Logics of History: Social Theory and Social Transformation
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Book Overview
While social scientists and historians have been exchanging ideas for a long time, they have never developed a proper dialogue about social theory. William H. Sewell Jr. observes that on questions of theory the communication has been mostly one way: from social science to history. Logics of History argues that both history and the social sciences have something crucial to offer each other. While historians do not think of themselves as theorists, they know something social scientists do not: how to think about the temporalities of social life. On the other hand, while social scientists' treatments of temporality are usually clumsy, their theoretical sophistication and penchant for structural accounts of social life could offer much to historians. Renowned for his work at the crossroads of history, sociology, political science, and anthropology, Sewell argues that only by combining a more sophisticated understanding of historical time with a concern for larger theoretical questions can a satisfying social theory emerge. In Logics of History, he reveals the shape such an engagement could take, some of the topics it could illuminate, and how it might affect both sides of the disciplinary divide.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0226749185
ISBN13:9780226749181
Release Date:August 2005
Publisher:University of Chicago Press
Length:376 Pages
Weight:0.55 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 6.1" x 9.0"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Structure, culture and history
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This is a refreshing book about the relationship between historical studies and the various branches of social science. The author discusses the study of social phenomena from a variety of cross-disciplinary perspectives, utilizing clearly argued examples rather than abstract reasoning. He has many interesting ideas which go beyond the limitations of specialized paradigms. The book requires some familiarity with contemporary social science since the discussion often revolves around key terms such as "structure" and "culture". But aside from that requirement, the text is quite accessible even for an interested layman. My one point of complaint is that the chapters are a bit disunited. Apparently most of them have been written as separate research papers and are published together here with minor modifications. There are some interconnecting themes between the chapters but there could have been many more if the book had been written as one project from start to finish. Despite that, this book is definitely a thought-provoking and insightful piece of work and I recommend it to anyone with a general interest in history and social science.
Historical events are transforming inventions:
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
By perfecting and systematizing structuration theory and advocating a sociology of the historical event, William Sewell has profoundly shaped and renewed sociology in our time.
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