Social Theory: Continuity and Confrontation: A Reader, Second Edition

The organization of this social theory reader combined with Garner's short introductions to selections enables students to understand the historical flow of social theory and see how disagreements and confrontations shape theory. Writing in clear, down-to-earth language, Garner's introductions highlight links among theorists to illustrate how theoretical traditions are not rigidly separated from one another but are always in conversation, addressing and challenging each other.

The second edition has been thoroughly revised and reorganized with a new section on Media and Culture in the Information Age and new selections from Erving Goffman, David Harvey, Stuart Hall, and Saskia Sassen, among others. As in the first edition, many of the classical articles are paired with contemporary theoretical and empirical studies that illustrate the continuing value of the classical concepts. Garner continues to offer her concise introductions, and all have been completely revised and updated for this edition.

Roberta Garner is Professor of Sociology at DePaul University in Chicago. She is the author of The Joy of Stats: A Short Guide to Introductory Statistics in the Social Sciences, Second Edition (2010). She teaches courses on theory, research design, statistics, and Greek mythology.