Catalog Search Results
Author
Summary
The Protestant ethic - a moral code stressing hard work, rigorous self-discipline, and the organization of one's life in the service of God - was made famous by sociologist and political economist Max Weber. In this brilliant study (his best-known and most controversial), he opposes the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism and its view that change takes place through "the struggle of opposites." Instead, he relates the rise of a capitalist economy...
Author
Series
Summary
The classic work that redefined the sociology of knowledge and has inspired a generation of philosophers and thinkers In this seminal book, Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann examine how knowledge forms and how it is preserved and altered within a society. Unlike earlier theorists and philosophers, Berger and Luckmann go beyond intellectual history and focus on commonsense, everyday knowledge-the proverbs, morals, values, and beliefs shared among...
Author
Summary
C. Wright Mills is best remembered for his highly acclaimed work The Sociological Imagination, in which he set forth his views on how social science should be pursued. Hailed upon publication as a cogent and hard-hitting critique, The Sociological Imagination took issue with the ascendant schools of sociology in the United States, calling for a humanist sociology connecting the social, personal, and historical dimensions of our lives. The sociological...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 12
Summary
"Drawing on studies of social class, crime and deviance, education, work in bureaucracies, and religious and political divides, this "Very Short Introduction" examines the foundation principles of sociology by considering how the self is shaped by society, and vice versa. In this new edition, Steve Bruce clarifies the nature of the discipline. Championing the 'science' in social science, he argues that, while new agendas and ideas are shaping sociology,...
Author
Summary
The renowned political thinker and author of The Origins of Totalitarianism examines the troubling consequences of humanity's increasing power.
A work of striking originality, The Human Condition is in many respects more relevant today than when it first appeared in 1958. In her study of the state of modern humanity, Hannah Arendt considers humankind in terms of its ever-expanding capabilities. Her analysis reveals a troubling paradox: that as human...
Author
Summary
Alternative Sociologies of Religion explores what the sociology of religion would look like had it emerged in a Confucian, Muslim, or Native American culture rather than in a Christian one. Sociology has long used Western Christianity as a model for all religious life. As a result, the field has tended to highlight aspects of religion that Christians find important, such as religious beliefs and formal organizations, while paying less attention to...
Author
Series
Summary
Social Darwinism in American Thought portrays the overall influence of Darwin on American social theory and the notable battle waged among thinkers over the implications of evolutionary theory for social thought and political action. Theorists such as Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner adopted the idea of the struggle for existence as justification for the evils as well as the benefits of laissez-faire modern industrial society. Others...
Author
Summary
The epic story and ultimate big history of how human society evolved from intimate chimp communities into the sprawling civilizations of a world-dominating species. If a chimpanzee ventures into the territory of a different group, it will almost certainly be killed. But a New Yorker can fly to Los Angeles--or Borneo--with very little fear. Psychologists have done little to explain this: for years, they have held that our biology puts a hard upper...
Author
Summary
The Social Animal is a classic investigation of human beings as social animals. The Social Animal is a short, wide-ranging, witty and accessible book that sets out the present extent of our knowledge about how human societies and institutions really work, and what motivates the people who live within them. W. G. Runciman's superb book is a welcome corrective to the view that there are no societies, only collections of individuals and their families:...
Author
Summary
"In this groundbreaking and timely book, antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility. Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial...
13) Pregnant girl: a story of teen motherhood, college, and creating a better future for young families
Author
Summary
"A teen mother's intimate, fearless account of America's damaging response to teen pregnancy, the systemic issues that exacerbate it, the insurmountable barriers to college for parenting students, and a blueprint for helping young families overcome the odds"--
"An activist calls for better support of young families so they can thrive and reflects on her experiences as a Black mother and college student fighting for opportunities for herself and her...
Author
Formats
Summary
An expanded edition of the first practical, nonjudgmental handbook for dealing with microaggressions, featuring examples, sample scripts, action plans, a new discussion and activity guide, and up-to-date suggestions for creating a culture of belonging in the workplace.
Overt discrimination is relatively easy to spot. But the less obvious but more common actions that make people feel left out or stigmatized in our workplaces, commonly called...
Overt discrimination is relatively easy to spot. But the less obvious but more common actions that make people feel left out or stigmatized in our workplaces, commonly called...
Summary
Hosted by twice Oscar nominated actor and activist Woody Harrelson, 'Ethos' lifts the lid on a Pandora's Box of systemic issues that guarantee failure in every aspect of our lives, from the environment to our democracy and our own personal liberty. From conflicts of interest in politics to unregulated corporate power, to a military industrial complex that just about owns our government. We cannot change our system until we know how the system works....
Author
Series
Summary
"In this work, Ruha Benjamin calls on us to take imagination seriously as a site of struggle and a place of possibility for reshaping the future. A world without prisons? Ridiculous. Schools that foster the genius of every child? Impossible. Work that doesn't strangle the life out of people? Naive. A society where everyone has food, shelter, love? In your dreams. Exactly. Ruha Benjamin, Princeton University professor, insists that imagination isn't...
Author
Summary
"One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2013" Hans Joas is professor of sociology and social thought at the University of Chicago and a permanent fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Freiburg. Wolfgang Knöbl is professor of sociology at Göttingen University. They are the authors of many books and the coauthors of Social Theory: Twenty Introductory Lectures.
A sweeping history of social theories about...
Author
Summary
"Both a blazing polemic against the concept of race as anything more than a means to create racism as well as a fundamental route toward active unification."--kirkusreviews.com.
"In the spirit of We Should All Be Feminists and How to Be an Antiracist, a poignant and sensible guide to questioning the meaning of whiteness and creating an antiracist world from the acclaimed historian and author of Twisted. Vital and empowering What White People Can...