Paul Ransome is a lecturer in sociology, social theory and social research at Swansea University, UK. He has a professional interest in higher education pedagogy and also conducts research into work-life balance.

"Encyclopaedic in detail but also engaging, balanced, and accessible. Paul Ransome has produced a text of some originality: a beginners' guide thatcovers every nook and cranny of social thought. I have little doubt that itwill prove to be of indispensable use for undergraduates of all levels ofstudy." Shaun Le Boutillier, Anglia Ruskin University

• Introduction: who is this book for and how do I use it?; What is social theory?; Where did social theory come from?; Émile Durkheim and the coming of industrial society; Karl Marx, capitalism and revolution; Max Weber, rational capitalism and social action; Talcott Parsons, functionalism and the social system; Social interactionism and the real lives of social actors; Western Marxism, Antonio Gramsci and the Frankfurt School; Language, structure, meaning; Discourse and power: post-structuralist social theory; Feminist social theory; Reviving theories of modernity: Habermas, Giddens and Bourdieu; Theories of modernity and post-modernity; Reflexive modernisation: the global dimension and cultural theory; The boundary problem in contemporary social theory.

Paul Ransome is a lecturer in sociology, social theory and social research at Swansea University, UK. He has a professional interest in higher education pedagogy and also conducts research into work-life balance.

"Encyclopaedic in detail but also engaging, balanced, and accessible. Paul Ransome has produced a text of some originality: a beginners' guide thatcovers every nook and cranny of social thought. I have little doubt that itwill prove to be of indispensable use for undergraduates of all levels ofstudy." Shaun Le Boutillier, Anglia Ruskin University

• Introduction: who is this book for and how do I use it?; What is social theory?; Where did social theory come from?; Émile Durkheim and the coming of industrial society; Karl Marx, capitalism and revolution; Max Weber, rational capitalism and social action; Talcott Parsons, functionalism and the social system; Social interactionism and the real lives of social actors; Western Marxism, Antonio Gramsci and the Frankfurt School; Language, structure, meaning; Discourse and power: post-structuralist social theory; Feminist social theory; Reviving theories of modernity: Habermas, Giddens and Bourdieu; Theories of modernity and post-modernity; Reflexive modernisation: the global dimension and cultural theory; The boundary problem in contemporary social theory.

Paul Ransome is a lecturer in sociology, social theory and social research at Swansea University, UK. He has a professional interest in higher education pedagogy and also conducts research into work-life balance.

"Encyclopaedic in detail but also engaging, balanced, and accessible. Paul Ransome has produced a text of some originality: a beginners' guide thatcovers every nook and cranny of social thought. I have little doubt that itwill prove to be of indispensable use for undergraduates of all levels ofstudy." Shaun Le Boutillier, Anglia Ruskin University

• Introduction: who is this book for and how do I use it?; What is social theory?; Where did social theory come from?; Émile Durkheim and the coming of industrial society; Karl Marx, capitalism and revolution; Max Weber, rational capitalism and social action; Talcott Parsons, functionalism and the social system; Social interactionism and the real lives of social actors; Western Marxism, Antonio Gramsci and the Frankfurt School; Language, structure, meaning; Discourse and power: post-structuralist social theory; Feminist social theory; Reviving theories of modernity: Habermas, Giddens and Bourdieu; Theories of modernity and post-modernity; Reflexive modernisation: the global dimension and cultural theory; The boundary problem in contemporary social theory.