Summary
Contents
Subject index
`This book contributes to the growing debates about social theory and its role through a discussion of the ways in which gender and race contributed to the exclusion of important thinkers from the sociological canon' - John Hughes, Lancaster University Who makes up the `canon' of sociology - and who doesn't? And does sociology need a canon in the first place? Beyond Social Theory offers an innovative and passionate contribution to current debates on the history and development of sociology and the exclusion of theorists - who are female, black, or both - from the mainstream of social theorizing. With compelling biographical sketches bringing the dynamics behind the `canon' to life, Kate Reed focuses sharp analysis on the exclusion of theorists on race and gender from important debates on inequality. An important contribution to the debate on non-exclusionary theory, this book critically examines existing accounts of the history of the discipline, situating the development of social theory within a wider social and political context.
The Classical Tradition
The Classical Tradition
This chapter explores the origins of sociology, focusing on its institutionalization and in particular the work of the founding fathers. In evaluating the classical canon, Ray (1999) asks the key question: What is the classical tradition? In part, he argues, it is derived from the works that have shown the strongest staying power, notably those of Marx, Weber, Durkheim and latterly Simmel. However, like other traditions, it is in part a contemporary construction, and the way we view sociology's past is closely linked to our present concerns. As such, he argues that the classical corpus is not fixed but subject to both forgetting and remembering. Within this chapter, however, what I make clear is that despite the fluid nature of ...
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