Sociological Amnesia: Cross-currents In Disciplinary History (classical And Contemporary Social Theory)
by Law. Alex /
2015 / English / PDF
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The history of sociology overwhelmingly focuses on 'the winners'
from the classical 'canon' - Marx, Durkheim, and Weber - to today's
most celebrated sociologists. This book strikingly demonstrates
that restricting sociology in this way impoverishes it as a form of
historically reflexive knowledge and obscures the processes and
struggles of sociology's own making as a form of disciplinary
knowledge. Sociological Amnesia focuses on singular contributions
to sociology that were once considered central to the discipline
but are today largely neglected. Chapters explore the work of
illustrious predecessors such as Raymond Aron, Erich Fromm and
G.D.H. Cole as well as examining exceptional cases of reputational
revival as in the case of Norbert Elias or Gabriel Tarde. Through
understanding the obstacles of recognition faced by female
sociologists like Viola Klein and Olive Schreiner, and public
intellectuals like Cornelius Castoriadis, the volume considers the
reasons why certain kinds of sociology are hailed as central to the
discipline, whilst others are forgotten. In so doing, the
collection offers fresh insights into not only the work of
individual sociologists, but also into the discipline of sociology
itself - its trajectories, forgotten promises, and dead ends.
The history of sociology overwhelmingly focuses on 'the winners'
from the classical 'canon' - Marx, Durkheim, and Weber - to today's
most celebrated sociologists. This book strikingly demonstrates
that restricting sociology in this way impoverishes it as a form of
historically reflexive knowledge and obscures the processes and
struggles of sociology's own making as a form of disciplinary
knowledge. Sociological Amnesia focuses on singular contributions
to sociology that were once considered central to the discipline
but are today largely neglected. Chapters explore the work of
illustrious predecessors such as Raymond Aron, Erich Fromm and
G.D.H. Cole as well as examining exceptional cases of reputational
revival as in the case of Norbert Elias or Gabriel Tarde. Through
understanding the obstacles of recognition faced by female
sociologists like Viola Klein and Olive Schreiner, and public
intellectuals like Cornelius Castoriadis, the volume considers the
reasons why certain kinds of sociology are hailed as central to the
discipline, whilst others are forgotten. In so doing, the
collection offers fresh insights into not only the work of
individual sociologists, but also into the discipline of sociology
itself - its trajectories, forgotten promises, and dead ends.
