This book provides an indispensable introduction to the most significant figures in contemporary social theory. It provides detailed accounts of the development of the work of major social theorists and charts the relationship between different traditions of social, cultural and political thought.

Whilst undoubtedly one of the most controversial but also most established issues in research and debate within the contemporary social and human sciences, as well as in cultural studies, work on 'identity' has undergone dramatic changes in recent years. The aim of this book is to provide a detailed analysis of those changes, by confronting the impact of both substantive challenges, concerning globalization, individualization and commodification, for instance, and theoretical developments, from within post-structuralism, psychoanalysis and post-feminism, for example, upon conceptions and...

The revised edition of Subject to Ourselves, a lively and provocative book that was a leader on its topic in England, uses psychoanalytic theory as the basis for a fresh reassessment of the nature of modernity and postmodernism. Analyzing changing experiences of selfhood, desire, interpersonal relations, culture and globalization, the author develops a novel account of postmodernity that supplants current understandings of "fragmented selves." Subject to Ourselves includes a diverse set of case studies, including the power of fantasy in military violence and war, the debate over sexual...

The revised edition of Subject to Ourselves, a lively and provocative book that was a leader on its topic in England, uses psychoanalytic theory as the basis for a fresh reassessment of the nature of modernity and postmodernism. Analyzing changing experiences of selfhood, desire, interpersonal relations, culture and globalization, the author develops a novel account of postmodernity that supplants current understandings of "fragmented selves." Subject to Ourselves includes a diverse set of case studies, including the power of fantasy in military violence and war, the debate over sexual...

This text offers an application of Freudian concepts to current theoretical issues in the social sciences and the humanities. Issues addressed include: the impact of Freud on our understandings of identity and sexuality; the relationship between psychoanalysis and feminism; problems of epistemology and method; t he analysis of political violence and international relations; the temporal and spatial constitution of social practices; the coherence of law and jurisprudence; the interpretation of biography and autobiography; and the dynamics of modernity and postmodernism.

This text presents a defence of the relevance and importance of Freud to contemporary culture. It offers an application of Freudian concepts to current theoretical issues in the social sciences and the humanities. Issues addressed include: the impact of Freud on our understandings of identity and sexuality; the relationship between psychoanalysis and feminism; problems of epistemology and method; the analysis of political violence and international relations; the temporal and spatial constitution of social practices; the coherence of law and jurisprudence; the interpretation of biography and...

The Routledge Companion to Contemporary Japanese Social Theory breaks new ground in providing a detailed, systematic appraisal of the major traditions of social theory prominent in Japan today - from theories of identity and individualization to globalization studies. The volume introduces readers to the rich diversity of social-theoretical critique in contemporary Japanese social theory. The editors have brought together some of the most influential Japanese social scientists to assess current trends in Japanese social theory, including Kazuhisa Nishihara, Aiko Kashimura, Masahiro Ogino,...

This title provides a detailed, systematic appraisal of the major traditions of social theory prominent in Japan today - from theories of identity and individualization to globalization studies.

'Society' is one of the most frequently used words in public life; it is also a foundational term in the social sciences. In our own time, however, the idea has never been so much in dispute and so little understood. For some critics, society is simply too consensual for a world of intensive discord. For others, the idea of 'society' is oppressive - the very notion, so some argue, is dismissive of the infinite social differences that shape global realities.

In this erudite and original book, two of the world's leading social theorists focus on unravelling the different meanings of society...

'Society' is one of the most frequently used words in public life; it is also a foundational term in the social sciences. In our own time, however, the idea has never been so much in dispute and so little understood. For some critics, society is simply too consensual for a world of intensive discord. For others, the idea of 'society' is oppressive - the very notion, so some argue, is dismissive of the infinite social differences that shape global realities.

In this erudite and original book, two of the world's leading social theorists focus on unravelling the different meanings of society...