Studying the society, its nature and progress is not an easy task; not only does it evolve, but also includes a countless number of individuals, with their own character traits and developmental patterns[1]. However, some common threads can be traced in any society, which makes sociology as a study viable. In their insightful research, Ruth A. Wallace and Alison Wolf consider the way that sociological theory has gone to become what it is today, as well as analyze the basic characteristics of the present-day sociological theory.
Perhaps, one of the greatest strengths of the given study concerns the author’s ability to encompass the classic sociological theories and incorporate them with the ones that have only been developed only recently, therefore, providing the premises for their further exploration.
An admittedly complicated task, the process of marrying the concepts of the classical social theory, including positivism, historical materialism, and other major theories with the recent concepts, which have truly reinvented the classical theory[2], is doubtlessly a challenging task, which Wallace and Wolf must be credited for.
Naturally, the monograph is not without problems, the basic one concerning the variety of concepts that the book throws at the reader. In addition, it would be desirable – though admittedly not quite attainable – that the authors should consider the factors that induced the creation of particular sociological theories, which, in their turn, made a difference in sociology[3].
Wallace and Wolf provide a unique opportunity of considering sociology in that they define its current concept as a blend of five major theories, which they deal with in their paper. The five key theories being the conflict theory, the theory of functionalism, symbolic interactionism, phenomenology and the numerous theories of rational choice, the book offers an intriguing mix of empirical implications and the practical use of the theories in question.
The variety of aspects, which the authors consider sociology from, is truly amazing. Instead of restricting their methodology to the choice of a single principle, in accordance with which they would analyze the current sociological theories and observe the evolution of the sociological thought[4], the authors state explicitly that their intent is to embrace major accomplishments in sociology and analyze the progress of the humankind using five theories as the landmarks.
It is not only the grandeur of the idea, but also the originality of the approach that warrants the research. Wallace and Wolf represent sociological theory as a result of collision of five key theories specified above. Though restricting the analysis of the sociological theory, the given approach allows for defining its major components.
Needless to say, the approach chosen by Wallace and Wolf helps approach a comparatively old and quite worn-out idea of sociological theory from a new side, therefore, making more discoveries. To be more exact, the method suggested by Wallace and Wolf helps see the links between the development of an individual and the evolution of society and allows for a compromise between the two, thus, revamping the traditional concept of sociology[5].
The fact that the authors do not shy away from pointing at the conflicts between the postulates of the feminist theory[6] and the social prejudices stemming from the theories of rational choice is also admirable. Finally, by analyzing the key social tendencies on a macrosocial level, Wallace and Wolf manage to create the premises for further evolution of the contemporary sociological theory.
Bibliography
Boles, Elson. “Sociology.” Michigan Academician 39 no. 4 (2009): 358.
Goldstone, Jack A. “A History and Sociology of Historical Sociology.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 47 no. 5 (2006): 359–369.
McLeann, Gregor. “Sociology’s Complexity.” Sociology 37 no. 3 (2003): 547–564.
Puwar, Nirmal and Sanjay Sharma. “Curating Sociology.” The Sociological Review 60 (2012): 40–63.
Wallace, Ruth A. and Alison Wolf. Contemporary Sociological Theory: Expanding the Classical Tradition. 5th ed. London, UK: Pearson, 1998.
Zerilli, Linda. “Feminism without Solace.” Theory and Event 15 no. 2(2012): n.p.
Footnotes
- Gregor McLeann, “Sociology’s Complexity,” Sociology 37 no. 3 (2003): 548.
- Ruth A. Wallace and Alison Wolf, Contemporary Sociological Theory: Expanding the Classical Tradition, 5th ed. (London, UK: Pearson, 1998): 38.
- Nirmal Puwar and Sanjay Sharma, “Curating Sociology,” The Sociological Review 60 (2012): 43.
- Jack A. Goldstone, “A History and Sociology of Historical Sociology,” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 47 no. 5 (2006): 359.
- Elson Boles, “Sociology,” Michigan Academician 39 no. 4 (2009): 358.
- Linda Zerilli, “Feminism without Solace,” Theory and Event 15 no. 2(2012): n.p.