Blackwell Dictionary of Modern Social Thought

William Outhwaite is Professor of Sociology at the University of Sussex. He is the author of Understanding Social Life: The Method Called Verstehen (second edition, 1986), Concept Formation in Social Science (1983), New Philosophies of Social Science: Realism, Hermeneutics and Critical Theory (1987), and Habermas: A Critical Introduction (1994). He edited The Habermas Reader (1996), The Blackwell Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Social Thought (with Tom Bottomore, 1993) and The Sociology of Politics (with Luke Martell, 1998).

• Preface. Note.Contributors.Introduction.Dictionary Entries A–Z.Bibliography.

‘This is still the best dictionary around and an effective antidote to the inflated importance given to current gurus of social thought. Students could abandon their textbooks and follow this reference trail.’ Margaret Archer, University of Warwick ‘The scholarship is formidable, the topics serious. But this is also a reference book that is fun to read, often sharp, ironic, and barbed – a distillation of current Social Thought as well as a dictionary.’ Stephen Turner, University of South Florida ‘This book is an indispensable tool for social, political, and intellectual inquiry in general. William Outhwaite has produced a valuable compendium of the key figures, central concepts, influential movements, and important institutions of the modern era. The sum impressively surpasses not only the parts but the peer competitors.’ James Der Derian, Brown University and University of Massachusetts Amherst 'Students new to the volume will find it remains a valuable guide.' David Jary, University of Birmingham