Structuration Theory

This important text argues for a "strong" notion of structuration theory in contrast to the seminal but more abstract and relatively under-developed project represented by Anthony Giddens's writings. It is argued that the distinctive power of structuration theory lies in its potential to critically investigate a specific range of in situ questions. Structuration Theory produces a synthesis that draws on Giddens's work, on other versions of the structuration problematic, and on key empirical uses of the approach. The final chapters make use of extended case examples to illustrate the critical power of strong structuration.

Anthony Giddens's structuration theory, once a mainstay of social science, has come under significant criticism in recent years. Stones (sociology, U. of Essex) introduces structuration from the core and also works to provide a stronger framework for it that draws upon criticism, debates, defenses and refinements within the field. He describes the basic tenets of the theory, its distinctions and the limits of its scope, and its ontology, its influences, critics (friend and foe), and his development of it into a stronger form in terms of ontology, research focus, and the wider picture within the discipline. Stones uses Morawska's Insecure Prosperity and Ibsen's A Doll's House as case studies. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Rob Stones is the author of Sociological Reasoning (Macmillan 1996) and the editor of Key Sociological Thinkers (Macmillan 1998). He is Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex.