By Jeffrey C. Alexander Neofunctionalism and After: Collected Readings (1st Frist Edition) [Paperback]

by Nina Alexander

Neofunctionalism has been described as one of only a small handful of new theoretical movements that have emerged over the last decade in sociology. Developing simultaneously in Germany and the United States, it has involved at once a sharply revived interest in the mode of theorizing associated with Talcott Parsons and a self-conscious distancing from the particular manner in which Parsons himself practiced it. For this reason, the emergence of neofunctionalism in the l980s can be seen as part of the new wave of synthetic theorizing that displaced earlier mappings of sociology as revolving around issues of conflict versus order, structure versus agency, exchange versus normativity.In l983, Jeffrey C. Alexander published what was immediately recognized as a major revisionist work of Parsons's scholarship, and in l985 he coined the term "neofunctionalism." This groundbreaking work became the focal point for a small but influential group of American sociologists working self-consciously in a "neo-functionalist" tradition. Along with the writings of Luhmann and Munch, Alexander's work also played an influential role in emerging new strands of German sociological theory. Bringing together for the first time all of Alexander's writings on neofunctionalism, the present volume also contains two chapters written especially for this publication. The first, "From Functionalism to Creating a Position in the Field of Social Theory," is an autobiographical reconstruction of the origins of this movement. The other, "Action, Culture, and Civil Society," is an ambitious theoretical argument in which Alexander asserts that the internal contradictions of neofunctionalism inevitably lead to a new movement of theoretical reconstruction that goes beyond it.

Genres: Sociology

Paperback

First published February 11, 1998

About the author

Nina Alexander, born in 1942, is the author of many children's books, including books written for the Magic Attic Club series.

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think this is a very clear collection of essays whatsoever. In fact, I'm not totally convinced this idea warrants a collection of essays. Not that Alexander isn't offering something valuable to the discipline with the theory, just that this book seemed redundant, more of a collection of musings on a theme that felt repetitive but still not abundantly lucid.