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| the decomposition of sociology: The Decomposition of Sociology Irving Louis Horowitz, 1993-10-14 Sociology, writes Irving Louis Horowitz, has changed from a central discipline of the social sciences to an ideological outpost of political extremism. As a result, the field is in crisis. Some departments have been shut down, others cut back, research programs have dried up, and the growth of professional organizations and student enrollments have been either curbed or atrophied. In The Decomposition of Sociology, Professor Horowitz, for four decades a leading social scientist, offers a frank and full account of the maelstrom engulfing this field. Horowitz pulls no punches in this provocative volume. He charges that much contemporary sociological theory has degenerated into pure critique, strongly influenced by Marxist dogmatism. Such thinking has a strong element of anti-American and anti-Western bias, in which all questions have one answer--the evil of capitalism--and all problems one solution--the good of socialism. In criminology, for instance, he shows that high crime rates are seen as an expression of capitalist disintegration, and criminal behavior a covert expression of radical action. Indeed, in one area after another, Horowitz shows how this same formulaic thinking dominates the field, resulting in a crude reductionist view of contemporary social life. At a time when the world is moving closer to the free market and democratic norms, he concludes, such reductionist tendencies and ideological posturings are outmoded. Horowitz offers an alternative. He urges a larger vision of the social sciences, one in which universities, granting agencies and research institutes provide an environment in which research may be untainted by partisan agencies--where policy choices will not be hindered by the prevailing cultural climate. He counsels sociologists to move away from blind advocacy, to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century by incorporating the knowledge of other times and places, and to take into account the shrinking globe--in short, to develop and maintain a new set of universal standards in this era of a world culture. Here then is an eloquent plea for a revolution in sociology, written by one of the field's foremost figures. It offers as well a cautionary tale about the potentially devastating effect of ideology on scholarly pursuits. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Symposium on Irving Louis Horowitz's The Decomposition of Sociology A. Javier Treviño, 1996 |
| the decomposition of sociology: Sociology , |
| the decomposition of sociology: A Textbook for an Introductory Course in Sociology Jose A. Fadul, Ronan S. Estoque, 2010-11 The inexpensive paperback edition of the textbook for an introductory course in sociology. |
| the decomposition of sociology: The Study of Sociology Herbert Spencer, 1899 |
| the decomposition of sociology: Urban Outcasts Loïc Wacquant, 2013-04-26 Breaking with the exoticizing cast of public discourse and conventional research, Urban Outcasts takes the reader inside the black ghetto of Chicago and the deindustrializing banlieue of Paris to discover that urban marginality is not everywhere the same. Drawing on a wealth of original field, survey and historical data, Loïc Wacquant shows that the involution of America's urban core after the 1960s is due not to the emergence of an 'underclass', but to the joint withdrawal of market and state fostered by public policies of racial separation and urban abandonment. In European cities, by contrast, the spread of districts of 'exclusion' does not herald the formation of ghettos. It stems from the decomposition of working-class territories under the press of mass unemployment, the casualization of work and the ethnic mixing of populations hitherto segregated, spawning urban formations akin to 'anti-ghettos'. Comparing the US 'Black Belt' with the French 'Red Belt' demonstrates that state structures and policies play a decisive role in the articulation of class, race and place on both sides of the Atlantic. It also reveals the crystallization of a new regime of marginality fuelled by the fragmentation of wage labour, the retrenchment of the social state and the concentration of dispossessed categories in stigmatized areas bereft of a collective idiom of identity and claims-making. These defamed districts are not just the residual 'sinkholes' of a bygone economic era, but also the incubators of the precarious proletariat emerging under neoliberal capitalism. Urban Outcasts sheds new light on the explosive mix of mounting misery, stupendous affluence and festering street violence resurging in the big cities of the First World. By specifying the different causal paths and experiential forms assumed by relegation in the American and the French metropolis, this book offers indispensable tools for rethinking urban marginality and for reinvigorating the public debate over social inequality and citizenship at century's dawn. |
| the decomposition of sociology: The Sociological Tradition Robert Nisbet, 2017-07-28 When first published, The Sociological Tradition had a profound and positive impact on sociology, providing a rich sense of intellectual background to a relatively new discipline in America. Robert Nisbet describes what he considers the golden age of sociology, 1830-1900, outlining five major themes of nineteenth-century sociologists: community, authority, status, the sacred, and alienation. Nisbet focuses on sociology's European heritage, delineating the arguments of Tocqueville, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber in new and revealing ways.When the book initially appeared, the Times Literary Supplement noted that this thoughtful and lucid guide shows more clearly than any previous book on social thought the common threads in the sociological tradition and the reasons why so many of its central concepts have stood the test of time. And Lewis Coser, writing in the New York Times Book Review, claimed that this lucidly written and elegantly argued volume should go a long way toward laying to rest the still prevalent idea that sociology is an upstart discipline, unconcerned with, and alien to, the major intellectual currents of the modern world.Its clear and comprehensive analysis of the origins of this discipline ensures The Sociological Tradition a permanent place in the literature on sociology and its origins. It will be of interest to those interested in sociological theory, the history of social thought, and the history of ideas. Indeed, as Alasdair Maclntyre observed: We are unlikely to be given a better book to explain to us the inheritance of sociology from the conservative tradition. