Classical Social Theory in Use

This book provides an introduction to classical social theory throughdiscussion, application, and synthesis of the work of Karl Marx, EmileDurkheim, and George Herbert Mead. Rather than merely summarizing andevaluating their continuing influence, their ideas and ways of reasoning areapplied in thoroughly developed fashion to contemporary issues andhistorical events of enduring importance. In the process, contributions ofthese three very different authors are used to complement each other and areeventually synthesized, making clear that they can be melded into one multilevel, even if tentative andrudimentary, theoretical perspective. The book is intended to systematically and compactly introduce the mostuseful concepts of the three classical theorists. However, new concepts are typically introduced as part of thenarrative, rather than in box-text definitional fashion. This is consistent with the books primary purpose: toenable the reader to begin to think like Marx, Durkheim, and Mead, especially insofar as their work can besynthesized into one point of view, dealing with inter-related macro-level, middle range, and micro-level socialphenomena. The section on Marx will be longer than the sections on Durkheim and Mead. In part, the length ofthe discussion of Marx's work is due to use of this section to begin introducing pertinent ideas of Durkheim andMead.