James S. Coleman - Böcker

This book presents a major report that has evoked extensive controversy and initiated extensive policy debate on equality and achievement in education. It examines the concept of equality of educational opportunity and the relations between equality and achievement and between families and schools.

This book presents a major report that has evoked extensive controversy and initiated extensive policy debate on equality and achievement in education. It examines the concept of equality of educational opportunity and the relations between equality and achievement and between families and schools.

"There is in modem society a structural change that underlies many of the social changes with which the conference was concerned. My argument here will be that this is a qualitative change in the way society is organized, a change with many implications. I will call this a change from primordial and spontaneous social organization to constructed social organization (see Coleman 1990, Chapters 2, 3, and 24 for an extended examination of this change). The common definitions of these terms contain some hint of what I mean, but I will describe the change more fully to ensure that it is clearly understood. By primordial social organization I mean social organization that has its origins in the relationships established by childbirth. Not all these relations are activated in all cultures, but some subset of these relations forms the basis for all primitive and traditional social organization. From these relations, more complex structures unfold. For example, from these relations come families; from families come clans; from clans, villages; and from villages, tribes, ethnicities, or societies."

"There is in modem society a structural change that underlies many of the social changes with which the conference was concerned. My argument here will be that this is a qualitative change in the way society is organized, a change with many implications. I will call this a change from primordial and spontaneous social organization to constructed social organization (see Coleman 1990, Chapters 2, 3, and 24 for an extended examination of this change). The common definitions of these terms contain some hint of what I mean, but I will describe the change more fully to ensure that it is clearly understood. By primordial social organization I mean social organization that has its origins in the relationships established by childbirth. Not all these relations are activated in all cultures, but some subset of these relations forms the basis for all primitive and traditional social organization. From these relations, more complex structures unfold. For example, from these relations come families; from families come clans; from clans, villages; and from villages, tribes, ethnicities, or societies."

James Smoot Coleman was the leading theorist of his time in African political studies. His work fused liberal-democratic idealism and scientific realism. These essays represent the evolution of his thought from deep insight into African nationalism to a refined theory of modernization. The collection is an indispensable contribution to the intellectual history of comparative African politics, essential to scholars and others who grapple with problems in African development.

The essays in this book focus attention on the role of political groups in the new functioning and development of the new African societies and the political systems of which they are a part. The authors, all recognized authorities, have sought to identify and compare the manifestations of the general tendency among the new states of Tropical Africa toward the establishment and consolidation of one-party political systems, and to examine, in the light of this general trend, the different dimensions of the problem of integration. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1964.

Nigeria: Background to Nationalism offers a compelling exploration of the historical and social forces that shaped Nigeria's journey toward independence. This groundbreaking study examines how Nigeria, the most populous African nation, emerged as a focal point of the broader movement for self-determination across the non-Western world. The book delves into the unique challenges posed by Nigeria's immense size, cultural diversity, and colonial history, weaving a narrative that illuminates the interplay of traditional structures, Western influence, and the nationalist movements that reshaped the nation's political landscape. Through critical analysis, the author reveals how Nigeria's trajectory reflects both global patterns of decolonization and its distinct local dynamics.Structured in four parts, the book provides a comprehensive overview of Nigeria’s physical, cultural, and historical setting, as well as the social and political changes that spurred nationalist sentiment. It offers an in-depth account of the evolution of Nigeria’s independence movement, from early resistance to colonial rule to the formal establishment of political parties by 1952. By contextualizing Nigeria's struggle for self-governance within the global spread of the national idea, this work becomes an essential resource for understanding the complex forces driving decolonization. Rich in historical detail and critical insight, it is an indispensable guide for students and scholars of African history, political science, and international relations.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1958.

The essays in this book focus attention on the role of political groups in the new functioning and development of the new African societies and the political systems of which they are a part. The authors, all recognized authorities, have sought to identify and compare the manifestations of the general tendency among the new states of Tropical Africa toward the establishment and consolidation of one-party political systems, and to examine, in the light of this general trend, the different dimensions of the problem of integration. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1964.

Nigeria: Background to Nationalism offers a compelling exploration of the historical and social forces that shaped Nigeria's journey toward independence. This groundbreaking study examines how Nigeria, the most populous African nation, emerged as a focal point of the broader movement for self-determination across the non-Western world. The book delves into the unique challenges posed by Nigeria's immense size, cultural diversity, and colonial history, weaving a narrative that illuminates the interplay of traditional structures, Western influence, and the nationalist movements that reshaped the nation's political landscape. Through critical analysis, the author reveals how Nigeria's trajectory reflects both global patterns of decolonization and its distinct local dynamics.Structured in four parts, the book provides a comprehensive overview of Nigeria’s physical, cultural, and historical setting, as well as the social and political changes that spurred nationalist sentiment. It offers an in-depth account of the evolution of Nigeria’s independence movement, from early resistance to colonial rule to the formal establishment of political parties by 1952. By contextualizing Nigeria's struggle for self-governance within the global spread of the national idea, this work becomes an essential resource for understanding the complex forces driving decolonization. Rich in historical detail and critical insight, it is an indispensable guide for students and scholars of African history, political science, and international relations.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1958.

This book brings together the most important theoretical work of James S. Coleman on problems of collective action. Coleman's work has formed a consistent and highly distinguished attempt to find an account of the workings of social and political processes rooted in the rationality of the individual participants. The chapters address in various ways the fundamental Hobbesian problem of order; the question of how a set of self-interested individuals can arrive at some kind of social order. The volume is organised in three parts. The essays in Part I address the problem of social choice as a fundamental problem of the functioning of social systems. Those in Part II deal with relations of power as a crucial aspect of the relations between individual actions and their social consequences. Part III considers the question of the creation of collectivities and the rights that are allocated under them. As a whole, the volume demonstrates the integration and force of the views Coleman has developed.