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Overview
No national tradition of social theory has been more seductive to Anglo-American readers than the French.There has been a long-standing fascination with French ideas and debates.
This extraordinarily accomplished book, written by one of Britain's leading commentators on social theory, provides a peerless account of the French tradition.The book: provides a systematic account of French social theory from the aftermath of the French Revolution (St Simon, Bazard and Comte) to the contemporary scene dominated by Kristeva, Deleuze, Bourdieu and Baudrillard; divides French social theory into three logically coherent cycles: 1800-80 (positivist); 1880-1940 (anthropological); 1940-2000 (Marxist); provides a detailed guide to the three phases of postwar French social theory - existential, structural and post-structural; and situates the discussions of individuals and schools in the relevant social and political contexts.
The book is a masterpiece of erudition and scholarship but is written throughout in an engaging and informative style. It will be required reading for anyone interested in social theory and sociology.
Synopsis
The main lines of social theory wherever influenced by Comte and Durkheim, or Marx and Weber, are variation on a common theme established by the Saint-Simonians in 1815-30, contends Gane. On this foundation he builds a new assessment of French social theory as it has developed over the past two centuries and bequeathed to the present such terms as existentialism, structuralism, positivism, and postmodernism. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR