Goldstone, Jack

Jack A. Goldstone's (1953–) work is exemplary of a long and distinguished mode of sociological theory pioneered by such as giants as Karl Marx, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Max Weber. Like the founders of modern sociology, Goldstone develops theories of macrosocial processes designed to explain outcomes of exceptional interest. He has been particularly concerned with understanding why and how revolutions occur in specific places and times, the factors that promote smaller-scale revolts and social transformations, and, most recently, the emergence of the Industrial Revolution in England. Goldstone's explanations invoke general theoretical concepts, but they are also firmly grounded in the histories and empirical details of actual cases. As a result, his work simultaneously speaks to social theorists committed to explaining worldly transformations and historians who ...