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Origins of Sociological Theory Arris Dorsey &, 2018-11-30 The field of sociology itself-and sociological theory by extension-is relatively new. Both date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The drastic social changes of that period, such as industrialization, urbanization, and the rise of democratic states caused particularly Western thinkers to become aware of society. The oldest sociological theories deal with broad historical processes relating to these changes. Since then, sociological theories have come to encompass most aspects of society, including communities, organizations and relationships. The basic insight of sociology is that human behaviour is largely shaped by the groups to which people belong and by the social interaction that takes place within those groups. The main focus of sociology is the group, not the individual. This compendium offers selections that present special propositions, specific concepts, or examples of substantive theorizing rather than discussions of integrated systems. The present attempt is made to describe the different aspects of sociological theory generally being explained by the social scientists and it is hoped that it will be of great use for all those concerned with sociology. |
| the decomposition of sociology: The Decomposition of Global Conformal Invariants Spyros Alexakis, 2012-05-06 This book addresses a basic question in differential geometry that was first considered by physicists Stanley Deser and Adam Schwimmer in 1993 in their study of conformal anomalies. The question concerns conformally invariant functionals on the space of Riemannian metrics over a given manifold. These functionals act on a metric by first constructing a Riemannian scalar out of it, and then integrating this scalar over the manifold. Suppose this integral remains invariant under conformal re-scalings of the underlying metric. What information can one then deduce about the Riemannian scalar? Deser and Schwimmer asserted that the Riemannian scalar must be a linear combination of three obvious candidates, each of which clearly satisfies the required property: a local conformal invariant, a divergence of a Riemannian vector field, and the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet integrand. This book provides a proof of this conjecture. The result itself sheds light on the algebraic structure of conformal anomalies, which appear in many settings in theoretical physics. It also clarifies the geometric significance of the renormalized volume of asymptotically hyperbolic Einstein manifolds. The methods introduced here make an interesting connection between algebraic properties of local invariants--such as the classical Riemannian invariants and the more recently studied conformal invariants--and the study of global invariants, in this case conformally invariant integrals. Key tools used to establish this connection include the Fefferman-Graham ambient metric and the author's super divergence formula. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Social Sciences , |
| the decomposition of sociology: International Political Sociology Fouad Sabry, 2024-08-05 Explore the intersections of politics, sociology, and global dynamics with International Political Sociology. This essential book offers a unique perspective on how global issues interact with social structures and power relations. Chapter 1: International Political Sociology - Introduction to foundational concepts and their significance. Chapter 2: Political Science - Overview of core principles and their relevance to international contexts. Chapter 3: Social Science - Examination of methodologies and their role in understanding international phenomena. Chapter 4: International Relations Theory - Key theories and their impact on sociopolitical analysis. Chapter 5: Discourse Analysis - How discourse influences and reflects international politics. Chapter 6: Development Studies - Intersection of development theories and international politics. Chapter 7: Reflectivism - Critical perspectives on global issues. Chapter 8: Securitization - Understanding securitization in international relations. Chapter 9: Copenhagen School - Contributions to the study of securitization. Chapter 10: Historical Sociology - Connection between historical perspectives and contemporary international issues. Chapter 11: Sociology - The relevance of Sociology in international dynamics. Chapter 12: Critical Security Studies - Questioning traditional security paradigms. Chapter 13: Security Dialogue - Role of Security Dialogue in shaping policies. Chapter 14: Didier Bigo - Impact of Bigo’s work on International Political Sociology. Chapter 15: Societal Security - Understanding societal perceptions of security threats. Chapter 16: International Political Sociology (Journal) - Key themes and debates in the journal. Chapter 17: Feminist Security Studies - Critique of security approaches through a gendered lens. Chapter 18: R. B. J. Walker - Contributions and impact on international politics and security. Chapter 19: Banopticon - Relevance of Banopticon in contemporary security analysis. Chapter 20: Outline of Social Science - Review of disciplines and their contributions. Chapter 21: Critical Realism - Approach and implications for International Political Sociology. This book provides invaluable insights and practical knowledge, making it a must-have for scholars, students, and enthusiasts. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Principles of Sociology Herbert Spencer, 1886 |
| the decomposition of sociology: Vital Decomposition Kristina M. Lyons, 2020-04-17 In Colombia, decades of social and armed conflict and the US-led war on drugs have created a seemingly untenable situation for scientists and rural communities as they attempt to care for forests and grow non-illicit crops. In Vital Decomposition Kristina M. Lyons presents an ethnography of human-soil relations. She follows state soil scientists and peasants across labs, greenhouses, forests, and farms and attends to the struggles and collaborations between farmers, agrarian movements, state officials, and scientists over the meanings of peace, productivity, rural development, and sustainability in Colombia. In particular, Lyons examines the practices and philosophies of rural farmers who value the decomposing layers of leaves, which make the soils that sustain life in the Amazon, and shows how the study and stewardship of the soil point to alternative frameworks for living and dying. In outlining the life-making processes that compose and decompose into soil, Lyons theorizes how life can thrive in the face of the violence, criminalization, and poisoning produced by militarized, growth-oriented development. