2nd Edition
Introduction to Contemporary Social Theory
In this comprehensive and clear introduction to contemporary social theory, Anthony Elliott and Charles Lemert explore the major theoretical traditions from the Frankfurt School to the digital revolution and beyond. Fully revised and updated, this second edition has been expanded to consider the most recent developments in social theory, including a new chapter on the digital revolution and the increasingly significant impact of technological developments (such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics) on society, culture and politics.
Introduction to Contemporary Social Theory provides the reader with a superb overview of key developments in social theory, including the Frankfurt School, American pragmatism, structuralism, post-structuralism, feminism, globalization and world-systems theory. In doing so, the textbook explores the ideas of a wide range of social theorists, including Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, Talcott Parsons, Erving Goffman, Harold Garfinkel, Michel Foucault, Jacques Lacan, Jacques Derrida, C. Wright Mills, Anthony Giddens, Pierre Bourdieu, Julia Kristeva, Jürgen Habermas, Judith Butler, Slavoj Žižek, Manuel Castells, Cornel West, Immanuel Wallerstein and Zygmunt Bauman.
This textbook provides stylish exposition with powerful social critique and original insights. It will be indispensable to students and academics alike.
- The textures of society
- The contemporary relevance of the classics
- The Frankfurt School
- American pragmatisms
- Structuralism
- Structures, functions and culture
- Post-structuralism
- The interaction order
- Theories of structuration
- Variations on the theory of power and knowledge
- Contemporary critical theory
- Feminism and post-feminist theory
- Postmodernity
- Social movements, states and the modern world-system
- Networks, risks, liquids
- Globalization
- The digital revolution: Posthumanism and beyond
- Afterword
Biography
Anthony Elliott is Research Professor of Sociology at the University of South Australia, where he is Dean of External Engagement and Executive Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. He is the author and editor of over 40 books in sociology, including most recently Making Sense of AI: Our Algorithmic World (2022).
Charles Lemert is University Professor and John C. Andrus Professor of Social Theory Emeritus at Wesleyan University. He is the author of many books, including Social Theory: The Multicultural, Global, and Classic Readings (Routledge, 2021).
