Jiří Šubrt - Böcker

This book is a comprehensive overview of the theoretical discussion of one of most important conceptions in sociology at the end of 20th century - the theory of social systems.  The spotlight of this book falls on the work of Niklas Luhmann and his holistic approach. Current modern society is, for Luhmann, a functionally differentiated society, which means that a number of specialized societal sub-systems (politics, economics, religion, law, science, art etc) have formed. Each system is based on its own type of communication led by its own generalized communicative media. Luhmann controversially depicts modern society as a plurality of many societal subsystems operating without a top and without a coordinating and managing centre. This book weighs the strong and weak features of the systemic approach in sociology and discusses ways to rethink it.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the range of themes which make up the field of Historical Sociology. Jiří Šubrt systematically discusses the main problems of societal development, long term process and changes in the key areas of social life. These include not only temporalized sociology, evolutionary theory, civilizational analysis, societal systems, structures and functions, but also modernization and revolution, risk, crisis, catastrophe and collapse, wars, conflicts and violence, nations, nationalism and collective memory. This study does not ignore the fundamental dichotomy underlying the discipline, which is between individualism and holism. At the heart of this book lies the human individual as related to social and historical development. The key question is who or what is responsible for the process of human history: society or the individual? The author concludes by offering an approach which may help in resolving this dilemma.

Individualismand holism, the concepts embedded in the title of this book, represent two keytheoretical perspectives that have for many decades steered and shapedsociological thought. For over a century these two interpretative perspectiveshave also divided sociological theory into two camps, accompanied by a band ofscholars trying to bridge this dualism.According toAmerican sociologist Jeffrey C. Alexander, individualist theories derive theirappeal and strength from their underlying assumption that humans make decisionsas individual, free, autonomous, and rationally and morally consistent beings. A related belief is that they are able to express thesequalities in their actions regardless of the situation in society or whateconomic or moral conditions prevail.Holistic, or collectivist, theories, unlikeindividualism, assign primacy to social entities. This perspective is important because itcreates the basic precondition through which entities can become the subject ofdeliberate sociological analysis. However, there is a price for fulfilling thisprecondition. The emphasis it places on the collective, and on larger entities,logically means that the individual will and free human decision-making tendsto be lost from the field of view.This book argues that these twoperspectives, individualist and holistic, form the central dilemma ofsociological thought. It provides anextensive review and critique of contemporary sociological approaches to thisantinomy and examines attempts that have been made to overcome it and unite them. Moreover, the book proposes a new approach tosolving this dilemma via the concept of 'critical reconfigurationism', arguingthat the resolution of this dilemma is vital not just for sociological theorybut also for empirical social research.

The 1960s saw pioneering changes in the realms of international politics, science, culture and art. Turning this historical lens onto the study of sociology, The Sociological Inheritance of the 1960s reveals both the continuities and the departures the field has seen in its core principles and approaches over the past several decades.Beginning with an overview of society in the ‘60s, Jiří Šubrt provides an important reflection on a period worthy of contemporary reflection. In this context, what new concepts emerged? What were the popular methodological approaches? What controversies and debates emerged? How did sociology form part of a wider landscape of creative explosion throughout the decade? What implications does this have for contemporary sociology?Inspiring an enriched understanding of a legacy still deeply relevant to current issues and concerns across the field, The Sociological Inheritance of the 1960s proves that, despite the half a century that has since passed, we still have much to learn from this rich period of sociological development.

This textbook considers understanding social processes to be the main task of sociology. The book moves from the more general theoretical questions and dilemmas raised by key social thinkers, such as those connected with the concepts of actor, agency, institutions, structures and systems.

In a critical, comparative study of the sociological literature, this book explores the term “time,” and the various interconnections between time and a broad cluster of topics that create a conceptual labyrinth.

In a critical, comparative study of the sociological literature, this book explores the term “time,” and the various interconnections between time and a broad cluster of topics that create a conceptual labyrinth.