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Founders, Classics, Canons Peter Baehr, 2017-07-05 Founders, classics, and canons have been vitally important in helping to frame sociology's identity. Within the academy today, a number of positionsfeminist, postmodernist, postcolonialquestion the status of tradition.In Founders, Classics, Canons, Peter Baehr defends the continuing importance of sociology's classics and traditions in a university education. Baehr offers arguments against interpreting, defending, and attacking sociology's great texts and authors in terms of founders and canons. He demonstrates why, in logical and historical terms, discourses and traditions cannot actually be founded and why the term founder has little explanatory content. Equally, he takes issue with the notion of canon and argues that the analogy between the theological canon and sociological classic texts, though seductive, is mistaken.Although he questions the uses to which the concepts of founder, classic, and canon have been put, Baehr is not dismissive. On the contrary, he seeks to understand the value and meaning these concepts have for the people who employ them in the cultural battle to affirm or attack the liberal university tradition. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Taking Lives Irving Louis Horowitz, Taking Lives is a pivotal effort to reconstruct the social and political contexts of twentieth century, state-inspired mass murder. Irving Louis Horowitz re-examines genocide from a new perspective-viewing this issue as the defining element in the political sociology of our time. The fifth edition includes approximately 30 percent new materials with five new chapters. The work is divided into five parts: Present as History Past as Prologue, Future as Memory, Toward A General Theory of State-Sponsored Crime, Studying Genocide. The new edition concludes with chapters reviewing the natural history of genocide studies from 1945 to the present, along with a candid self-appraisal of the author's work in this field over four decades. Taking Lives asserts that genocide is not a sporadic or random event, nor is it necessarily linked to economic development or social progress. Genocide is a special sort of mass destruction conducted with the approval of the state apparatus. Life and death issues are uniquely fundamental, since they alone serve as a precondition for the examination of all other issues. Such concerns move us beyond abstract, formalist frameworks into new ways of viewing the social study of the human condition. Nearly all reviewers of earlier editions have recognized this. Taking Lives is a fundamental work for political scientists, sociologists, and all those concerned with the state's propensity toward evil. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Surviving the Twentieth Century Judith T. Marcus, 2018-04-27 Surviving the Twentieth Century celebrates the achievements of the renowned sociologist Joseph Maier. A superb teacher and respected scholar of formidable scope, Maier's work encompassed a variety of disciplines, including sociology, philosophy, and political science. He is well known for his comparative research on Latin America as well as Jewish law and tradition. As Judith Marcus observes, Maier helped to establish comparative-historical sociology as an acknowledged field of study. This volume records and pays tribute to his scholarship and significant public service.The volume is divided into parts reflecting the breath of Maier's intellectual interests. Contributors are drawn from a variety of fields and geographical arenas. Part 1 consists of biographical interviews and personal observations on Maier and his work by Herman Berlinski, David Berlinski, Geoffrey Lloyd, Enrique Krauze and Aaron W. Warner. Part 2 includes contributions addressing some of the main themes in Maier's work: the interaction of nationalism, community and personal identity; the impact of politics on social science; culture, politics, and religion. Contributors include Abraham Edel, William Safran, Reinhard Kreckel, Zoltan Tarr, Sandro Segre, Ludwig von Friedberg, Irving Louis Horowitz, Judith Marcus, Editfi Kurzweil, Paul Neurath, Ruth Rubinstein, Andrew P. Lyons and Harriet D. Lyons, Tony Carnes, and Elfriede Uner.Part 3 reflects the impact of Maier's work on other scholars. It includes essays on philosophy, religion, literature and intellectual responsibility. Contributors include Tom Rockmore, Laurent Stern, Edmund Leites, Alfred Schmidt, Norbert Altwicker, Rita Kuczynski, Gerard Raulet, and Peter Gottwald. Part 4 covers the influence of crisis on Jewish intellectual life, and includes contributions by Herbert Strauss, Emanuel Maier, Leon A. Feldman, Hannelore Kunzl, and Johann Maier. The volume concludes, in part 5, with personal tributes to Maier by Curt C. Silberman, C. Alexander Weinstock, and Helen Hacker. The volume includes an illuminating introduction by Judith Marcus, thematic essay by Joseph Maier, and a selected bibliography of his work.Scholars who have been influenced by Maier will welcome this volume. Those who are not familiar with the scope of his contributions will benefit from the experience of seeing how his work has affected the choices of others. This is the 24th volume issued in Transaction's distinguished scholar (festschrift) series. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Discontents Paul Hollander, What ails people at the present time in Western and especially American society is an inexhaustible subject. Discussion of these discontents in the United States in the last decade of the twentieth century leads to an obvious question: How much and what kind of discontents are possible in a society that has experienced over a decade of economic growth, close to full employment, hardly any inflation, falling crime rates, declining teenage pregnancies, and other good things? Is there anything to worry about in a country that has become the undisputed superpower of the world and no longer faces another hostile superpower such as the Soviet Union used to be? Paul Hollander wrestles with these and other questions in seeking to understand conditions and developments within American culture and society in the context of their relationship to political systems, movements and ideas critical of the United States and Western values. Hollander examines disparate phenomena, such as the O.J. Simpson case, the banning of West Side Story in Amherst, Massachusetts, the popularity and expos of Rigoberta Menchu, and the appeal of sports utility vehicles, which shed light on the major themes of the volume. Topics include conflicts among American intellectuals (including disputes over the Kosovo intervention), the impact of postmodernism on higher education, the persisting appeal of victimhood in American society, the flaws of American sociology, academic specialists' failure to anticipate the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the new anti-Americanism in postcommunist societies. Among topics of historical interest are a survey of Western judgments and misjudgments of the communist systems; examination of the relative neglect of political violence in communist states, and analysis of officially enforced, secular-religious cult of communist rulers. Many of these writings are linked to the author's longstanding interest in why people accept or reject particular political systems and in the contradictory human needs and desires which condition and limit the pursuit of social and political ends. Sociologists, political scientists, and the general reader will find this book of great interest. Paul Hollander is professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a fellow of the David Center for Russian Studies at Harvard University. His books include Soviet and American Society, Political Pilgrims, The Survival of the Adversary Culture, and Anti-Americanism. |
