Social Theory

'Social Theory does a remarkable job of making a complex and sometimes difficult subject matter into a clear and continuously interesting book. Without claiming a false neutrality Joas and Knöbl combine exposition and criticism in a way that is consistently fair even to positions that are farthest from their own. This should be an indispensable book for at least a generation.' Robert N. Bellah, University of California, Berkeley, and co-author of Habits of the Heart
'Possibly the most comprehensive and critical analysis of the development of Social Theory in the second half of the twentieth century - bringing together European and American developments showing their common roots in the classical problematique and the continual development thereof.' S. N. Eisenstadt, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
'… this fascinating book will provide a wealth of conceptual resources for a long time.' Sociologica
'Hans Joas and Wolfgang Knöbl's Social Theory: Twenty Introductory Lectures is a remarkable book. There is nothing that I know that comes anywhere near to it in the contemporary landscape of social theory. [It] is, in addition to other things, an intellectually heavyweight textbook for graduate students and professors, providing a summation of, and critical commentary on, virtually all the major and minor currents in social theory since the middle of the twentieth century.' Rob Stones, Journal of Classical Sociology