Talcott Parsons Today His Theory and Legacy in Contemporary Sociology

by Trevino, Javier A.; Smelser, Neil J.; Trevino, A. Javier; Nichols, Lawrence T.; Buxton, Willaim; Rehorick, David; Wearne, Bruce C.; Barber, Bernard; Turner, Bryan S.; Turner, Johnathan H.; Fuchs, Stephen; Lidz, Victor; Gerhardt, Uta; Gould, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780742509580
• ISBN10: 0742509583
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-08-07
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

Talcott Parsons Today offers a reappraisal--and extension--of the work of the most significant and influential twentieth-century sociologist. The volume consists of original essays by prominent Parsons scholars from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Germany. Finally, and most importantly, it makes a significant contribution to the current controversy surrounding an important sociological figure.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Foreword	xi
Neil J. Smelser
Introduction: The Theory and Legacy of Talcott Parsons	xv
A. Javier Trevino
Parsons and Simmel at Harvard: Scientific Paradigms and Organizatioal Culture	1	(28)
Lawrence T. Nichols
The Place of Max Weber in the Post-Structure Writings of Talcott Parsons	29	(32)
William J. Buxton
David Rehorick
Elias and Parsons: Two Transformations of the Problem-Historical Method	61	(18)
Bruce C. Wearne
Parsons's Second Project: The Social System---Sources, Development, and Limitations	79	(6)
Bernard Barber
Social Systems and Complexity Theory	85	(16)
Bryan S. Turner
Can Functionalism Be Saved?	101	(28)
Jonathan H. Turner
Networks and Systems	129	(12)
Stephan Fuchs
Language and the ``Family'' of Generalized Symbolic Media	141	(36)
Victor Lidz
Parsons's Analysis of the Societal Community	177	(46)
Uta Gerhardt
Empirical Sociological Theory and the Resolution of Normative Dilemmas	223	(24)
Mark Gould
Index	247	(10)
About the Contributors	257