| the decomposition of sociology: The Legacy of Anomie Theory Freda Adler, William S. Laufer, 2020-03-06 This sixth volume of Advances in Criminological Theory is testimony to a resurgent interest in anomie-strain theory, which began in the mid- 1980s and continues unabated. Contributors focus on the new body of empirical research and theorizing that has been added to the anomie tradition that extends from Durkheim to Merton. The first section is a major, 75-page statement by Robert K. Merton, examining the development of the anomie-and-opportunity-structure paradigm and its significance to criminology., The Legacy of Anomie Theoy assesses the theory's continuing usefulness, explains the relevance of Merton's concept of goals/means disparity as a psychological mechanism in the explanation of delinquency, and compares strain theory with social control theory. A macrosociological theoretical formulation is used to explain the association between societal development and crime rates. In other chapters, anomie is used to explain white-collar crime and to explore the symbiotic relationship between Chinese gangs and adult criminal organizations within the cultural, economic, and political context of the American-Chinese community. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Evolution Versus Revolution Melvyn L. Fein, 2017-07-05 Revolutionary and evolutionary theorists have very different views about change; Fein writes in favour of evolution. He proposes an integrated model of social evolution, one that accounts for the complexity, inconclusiveness, and impediments that characterize social transformations.This multi-dimensional approach recognizes that change is always saturated in conflict. Major changes are rarely initiated by conscious decisions that are automatically implemented; power and morality generally control the direction that significant alterations take. Fein explains how the social generalist dilemma places our need for both flexibility and stability in opposition to each other such that non-rational mechanisms are needed to produce a solution. He also describes how an inverse force rule dictates that small societies are bound together by strong social forces, whereas large ones are secured by weak forces. This suggests that social roles are likely to become professionalized over time.If social change is, in fact, analogous to natural rather than artificial selection, we may be in the midst of an only partially predictable middle class revolution. Indeed, the current impasse between liberals and conservatives may be evidence that we are in the consolidation phase of this process. Should this be the case, a paradigm shift, not a classical revolution, is in our future. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Forgotten Founders and Other Neglected Social Theorists Eugene Halton, 2019-05-14 This volume examines the work of ten sociologists who have been forgotten or neglected within contemporary sociology. Each chapter examines one of these marginalized scholars including a brief biographical sketch, an overview of the selected theorist’s work and significance, and the relevance of their work to one or more contemporary social issues. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Social Problems, Social Issues, Social Science James Wright, 2017-07-05 Sociology has tackled some of the most formidable problems that confront contemporary society: inequality, homelessness, violence, gender, and many more. Sociologists assert that hypotheses can be formulated and tested against empirical evidence, that faulty viewpoints can be uncovered and discarded, and that plausible theory can be distinguished from mere ideology. This collection was written over a span of forty-four years and is presented in the belief that sociology is a science.In Social Problems, Social Issues, Social Science, James D. Wright presents his research on some of the social issues that have most vexed America: homelessness, addiction, divorce, minimum wage, and gun control, among others. Starting with essays first published in the flagship journal Society, Wright offers readers a foundational look at specific social problems and the methods sociologists have used to study them. He then provides an up-to-date re-examination of each issue, analysing the changes that have occurred over time and how sociologists have responded to it.This book is both a retrospective on the field and on one scholar's life and work. Using his own experience in researching and writing about America's most trenchant social issues, Wright describes the evolution of the methods and theory used by social scientists to understand and, ultimately, to confront America's most troublesome social problems. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Nature: Reconfiguring the social David Inglis, John Bone, Rhoda Wilkie, 2005 Many influential stances within the social sciences regard nature in one of two ways: either as none of their concern (which is with the social and cultural aspects of human existence), or as wholly a social and cultural fabrication. But there is also another strand of social scientific thinking that seeks to understand the interplay between social and cultural factors on one side and natural factors on the other. These volumes contain the main contributions that have been made within each of these streams of thought. The selections illustrate to the reader the complexity of the various positions within these streams, and the strengths and limitations of each perspective. A new introduction places these articles in their historical and intellectual context and the volumes are completed with an extensive index and chronological table of contents. