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The Anthem Companion to Alfred Schutz

Michael Barber editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Anthem Press

Published:16th Aug '22

Should be back in stock very soon

The Anthem Companion to Alfred Schutz cover

Examines various concepts in Schutz’s philosophical theory and considers issues in theory of knowledge, social science, and the theory of society. 

Given that Schutz was a philosopher and a social scientist, this book will examine topics in Schutz’s philosophical-phenomenological theory of the social world, such as the second person, the face-to-face relationship, the meaning of human action, signs, symbols, relevance (or interests). Schutz’s explanation of the social world, however, was meant to provide a philosophical foundation for the social sciences, and so this book will also consider epistemological questions, such as traditional knowledge and the opacity of knowledge and theory, that is, the neglected or unseen questions that accompany knowing or theorizing. Also, authors from within the Schutzian framework will address issues within the social sciences, such as the Durkheimian aspects of Schutz’s thought, the sociology of knowledge, and the theory of sociology. It will also explore how Schutzian theory, which is often viewed as a micro-sociology, can be extended to give an account of a macro-sociological reality like modern society (Gesellschaft)

The Anthem Companions to Sociology offers wide ranging and masterly overviews of the works of major sociologists. The volumes in the series provide authoritative and critical appraisals of key figures in modern social thought. These books, written and edited by leading figures, are essential additional reading on the history of sociology. – Gerard Delanty, Professor of Sociology, University of Sussex, Brighton


This ambitious series provides an intellectually thoughtful introduction to the featured social theorists and offers a comprehensive assessment of their legacy. Each edited collection synthesizes the many dimensions of the respective theorist’s contributions and sympathetically ponders the various nuances in and the broader societal context for their body of work. – Michele Dillon, Professor of Sociology and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, University of New Hampshire


The orchestration and emergence of the Anthem Companions to Sociology represent a formidable and invaluable achievement. Each companion explores the scope, ingenuity and conceptual subtleties of the works of a theorist indispensable to the sociological project. The editors and contributors for each volume are the very best in their fields, and they guide us toward the richest, most creative seams in the writings of their thinker. The results, strikingly consistent from one volume to the next, brush away the years, reanimate what might have been lost and bring numerous rays of illumination to the most pressing challenges of the present. – Rob Stones, Professor of Sociology, Western Sydney University, Australia

ISBN: 9781839983672

Dimensions: 229mm x 153mm x 26mm

Weight: 454g

230 pages