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The New Sociological Imagination
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The New Sociological Imagination


Other Titles in:
Sociology (General)

February 2006 | 240 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

C. Wright Mills' classic The Sociological Imagination has inspired generations of students to study Sociology. However, the book is nearly half a century old. What would a book address, aiming to attract and inform students in the 21st century? This is the task that Steve Fuller sets himself in this major new invitation to study Sociology. The book:

  • Critically examines the history of the social sciences to discover what the key contributions of sociology have been and how relevant they remain.
  • Demonstrates how biological and sociological themes have been intertwined from the beginning of both disciplines, from the 19th century to the present day.
  • Covers virtually all of sociology's classic theorists and themes.
  • Provides a glossary of key thinkers and concepts.

 This book sets the agenda for imagining sociology in the 21st century and will attract students and professionals alike.

 
PART ONE: DESPERATELY SEEKING SOCIOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
 
Tales of the Academic Undead
The Mysterious Disappearance of Society

 
 
The Social Sciences at Risk
A Brief History of the Stakes

 
 
Socialism as the Elusive Synthesis at the Heart of Social Science
 
The Problem of Inheritance and Socialism's Ultimate Retreat to Naturalism
 
Towards a Renewal of Welfare and the Rediscovery of British Sociology
 
Interlude
Today's Orwellian Turn in Sociology

 
 
PART TWO: THE BIOLOGICAL CHALLENGE TO SOCIAL SCIENCE
 
The Hidden Biological Past of Classical Social Theory
 
Making the Difference between Sociology and Biology Matter Today
 
Beware of Darwinists Bearing Leftist Gifts
The Struggle for Marx's Successor

 
 
Who (or What) Deserves Our Sympathy?
 
PART THREE: HUMANITY AS THE ENDANGERED SPECIES OF OUR TIMES
 
The Coming World-Historic Struggle in Science and Religion
 
Understanding the Fundamentalist Backlash against Secularism
 
Karma Secularized
The Darwinian Turn in Development Policy

 
 
Might we become Nazis in Paradise?
 
Conclusion
Is There No Escape from Human Nature?

 

"Fuller is one of the most productive and critical writers in the history and philosophy of science and the social studies of science, technology, and society to use the title of his 1988 book. His current book is squarely within this tradition . . . Fuller raises significant questions concerning challenges to the concept of "humanity" posed by evolutionary psychology and the Darwinian Left on the one hand, and by developments in biotechnology and nanotechnology on the other hand."

M. Oromaner
Hudson County Community College

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