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Theologies and Moral Concern Paul Gottfried, 2018-04-24 This is the twenty-ninth volume in This World, a series on religion and public affairs. It focuses on theological and moral questions of deep significance for our time. The lines of division separating secular and religious outlooks, modernity and postmodernism, and romantic and classical styles of thought are some of the topics treated in this volume. Additional features are an exchange of opinions and a position paper intended to generate further discussion. This ongoing series of volumes seeks to provide a wide-ranging forum for differing views on religious and ethical considerations. Theologies and Moral Concern include the following major contributions: Distinctions of Power: How Church and State Divide America by Brian Mitchell; Beyond the Impasses: Making Moral Sense of Abortion by Anthony Matteo; Are Religions Ever Traditional by Jacob Neusner; Philosophical Issues in Darwinian Theory by Kenneth T. Gallagher; Monotheism and Skepticism by Aryeh Botwinick; Defining Romantic Theology by Gerhard Spiegler; and The YMCA and Suburban America by Clifford Putney. In addition, the volume features a dialogue between Michael A. Weinstein and Paul Gottfried on what constitutes the proper role for liberal arts education in contemporary American society as well as a position paper titled The Pitfalls of Political Correctness by Lawrence Nannery. Theologies and Moral Concern is part of an annual survey of religion and public life which aims to provide relevant information and ideas about significant issues of the day. It is directly pertinent to understanding the connection between religion and the state. This particular volume, coming at a time of intense public scrutiny of fundamentalism, evangelicism, and new religious movements generally, should have special appeal for political scientists, American studies specialists, sociologists, and those involved in the creation of public policy. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Freud, Psychoanalysis, Social Theory Fred Weinstein, 2001-01-01 Discusses the reasons for the decline of the cultural influence of psychoanalysis. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Foundations of Futures Studies Wendell Bell, 2017-07-28 Futures studies is a new field of inquiry involving systematic and explicit thinking about alternative futures. Wendell Bell's two-volume work Foundations of Futures Studies is widely acknowledged as the fundamental work on the subject. In Volume 2, Bell goes beyond possible and probable futures to the study of preferable futures. He shows that concern with ethics, morality, and human values follows directly from the futurist purposes of discovering or inventing, examining, and proposing desirable futures. He examines moral judgments as an inescapable aspect of all decision-making and conscious action, even in the everyday lives of ordinary people.Now available in paperback with a new preface from the author, Volume 2 of Foundations of Futures Studies moves beyond cultural relativism to critical evaluation. Bell compares depictions of the good society by utopian writers, describes objective methods of moral judgment, assesses religion and law as sources of what is morally right, documents the existence of universal human values, and shows that if human beings are to thrive in the global society of the future, some human values must be changed. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Defending the Durkheimian Tradition Jonathan S. Fish, 2017-03-02 This book provides an exciting, accessible and wide-ranging guide to the development of classical and contemporary Durkheimian thought. Jonathan Fish offers a re-reading of the writings of Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons on religion. He aims to move beyond rationalistic readings which have neglected the key significance of collective human emotion in Durkheim's accounts of the link between society, religion and morality. He goes on to look at the development of these ideas in the work of Parsons and more recent Durkheimian thinkers. Making an important contribution both to studies of Durkheim and the Durkheimian tradition and to the sociology of emotion, the book is distinctive in arguing that religion is an essential backdrop for understanding emotion. In making this claim the author provides a key to re-establishing links between the sociology of religion and the wider discipline of sociology. |
| the decomposition of sociology: An Analysis of C. Wright Mills's The Sociological Imagination Ismael Puga, Robert Easthope, 2017-07-05 C. Wright Mills’s 1959 book The Sociological Imagination is widely regarded as one of the most influential works of post-war sociology. At its heart, the work is a closely reasoned argument about the nature and aims of sociology, one that sets out a manifesto and roadmap for the field. Its wide acceptance and popular reception is a clear demonstration of the rhetorical power of Wright’s strong reasoning skills. In critical thinking, reasoning involves the creation of an argument that is strong, balanced, and, of course, persuasive. In Mills’s case, this core argument makes a case for what he terms the “sociological imagination”, a particular quality of mind capable of analyzing how individual lives fit into, and interact with, social structures. Only by adopting such an approach, Mills argues, can sociologists see the private troubles of individuals as the social issues they really are. Allied to this central argument are supporting arguments for the need for sociology to maintain its independence from corporations and governments, and for social scientists to steer away from ‘high theory’ and focus on the real difficulties of everyday life. Carefully organized, watertight and persuasive, The Sociological Imagination exemplifies reasoned argument at its best. