In this book, one of the foremost sociologists of the present day, turns his gaze upon the key figures and seminal institutions in the rise of sociology. Turner examines the work of Karl Marx, Max Weber, Karl Mannheim, Georg Simmel, Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons to produce a rich and authoritative perspective on the classical tradition. He argues that classical sociology has developed on many fronts, including debates on the family, religion, the city, social stratification, generations and citizenship. The book defends classical perspectives as a living tradition for understanding contemporary social life and demonstrates how the classical tradition produces an agenda for contemporary sociology.
Preface - The Sociological Classics
Part I CLASSICAL THEORY
The Central Themes of Sociology: An Introduction
Max Weber's Reception into Classical Sociology
Max Weber and Karl Marx
Max Weber on Economy and Society
Emile Durkheim on Civil Society
Karl Mannheim on Ideology and Utopia
Karl Mannheim and the Sociology of Culture
Georg Simmel and the Sociology of Money
Talcott Parsons on the Social System
Part II THE EARLY SOCIOLOGY OF INSTITUTIONS
The Sociology and Anthropology of Religion
The Sociology of the City
The Sociology of Social Stratification
The Sociology and Anthropology of the Family
The Sociology of Generations - with Ron Eyerman
The Sociology of Citizenship
Conclusion - Coherence and Rupture in the Discipline of Sociology
