On Sociology ─ Critique And Program

Goldthorpe (Nuffield College, Oxford U.) provides a collection (in two volumes, of which this is volume 1) of his essays on the current state of sociology, arguing that it is in a state of "disarray." This first volume contains critical and programmatic essays concerning methodological problems in different styles of sociological work, emphasizing the need for a common "logic of inference" as a foundation for qualitative and quantitative work. He discusses historical sociology, case-oriented approaches in comparative macrosociology, and sociological ethnography, and in the programmatic essays, describes the elements that he argues should emerge in new mainstream sociology, such as Rational Action Theory. Chapters were originally published in the journals British Journal of Sociology, Comparative Social Research, West European Politics, and European Sociological Review, between 1991 and 2002. This edition has been revised to include more references and cross-referencing between chapters. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)