Handbook of Contemporary European Social Theory
Edited by Gerard Delanty
Routledge – 2005 – 422 pages
This innovative publication maps out the broad and interdisciplinary field of contemporary European social theory. It covers sociological theory, the wider theoretical traditions in the social sciences including cultural and political theory, anthropological theory, social philosophy and social thought in the broadest sense of the term.
This volume surveys the classical heritage, the major national traditions and the fate of social theory in a post-national and post-disciplinary era. It also identifies what is distinctive about European social theory in terms of themes and traditions. It is divided into five parts: disciplinary traditions, national traditions, major schools, key themes and the reception of European social theory in American and Asia.
Thirty-five contributors from nineteen countries across Europe, Russia, the Americas and Asian Pacific have been commissioned to utilize the most up-to-date research available to provide a critical, international analysis of their area of expertise. Overall, this is an indispensable book for students, teachers and researchers in sociology, cultural studies, politics, philosophy and human geography and will set the tone for future research in the social sciences.
Introduction: Social Theory in Europe Today Gerard Delanty Part 1: Disciplinary Traditions 1. Founders, Classics, and Canons in the Formation of Social Theory Tom Kemple 2. Social Theory and the Social Sciences Patrick Baert 3. Social Theory and Political Philosophy Peter Wagner 4. Theology and Social Theory Austin Harrington Part 2: National Traditions 5. Contemporary German Social Theory Hauke Brunkhorst 6. The Age of Epigones: Post-Bourdieusian Social Theory in France Frederic Vandenberghe 7. The Peculiarities of the British: Social Theory in the United Kingdom David Inglis 8. Everything Changes and Nothing Changes: Change, Culture and Identity in Contemporary Italian Social Theory Monica Sassatelli 9. Contemporary Spanish Social Theory Manuel Perez Yruela and Salvador Giner 10. Nordic Social Theory: Between Social Philosophy and Grounded Theory Lars Mjoset 11. Contemporary East Central European Social Theory Arpad Szakolczai and Harald Wydra 12. Contemporary Russian Social Theory Alexander Dmitriev Part 3: Intellectual Traditions 13. Critical Theory Stefan Müller-Doohm 14. After Dialectics: Post-Mpdernity, Post-Marxism,a nd Other Posts and Positions Goran Therborn 15. Hermeneutics, Phenomenology and Philosophical Anthropology Hans-Herbert Kögler 16. Contemporary European Cognitive Social Theory Piet Strydom 17. Civilizational Analysis, Social Theory and Comparative History Johann Arnason 18. Cosmopolitanism: A Social Science Research Agenda Robert Fine Part 4: Themes and Narratives 19. European Master Narratives about Freedom Agnes Heller 20. Modernity and the Escape from Eurocentricism Gerard Delanty 21. European Transformations William Outhwaite 22. The Politics of Commemoration: The Holocaust, Memory and Trauma Natan Sznaider and Daniel Levy 23. Cultural Identities Heidrun Friese 24. Nations, Belonging and Community Ulf Hedetof 25. Theorizing the City in Europe Engin Isin 26. Making Sense of The Public Sphere Klaus Eder 27. Nature, Embodiment and Social Theory Phil Macnaghten Part 5: Global Perspectives 28. Euros to America: The Disciplining, Deconstruction and Diaspora of American Social Theory Ben Agger 29. Encounters between European and Asian Social Theory Fred Dallmayr 30. Latin American Challenges Mauricio Jose Domingues Epilogue: European Social Theory in a PostEuropean World Bryan S. Turner
Gerard Delanty is Professor of Sociology at the University of Liverpool, UK. He is Editor of the European Journal of Social Theory and author of ten books including Inventing Europe: Idea, Identity, Reality (Macmillan, 1995), Social Theory in a Changing World (Polity Press, 1999), Modernity and Postmodernity (Sage, 2000), Community (Routledge, 2003) and (with Chris Rumford) Rethinking Europe: Social Theory and the Implications of Europeanization (Routledge, 2005).