Teaching Yourself Social Theory

David Harris is Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences, College of St Mark & St John, Plymouth

Introduction PART ONE Economic Constraints Marxism and the Mode of Production Moral Constraints Functionalism PART TWO The Emergent Qualities of Social Life Weber and Elias Theorizing Subjective Action PART THREE Weber, Class and the Politics of Closure The Turn to Gramsci Critical Theory, Positivism and Critique Feminism(s) The Politics of Otherness Foucault Politics in the `Everyday' PART FOUR Language Games and Linguistic Turns Hitting the `Posts'

`Social theory is a very difficult subject to teach and it is one that students generally find hard to get to grips with. Teach Yourself Social Theory offers a highly original and comprehensive resource that will be welcomed by students and teachers alike. In an exceptionally wide-ranging text that discusses the classical and contemporary contributions to social theory that students need to know about Harris manages to address the complex issues intrinsic to the field with admirable clarity. From the opening chapters on Marxism and Functionalism to the later chapters on Feminism, Otherness, Foucault, and Postmodernism Teach Yourself Social Theory offers a thoughtful account of the distinctive features of the various perspectives employed in contemporary social analysis to make sense of social life. Teach Yourself Social Theory offers students a well-organized cognitive map of the landscape of social theory and where and when appropriate more specific online reading guides that will allow students to deepen their understanding of particular perspectives and approaches. Harris has produced a very effective social theory text that will be widely appreciated by both students and teachers' - Barry Smart, Professor of Sociology, University of Portsmouth