Contested Knowledge: Social Theory Today - Softcover

Seidman, Steven

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1118227905 ISBN 13: 9781118227909

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012

Synopsis

In the fifth edition Contested Knowledge, social theorist Steven Seidman presents the latest topics in social theory and addresses the current shift of 'universalist theorists' to networks of clustered debates.

• Responds to current issues, debates, and new social movements
• Reviews sociological theory from a contemporary perspective
• Reveals how the universal theorist and the era of rival schools has been replaced by networks of clustered debates that are relatively 'autonomous' and interdisciplinary
• Features updates and in-depth discussions of the newest clustered debates in social theory—intimacy, postcolonial nationalism, and the concept of 'the other'
• Challenges social scientists to renew their commitment to the important moral and political role social knowledge plays in public life
• Accompanied by a companion website for students at www.wiley.com/go/seidman featuring chapter outlines and useful web links; an instructor site can also be accessed which features password-protected PowerPoint teaching slides

About this title

About the Author

Steven Seidman is Professor of Sociology at State University of New York at Albany. He is a world-renowned social theorist working in the areas of social theory, culture, sexuality, comparative sociology, theory of democracy, nationalism, and globalization. He is the author and editor of several books, including Embattled Eros: Sexual Politics and Ethics in Contemporary America (1992), The Postmodern Turn: New Perspectives on Social Theory (editor, 1995), Queer Theory/Sociology (Blackwell, 1996), The New Social Theory Reader: Contemporary Debates (edited with Jeffrey C. Alexander, 2001), and Beyond the Closet: The Transformation of Gay and Lesbian Life (2002).

From the Back Cover

Each edition of Contested Knowledge has garnered critical acclaim for its insightful presentation of up-to-date perspectives on social theory by one of the most influential thinkers of the modern era. In the new 5th Edition Contested Knowledge, renowned social theorist Steven Seidman proclaims the demise of the era of the great “universalist theorists” represented by figures such as Habermas, Foucault, Baudrillard, and Bourdieu. In its place, Seidman reveals the dawn of a modern-day shift to networks of clustered debates – relatively “autonomous” and interdisciplinary social theorizing on issues such as citizenship, performativity, nationalism, globalization, cosmopolitanism, and queer life. To gain a better appreciation of this new social thinking and theorizing, Seidman hones his focus on discussions of three distinct clustered debates now swirling in social theory – intimacy, postcolonial nationalism, and the concept of “the other.” Scholarly and rigorous, yet engagingly written for widespread accessibility, the 5th Edition of Contested Knowledge offers thought-provoking insights into exciting new frontiers of sociological theorizing precipitated by the emergence of a globalized world. 

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1118227905
• ISBN 13: 9781118227909
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 364