TCTC Learning Commons: Sociology: Theories & Theorists

Important Sociologists

Beyond the Enlightenment by Roger A. Salerno
A mixture of biographical and historical ideas, this title looks at the intersection between the theorist as a social actor and as a reflection of his or her time.
Fifty Key Sociologists: The Contemporary Theorists by John Scott (Editor)
Covers the life, work, ideas and impact of figures writing predominantly in the second half of the twentieth century, such as Zygmunt Bauman, Pierre Bourdieu, Judith Butler, Michel Foucault and Claude Levi-Strauss, each entry includes: full cross-referencing a further reading section biographical data key works and ideas critical assessment.
Fifty Key Sociologists: The Formative Theorists by John Scott (Editor)
Covering the life, work, ideas and impact of figures in the field writing principally in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Including entries on Jane Addams, Theodor Adorno, George Lukacs, Max Weber and Pitrim Sorokin, includes biographical data for each of the figures covered. Presenting the key works and ideas of each sociologist featured, as well as providing some critical assessment of their work.

Conflict Theory: Topic Page
Conflict theorizing originated in Europe in the works of Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Georg Simmel.
Functionalism
From The Social Science Jargon-Buster
A sociological perspective that focuses on the contributions any particular social unit makes towards the larger social system.
Marxism: Topic Page
Perhaps no other modern idea has spread as quickly and as widely as the sociopolitical ideas of the 19th-century thinker Karl Marx (1818-1883).
Positivism
From Collins Dictionary Of Sociology
The doctrine formulated by Comte which asserts that the only true knowledge is scientific knowledge.
Social Constructivism: Topic Page
Social constructivism with respect to a given phenomenon is the view that the latter does not possess an independent existence but is “constructed”—that is, generated and maintained through collective human action, thought, discourse, or other social practices.
Structuralism
From Reader's Guide to the Social Sciences
Structuralism is the approach which seeks to isolate, and decode, deep structures of meaning, organised through systems of signs inherent in human behaviour (language, ritual, dress and so on).
Symbolic Interactionism
From The Social Science Jargon-Buster
Sociological perspective that focuses on the way individuals interpret social symbols.
Utilitarianism: Topic Page
Utilitarians judge the moral value of acts, institutions and/or rules according to their consequences.

Marx, Karl (1818 - 1883): Topic Page
German founder of modern communism, in England from 1849. With Engels, he wrote The Communist Manifesto (1848). He developed his theories of the class struggle and the economics of capitalism in Das Kapital (1867; 1885; 1895).

Comte, Auguste (1798 - 1857): Topic Page
French philosopher, founder of the school of philosophy known as positivism , educated in Paris.

Durkheim, David Émile (1858-1917): Topic Page
Durkheim established many themes and contributed many concepts which continue to be important in modern sociology

Weber, Max (1864 - 1920): Topic Page
Weber is considered to be a key founding figure in the history of sociology. Broadly trained in economics, history, law, and philosophy, Weber brought to his sociological work a complex and rich perspective on social life.

Spencer, Herbert (1820-1903): Topic Page
Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, evolutionist, and political theorist, whose theories treated the universe and time in general with scientific minuteness and a synthesis of speculation and positivism.