Sociology Books

Book SynopsisGeorg Simmel, as well as being a major philosopher, is one of the founding figures of sociology whose work is comparable in importance to that of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. His writings on money, metropolises, and modernity have inspired generations of thinkers for over a century. In this book, leading expert Thomas Kemple clearly and accessibly introduces Simmel’s sociological and philosophical work, ranging from his masterpiece The Philosophy of Money to his famous essays ‘The Metropolis and Mental Life’ and ‘Fashion’ and beyond. The author situates his writings within his social and intellectual circles and analyses them in light of current debates surrounding urban sociology and social networks, phenomenology and metaphysics, cultural criticism and the study of everyday life. He brings Simmel’s most famous works into conversation with others that have received less attention, such as his writings on nature, art, religion, and sexuality. Through diagrams, everyday examples, and expositions of the work of his predecessors and contemporaries, and successors, this highly readable book captures the innovative spirit of Simmel’s unique method of thinking about cultural objects and his original style of writing about social life. Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Simmel’s death, it will be the leading guide to Simmel’s thought for generations of students and scholars.Trade Review‘This beautifully written guide brings into vivid microscopic focus the protean wholeness and diversity of Simmel’s magisterial thinking about money, economy, value, life, metropolitan existence, and the fundamental conflicts of modern culture and society.’Austin Harrington, University of Leeds ‘Social and cultural theorists have been waiting a long time for a book on Simmel like Tom Kemple’s. He tackles what has often been characterised as a fragmented and labyrinthine oeuvre with admirable clarity. Kemple not only situates Simmel’s writings in his life and times but manages to reveal their freshness and contemporary relevance.’Mike Featherstone, Goldsmiths, University of London

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Book SynopsisPierre Bourdieu and Abdelmalek Sayad met in their twenties in the midst of the Algerian war of independence. From their first meeting, a strong intellectual friendship was born between the French philosopher and the activist from the colony, nourished by the same desire to understand the world in order to change it. The work of both men was driven by the necessity of putting knowledge to use, whether by unveiling the relations of domination that structured life in Algeria or by opening emancipatory perspectives for the Algerian people. Colonies were, of course, a customary site of ethnographic work, but Bourdieu and Sayad refused to sacrifice scientific rigor to political expediency, even as Algeria descended deeper into war. Indeed, the act of understanding as a political commitment to the transformation of society lay at the heart of their project. Based on extensive interviews and deep archival work, Amín Pérez rediscovers the anticolonial origins of the pathbreaking social thought of these brilliant thinkers. Bourdieu and Sayad, he argues, forged another way of doing politics, laying the foundations of a revolutionary pedagogy, not just for anticolonial liberation but for true social emancipation.​Trade Review“This book is a revelation. Pérez uniquely offers insights into the anticolonial thought of two major social theorists of our times: Pierre Bourdieu, and his collaborator and friend Abdelmalek Sayad. Anyone interested in social theory, anticolonialism, and postcolonialism will have to read and reread this innovative, illuminating, and clarifying work of committed scholarship.”Julian Go, author of Postcolonial Thought and Social Theory“Deeply researched and fluidly argued, Pérez’s book is essential reading for anyone wishing to grasp the anti-colonial roots of Bourdieu’s sociology and a stunning document on the entanglement of social science and empire.”Loïc Wacquant, author of The Invention of the “Underclass” and Bourdieu in the City“A landmark study of the history of social science. Based on exhaustive archival research and original interviews with their contemporaries, Amín Pérez argues compellingly that Bourdieu and Sayad always attempted to articulate politics with social science, and that this did not contradict Bourdieu’s familiar arguments in favor of scientific autonomy.”George Steinmetz, author of The Colonial Origins of Modern Social ThoughtTable of ContentsPart One: Sociology as Emancipation Chapter 1: The Origins of Subversive Knowledge Chapter 2: Resisting in War-torn Algeria Chapter 3: A Sociology of the Colonial Order Part Two: Liberation through Knowledge Chapter 4: Listening, Observing, and Testifying in Times of War Chapter 5: Renewing the Social Sciences out of Political Necessity Chapter 6: From Colonial Liberation to Social Emancipation Conclusion

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