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The Foundations of Social Theory: Origins and Trajectories
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posted on 2023-06-08, 10:06 authored by Gerard DelantySince its origins in the early modern period, social theory can be seen as a reflection on modernity. The theme of modernity has been the great unifying motif in social theory from the sixteenth century to the twentieth century, providing a frame of reference for many different approaches, which all have in common the attempt to provide an interpretation of the modern world. Social theory, then, is above all a response to the emergence of the social, economic, cultural, and political forces that define modernity. More specifically, however, in its formative and classical phase, roughly from the early sixteenth century to the early twentieth century, social theory was a response to the rise of society. In earlier times "society" as such did not exist in the sense of a recognizable social domain distinct from kinship, economic and military function, the state, or religious ties. For the early social theorists, the rise of the social was the defining aspect of modernity, constituting a distinct object of research and reflection. Thus social theory is the interpretation of "the social," which came to be seen as a domain mediating the private world and the state.
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Publication status
- Published
Publisher
Wiley-BlackwellPage range
21-46Pages
26.0Book title
The Blackwell Companion to Social Theory (2nd Edition)Place of publication
Malden & OxfordISBN
9780631213666Series
Blackwell Companions to SociologyDepartment affiliated with
- Sociology and Criminology Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Editors
Bryan S TurnerLegacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
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