The Coming Crisis Of Western Sociology
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
In one of the most audacious intellectual challenges of the twentieth century, Alvin W. Gouldner argues that Western sociology is not the detached, value-free science it claims to be, but a discipline riddled with hidden assumptions, ideological biases, and internal contradictions that are pushing it toward an inevitable crisis. The Coming Crisis of Western Sociology presents a sweeping and rigorous critique of the sociological establishment — most notably Talcott Parsons' structural functionalism — unmasking the ways in which mainstream sociology serves to legitimise existing power structures rather than interrogate them. Gouldner dissects the relationship between sociological theory and the broader political and cultural forces of the West, revealing how knowledge itself is shaped by the social conditions of its production. A landmark work in the sociology of knowledge, this volume argues for a reflexive sociology — one that turns its critical gaze upon itself, demanding that sociologists account for their own values, backgrounds, and interests. Gouldner's prose is commanding and erudite, combining the rigour of classical social theory with the passion of a committed intellectual seeking genuine transformation. Praised by John Leonard of *The New York Times* as an enormous achievement — the most important book in this field since C. Wright Mills's 'The Sociological Imagination,' it remains a foundational text for anyone who dares to ask: who guards the guardians of social thought?
Author: Alvin W. Gouldner
Format: Paperback
Genre: Society & culture
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
In one of the most audacious intellectual challenges of the twentieth century, Alvin W. Gouldner argues that Western sociology is not the detached, value-free science it claims to be, but a discipline riddled with hidden assumptions, ideological biases, and internal contradictions that are pushing it toward an inevitable crisis. The Coming Crisis of Western Sociology presents a sweeping and rigorous critique of the sociological establishment — most notably Talcott Parsons' structural functionalism — unmasking the ways in which mainstream sociology serves to legitimise existing power structures rather than interrogate them. Gouldner dissects the relationship between sociological theory and the broader political and cultural forces of the West, revealing how knowledge itself is shaped by the social conditions of its production. A landmark work in the sociology of knowledge, this volume argues for a reflexive sociology — one that turns its critical gaze upon itself, demanding that sociologists account for their own values, backgrounds, and interests. Gouldner's prose is commanding and erudite, combining the rigour of classical social theory with the passion of a committed intellectual seeking genuine transformation. Praised by John Leonard of *The New York Times* as an enormous achievement — the most important book in this field since C. Wright Mills's 'The Sociological Imagination,' it remains a foundational text for anyone who dares to ask: who guards the guardians of social thought?