Jiří Šubrt lectures in sociology at Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. It was there that he founded the Department of Historical Sociology at the Faculty of Humanities. He is the author and editor of numerous books, mainly dealing with contemporary sociological theory, particularly with regard to issues of action, structure, social systems and social change.

• Chapter 1. A time when progress was still believed in (in place of an introduction) Chapter 2. Societies of the 1960s, sociologically speakingChapter 3. The legacy of positivism, or how to make a sociological theory Chapter 4. How to focus the systems approach on modern societies Chapter 5. Social classes and stratification Chapter 6. Conflicts may not bring only evil Chapter 7. Media and mass communication Chapter 8. Imagination – creative and sociological Chapter 9. The birth of sociological constructivism Chapter 10. What about individual human freedom? Chapter 11. The point is to change the world Chapter 12. One thing ends, another begins (in place of a conclusion)

Understanding the 1960s as a decade of hope and a call for radical change, Šubrt . . . masterfully makes astute observations outside of ideas already posited, using language that demonstrates that sociologists are not only dry repeaters of previous thinkers, but instead creative, thoughtful minds, reflecting on society and how it can move forward, even if there is no clear trajectory where that forward might take us . . . The Sociological Inheritance of the 1960s is a useful tool for sociologists as both a reference and as a means to better understand their field, giving credence to the value of historical sociology and placing social phenomena in its appropriate time and place along with context. This is done to the benefit of all, demonstrating that the past, present, and future are all connected in a continuum, showcasing that the present state of sociology did not arise out of nowhere.