Alvin W. Gouldner (1920-1980) was a leading sociologist of his era who provided groundbreaking analyses in the areas of industrial sociology, critical sociological theory, ideology, reciprocity, and class analysis. Even as a self-avowed radical sociologist, Gouldner was unable to maintain allegiance to any particular theorist or theoretical school, for doing so could lead to theory becoming blind partisanship leading to unreflective and sometimes destructive practices (e.g., the problem of the communist dictator). In Confronting Gouldner James J. Chriss confronts the larger issue of...

Published in 1999, this book is an exploration of the life and work of American sociologist Alvin W. Gouldner. Gouldner's life and contribution to legal theory is a case study in the limits of critical, self-reflexive inquiry. Hegel's dialect is a major theme running throughout Gouldner's work, and, even throughout his life, Gouldner himself seemed trapped in the unfolding of the spirit through three distinct stages: 1945-1960 - thesis; 1960-1970 - antithesis; and 1970-1980 - synthesis or new thesis. Implications for creating a reflexive critical sociology in Gouldner's image are discussed.