The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration

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University of California Press, 1984 - Social Science - 402 pages
Anthony Giddens has been in the forefront of developments in social theory for the past decade. In "The Constitution of Society" he outlines the distinctive position he has evolved during that period and offers a full statement of a major new perspective in social thought, a synthesis and elaboration of ideas touched on in previous works but described here for the first time in an integrated and comprehensive form. A particular feature is Giddens's concern to connect abstract problems of theory to an interpretation of the nature of empirical method in the social sciences. In presenting his own ideas, Giddens mounts a critical attack on some of the more orthodox sociological views. "The Constitution of Society" is an invaluable reference book for all those concerned with the basic issues in contemporary social theory.
 

Contents

Elements of the Theory of Structuration
1
Consciousness Self and Social Encounters
41
Time Space and Regionalization
110
Structure System Social Reproduction
162
Methodological Individualism
207
Change Evolution and Power
227
Structuration Theory Empirical Research and Social Critique
281
Mutual Knowledge versus Common Sense
334
The Practical Connotations of Social Science
348
Glossary
373
Index
392
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About the author (1984)

Anthony Giddens, a British sociologist, was educated at Hull, the London School of Economics, and Cambridge, and is a fellow of King's College, Cambridge. His interests have been varied, but they tend to focus on questions related to the macro-order. Much of his theoretical writing deals with stratification, class, and modernity. Although he has concentrated on dynamic issues of social structure, he has also examined how social psychological concerns are part of this broader order of human relations.

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