Conversations with Anthony Giddens

Anthony Giddens has been described as 'the most important Englishsocial philosopher of our time'. Over twenty-five years, and evenmore books, he has established himself as the most widely-read andwidely-cited social theorist of his generation. His ideas haveprofoundly influenced the writing and teaching of sociology andsocial theory throughout the English-speaking world. In recentyears, his writing has become much more explicitly political, andin 1996 he took up his high-profile appointment as Director of theLondon School of Economics and Political Science. It is in this newposition and with these new political ideas that he has beendescribed as the key intellectual figure of New Labour in Britain.Following the astonishing success of Labour in the 1997 GeneralElection, his ideas have been the focus of intense interest. In this series of extended interviews with Chris Pierson, Giddenslays out with customary clarity and directness the principal themesin the development of his social theory and the distinctivepolitical agenda which he recommends. This volume will be of great interest to second- and third-yearstudents in sociology and social theory, politics and politicaltheory, as well as to the general reader.