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era Barry Schwartz, 2008-11-15 By the 1920s, Abraham Lincoln had transcended the lingering controversies of the Civil War to become a secular saint, honored in North and South alike for his steadfast leadership in crisis. Throughout the Great Depression and World War II, Lincoln was invoked countless times as a reminder of America’s strength and wisdom, a commanding ideal against which weary citizens could see their own hardships in perspective. But as Barry Schwartz reveals in Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era, those years represent the apogee of Lincoln’s prestige. The decades following World War II brought radical changes to American culture, changes that led to the diminishing of all heroes—Lincoln not least among them. As Schwartz explains, growing sympathy for the plight of racial minorities, disenchantment with the American state, the lessening of patriotism in the wake of the Vietnam War, and an intensifying celebration of diversity, all contributed to a culture in which neither Lincoln nor any single person could be a heroic symbol for all Americans. Paradoxically, however, the very culture that made Lincoln an object of indifference, questioning, criticism, and even ridicule was a culture of unprecedented beneficence and inclusion, where racial, ethnic, and religious groups treated one another more fairly and justly than ever before. Thus, as the prestige of the Great Emancipator shrank, his legacy of equality continued to flourish. Drawing on a stunning range of sources—including films, cartoons, advertisements, surveys, shrine visitations, public commemorations, and more—Schwartz documents the decline of Lincoln’s public standing, asking throughout whether there is any path back from this post-heroic era. Can a new generation of Americans embrace again their epic past, including great leaders whom they know to be flawed? As the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial approaches, readers will discover here a stirring reminder that Lincoln, as a man, still has much to say to us—about our past, our present, and our possible futures. |
| the decomposition of sociology: The Social Worlds of Higher Education Bernice Pescosolido, Ronald Aminzade, 1999-03-22 This is the first comprehensive guide to teaching in the social sciences ever published. ′Two complete works in one provides a survey of the larger institutional context and alternative perspectives on current debates in higher education, as well as a comprehensive and practical guide to teaching. Contains original essays by leading teachers and scholars including Craig Calhoun, Teresa Sullivan, Dean Dorn, Paul Baker, Charles Tilly, Howard Aldrich, Daniel Chambliss, and Mary Romero. The accompanying Fieldguide for Teaching includes an additional 80 articles, excerpts, teaching tips, exercises, checklists, and overheads covering a complete spectrum of teaching concerns. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Reality Boxes Ingo Swann, 2018-09-02 THE REALITY OF HUMAN REALITY BOXES In this lucid and absorbing work, Ingo Swann opens up the continuing story about the fuller extent of human consciousness and limitations imposed on it by human reality boxes, a.k.a. socially constructed realities and personal realities. All cultures, societies, and individuals have fashioned reality boxes. Like language-making and other innate factors, this clearly indicates that somewhere in the motherboard of human consciousness there exists a versatile innate capability to do so. As advanced researchers of consciousnesses are beginning to suspect, this means that behind all of the thousands upon thousands of reality boxes are the impressive factors of innate human consciousness itself — the sum of which must be far, far greater than smaller reality versions of it found in limited reality boxes — from which many seek to escape. However, getting out of the box is something like escaping a prison, which one cannot really achieve unless one learns a great deal about the nature of the prison itself. Most reality-box constructions omit mention of how awesome and wonderful the individual and collective consciousness of our species actually is. Even so, this magical aspect of ourselves can be retrieved from the many wreckages brought about via conflicting reality-box endeavors. After all, the panorama of innate human consciousness does survive, and is always there behind whatever reality boxes are superimposed on it. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Founders, Classics, Canons Peter R. Baehr, Three categories-founders, classics, canons-have been vitally important in helping to frame sociology's precarious identity, defining the discipline's sense of its past and the implications for its current activity. Today that identity is being challenged as never before. Within the academy, a number of positions-feminist, postmodernist, poststructuralist, postcolonial-converge in questioning the status of the tradition. These currents, in turn, reflect wider social questioning about the meaning and uses of knowledge in technologically advanced societies. In Founders, Classics, Canons, Peter Baehr scrutinizes the nature of this challenge. He provides a model of the processes through which texts are elevated to classic status, and defends the continuing importance of sociology's traditions for a university education in the social sciences. The concept of classic is, as Baehr notes, a complex one. Essentially it assumes a scale of judgment that deems certain texts as exemplary in eminence. But what is the nature of this eminence? Baehr analyzes various responses to this question. Most notable are those that focus on the functions classics perform for the scholarly community that employs them; the rhetorical force classics are said to possess; and the processes of reception that result in classic status. The concept of classic is often equated with two other notions: founders and canon. The former has a well-established pedigree within the discipline, but widespread usage of the latter in sociology is much more recent and polemical in tone. Baehr offers arguments against these two ways of interpreting, defending and attacking sociology's great texts and authors. He demonstrates why, in logical and historical terms, discourses and traditions cannot actually be founded and why the term founder has little explanatory content. Equally, he takes issue with the notion of canon and argues that the analogy between the theological canon and sociological classic texts, though seductive, is mistaken. While questioning the uses to which the concepts of founder, classic, and canon have been put, Baehr's purpose is not dismissive. On the contrary, he seeks to understand the value and meaning they have for the people who employ them in the cultural battle to affirm or excoriate the liberal university tradition. In examining the tactics of this battle, this volume offers a model of how social theory can be critical rather than radical. Peter Baehr teaches in the department of politics and sociology, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. His previous book for Transaction, Caesar and the Fading of the Roman World, was designated an Outstanding Academic Book by Choice. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Spectral Decomposition and Eisenstein Series Colette Moeglin, J. L. Waldspurger, 1995-11-02 A self-contained introduction to automorphic forms, and Eisenstein series and pseudo-series, proving some of Langlands' work at the intersection of number theory and group theory. |
