An anthropological study of the gift, that relates giving to the institutions and social structures of modern life

From the team that brought you the bestselling Understanding Classical Sociology (SAGE Publications, 1995), we now have a companion volume dealing with the modern period of social theory. An introductory chapter situates the reader in the main changes in society and sociology following the classic period. This is then followed by separate chapters giving a detailed account of four perspectives that are regarded to be of seminal importance - Functionalism, Critical Theory, Structuralism and Symbolic Interactionism. All of the popular features of Understanding Classical Sociology...

Paul Virilio demonstrates how technology has made inertia the defining condition of modernity. An instantaneous present has replaced space and the sovereignty of territory - everything happens without the need to go anywhere.

This book provides a critical introduction to de Certeau's work and influence, looks at his key ideas and asks how we should try to understand him in relation to theories of modern culture and society.

This book investigates the aesthetic nature and purposes of computer culture in the contemporary world. It casts a cool eye on the claims of cybertopians, tracing the globalization of the new medium and enquiring into its effects on subjectivity and sociality.

An introduction to the main themes and arguments of the French cultural theorist, Paul Virilio. John Armitage and Mike Featherstone explain the context of Virilio's work, which includes cyberspace and virtual reality. They position his work within the broader context of French approaches to poststructuralism and postmodernism to which he has contributed. Organized historically to reflect Virilio's own biographical, intellectual and cultural development, the book is centred around the following themes: architecture; speed and politics; war; the human body and technology; and the automation of...

This innovative and thought-provoking book argues that phenomenology was the most significant, wide-ranging and influential philosophy to emerge in the twentieth century. The social character of phenomenology is explored in its relation to the concern in twentieth century sociology with questions of modern experience. Phenomenology and sociology come together as 'ethnographies of the present'. As such, they break free of the self-imposed limitations of each to establish a new, critical understanding of contemporary life. By reading phenomenology sociologically and sociology...

Dennis Smith offers a fascinating survey of Elias's life and writings and traces the growth of his reputation. He also illustrates how Elias's insights can be applied to understand Western modernity and social and political change, showing why Elias is so important to sociology.

This insightful book is the first to critically examine the ideas of some of the key thinkers of simulation. It addresses the work of Baudrillard, Debord, Virilio and Eco, clarifying their arguments by referring to the intellectual and social worlds each emerged from distilling what is important from their discussions. The book argues for a critical and selective use of the concept of simulation. Like the idea of ideology, simulation is a political theory, but it has also become a deeply pessimistic theory of the end of history and the impossibility of positive change. Through a series of...

What is culture? What is the relationship between social structure and culture in a globalized and networked world? This book explores the key themes in social theory: the nation state; the city; modernity and reflexivity; post-Fordism and the spatial logic of the informational city.