Description
Book SynopsisRefines and enlarges the author's theory of how social structure and culture emerge from the chaos and uncertainty of social life. This book of social theory links social structure with the lived experience of individuals, providing a perspective on the kinds of social formations that develop in the process.
Trade ReviewPraise for the original edition: "[In this book] White has managed to cram a lifetime of singularly deep thinking about the social order that makes the best start yet on augmenting the economic understanding of man."--David Warsh, Boston Globe Praise for the original edition: "This work is unique in that it presents a fully formed structural theory of human behavior and organization from the ground up, including seminal terms and the directions in which future research should proceed."--C. A. Pressler, Choice Praise for the original edition: "[This book] deserves to be widely read and discussed. White attempts nothing less than a comprehensive theoretical synthesis of social scientific ideas."--John Scott, British Journal of Sociology
Table of ContentsDETAILED CONTENTS vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xv PROLOGUE: Preview of Themes xvii CHAPTER ONE: Identities Seek Control 1 Contributors: Anna Mitschele and Frederic Godart CHAPTER TWO: Networks and Stories 20 Contributors: Haiko Lietz and Sabine Wuerkner CHAPTER THREE: Three Disciplines 63 Contributors: Rozlyn Redd and Don Steiny CHAPTER FOUR: Styles 112 Contributors: Frederic Godart and Larissa Buchholz CHAPTER FIVE: Institutions and Rhetorics 171 Contributors: Victor Corona and Matthias Thiemann CHAPTER SIX: Regimes of Control 220 Contributors: Matthias Thiemann and Millie Su CHAPTER SEVEN: Getting Action 279 Contributors: Larissa Buchholz and Haiko Lietz CHAPTER EIGHT: Overview and Contexts 334 Contributors: Frederic Godart and Victor Corona REFERENCES 377 CHAPTER INDEX 419
