Human Societies: An Introduction

by Abram de Swaan, Beverley Jackson (Translation)

This book is a brief introduction to the study of society, which may be read without any previous knowledge of the social sciences. Each chapter addresses a fundamental question about people in their various arrangements. The book begins by asking: what do people need from one another; what do they need to survive and how do these needs make them dependent upon others? Subsequent chapters deal with the ties that bind people, the expectations they entertain of one another, their means of distinguishing themselves from others, the ways they have of moulding and teaching the young, and what they believe, know and invent. De Swaan also explores the ways in which people organize their activities, from foraging bands of only a few dozen members to contemporary societies that can effectively co-ordinate a billion people or more. Human Societies traces this huge increase in the scale of social life which occurred as new forms of human co-ordination emerged: from reciprocal obligation and collective action, to markets, organizations, and states, and finally, the emerging global level of interdependence.

This book will be essential reading for anyone who needs a brief and clear introduction to sociology in its broadest sense; it will be especially valuable to those studying the subject for the first time.

Abram de Swaan is chairman of the Amsterdam School of Social Science Research (ASSR.

Genres: Nonfiction

176 pages, ebook

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Abram de Swaan (1942) is universiteitshoogleraar sociale wetenschap aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam sinds 2001 en vanaf 2007 emeritus. Hij was hoogleraar sociologie van 1973-2001. De Swaan was mede-oprichter en directeur van de Amsterdamse School voor Sociaalweten-schappelijk Onderzoek (1987-1997) en daarna voorzitter (tot 2007). Hij debuteerde in 1968 met Amerika in termijnen; een ademloos verslag uit de USA en promoveerde in 1973 cum laude op Coalition theories and cabinet formations.

Reviews

[Natalie Ljungman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lyfter grundligt mänskliga samband och visar på hur samhället är uppbyggt. Vissa delar ingick i min kurslitteratur men det slutade med att jag läste hela!