Capitalism and Classical Social Theory

by John Bratton, David Denham

In this third edition of Capitalism and Classical Social Theory, John Bratton and David Denham continue to highlight the relevance of classical social theory in today's world. Discussing the celebrated triumvirate - Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber - and extending the conversation to include early women theorists such as Mary Wollstonecraft and Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the writings of W.E.B. Du Bois and G.H. Mead, the book details the classical thinkers crucial to understanding the complexities of contemporary issues.

Connecting current headlines in the political mainstream to concepts like alienation, anomie, class, gender, race, and the environmental crisis, Capitalism and Classical Social Theory sheds light on how classical sociological theories may be applied and understood within a modern context.

The revised and expanded third edition features topical discussion of socioeconomic shifts in the post-Trump and post-Brexit world, and uses original excerpts and additional readings to further contextualize the significance of classical theory for today.

Genres: Sociology

424 pages, Paperback

Published May 31, 2019

Reviews

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional introduction for the classical theorists Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. The book does touch upon Georg Simmel, but very briefly. It does include one chapter on the feminist theorists such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Addams, and Harriet Martineau. W.E.B. Du Bois is also included as an American sociologist. This was used as a textbook in my undergraduate Classical Theories course. I believe that the material can be easily understood by someone who wants to learn about sociology, but is not attending school for it. It is a bit of a drier read, but very informative.

My only complaint was that Charlotte Perkins Gilman was included in the feminist theorists section when she supported eugenics and was clearly horribly racist.