Sociological Theory in the Contemporary Era: Text and Readings

This two volume series by editors Laura Desfor-Edles and Scott Appelrouth is the ideal choice for the sociological theory professor looking for a tight overview of the discipline's theoretical paradigms. The textbook/reader format is a tremendous boon which should make studying a good deal easier for students. Edles and Appelrouth frame each chapter (each covering a different set of theories, like phenomenology, the Frankfurt School, feminism, pomo/poststructuralism, etc.) with extensive and clearly divided text that explains each set of theories. It's brilliantly organised. First each chapter gives a broad overview of the theoretical paradigm in question, then moves to the first theorist in the chapter, gives their biography, their intellectual influences, and a good summary of their overall theoretical orientation all under defined headings, and then their readings. Before each reading is a deft summary that should help students cram when they're pressed for time as Edles and Appelrouth distil main ideas quite well in their synopses. The structure works very well simply because it puts everything in one place. As a professor of sociology teaching theory it is often not enough to simply say "here is such and such famous work, read and enjoy!" It must be properly contextualised by understanding both the personal beliefs and background of the theorist in question, their particular historical moment, and the location of a particular reading relative to other works of theirs. To this end, this text does so in an elegant way that should be a huge boon to professors trying to cover a huge swathe of material. Edles and Appelrouth's framework gives each theorist the respect she or he deserves. The text is praiseworthy because the editors critically engage with each theorist in their overviews and summaries. For example, they make clear to students that certain theorists generalised from the social experiences and perspectives of white men; while this is no reason to *discount* what, say, Talcott Parsons had to say, it is so important to put that at the forefront of students' minds to ensure that they go through such research with that caveat in mind. The editors also deserve a lot of credit for trying to put forward an eloquent but coherent definition of postmodernism and poststructuralism. Noting the limitations of such, they still managed to write working definitions that students can get their heads around. It's hard to find serious flaws with this work, which is broadly inclusive and runs the gamut from structural functionalism to the more syncretic theories of the latest sociological research. It also has a well done chapter on feminism and credit goes to the authors for integrating the work of such luminaries as Patricia Hill Collins and Arlie Hochschild into the sociological canon where they so rightly belong. Hochschild's "The Managed Heart" is appropriately thought provoking research and reading in the best of the modern sociological tradi