Description
In a readable and spirited argument, Alexander develops the alternative of a "neo-modernist" position that defends reason from within a culturally centered perspective while remaining committed to the goal of explaining, not merely interpreting, contemporary social life. On the basis of a sweeping reinterpretation of postwar society and its intellectuals, he suggests that both antimodernist radicalism and postmodernist resignation are now in decline; a more democratic, less ethnocentric and more historically contingent universalizing social theory may thus emerge.
Developing in his first two studies a historical approach to the problem of "absent reason," Alexander moves via a critique of Richard Rorty to construct his case for "present reason." Finally, focusing on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, he provokes the most sustained critical reflection yet on this influential thinker.
Fin de Siecle Social Theory is a tonic intervention in contemporary debates, showing how social and cultural theory can properly take the measure of the extraordinary times in which we live.
Criticizes the alarming growth of relativism in recent social theory, reveals the limits of institutional reductionism, asserts the enduring values of the classical tradition, and lays out a "neo-modernist" position which defends reason from an anti-reductionist, culturally-centred perspective.
About the Author
Gregory Elliott is Professor of Sociology at the University of California - Los Angeles. His previous books include Structure and Meaning: Relinking Classical Sociology and Neofunctionalism and Beyond.
Book Information
ISBN 9781859840917
Author Jeffrey C Alexander
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 427g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 152mm * 20mm