Contested Knowledge: Social Theory in the Postmodern Era

"Contested Knowledge" is a sociological theory text designed for undergraduate or graduate courses. From the classical sociologists (Durkheim, Marx and Weber), to contemporary social theories and movements, including feminism, poststructuralism, African-American thought and "queer theory"), Professor Seidman presents his approach to the tradition of sociological theory and its established canon. Combining social analysis and moral advocacy, "Contested Knowledge" shows how social theory can work within the public, political sphere and can contribute to the making of a better world.

Table of Contents:
Part One: The Enlightenment and the Classical Tradition: The Dream of Reason: 1. Grand Visions: Auguste Comte and Karl Marx. 2. The Promise of Sociology: Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Part Two: Discipling Theory: The Making of a Sociological Theory Canon: 3. From European Social Theory to American Sociological Theory: Talcott Parsons and the Abandonment of Partisanship. 4. The Quest for a Unified Scientific Theory. Part Three: Dislodging the Canon: The Reassertion of a Moral Vision: 5. Between Science and Politics: The Critical Theory of C.W. Mills and Jurgen Habermas. 6. Knowledge and Power: The French Poststructuralists. 7. The New Social Movements and the Making of New Social Knowledges. 8. Post-Enlightenment Paradigms of Disciplinary Knowledge: Refashioning Sociology.

About the Author :
Steven Seidman has written extensively in the field of cultural criticism and social theory. He is the author or editor of many books, including Liberalism and the Origins of European Social Theory, Postmodernism and Social Theory, and Culture and Society: Contemporary Debates.

Review :
"Uncommonly graceful, richly descriptive, courageous. No-one to date has given so complete an account of social theory - from its Enlightenment origins to the latest postmodern word." Charles Lemert, Wesleyan University. " Contested Knowledge presents a vigorous argument for social theory that is re-connected to public intellectual life and the moral concerns of real people. Along the way Seidman shows how such an understanding of theory provides a closer link to practical research than current alternatives are able to do. Avoiding esoteric jargon, the book describes where social theory stands today in a way that is a pleasure to read." Robert N. Bellah, University of California, Berkeley. "A highly readable and engaging discussion of the canon of social theory (Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Parsons) and the challenges launched by critical theorists and by various postmodern lines of theorizing. Seidman's approach to postmodernism is refreshingly broad, attuned not only to French poststructuralism but also to the "new social knowledges" developed by feminists, lesbians and gay men, and people of color. Contested Knowledge is an important contribution to current reassessments of the social theory canon." Barrie Thorne, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. "An important book." Thesis Eleven .