Reference sources and scholarly books can provide a good overview of a topic. Look for literature review chapters and/or bibliographies that can point you to other books and articles that specifically address your research question.
The Art of Social Theory
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A practical guide to the art of theorizing in the social sciences In the social sciences today, students are taught theory by reading and analyzing the works of Karl Marx, Max Weber, and other foundational figures of the discipline. What they rarely learn, however, is how to actually theorize. The Art of Social Theory is a practical guide to doing just that. In this one-of-a-kind user's manual for social theorists, Richard Swedberg explains how theorizing occurs in what he calls the context of discovery, a process in which the researcher gathers preliminary data and thinks creatively about it using tools such as metaphor, analogy, and typology. He guides readers through each step of the theorist's art, from observation and naming to concept formation and explanation. To theorize well, you also need a sound knowledge of existing social theory. Swedberg introduces readers to the most important theories and concepts, and discusses how to go about mastering them. If you can think, you can also learn to theorize. This book shows you how. Concise and accessible, The Art of Social Theory features helpful examples throughout, and also provides practical exercises that enable readers to learn through doing.
The Cambridge Handbook of Social Theory: Volume 2, Contemporary Theories and Issues (2020)
This ambitious two-volume handbook of social theory consists of forty original contributions. The researchers take stock of the state of social theory and its relationship to the canon, exploring such topics as the nature, purpose, and meaning of social theory; the significance of the classics; the impact of specific individual and theory schools; and more. Both volumes reflect a mixture of what intellectual historian Morton White distinguished as the 'annalist of ideas' and the 'analyst of ideas,' locating theoretical thought within the larger socio-historical context that shaped it - within the terrain of the sociology of knowledge. Exploring the contemporary relevance of theories in a manner that is historically situated and sensitive, this impressive and comprehensive set will likely stand the test of time.
Essential Concepts in Sociology (2017)
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Anthony Giddens and Philip W. Sutton provide an extended discussion of each concept which sets it in historical and theoretical context, explores its main meanings in use, introduces relevant criticisms, and points readers to its ongoing development in contemporary research and theorizing. Organized in ten thematic sections, the book offers a portrait of sociology through its essential concepts, ranging from capitalism, identity and deviance to globalization, the environment and intersectionality.
Handbook of Classical Sociological Theory (2021)
This is the first handbook focussing on classical social theory. It offers extensive discussions of debates, arguments, and discussions in classical theory and how they have informed contemporary sociological theory. The book pushes against the conventional classical theory pedagogy, which often focused on single theorists and their contributions, and looks at isolating themes capturing the essence of the interest of classical theorists that seem to have relevance to modern research questions and theoretical traditions. This book presents new approaches to thinking about theory in relationship to sociological methods.
Handbook of Contemporary Sociological Theory (2016)
This Handbook provides the hidden common threads that tie sociological inquiry together and featuring eminent scholars, it separates itself from its predecessors in substance and organization. This Handbook of Contemporary Sociological Theory presents the novice and the expert with the a roadmap for traversing this crossroad and building a more coherent, robust, and cumulative sociology.
Social Life: Contemporary Social Theory
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In Social Life, the authors highlight, explain, and scrutinize socio-theoretical analyses of contemporary social relations and conditions - put forward by eight modern social theorists - and analyse how these have informed sociological inquiries into people's lives in today's social world. The book discusses the works of the following social theorists: Anthony Giddens Pierre Bourdieu Bruno Latour Donna Haraway Zygmunt Bauman Jean-Francois Lyotard Michel Foucault Jean Baudrillard In each chapter, the authors identify the key components of each theorist's conception of society and apply the theories outlined to specific, modern phenomena. This connection with modern-day phenomena allows for a critical interrogation of issues in contemporary society, including: Inequality and Capital, Power, Fear and Terrorism, Immune System Discourse, Suffering, and Climate Change. Essential reading for all sociology students studying social theory and the works of modern social theorists.
Society in Flux: Two Centuries of Social Theory
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The defining feature of modern society is change - it never rests or provides its members or researchers the comfort and certainty of having attained an adequate understanding of its operations, how it functions, or where it is. Society in Flux: Two Centuries of Social Theorytraces how tensions between order, process, structure and agency, and modes of analyzing them have evolved over the last two centuries. Understanding that modern society is perpetually in flux, albeit not across the board, but in different regards at different times, and in different locations or regions, this volume delves into three modes of theorizing: critical theory, classical theory, and systems theory - each representing a different level of reflexivity and a particular way of approaching modern societies. The authors discuss globally known theorists such as August Comte, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Emil Lederer, Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, and Niklas Luhmann to present perspectives, analyses, and insights that refer to and are relevant in the social world today.
This is not an exhaustive list. Search Tripod for <your topic> AND (companion OR handbook OR guide OR encyclopedia) to find others that may be relevant to your research.
Handbook of Community Movements and Local Organizations in the 21st Century (2018)
This is the only resource defining the field of study related to small nonprofit organizations and to studying communities from the standpoint of associations that make up communities. It explores the history and conceptualizations of community, theoretical concepts in community organizations, social movements ranging from health to crime, and community practice methods. Further it provides authoritative statements of major theory areas, gives examples of different sub areas of the field, provides guidance to people working as practitioners in the field, and nicely coincides with the increasing interest in clinical sociology.
