In Defence of Sociology

Is there a future for sociology? To many, sociology seems to havelost its way. Born of the ideas of Auguste Comte in the nineteenthcentury, sociology established itself as 'the science ofmodernity', linked to a progressive view of history. Yet today theidea of progress has more or less collapsed; with its demise, somesay, sociological thought has moved to the margins of contemporaryintellectual culture. In this book the author challenges such an interpretation,showing that sociology continues to hold a central position withinthe social sciences. Looking both to the past of sociology and thediversity of intellectual trends found in the present-day, Giddensexplores many aspects of the sociological heritage. Comte,Durkheim, Parsons, Marshall, and Habermas are among the figurescovered. Giddens also connects sociological work directly tocurrent political issues and places the discipline of sociology inthe context of broad questions of social and political theory. This book will be of interest to undergraduates and professionalsin the fields of sociology, anthropology and political science.