The Blackwell Companion to Major Contemporary Social Theorists

The Blackwell Companion to Major Contemporary Social Theorists is a survey of contemporary social theory that focuses on the thinkers themselves. In original essays especially commissioned for this volume, leading experts and practitioners examine the life and work of thirteen major theorists. Contributors discuss the social and intellectual context of the theorists′ writings, and offer an analysis of their impact over time. Each chapter balances systematic treatment of a particular theorist with personal interpretations of the theorist′s work. For the student, scholar, or practitioner this Companion is an indispensable resource and reference to the life and times of the thinkers who have tried to make sense of our social surroundings.

Preface. List Of Contributors. Introduction: Metatheorizing Contemporary Social Theorists: Todd Stillman. 1. Robert K. Merton: Piotr Sztompka. 2. Erving Goffman: Gary Alan Fine And Philip Manning. 3. Richard M. Emerson: Karen S. Cook And Joseph Whitmeyer. 4. James Coleman: Siegwart Lindenberg. 5. Harold Garfinkel: Anne Rawls. 6. Daniel Bell: Malcolm Waters. 7. Norbert Elias: Richard Kilminster And Stephen Mennell. 8. Michael Foucault: Barry Smart. 9. Jürgen Habermas: William Outhwaite. 10. Anthony Giddens: Christopher G. A. Bryant And David Jary. 11. Pierre Bourdieu: Craig Calhoun. 12. Jean Baudrillard: Douglas Kellner. 13. Judith Butler: Patricia T. Clough. Index.

George Ritzer is Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland. He has chaired both the Theoretical and the Organizations and Occupations sections of the American Sociological Association, and authored more than 25 books, including Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society (1995), The McDonaldization of Society: An Investigation into the Changing Character of Contemporary Social Life (1995), Classical Sociological Theory (second edition, 1995), and The McDonaldization Thesis: Explorations and Extensions (1998).