A History and Theory of the Social Sciences

A History and Theory of the Social Sciences PDF Author: Peter Wagner
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1446264513
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
Divided into two parts, this book examines the train of social theory from the 19th century, through to the ′organization of modernity′, in relation to ideas of social planning, and as contributors to the ′rationalistic revolution′ of the ′golden age′ of capitalism in the 1950s and 60s. Part two examines key concepts in the social sciences. It begins with some of the broadest concepts used by social scientists: choice, decision, action and institution and moves on to examine the ′collectivist alternative′: the concepts of society, culture and polity, which are often dismissed as untenable by postmodernists today. This is a major contribution to contemporary social theory and provides a host of essential insights into the task of social science today.

A History and Theory of the Social Sciences

A History and Theory of the Social Sciences PDF Author: Peter Wagner
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1446264513
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Get Book

Book Description
Divided into two parts, this book examines the train of social theory from the 19th century, through to the ′organization of modernity′, in relation to ideas of social planning, and as contributors to the ′rationalistic revolution′ of the ′golden age′ of capitalism in the 1950s and 60s. Part two examines key concepts in the social sciences. It begins with some of the broadest concepts used by social scientists: choice, decision, action and institution and moves on to examine the ′collectivist alternative′: the concepts of society, culture and polity, which are often dismissed as untenable by postmodernists today. This is a major contribution to contemporary social theory and provides a host of essential insights into the task of social science today.

Logics of History

Logics of History PDF Author: William H. Sewell Jr.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226749193
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 425

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Book Description
While social scientists and historians have been exchanging ideas for a long time, they have never developed a proper dialogue about social theory. William H. Sewell Jr. observes that on questions of theory the communication has been mostly one way: from social science to history. Logics of History argues that both history and the social sciences have something crucial to offer each other. While historians do not think of themselves as theorists, they know something social scientists do not: how to think about the temporalities of social life. On the other hand, while social scientists’ treatments of temporality are usually clumsy, their theoretical sophistication and penchant for structural accounts of social life could offer much to historians. Renowned for his work at the crossroads of history, sociology, political science, and anthropology, Sewell argues that only by combining a more sophisticated understanding of historical time with a concern for larger theoretical questions can a satisfying social theory emerge. In Logics of History, he reveals the shape such an engagement could take, some of the topics it could illuminate, and how it might affect both sides of the disciplinary divide.

Social Science and the Ignoble Savage

Social Science and the Ignoble Savage PDF Author: Ronald L. Meek
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521143295
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
Professor Meek traces the prehistory of the four stages theory, with emphasis on the influence of literature about savage societies.

History and Social Theory

History and Social Theory PDF Author: Peter Burke
Publisher: Polity
ISBN: 0745634079
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
Taking into account new developments since this book was first published, 'History and Social Theory' discusses topics including globalization, postcolonialism and social capital.

Chaos Theory in the Social Sciences

Chaos Theory in the Social Sciences PDF Author: L. Douglas Kiel
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 0472022520
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
Chaos Theory in the Social Sciences: Foundations and Applications offers the most recent thinking in applying the chaos paradigm to the social sciences. The book explores the methodological techniques--and their difficulties--for determining whether chaotic processes may in fact exist in a particular instance and examines implications of chaos theory when applied specifically to political science, economics, and sociology. The contributors to the book show that no single technique can be used to diagnose and describe all chaotic processes and identify the strengths and limitations of a variety of approaches. The essays in this volume consider the application of chaos theory to such diverse phenomena as public opinion, the behavior of states in the international arena, the development of rational economic expectations, and long waves. Contributors include Brian J. L. Berry, Thad Brown, Kenyon B. DeGreene, Dimitrios Dendrinos, Euel Elliott, David Harvey, L. Ted Jaditz, Douglas Kiel, Heja Kim, Michael McBurnett, Michael Reed, Diana Richards, J. Barkley Rosser, Jr., and Alvin M. Saperstein. L. Douglas Kiel and Euel W. Elliott are both Associate Professors of Government, Politics, and Political Economy, University of Texas at Dallas.

The History and Philosophy of Social Science

The History and Philosophy of Social Science PDF Author: Scott Gordon
Publisher: Taylor & Francis US
ISBN: 9780415096706
Category : Social sciences
Languages : en
Pages : 708

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Book Description
First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences PDF Author: David Byrne
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134714742
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
Chaos and complexity are the new buzz words in both science and contemporary society. The ideas they represent have enormous implications for the way we understand and engage with the world. Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences introduces students to the central ideas which surround the chaos/complexity theories. It discusses key concepts before using them as a way of investigating the nature of social research. By applying them to such familiar topics as urban studies, education and health, David Byrne allows readers new to the subject to appreciate the contribution which complexity theory can make to social research and to illuminating the crucial social issues of our day.

A Historiography of the Modern Social Sciences

A Historiography of the Modern Social Sciences PDF Author: Roger E. Backhouse
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107037727
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
A Historiography of the Modern Social Sciences exposes parallels and contrasts in the way the histories of the social sciences are written.

Game Theory in the Social Sciences

Game Theory in the Social Sciences PDF Author: Luca Lambertini
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 113673760X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
Individuals, firms, governments and nations behave strategically, for good and bad. Over the last few decades, game theory has been constructed and progressively refined to become the major tool used by social scientists to understand, predict and regulate strategic interaction among agents who often have conflicting interests. In the surprisingly anodyne jargon of the theory, they ‘play games’. This book offers an introduction to the basic tools of game theory and an overview of a number of applications to real-world cases, covering the areas of economics, politics and international relations. Each chapter is accompanied by some suggestions about further reading.

History and Social Theory

History and Social Theory PDF Author: Peter Burke
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780745607375
Category : Historical sociology
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
What is the use of social theory to historians, and of history to social theorists? In clear and energetic prose, a pre-eminent cultural historian here offers a far-reaching response to these deceptively simple questions. In this classic text, now revised and updated in its second edition, Peter Burke reviews afresh the relationship between the fields of history and the social sciences and their tentative convergence in recent decades. Burke first examines what uses historians have made - or might make - of the models, methods, and concepts of the social sciences, and then analyzes some of the intellectual conflicts, such as the opposition between structure and human agency, which are at the heart of the tension between history and social theory. Throughout, he draws from a broad range of cultures and periods to illustrate how history, in turn, has been used to create and validate social theories. This new edition brings the book up to date with the addition of examples and discussions of new topics such as social capital, globalization and post-colonialism. The second edition of History and Social Theory will continue to stimulate both students and scholars across a range of disciplines with its challenging assessment of the roles of history and social science today.