An Invitation to Social Theory

by David Inglis

Social theory is a crucial resource for the social sciences. It provides rich insights into how human beings think and act and how contemporary social life is constructed. But often the key ideas of social theorists are expressed in highly technical and difficult language that can hide more than it reveals.

The new edition of this popular book continues to cut to the core of what social theory is about. Covering key themes from the classical thinkers onwards, including Marxism, post-structuralism, phenomenology, feminism and more, the second edition features a new chapter on Actor-Network Theory and enhanced discussion of postcolonial theory. Wide ranging in scope and coverage, the book is concise in presentation and free from jargon.

Showing why social theory matters, and why it is of far-reaching social and political importance, the book is ideal for readers seeking a clear, crisp mapping of a complex but very rewarding area.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction

344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2012

About the author

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There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Geoffrey Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a political science grad student, I felt like I could really benefit from a stronger grounding in social theory, but I didn't really know where to start. I was looking for a book that would provide an overview of the different schools of thought in social theory and a guide for further reading. An Invitation to Social Theory fit the bill perfectly. Clear, accessible prose, and balanced judgments on a wide range of thinkers and approaches, this book makes me feel much more confident as I wade into social theory and other branches of sociology. Obviously, this book is not a substitute for reading any of the 'great works' of social theory, and it only skims the surface of a wide range of thinkers and bodies of literature. But it provides exactly the "way in" to social theory that I was looking for.

[Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent overview of social theory as it has developed over the past few centuries (the authors take Kant and Hegel as a more-or-less 'definitive' starting point for classical and contemporary social theory). I recommend this book for newcomers such as myself, as it makes for a good primer before one delves into primary texts.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Well, it is a study book, so it is not written to enjoy ;) Nevertheless I thought the book was clearly-written and that it was nice to read. I really liked the chronological order because than you’ll see the developments of Sociology during history. It was a nice book, but i would not recommend reading it in one day, like I did lol

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I'm going to re-read this one! Good book.

[John Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great Sociology book for theory. Full of ideas from Marx to Habermas. It's a deep book, with profound ideas, but presented in suck a way, as to make the content accessable and readable. Highly recommended.

[Jaakko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erinomainen teos, koulukirjaksi loistava. Erityisesti alku- ja loppukappaleet sekä luku Foucaultista ja diskursseista olivat herättäviä. Lisäksi teksti oli helpommin ymmärrettävää, kuin suomenkielinen kirjallisuus samasta aiheesta, vaikkei englanti olekaan äidinkieleni.