Abstract

This introductory volume illuminates current terrain in social theory by examining major classical theories (Saint-Simon, Comte, Marx, Durkheim, Dilthey, Tonnies, Simmel and Weber), emphasizing recurring themes and debates. Ray (sociology, U. of Kent) explains how classical sociology emerged through a debate with the Enlightenment, during which the concept of the social took shape and was constructed around different components of social life. He discusses how along with debates about theoretical oppositions, questions were raised about the very identity of sociology, which in turn related to grasping the crisis of modernity.