Formal Theory in Sociology

Jerald Hage is at the Center for Innovation in the Department of Sociology at the University of Maryland at College Park.

"This volume exhibits the best current writing by some of the best scholars in sociology, including most all of the best formal theorists." — Kenneth D. Bailey, University of California, Los Angeles"Every sociologist should read this book, not only to understand the 'crisis in theory' that is being talked about today but, more importantly, as a challenge for their own research. Given the stature of the authors included in the book and the articulation of the major debates, this volume represents the best overview of where theory in sociology is today. While many of the authors have expressed their views in their own books and articles, I know of nowhere else where these ideas are collected in one source." — Helen Rose Ebaugh, University of Houston

• IntroductionJerald Hage Part 1: The Demise of Theory Construction 1. Did Social Science Break Down in the 1970s?Randall Collins and David Waller 2. The Failure of Sociology to Institutionalize Cumulative TheorizingJonathan Turner 3. Sociological Theory: Complex, Fragmented, and PoliticizedJerald Hage 4. Sociological Theory: The Half-full CupBernard P. Cohen Part 2: Alternative Strategies for Developing Formal Theory 5. Resistance in Sociology to Formal Theory ConstructionJack P. Gibbs 6. Sociological Theory: What Has Gone Wrong and How to Put It Right: A View from Britain.Peter Abell 7. What Have We Failed to Systematize Reality's Complexities?Hubert M. Blalock, Jr. 8. Formal Theory Construction in Gender Sociology: An Unexploited Gold Mine of PossibilitiesJanet Saltzman Chafetz 9. Constructing Bridges between Sociological Paradigms and Levels: Trying to Make Sociological Theory More Complex, Less Fragmented, and Less PoliticizedJerald Hage Part 3: Implications for the Discipline 10. Recommendations from Jerald Hage 11. Recommendations from Jonathan Turner References Index