Thesis and Theoretical Perspectives
The book “Social Things: An Introduction to the Sociological Life” by Lemert (2012) focuses on introducing sociologic concepts and theories through various interpretations and stories. The author’s main thesis is a broad presentation of sociology, including such sections as the history and the connection with other disciplines (new post-disciplinary social theory, queer theory, globalization, etc.). The above thesis is rather convincing since it is based on strong arguments and real-life examples used by the author to support his assumptions.
The theoretical perspectives in the mentioned books are contemporary issues regarding sociological life and things on a global scale. For example, the author discusses the tsunami that occurred in Japan in 2011 and the environmental crises, which are man-made disasters largely caused by people. Lemert (2012) argues that it is sociological incompetence along with disorganization that led to such lamentable consequences. Another example is queer theory, the onset of which refers to gender identity is also interpreted by the author as a theoretic perspective.
Biases, Strengths, and Weaknesses
The only evident bias is associated with the writing style of the author who sometimes rapidly moves to other topics and frequently repeats his thoughts regarding one or the other issue. It may seem that the author wants to clarify his attitude to a certain topic by being as much precise as possible. However, this distracts a reader from the main point to some extent. As a result, the style seems to be incoherent and inaccurate. As for the presentation of facts, there is no bias.
Speaking of the strengths of the given book, one may note that it presents the modern realities and helps to understand them. It is one of those books that make it clear what one or the other event or disaster means on a global scale in terms of sociology (“A review of Charles Lemert’s ‘Social things,” 2017). In addition to the relevance, the book outlines the past of sociological thinking, thus allowing tracing its development. The fact that the author follows a nonjudgmental style in his book is another strong point that assists a reader in viewing objective information.
Among the weaknesses of this book, it is possible to note a structural organization and cuss words used in some sections. The structure is sometimes difficult to understand, and some parts do not flow well. The use of the mentioned words in academic writing is inadmissible since it decreases the gravity of the themes. Probably, the author wanted to be closer to his readers using such words, yet he failed to do it. It would be better if he chose some other ways of being more comprehensible.
Contribution to Sociology and Personal Attitude
The given book makes a great contribution to the sociological field as it connects this discipline to the global context and discusses the most important theories and concepts. More to the point, it integrates various case studies, stories, and interpretations that help readers to form a wider perception of sociology. The author makes it clear that people are social beings who need to place themselves in a social environment and become more aware. I consider that this book is good enough to recommend it to my friends. It would be interesting and useful for students with a sociology course as well as for those who strive to understand the modern social context with its tendencies, disasters, and solutions to the latter.
References
Lemert, C. (2012). Social things: An introduction to the sociological life (5th ed.). Lanham, ML: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
A review of Charles Lemert’s ‘Social things: An introduction to the sociological life. (2017). Web.