SOC 3701: Social Theory

Social movements are not only a potential challenge tosocieties, they also challenge social theory. This volume looks at socialmovements and social movement research through the lens of different socialtheories. What can social movement studies learn from these theories? And: Whatcan these theories learn from the analysis of social movements? From thisdouble vantage point, the book discusses the theories of Michel Foucault,Pierre Bourdieu, Niklas Luhmann, Jeffrey Alexander, and Judith Butler, as wellas rational choice theory, relational sociology, and organizationalneo-institutionalism.

This comprehensive, interdisciplinary collection, examines disability from a theoretical perspective, challenging views of disability that dominate mainstream thinking. Throughout, social theories of disability intersect with ideas associated with sex/gender, race/ethnicity, class and nation.

In Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory Patricia Hill Collins offers a set of analytical tools for those wishing to develop intersectionality's capability to theorize social inequality in ways that would facilitate social change. While intersectionality helps shed light on contemporary social issues, Collins notes that it has yet to reach its full potential as a critical social theory. She contends that for intersectionality to fully realize its power, its practitioners must critically reflect on its assumptions, epistemologies, and methods. She places intersectionality in dialog with several theoretical traditions--from the Frankfurt school to black feminist thought--to sharpen its definition and foreground its singular critical purchase, thereby providing a capacious interrogation into intersectionality's potential to reshape the world.