American Sociological Theory: A Critical History discusses the history of American sociological theory by providing a selective and critical account of ten writers largely involved in the subject.
Chapters 1 to 10 of this book are devoted to the contributions and investigations of ten acclaimed sociological theorists- William Graham Sumner, Lester Frank Ward, Charles Horton Cooley, Edward Alsworth Ross, Florian Znaniecki, Robert Morrison Maclver, Pitirim A. Sorokin, George A. Lundberg, Talcott Parsons, and Robert K. Merton. The sociological label, legacy of Spencer, normative taboo, American references, and the ""Holy Trinity"" (Marx, Durkheim, and Weber) are also elaborated in this text.
This publication is a good reference for students and researchers conducting work on general sociological theory.

Contenu

Preface
Chapter 1 William Graham Sumner
Sumner on Sociology
Sumner's Social Darwinism
Folkways
The Mores
Supplementary Concepts
Miscellaneous Observations
Summary and Evaluation
Chapter 2 Lester Frank Ward
Dynamic Sociology
The Psychic Factors of Civilization
Outlines of Sociology
Pure Sociology
Applied Sociology
Summary and Evaluation
Chapter 3 Charles Horton Cooley
Human Nature and the Social Order
Social Organization
Social Process
Summary and Evaluation
Chapter 4 Edward Alsworth Ross
Social Control
Foundations of Sociology
Social Psychology
Principles of Sociology
Summary and Evaluation
Chapter 5 Florian Znaniecki
Early Philosophical Writings
The Polish Peasant in Europe and America
The Method of Sociology
Social Actions
The Social Role of the Man of Knowledge
Cultural Sciences
Social Relations and Social Roles
What Is Sociology?
Summary and Evaluation
Chapter 6 Robert Morrison MacIver
Community
The Elements of Social Science
Society
Social Causation
Society and the State
Miscellaneous Writings
Summary and Evaluation
Chapter 7 Pitirim A. Sorokin
Social Mobility
Contemporary Sociological Theories
Society, Culture, and Personality
War and Revolution
The Mortality of Groups
Social and Cultural Dynamics
The Pattern of History
Criticism
Summary and Evaluation
Chapter 8 George A. Lundberg
Foundations of Sociology
Excursus on Operationalism
From Methodology to Sociology
Dimensions of Society
Summary and Conclusion
Chapter 9 Talcott Parsons
The Great Language Barrier
The Place of Ultimate Values in Sociological Theory
The Structure of Social Action
The Means-End Schema
Emergence and Convergence
The Theory Grows
The Social System
The Pattern Variables
The Place of Sociological Theory
System-Problems
Societies in Evolutionary Perspective
Conclusion
Chapter 10 Robert K. Merton
The Sociology of Science
Sociological Theory
On "Sociological Theories of the Middle Range"
Bureaucracy
Reference Group Theory
Conclusion
Chapter 11 Epilogue
The Sociological Label
The Legacy of Spencer
The Normative Taboo
American References
The Holy Trinity
Style
Appendix Franklin Henry Giddings
Name Index
Subject Index