| the decomposition of sociology: The Poisoning of the American Mind Lawrence M. Eppard, Jacob L. Mackey, Lee Jussim, 2024-09-25 What would you have to believe in order to dress up as a shaman, paint your face, and storm the U.S. Capitol? What could possibly lead somebody to claim that it upholds white supremacy to encourage hard work, self-reliance, rational thinking, punctuality, and politeness? Such behaviors would have been unimaginable only a few years ago. And yet here we are, witnessing millions of people across the political spectrum displaying these clear indications of an epistemically poisoned mind. Both red America and blue America are retreating into their own information bubbles, seceding from a common reality. Both consume far too much misinformation and disinformation, developing worldviews that can sometimes be unintelligible to others. This book explores these disturbing developments and what they mean for our society and implores us all to recover a shared sense of what is true. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Tributes Irving Horowitz, 2017-10-19 In one of his final works, Stephen Jay Gould spoke of the human race as a wildly improbable evolutionary event well within the realm of contingency. Drawing on his personal knowledge of fifty figures from the world of twentieth-century social science, Irving Louis Horowitz offers commentaries drawn from a variety of public occasions to explain one segment of this improbable event. In the process he reveals how the past century was defined in substantial measure by the rise of social research. Commenting on Tributes, Daniel Mahoney observes, some pieces are completely authoritative and detailed, others more conversational and informal. That diversity of approaches tied to the special character of these people increases the readability and interest in the book as a whole. In addition to illuminating the life and thought of these major figures, these essays and addresses reveal the impressive catholicity of Horowitz's concerns and his ability to remain open to the widest range of theoretical and practical approaches. In a certain sense, this book is also an intellectual autobiography in the form of an expression of Horowitz's debt to intellectual interlocutors and influences over the years. As a consequence, Tributes will be of the greatest interest to anyone who wishes to come to terms with the intellectual formation of the people who gave substance to new ways of experiencing as well as explaining society. The book is thus a thoughtful guide to the intellectual life of our times. From Arendt and Aron to Veblen and Wildavsky, these essays take shape as a systematic mosaic of the past century. Written by a central participant in social theory, Tributes is both an informal guide and a formal text for readers coming upon social science innovators for the first time. The book breaks the boundaries of conventional discourse and in so doing gives voice to the outstanding figures that helped make the twentieth century the century of social research. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friends Irving Louis Horowitz, Andrew McIntosh, Patrick Ivins, Deborah Berger, 2017-07-05 Candor, breadth, judiciousness-all these are attributes Irving Louis Horowitz possesses as a scholar. Under his leadership there is no academic publication from which I have learned as much as Transaction-Society.David Riesman, Harvard University We are all happy benefi ciaries of Horowitz's acutely perceptive and (often) devas-tatingly plain-spoken self as sociologist and sage, broad-gauged scholar, dedicated teacher, tough-minded editor and publisher with an ingrained sense of fairness.Robert K. Merton, Columbia University. |
| the decomposition of sociology: The Sociological Ambition Chris Shilling, Philip A Mellor, 2001-09-05 `The Sociological Ambition is a superb book... It is beautifully written, expertly edited and renders complex and original ideas entirely accessible... This is a modern classic′ - Journal of Contemporary Religion `For all social scientists who are fed up with corporate-style textbooks, which appeal to the lowest common denominator The Sociological Ambition must come as a relief. Shilling and Mellor have written an account of their discipline but they have done so with a multi-purpose task in mind′ - Irish Journal of Sociology In a comprehensive reassessment of the field, Chris Shilling and Philip A Mellor examine the various attempts that have been made to reconstruct sociology over the last century, arguing that classical and contemporary social theories must be studied in relation to the ambition that first shaped and established the discipline. The authors begin by situating sociology in its historical, philosophical and theological contexts; examining how the founders of the discipline developed competing analyses of the processes elementary to social and moral life through their unique contributions. The result is a landmark work in recent sociological study. Accomplished and erudite, this book will be required reading for students of sociology, social theory, religious studies and cultural studies. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Handbook of Marriage and the Family Marvin B. Sussman, Suzanne K. Steinmetz, Gary W. Peterson, 2013-06-29 To know where we are going as scholars, educators, and practitioners in the field of marriage and family life, we first need to know where we have been. A perusal of early texts on marriage and family life provides some thought-provoking insights into the accuracy of the saying what goes around, comes around. It is interesting to note who has been considered to be in a position to provide information on marriage and family life. Included in the eclectic collection of texts we reviewed were ministers whose focus was on spirituality, doctors who emphasized medical aspects of child and adult health, and public health profes sionals and home economists concerned with fighting disease, who emphasized cleanliness, order, fighting germs, and eliminating rodents and insects. There are also philosophers who drew from ancient texts when discussing family life and a count who assembled a group of German intellectual elites to address various topics. An insightful essay of this type is by Marta Karlweis (1926), in which she notes: There is no other fetish that society holds to so firmly as the conception woman, with all its usual associations of infantilism and dependence . . . . The child requires protection, is a minor and consequently a serf, but above all it possesses no spiritual existence. Neither doctorates or other distinctions nor the right to vote have as yet been able to dispel this sweet idea of the childishness of woman. which man cherishes. (p. |
