Founding Sociology? Talcott Parsons and the Idea of General Theory.

The theories of Talcott Parsons' are enjoying a revival in the world of sociology. Rather than following closely the complex original prose in an effort to explain the theory in its minutiae, Holmwood presents a highly readable non-technical critique of several of the strongest underlying sociological themes and shows how, although flawed in many respects, these themes have been recurring, in different forms, in the theories of those critical of his work. <p><i>Acknowledgements.</i><br><i>Introduction.</i><br><br>1. The Age of Sociology? <br>2. The Theoretical Impasse. <br>3. The Idea of General Theory. <br>4. The Action Frame of Reference. <br>5. Structural-Functionalism, Theoretical Breakdown and the Embrace of contradiction. <br>6. A Marxist alternative? <br>7. Action and Explanation. <br><br><i>Conclusion.</i></p>