Sociologists on Sociology

Originally published in 1987, this edition in 1996, Sociologists on Sociology is a unique and sometimes controversial account of the development, disputes and the future of sociology as seen through the eyes of eleven of the world’s leading sociologists at the time. Consisting of interviews with – Anthony Giddens, Robert K. Merton, Howard Becker, Peter Townsend, Ralf Dahrendorf, Peter Worsley, Stuart Hall, John Rex, Michael Mann, Laurie Taylor and Ann Oakley – the book explores such crucial issues as the nature of deviance, the scientific status of sociology, the relationship of Marxism and sociology, the contours of race and class, feminism, relevance of ethnomethodology and the procedures of participant observation. The contributions of such figures as Goffman, Mills, Parsons, Weber and Foucault are assessed, and in clear and concise language the contributors discuss their own theoretical interests and empirical work in the field. Students and practitioners of the social sciences will find the book a fascinating and a uniquely direct insight into the thoughts of sociology’s leading figures and a remarkable cumulative assessment of the state of the discipline itself.