Western Sociological Readings (English Edition)

Author: Yu Hai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: This book is a collection of Western social theory from the 20th century. It is divided into two main parts: Classics and Contemporary, with the contemporary theories further subdivided into four parts: the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France. It includes more than 50 influential Western social theorists from the past 100 years and 78 documents. This book can serve as a professional English textbook for sociology majors and also as a fundamental source text for social sciences. Anthony Giddens once distinguished between "social theory" and "sociology." He equated "social theory" with the thematic fields common to all the social sciences, such as the nature of action and actors, the relationship between interaction and institutions, etc. He considered "sociology" to be just one branch of the social sciences, focusing only on "developed" or modern societies. This selection is titled "Social Theory," based on Giddens' distinction, and through the prominence of analytical and substantive categories such as action, self, interaction, symbols, structure, knowledge, and power in this selection, it demonstrates the editors' emphasis. These are the issues usually referred to as "methodology," "theoretical perspectives," or "theoretical paradigms." However, this distinction should not be rigid or mechanical. Without engaging with the real processes and substantive analysis of Western modern society, social theory will lose its connection to the real world and thus lose its explanatory power. As Hegel insisted, methodology is the spirit that permeates the process, not a trick detached from it. The social analyses of Durkheim, Weber, Wallerstein, Giddens, Foucault, Baudrillard, and others are similarly carried out through the elaboration of concepts such as "division of labor society," "bureaucratic society," "modern world-system," "reflexive modernity," "disciplinary society," and "simulacrum society." In other words, these substantive theories about modern Western society themselves carry methodological significance. This selection has referenced social theory anthologies compiled by Western scholars (primarily American scholars), including: Talcott Parsons et al.'s Theories of Society (The Free Press, 1961); Randall Collins's Three Sociological Traditions (Oxford University Press, 1985); Lewis A. Coser et al.'s Sociological Theory (Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1982), and Charles Lemert's Social Theory (Westview Press, 1999). This selection has fully drawn on the results of these texts' selections of classic theories. In fact, there is already a high degree of consensus in the Western sociology field regarding the selection of classic works, such as the conclusion section of Durkheim's The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, the chapter "Basic Concepts of Sociology" in Weber's Economy and Society, and the chapter "Play, Game, Generalized Other" in Mead's Mind, Self, and Society, which are essential selections in all anthologies. In contemporary theory, the focus of different selections has diverged, but there remains consensus, such as Parsons's theory of unit action and modal variables, Berger and Luckmann's phenomenological definition of sociology, Levi-Strauss's structural analysis of mythology, and Foucault's discourse on truth and power. This selection has also referenced the work of the aforementioned compilers, and in these aspects, our work is one of sharing rather than original creation. However, this is a social theory anthology compiled for Chinese students to read, and thus there are different considerations and arrangements in terms of selected figures, entries, and the structure of the anthology. First, this selection arranges chapters in chronological and national order to present the development of social theory and its national characteristics, providing Chinese students with an intuitive temporal and spatial framework for grasping the theoretical context. Second, it incorporates a classification of schools within the national categories, linking selected figures by school to highlight the origins and divisions of theoretical traditions and reduce the disorientation that comes with a large number of figures. This classification of schools may not perfectly fit individual figures, and there may be some compromises, but it serves as a useful guide for theoretical learning. Regardless, there remains a fundamental consensus in the recognition of the main social theory traditions of the 20th century. Finally, the selected figures in this anthology are chosen from the perspective of a Chinese scholar, and their importance is largely determined by their influence in China. The selection also strives to balance the number of figures from different countries, avoiding any bias. This is an indispensable requirement for an anthology labeled "Western social theory." Given that the anthologies compiled by American scholars have relatively weak coverage of German and French theory, this selection gives more attention to German and French social theorists. We have included the indispensable figures such as Scheler, Luhmann, and Durenford (Germany), as well as Touraine, Crozier, and Boudon (France), and increased the space for Habermas, Giddens, and Bourdieu. In fact, after Parsons, France and Germany should be considered more vibrant centers of social theory than the United States. This selection does not overlook the contributions of American social theory. Post-war sociology, represented by Parsons, became the mainstream theory, and "the sociology of the entire world was dominated by American sociology, and Parsons' imprint was deeply embedded in social theory" (Giddens' words). It still occupies the largest portion of the selection, but this does not mean Parsons retains the heaviest weight. Today, we should have the perspective to give fair attention to other American social theorists, striving not to overlook contemporary and active American social theorists (such as Collins). Comte is often regarded as the founding father of Western sociology, but this claim has more symbolic significance than substantive meaning. The era in which Comte lived gave birth to modern sociology, and Comte made contributions, but compared to Marx's contributions, they are negligible. The only truly classic figure in 19th-century sociology was Marx. All other important social theory traditions and mainstream schools developed in the 20th century. In this sense, this selection may not encompass all of "modern social theory," but it does cover a significant portion of it. The selected documents in this book, except those that have expired copyright protection and are now in the public domain, have all been granted permission for reprints by the authors or publishing institutions. We have obtained authorization from the following authors: Raymond Boudon of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France; Alain Touraine and Erhand Friedberg of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France; Anthony Giddens of the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom; Jeffrey Alexander of Yale University in the United States; Randall Collins of the University of Pennsylvania; and Nancy Chodorow of the University of California, Berkeley. We sincerely thank them for their generous contributions. Excellent universities in China are advocating the use of foreign original textbooks, and compiling this book is a positive response to this call. For me, it is also a new attempt, and I look forward to the guidance and feedback of scholars both at home and abroad.