Social Sciences (Beyond Constructivism and Realism)

Author: (English) Delanty, translated by Zhang Maoyuan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: One of the most authoritative social science textbooks in Western and European higher education since the 1990s; jointly recommended by renowned scholars from more than 10 top universities in China. From the perspective of understanding the basic situation of modern Western social sciences, this book provides very valuable insights, offering clear descriptions and precise evaluations of various theories, from positivism to hermeneutics, Marxism, constructivism, and then postmodernism, which originated from post-structuralism and deconstruction. It provides a good knowledge background for understanding the modern development of Western social sciences. Of course, it should be noted that the author's Western background inevitably leads to certain limitations. The book's introduction and evaluation of Marxism are inaccurate and one-sided, and many of the author's descriptions of modern social sciences are also biased. Although we have basically retained the original content out of respect for the completeness of the work, we still need to remind readers to adopt a critical and selective attitude towards the book and to make correct judgments and absorptions.