Bøger i Main Trends of the Modern Worl serien

The series works in the classical tradition of social theory. In this view, theory is the historically informed framing of intellectual problems about concrete social issues and the resolution of those problems through the analysis of empirical data.

Since Galileo, critics have waged a relentless assault against science, attacking it as dehumanizing, reductionist, relativistic, dominating, and imperialistic. Supporters meanwhile view science as synonymous with modernity and progress. The current debates over the role of science-- described by such headlines as Scientists are Urged to Fight Back Against `Politically Correct' Critics in The Chronicle of Higher Education--testify to how deeply divided we remain about the values and responsibilities of science in the modern age. Acknowledging the validity of a deep skepticism about science but eager to preserve its strengths and values, Alfred I. Tauber's anthology seeks to avoid an either/or configuration. Science, Tauber argues, is fundamentally pluralistic and must accept detracting criticism as part of its very code in the hope that, in its defense, the scientific enterprise is strengthened and reaffirmed. Featuring essays by a wide range of interdisciplinary, classical, and contemporary thinkers such as Martin Heidegger, Thomas Kuhn, Hilary Putnam, Evelyn Fox Keller, and Max Weber, the work is divided into five parts: science and its worldview; the problem of scientific realism; the nature of scientific change; the boundaries of science; and science and values.

The modern city is the nexus of culture, politics, and art. Despite the manifold problems cities face, more and more Americans are abandoning rural areas and relocating to urban centers. By the year 2000, 4 out of 5 Americans will live within one hour of a major city. What has prompted this emphasis on the city? Chronicling the rise of the modern city, "Metropolis" draws from the work of such renowned social thinkers as Georg Simmel, Lewis Mumford, Walter Benjamin, Richard Sennett, and Herbert Gans, to illustrate how and why we have come to be an urban society and what the future holds for the American city. Each of the five sections (on modernity and the urban ethos; New York City; community and social bonds in the city; social relations and public places; and the role of space, race, class, and politics in the American city) is prefaced by an introduction by the editor, highlighting the issues under discussion.

Social movements have shown themselves to be one of the most dramatic and effective forms of political action. America, founded as the result of a challenge to one kind of political order, has been, in part, recreated as a result of movements of collective protest.Social movements continue to arise in America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. In the present age, when such social movements abound, it is crucial to investigate the theoretical similarities and underpinnings of older and current collective protests. With chapters on AIDS, the Iranian revolution, the New Left, environmentalism, and many other subjects, as well as essays delineating classical and contemporary theories, Social Movements provides a well-rounded and provocative perspective on this most compelling form of political expression.

In America's much-touted classless society, the middle class-decried by some as a mythical construct and heralded by others as the embodiment of the American dream--has always occupied a central and controversial position. This book explores the origins of the new middle classes that emerged in the 20th century, revealing the relationship of these classes to capitalism, bureaucracy, and politics. The book is divided into four parts, addressing: the theoretical problems and historical changes brought on by the emergence of the new middle classes; status and the psychology of class; the middle class in America; and the lifestyles and political orientations of the middle classes in the United States.

Historians consider the previous century to have been one of the most violent periods in human history. As we move into an era where violence is sanitized and normalized in the media, and depicted as glamorous and fun, how will we relate to the violence in our midst? Why do people and their governments choose to engage in violent activity? How do peaceful people who live under violent conditions such as warfare or domestic abuse make sense of it?Catherine Besteman tackles these questions in this multi-disciplinary anthology that explores the topic of violence from a wide variety of perspectives. The first section focuses on state violence and deals with nationalism, warmaking and the Nazi genocide. The second section treats the question of anti-state violence with essays on the IRA, Sikh rebels and the paramilitary conflict in the Balkans. The third section examines criminal violence such as armed robbery, murder and sexual assualt while the final section explores how ordinary citizens respond when their societies are suffused with violence. Combining classic essays by Max Weber and Hannah Arendt with contemporary treatments by leading scholars such as Michael Taussing and Julie Peteet, this anthology is designed for course use and is accessible to undergraduate and graduate students.