discussions of individuals and schools in the relevant social and political contexts. The book is a masterpiece of erudition and scholarship but is written throughout in an engaging and informative style. It will be required reading for anyone interested in social theory and sociology.
Theory in Crisis: Religion and the Subjective
Theory in Crisis: Religion and the Subjective
In rereading him in detail, I found Auguste Comte to be more profound than his successors … the first to ask the question about the relations between science and society, and, more important, between the histories of science and religion. In this he remains unequaled; none of his successors, in any language, go as far on this decisive point. (Serres, in Serres with Latour, 1996: 30)
Comte's own hopes for an immediate take-up of his ideas in 1842 were dashed. It was clear that simply announcing his findings did not bring a swift reaction of support and recognition. Not only did the 1840s bring personal crisis and personal reorientation, but the theoretical crisis ...
- Loading...