Veblen in Perspective: His Life and Thought

by Stephen Edgell

Overview

This work discusses the impact and contemporary relevance of the work of Thorstein Veblen, as well as the source of his ideas. It suggests that he was one of the first modern sociologists of consumption whose analysis of contemporary display and fashion anticipated later theories and research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317453642
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/01/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Stephen Edgell is Professor of Sociology at the University of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. He is the author of Middle Class Couples: A Study of Segregation, Domination and Inequality in Marriage (1980), and Class (1993); coauthor of A Measure of Thatcherism: A Sociology of Britain (1991); and joint editor of Debating the Future of the Public Sphere (1995) and Consumption Matters: The Production and Experience of Consumption (1996). He has published extensively in British, European, and American journals on Thorstein Veblen and on the sociology of the family, class, work, and politics. He is an elected director of the International Thorstein Veblen Association.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Times, Life, and Works of Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929); Chapter 2 The Mistaken Marginality of the “Man from Mars”; Chapter 3 Beyond the Myth of Marginality: Ethnicity and Evolutionism; Chapter 4 Evolutionary Change: Back to the Future?; Chapter 5 The Conspicuous Conservation of Leisure Class Culture; Chapter 6 The Problem: Predatory Institutions; Chapter 7 The Solution: Workmanship Institutions; Chapter 8 Conclusions;

Editorial Reviews

This study presents an account of Thorstein Veblen's (1857-1929) life and work, with reference to an Anglo-European perspective. Chapters focus on topics like marginality, ethnicity, evolutionism, the culture of the leisure class, predatory institutions, and workmanship institutions. Edgell (sociology, University of Salford) seeks to balance the attention paid to Veblen's ideas and influence with the details of his biography, with consideration to the relation between the man's life and his intellectual achievements. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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