Toward a Social History of Knowledge: Collected Essays

Ringer makes clear that his views on the sociology of knowledge are influenced by Weber, Mannheim, and the contemporary French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. Less clear is the academic affiliation of the author of Education and Society in Modern Europe (1979) and The Decline of the German Mandarins (1990). This volume collects eight essays drawn from his books and journals articles from 1979-94, organized by the themes of theoretical considerations, education and the middle classes, quantitative studies, and comparative German and French intellectual history. He stresses that intellectuals across societies differ in beliefs about their role, and that education ideologies affect ideologies of science. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)