The Sociological Tradition

by Peretz Bernstein

When first published, The Sociological Tradition had a profound and positive impact on sociology, providing a rich sense of intellectual background to a relatively new discipline in America. Robert Nisbet describes what he considers the golden age of sociology, 1830-1900, outlining five major themes of nineteenth-century community, authority, status, the sacred, and alienation. Nisbet focuses on sociology's European heritage, delineating the arguments of Tocqueville, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber in new and revealing ways. When the book initially appeared, the Times Literary Supplement noted that "this thoughtful and lucid guide shows more clearly than any previous book on social thought the common threads in the sociological tradition and the reasons why so many of its central concepts have stood the test of time." And Lewis Coser, writing in the New York Times Book Review, claimed that "this lucidly written and elegantly argued volume should go a long way toward laying to rest the still prevalent idea that sociology is an upstart discipline, unconcerned with, and alien to, the major intellectual currents of the modern world." Its clear and comprehensive analysis of the origins of this discipline ensures The Sociological Tradition a permanent place in the literature on sociology and its origins. It will be of interest to those interested in sociological theory, the history of social thought, and the history of ideas. Indeed, as Alasdair Maclntyre "We are unlikely to be given a better book to explain to us the inheritance of sociology from the conservative tradition."

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction, Social Science

370 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good intellectual history from the 1970's explaining some of the main threads of sociology from its origins in the enlightenment to its initial development from 1830-1900. Many of the notions and ideas developed in this time frame the way many modern thinkers perceive society at large, and therefore this makes for a fine read.

Recommended for:
those interested in the intellectual development of sociology

[Mehmet Ali KIZILASLAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tam bir başucu kitabı, sosyolojiye dair sağlam bir çerçeve oluşturacak cinsten.

[Ryan Lincoln · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended reading by Notre Dame Prof. Christian Smith.

I read this book to prepare for my PhD studies in Sociology.

It's fairly engaging for a dense topic, and covers the development of sociology as a discipline by examining the thought of prominent sociologists as clustered around the themes of community, authority, sacred, status, and alienation.

A very good introduction and a good complement to Turner's "The Emergence of Sociological Theory."

[Elif Sayın · Rating 5 out of 5]

Information overload!

Great book, highly recommended if you are interested in the intellectual history.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although now dated, Nisbet's work offers keen insight and a unique methodology; it's one of the best overviews of classic sociological themes and theory (think Durkheim, Weber, Marx, et al.).

[Hakan Gülerce]

very good book for a general reviewing of the the classics.