The Isa Handbook Of Diverse Sociological Traditions

"A brilliant treasury of wisdom and insight drawn from leading sociologists throughout the world...It is a striking achievement, of which the International Sociological Association can be very proud, to have brought so many independent-minded scholars into so productive a dialogue." - Dennis Smith, Professor of Sociology, Loughborough University Twenty-nine chapters from prominent international contributors discuss, challenge and re-conceptualise the global discipline of sociology, evaluating the diversities within and between sociological traditions of many regions and nation-states. They assess all aspects of the discipline: ideas and theories; scholars and scholarship; practices and traditions; and ruptures and continuities through an international perspective. The Handbook argues that diversities in sociological traditions can be studied at three levels. First, they need to be studied from multiple spatial locations: within localities, within nation-states, within regions and the globe. Second, they need to be discussed in terms of their sociological moorings in distinct philosophies, epistemologies and theoretical frames, cultures of science and languages of reflection. Third, the intellectual moorings of sociological practices are extensive. The papers discuss the diverse and comparative sites of knowledge production and its transmission.

"Representing the fruit of in-depth dynamics it invites us to give all necessary attention to the concepts of conflict, cooperation and competition. By reflecting on the possible articulations of these concepts and attempting to apply them in diverse fields of social science the editors give voice to those who are studying the world as it is and perform the service of returning a set of concepts, approaches or paradigms to their legitimate place." - Michel Wieviorka, President, International Sociological Association This ISA Handbook presents and tracks the transformation of the societies and social relations that characterize the twenty-first century. The volume is organized around a conceptualization of three processes that are fundamental to the analyses of micro, meso and macro social relations: conflict, competition, and cooperation. In addition to chapters that delve into sociological theory, case studies and overviews of subfields discuss and contextualize debates from an international perspective, incorporating relevant material about North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Chapters on topics and fields crucial to the experience of people around the world include, among others: childhood studies, consumption, hunger, labour studies, peace-keeping, law, health, sport, and welfare. Systematic and informed, the handbook will serve readers in all branches of the social sciences, providing both experienced researchers and novices with the materials to explore the different domains of contemporary life.

The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Human Sciences offers a uniquely comprehensive and global overview of the evolution of ideas, concepts and policies within the human sciences. Drawn from histories of the social and psychological sciences, anthropology, the history and philosophy of science, and the history of ideas, this collection analyses the health and welfare of populations, evidence of the changing nature of our local communities, cities, societies or global movements, and studies the way our humanness or ‘human nature’ undergoes shifts because of broader technological shifts or patterns of living. This Handbook serves as an authoritative reference to a vast source of representative scholarly work in interdisciplinary fields, a means of understanding patterns of social change and the conduct of institutions, as well as the histories of these ‘ways of knowing’ probe the contexts, circumstances and conditions which underpin continuity and change in the way we count, analyse and understand ourselves in our different social worlds. It reflects a critical scholarly interest in both traditional and emerging concerns on the relations between the biological and social sciences, and between these and changes and continuities in societies and conducts, as 21st century research moves into new intellectual and geographic territories, more diverse fields and global problematics. ​

This book outlines what theory for a global age might look like, positing an agenda for consideration, contestation and discussion, and a framework for the research-led volumes that follow in the series. Gurminder K. Bhambra takes up the classical concerns of sociology and social theory and shows how they can be rethought through an engagement with postcolonial studies and decoloniality, two of the most distinctive critical approaches of the past decades.

Despite progress, the Western higher education system is still largely dominated by scholars from the privileged classes of the Global North. This book presents examples of efforts to diversify points of view, include previously excluded people, and decolonize curricula. What has worked? What hasn't? What further visions do we need? How can we bring about a more democratic and just academic life for all? Written by scholars from different disciplines, countries, and backgrounds, this book offers an internationally relevant, practical guide to 'doing diversity' in the social sciences and humanities and decolonising higher education as a whole.

Historical Developments and Theoretical Approaches in Sociology in two volumes is a component of Encyclopedia of Social Sciences and Humanities in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty Encyclopedias. Sociology is one of several social science disciplines and smaller bodies of knowledge which seeks to understand the patterns in social life. There is a broad congruence between the objective configurations of social life and the components of the disciplines studying them, the body of sociological knowledge is socially constructed and the pathways to its gaining of knowledge influenced by a variety of factors. Moreover, since social life is ever-changing, sociology often has to scramble to catch-up with the changing social world. This work is built up around four broad topics, the first providing important shared contextual material and then followed by three broad levels of social analysis: with each of these four parts containing a number of chapters with more specific and in-depth information. The theme essay provides a general introduction and overview of the theme as a whole. In total, the work holds 40 contributions written by a selection of many international renowned specialists from 12 countries. It was important to obtain a wide range of viewpoints giving the ways in which social issues arise quite differently in a range of countries. These two volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers, NGOs and GOs.

This book represents the first comprehensive historical treatment of sociology in Russia from the mid-nineteenth century through the pre-revolutionary and Soviet eras to the present day. It sheds new light on the dramatic history of sociology in the Russian context; dramatic both in its relationship with state power, and in the large-scale societal transformations it has had to grapple with. The authors highlight several particularities including the late institutionalization of sociology in the Soviet period, the breaks in continuity between its main historical periods and the relationship between sociology and power throughout its history. This valuable work will appeal to social science and history scholars, as well as readers interested in the history of contemporary Russia.

In a world overwhelmingly unjust and seemingly deprived of alternatives, this book claims that the alternatives can be found among us. These alternatives are, however, discredited or made invisible by the dominant ways of knowing. Rather than alternatives, therefore, we need an alternative way of thinking of alternatives. Such an alternative way of thinking lies in the knowledges born in the struggles against capitalism, colonialism, and patriarchy, the three main forms of modern domination. In their immense diversity, such ways of knowing constitute the Global South as an epistemic subject. The epistemologies of the South are guided by the idea that another world is possible and urgently needed; they emerge both in the geographical north and in the geographical south whenever collectives of people fight against modern domination. Learning from and with the epistemic South suggests that the alternative to a general theory is the promotion of an ecology of knowledges based on intercultural and interpolitical translation.