Market and Community

Mark I. Lichbach is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Riverside. Adam B. Seligman is Associate Professor of Religion and Research Associate at the Institute for the Study of Economic Culture at Boston University.

“This is among the most exciting works of social theory I have read recently. It clearly and accurately describes the claims, achievements, and limitations of a variety of feuding traditions in social theory. It will probably be an important touchstone in future debates about the achievements and limits of rational choice and culturalist arguments in the social sciences. . . . The insightful command of the modern history of social theory deployed in this book is authoritative, and so is the discussion of leading exemplars of theorizing about revolution. The demonstration of the incapacity of rational choice or culturalist or materialist theory to produce fully satisfactory accounts manages to be both judicious and brilliant. . . . I believe this to be, therefore, a powerfully important critique of social theory (or should I say ‘theories’?) and a powerful call for moving beyond the mutual critiques that the various traditions have engaged in.”—John Markoff, University of Pittsburgh