Handbook of Environmental Sociology (2021)
This handbook defines the contours of environmental sociology and invites readers to push boundaries in their exploration of this important subdiscipline. It offers a comprehensive overview of the evolution of environmental sociology and its role in this era of intensified national and global environmental crises. Its timely frameworks and high-impact chapters will assist in navigating this moment of great environmental inequality and uncertainty. The handbook brings together an outstanding group of scholars who have helped redefine the scope of environmental sociology and expand its reach and impact. Their contributions speak to key themes of the subdiscipline--inequality, justice, population, social movements, and health. Chapter topics include environmental demography, food systems, animals and the environment, climate change, disasters, and much more. The emphasis on public environmental sociology and the forward-thinking approach of this collection is what sets this volume apart. This handbook can serve as an introduction for students new to environmental sociology or as an insightful treatment that current experts can use to further their own research and publication. It will leave readers with a strong understanding of environmental sociology and the motivation to apply it to their work.
Handbook of the Sociology of Education in the 21st Century (2018)
This handbook unifies access and opportunity, two key concepts of sociology of education, throughout its 25 chapters. It explores today's populations rarely noticed, such as undocumented students, first generation college students, and LGBTQs; and emphasizing the intersectionality of gender, race, ethnicity and social class. Sociologists often center their work on the sources and consequences of inequality. This handbook, while reviewing many of these explanations, takes a different approach, concentrating instead on what needs to be accomplished to reduce inequality. A special section is devoted to new methodological work for studying social systems, including network analyses and school and teacher effects. Additionally, the book explores the changing landscape of higher education institutions, their respective populations, and how labor market opportunities are enhanced or impeded by differing postsecondary education pathways. Written by leading sociologists and rising stars in the field, each of the chapters is embedded in theory, but contemporary and futuristic in its implications. This Handbook serves as a blueprint for identifying new work for sociologists of education and other scholars and policymakers trying to understand many of the problems of inequality in education and what is needed to address them.
Handbook of the Sociology of Gender (2019)
This handbook provides a comprehensive view of the field of the sociology of gender. It presents the most important theories about gender and methods used to study gender, as well as extensive coverage of the latest research on gender in the most important areas of social life, including gendered bodies, sexuality, carework, paid labor, social movements, incarceration, migration, gendered violence, and others. Building from previous publications this handbook includes a vast array of chapters from leading researchers in the sociological study of gender. It synthesizes the diverse field of gender scholarship into a cohesive theoretical framework, gender structure theory, in order to position the specific contributions of each author/chapter as part of a complex and multidimensional gender structure. Through this organization of the handbook, readers do not only gain tremendous insight from each chapter, but they also attain a broader understanding of the way multiple gendered processes are interrelated and mutually constitutive. While the specific focus of the handbook is on gender, the chapters included in the volume also give significant attention to the interrelation of race, class, and other systems of stratification as they intersect and implicate gendered processes.
Handbook of the Sociology of Racial and Ethnic Relations (2018)
The study of racial and ethnic relations has become one of the most written about aspects in sociology and sociological research. In both North America and Europe, many "traditional" cultures are feeling threatened by immigrants from Latin America, Africa and Asia. This handbook is a true international collaboration looking at racial and ethnic relations from an academic perspective. It starts from the principle that sociology is at the hub of the human sciences concerned with racial and ethnic relations.
Handbook of the Sociology of Sexualities (2015)
This volume provides researchers and scholars with a broad overview of the contributions of social psychologists and sociologists to the study of sexual relationships and sexual expression across the life course. These contributions include analyses of the dynamics of several types of contemporary sexual relationships - e.g., short-term, long-term non-exclusive, and committed. Chapters analyze the influence of major social institutions - e.g., religion, family and economy - on them. The content and scope of this volume have been carefully chosen to balance coverage of traditional emphases - dating, marriage, commercial sex work, sex education - with new and cutting edge materials - embodiment, Trans*, asexualities. Sections review major theoretical perspectives and the principal research methods. Coverage of sexual orientation is integrated throughout. This volume provides excellent resources for anyone interested in research on sexualities.
Research Handbook on the Sociology of the Family (2021)
Exploring how family life has radically changed in recent decades, this comprehensive Research Handbook tracks the latest developments and trends in scholarly work on the family. With a particular focus on the European context, it addresses current debates and offers insights into key topics including: the division of housework, family forms and living arrangements, intergenerational relationships, partner choice, divorce and fertility behaviour. Bringing together contributions from leading family sociologists, the Research Handbook examines important questions: have family patterns across different countries become more similar, or have differences between countries and social groups increased over time? How diverse are family forms across different countries? How do conventional theories explain these patterns? And what are the major innovations in theorising and describing family behaviour? In order to resolve these key points, the chapters provide an overview of past and present developments in scholarly work on European families. They also present concise overviews of theories, methods, critical debates, empirical findings and pathways for future research. Its analysis of important areas of research in the field will make this Research Handbook a valuable resource for scholars and students of sociology, demography, and family and gender policy. It will also be beneficial for policy experts in these fields.
The Routledge International Handbook of the Sociology of Education (2010)
This collection brings together the work of a group of leading sociologists of education to explore and address key issues and concerns within the discipline. The chapters provide 'state of the art' accounts of contemporary educational processes, global trends, and changing and enduring forms of social conflict.
The SAGE Handbook of Sociology of Work and Employment (2016)
The SAGE Handbook of the Sociology of Work and Employment is a landmark collection of original contributions by leading specialists from around the world. This text is structured around six core themes: Historical Context and Social Divisions The Experience of Work The Organization of Work Nonstandard Work and Employment Work and Life beyond Employment Globalization and the Future of Work.
