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Founding Sociology? Talcott Parsons and the Idea of General Theory.

Founding Sociology? Talcott Parsons and the Idea of General Theory.

John Holmwood

Mar 1996, Paperback, 152 pages
ISBN13: 9780582291652
ISBN10: 0582291658
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The theories of Talcott Parsons' are enjoying a revival in the world of sociology. Rather than following closely the complex original prose in an effort to explain the theory in its minutiae, Holmwood presents a highly readable non-technical critique of several of the strongest underlying sociological themes and shows how, although flawed in many respects, these themes have been recurring, in different forms, in the theories of those critical of his work.

Acknowledgements.
Introduction.

1. The Age of Sociology?
2. The Theoretical Impasse.
3. The Idea of General Theory.
4. The Action Frame of Reference.
5. Structural-Functionalism, Theoretical Breakdown and the Embrace of contradiction.
6. A Marxist alternative?
7. Action and Explanation.

Conclusion.


  • covers the theories of one of the central figures in contemporary sociological thought
  • clear, accessible text demystifies a difficult body of work
  • makes a significant contribution to current critical debate surrounding an important but controversial figure

Expert Reviews

'John Holmwood has produced a book which is bold if not foolhardy, but also timely. A distinguished quality of scholarship is manifest throughout the text. Many conceptually complex ideas are expressed clearly and directly...Without doubt, this will be a useful source of access both to Parsonian theory and to contemporary arguments in sociology. Hence, in these terms, Holmwood's book is at the cutting edge of current sociological debate.'
British Educational Research Journal 1997

'In sum, this is a provocative..contribution to the debate about Parsons and general theory that serves as a prolegomenon to a revived explanatory sociology.'
Sociological Research Online

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