Rethinking Contemporary Social Theory [Hardcover]

Rethinking Contemporary Social Theory outlines a new theoretical paradigm emerging from out of social construction theory, conflict theory, Marxism and critical theory and argues that these insights are redefining social theory as a whole. The authors select ten fields within sociology and in each one trace the reception and impact of the new paradigm. The fields include gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, media and the sociology of family life. Drawing on Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, the authors identify causes for this paradigm shift, which include the contributions of specific individuals, the general intellectual climate and various social changes such as globalisation and neoliberalism.The authors recontextualize contemporary sociological theory to argue that in recent decades sociology has been deeply permeated by a new paradigm, conflict constructionismThis book provides a clear summary of how postmodern approaches are becoming more entrenched within sociology, and it is a good textbook for teachers interested in this topic. Further, it demonstrates that if sociology is to be true to its calling, it must be able to understand the profound changes of the contemporary era, and radically transform its theoretical self-understanding if need be.
International Review of Modern Sociology

Garner, Hancock and Budrys change the game in social-theory pedagogy and research by discovering a major new paradigmconflict constructionism. This is indeed a paradigm shift as they blend traditional conflict theory with social constructionism to explain and explore all manner of phenomena, including discourse, body politics, the microlevels of everyday life, discipline and domination. It is important to understand conflict and coercion as done to people but also to understand that people have a hand in their own liberation. In my own teaching, I have been looking for a way to put critical theory, feminist theory and lCÜ