National Traditions in Sociology
- Nikolai Genov - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
In this book an international team of authors consider the nature of sociology and its development in a range of countries. Concentrating on the period since 1945, they show how the intellectual and institutional history of sociology has varied widely. Key differences in the nature of sociology -- the stress on quantitative methods in American sociology, the growing influence of social philosophy on British and other Western European works, and the specific features of the discipline in the socialist and in the developing countries -- are exposed and assessed. The book will be essential reading for scholars in the history and theory of sociology and for all those interested in the comparative understanding of social scientific research.
`these essays, well written and carefully documented are both interesting and intriguing.... Offers a a marvelous opportunity to discover how one's colleagues in other countries approach sociology.' - Choice
`Each essay in the book exposes the reader to the specific flavour of sociology practised in one or another state society, what the book achieves as a whole goes far beyond the intents of particular pieces. First, the book unfolds that sociology as a discipline shares a set of concepts, theories and methodologies irrespective of the character of the locale in which it is practised. Second, the book helps one, to identify the pre-requisities which fosters sociology as a creative discipline - cultural pluralism, political freedom and committment to analyze the problems of one's society' - Sociological Bulletin