Shaun Best, University of Winchester, UK.

• Introduction: text and context; The Structure of Social Action: can modernity survive?; McCarthyism and the end of ideology; Agency and structure; Parsons contra sociology; Conclusion: what was the Parsons project about?; Methodological appendix: the lives of others: biography as a form of data collection

’At long last! Shaun Best sets the record straight in reference to Talcott Parsons, the man and his work. This volume renders a multi-dimensional depiction of Parsons’ complex analysis of liberal modernity - one that situates his theoretical ideas in the context of mid-twentieth-century America. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a balanced and penetrating assessment of Parsons and his critics.’ A. Javier Treviño, Wheaton College, USA ’By placing Talcott Parsons in the cultural politics of his times and through a close reading of his writings, Best definitively discredits the usual textbook view of Parsons as a conservative, abstract, arid theorist. Instead, Parsons emerges as an empirically-grounded, historically-minded, imaginative thinker and a brave defender of liberal causes in the face of anti-democratic, conservative forces. An original and important contribution that should do much to rescue and elevate Parsons' standing in sociology.’ Ali Rattansi, City University London, UK

Shaun Best, University of Winchester, UK.

• Introduction: text and context; The Structure of Social Action: can modernity survive?; McCarthyism and the end of ideology; Agency and structure; Parsons contra sociology; Conclusion: what was the Parsons project about?; Methodological appendix: the lives of others: biography as a form of data collection

’At long last! Shaun Best sets the record straight in reference to Talcott Parsons, the man and his work. This volume renders a multi-dimensional depiction of Parsons’ complex analysis of liberal modernity - one that situates his theoretical ideas in the context of mid-twentieth-century America. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a balanced and penetrating assessment of Parsons and his critics.’ A. Javier Treviño, Wheaton College, USA ’By placing Talcott Parsons in the cultural politics of his times and through a close reading of his writings, Best definitively discredits the usual textbook view of Parsons as a conservative, abstract, arid theorist. Instead, Parsons emerges as an empirically-grounded, historically-minded, imaginative thinker and a brave defender of liberal causes in the face of anti-democratic, conservative forces. An original and important contribution that should do much to rescue and elevate Parsons' standing in sociology.’ Ali Rattansi, City University London, UK

Shaun Best, University of Winchester, UK.

• Introduction: text and context; The Structure of Social Action: can modernity survive?; McCarthyism and the end of ideology; Agency and structure; Parsons contra sociology; Conclusion: what was the Parsons project about?; Methodological appendix: the lives of others: biography as a form of data collection

’At long last! Shaun Best sets the record straight in reference to Talcott Parsons, the man and his work. This volume renders a multi-dimensional depiction of Parsons’ complex analysis of liberal modernity - one that situates his theoretical ideas in the context of mid-twentieth-century America. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a balanced and penetrating assessment of Parsons and his critics.’ A. Javier Treviño, Wheaton College, USA ’By placing Talcott Parsons in the cultural politics of his times and through a close reading of his writings, Best definitively discredits the usual textbook view of Parsons as a conservative, abstract, arid theorist. Instead, Parsons emerges as an empirically-grounded, historically-minded, imaginative thinker and a brave defender of liberal causes in the face of anti-democratic, conservative forces. An original and important contribution that should do much to rescue and elevate Parsons' standing in sociology.’ Ali Rattansi, City University London, UK