Description
Book SynopsisThe 1960s saw pioneering changes in the realms of international politics, science, culture and art. Turning this historical lens onto the study of sociology, The Sociological Inheritance of the 1960s reveals both the continuities and the departures the field has seen in its core principles and approaches over the past several decades.
Beginning with an overview of society in the ‘60s, Jiří Šubrt provides an important reflection on a period worthy of contemporary reflection. In this context, what new concepts emerged? What were the popular methodological approaches? What controversies and debates emerged? How did sociology form part of a wider landscape of creative explosion throughout the decade? What implications does this have for contemporary sociology?
Inspiring an enriched understanding of a legacy still deeply relevant to current issues and concerns across the field, The Sociological Inheritance of the 1960s proves that, despite the half a century that has since passed, we still have much to learn from this rich period of sociological development.
Trade ReviewUnderstanding the 1960s as a decade of hope and a call for radical change, Šubrt . . . masterfully makes astute observations outside of ideas already posited, using language that demonstrates that sociologists are not only dry repeaters of previous thinkers, but instead creative, thoughtful minds, reflecting on society and how it can move forward, even if there is no clear trajectory where that forward might take us . . . The Sociological Inheritance of the 1960s is a useful tool for sociologists as both a reference and as a means to better understand their field, giving credence to the value of historical sociology and placing social phenomena in its appropriate time and place along with context. This is done to the benefit of all, demonstrating that the past, present, and future are all connected in a continuum, showcasing that the present state of sociology did not arise out of nowhere.
-- Haylee Behrends, Instructor in History, Political Science, and Sociology, Western Technical College, USA
[Šubrt] skillfully situates his work in the concerns and events of historical time, geographical space, and political power. Specifically, he clarifies how US, as well as Western and Eastern European, political and economic structures shaped and legitimized specific ways of thinking . . . Especially informative and powerful for analyzing today’s historically situated social problems, Dr. Šubrt’s work provides the context needed to better understand the development and use of sociological theory, as well as society itself.
-- Dawn Norris, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, USA
Table of ContentsChapter 1. A time when progress was still believed in (in place of an introduction)
Chapter 2. Societies of the 1960s, sociologically speaking
Chapter 3. The legacy of positivism, or how to make a sociological theory
Chapter 4. How to focus the systems approach on modern societies
Chapter 5. Social classes and stratification
Chapter 6. Conflicts may not bring only evil
Chapter 7. Media and mass communication
Chapter 8. Imagination – creative and sociological
Chapter 9. The birth of sociological constructivism
Chapter 10. What about individual human freedom?
Chapter 11. The point is to change the world
Chapter 12. One thing ends, another begins (in place of a conclusion)
