'This book is not an encyclopaedic survey of the most influential or important sociological theories of the 20th century; nor is it an institutional history of sociological theory; it is not a textbook, a distillation of the accumulated knowledge of a particular discipline; nor is it a crib, a set of ready-made and easily-remembered answers to imagined examination questions. It is more of a reader's guide, a series of hints and suggestions for those who, whether students or teachers, believe that sociology is a profession and a discipline but also something more...' - Charles Turner in the introduction to 'Investigating Sociological Theory'
This is an accessible, enlivening introductory book that provides a shot in the arm for all those who maintain the relevance of sociology for understanding the modern world.
It will inspire discussion in classes, and provide teachers with an opportunity to discuss the big questions in theory, history, social order and social change.
Turner provides a wealth of concrete examples which demonstrate what a sociological perspective can do to unpack and illuminate everyday life. The book allows students to understand sociological theory from the inside. It moves effortlessly beyond the mere parade of great names and core ideas to introduce concepts that can be used to understand the social world in which we live, where this world has come from and where it might be heading.
Original, informed, and deftly written with the needs of students in mind this book is an antidote to arid theorising and the dull recitation of the grand sociological tradition.
Industry Reviews
Conceptually rigorous, rich in content, grounded in wide and deep reading, thoughtfully written and judicious, Charles Turner's new book is a major addition to sociological theory... Its last sentence fittingly urges students and teachers to "keep reading". For those unfamiliar with Turner's book, I add: put Investigating Sociological Theory at the top of your reading list Peter Baehr Canadian Journal of Sociology Here at last is a book that conveys the drama, excitement, and human importance of sociological theory in a sophisticated yet accessible way. It will launch a thousand conversations in classes, and provide teachers with an opportunity to discuss the big life and historical questions, while at the same time teaching a lot of sociology and theory. The book is terrific. I have nothing but admiration for it Stephen Turner University of South Florida In this authoritative and strikingly original book, Charles Turner demonstrates that sociological theory far from being some dry, boring meta-discourse of society is an ethically engaged enterprise, intimately connected to the arts of living in the contemporary world. Accessible to both students and seasoned practitioners, this book is at once a terrific defence and itself an elegant example of the continuing relevance and intellectual vitality of sociological theory. Turner's brilliant discussion thoroughly deserves to resonate across the discipline of sociological theory in both its European and north American versions Thomas Osborne University of Bristol This is a splendid, extremely readable book which provides a master-class in how to play off one thinker against another in developing and presenting one's own perspective. It is in the grand tradition of Sorokin, Andreski and Mouzelis and should inspire generations of advanced undergraduates and graduate students, as well as being a brilliant contribution to the professional literature William Outhwaite Newcastle University We must welcome fresh approaches that make a serious attempt at rethinking the traditional textbook package....CharlesTurner's Investigating Sociological Theory is such an attempt...Turner has managed, let us hope, to put an end to those silly introductory books, which have plagued the field for such a long time. Future introductory books to sociological theory will hopefully be written with more sense and sensibility. This could be no mean achievement Andreas Hess History of Human Sciences