| the decomposition of sociology: For We Are Young And . . . ? Sally Beadle, Roger Holdsworth, Johanna Wyn, 2011-03-15 For we are young and . . . ? offers a provocative perspective on Australia's young people against a global and local backdrop of uncertainty and change. It asserts the importance of a critically informed and positive approach to youth, moving beyond seeing young people through the lens of shortcomings and problems to be solved. For we are young and . . . ? draws directly on the work of the Youth Research Centre at The University of Melbourne and its legacy of innovative and significant research on young Australians. Opening with the theoretical context of youth research, the book draws on contemporary examples to discuss new conceptual and research approaches; the ways in which young people participate in change and the challenges and possibilities that are presented by current conditions. For we are young and . . . ? identifies emerging issues and future directions for youth research, policy and professional practice. |
| the decomposition of sociology: The War Game Irving Horowitz, 2017-07-28 War gaming has become a characteristic feature of modern life. From amateur clubs to professional academicians playing the war game in the company of military circles, we have come up against the phenomenon of the robotization of human life. Irving Louis Horowitz argues that those who protest the idea that war is a game do so on moral grounds that leave unanswered tough questions: What is the alternative to playing the game? What will become of us if we allow the opponent to become the better player in an all-or-nothing game of extinction? Horowitz provides answers in a logical manner while focusing on facts and ethical alternatives to risky ethics. The work is divided into three sections: The New Civilian Militarists, Thermonuclear Peace and Its Political Equivalents, and General Theory of Conflict and Conflict Resolution. Included are such topics as arms, policies, and games; morals, missiles, and militarism; and conflict, consensus, and cooperation. Horowitz concludes that it is time to register the fact that the basic option to destructive uses of science is not traditional morality, but better science a science of survival. With a new introduction by Howard Schneiderman along with a major essay and other materials not included in the original edition, this classic work is a worthy contribution to intellectual debate in the twenty-first century and a must read for military strategists, sociologists, and historians. |
| the decomposition of sociology: Sociological Abstracts Leo P. Chall, 2003 CSA Sociological Abstracts abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,800+ serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers. |
Decomposition - Wikipedia
Decomposition is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts.
DECOMPOSITION Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of DECOMPOSE is to separate into constituent parts or elements or into simpler compounds. How to use decompose in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Decompose.
Decomposition – Definition, Types, Process, Advantages
Nov 13, 2024 · Decomposition is the process by which organic matter breaks down into simpler substances, typically by the action of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi, releasing …
DECOMPOSITION Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
the act or process of decomposing. the state of being decomposed; decomposed; decay. The separation of a substance into simpler substances or basic elements. Decomposition can be …
DECOMPOSITION definition | Cambridge English Dictionary
DECOMPOSITION meaning: 1. the action of decaying, or causing something to decay: 2. the action of breaking, or breaking…. Learn more.
decomposition noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and …
Definition of decomposition noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Decomposition: What is there to know about it? - Medical News Today
May 11, 2018 · Decomposition is a phenomenon through which the complex organic components of a previously living organism gradually separate into ever simpler elements.
decomposition - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
1 day ago · decomposition (countable and uncountable, plural decompositions) A biological process through which organic material is reduced to e.g. compost. The act of taking …
DECOMPOSITION - Definition & Translations | Collins English …
Discover everything about the word "DECOMPOSITION" in English: meanings, translations, synonyms, pronunciations, examples, and grammar insights - all in one comprehensive guide.
What is Decomposition? - BYJU'S
What is Decomposition? The term decomposition means “to break down”. It typically corresponds to the disintegration or rupture of complex organic matter into a simpler inorganic matter. It is …
Decomposition - Wikipedia
Decomposition is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts.
DECOMPOSITION Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of DECOMPOSE is to separate into constituent parts or elements or into simpler compounds. How to use decompose in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Decompose.
Decomposition – Definition, Types, Process, Advantages
Nov 13, 2024 · Decomposition is the process by which organic matter breaks down into simpler substances, typically by the action of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi, releasing …
DECOMPOSITION Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
the act or process of decomposing. the state of being decomposed; decomposed; decay. The separation of a substance into simpler substances or basic elements. Decomposition can be …
DECOMPOSITION definition | Cambridge English Dictionary
DECOMPOSITION meaning: 1. the action of decaying, or causing something to decay: 2. the action of breaking, or breaking…. Learn more.
decomposition noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and …
Definition of decomposition noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Decomposition: What is there to know about it? - Medical News Today
May 11, 2018 · Decomposition is a phenomenon through which the complex organic components of a previously living organism gradually separate into ever simpler elements.
decomposition - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
1 day ago · decomposition (countable and uncountable, plural decompositions) A biological process through which organic material is reduced to e.g. compost. The act of taking …
DECOMPOSITION - Definition & Translations | Collins English …
Discover everything about the word "DECOMPOSITION" in English: meanings, translations, synonyms, pronunciations, examples, and grammar insights - all in one comprehensive guide.
What is Decomposition? - BYJU'S
What is Decomposition? The term decomposition means “to break down”. It typically corresponds to the disintegration or rupture of complex organic matter into a simpler inorganic matter. It is …
