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Synopsis
Cheal (sociology, U. of Winnipeg) works through 200 years of theory for the benefit of students just starting their inquiry into sociological theory. He covers the units of analysis of inquiry, including the individual as opposed to social facts as explained by Mill and Durkheim, and interaction and the return of reductionism as found in Simmel, Schutz, Homains, Blau and Coleman. He has Durkheim, Merton, Parsons and Weber explain social life and Marx, Parsons and Habermas expound on social evolution, reserving Mannheim, Foucault and Dorothy Smith for the discussion on ideology. In the final section on structure and agency, Williams, O'Brien, Blumer and Goffman weigh in on social structure and alternatives while Bourdieu, Giddens and Bauman take on the issues of agency. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR