Making Sense of America: Sociological Analyses and Essays

by Herbert J. Gans

Overview

For four decades, Herbert J. Gans has been one of the leading sociologists in the United States. His writing on American communities, culture, and ethnicity have been widely read here and elsewhere, and his incisive analyses of antipoverty policy and other social policies have been influential in many policy analysis offices and government agencies. This new collection of Gans's scholarly and other writings, including excerpts from his most prominent ethnographic books, The Urban Villagers, The Levittowners, and Deciding What's News, will be a thought-provoking resource for social scientists, students, and all those who care about America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780847690411
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/24/1999
Series:	Legacies of Social Thought Series
Pages:	378
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.83(d)

About the Author

Herbert J. Gans, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, is the author of numerous books and articles on urban problems, social policy, and American culture.

Table of Contents

Part 1 The Ethnographies Chapter 2 The Destruction of Boston's West End Chapter 3 Suburban Homogeneity and Conformity: Myth and Reality Chapter 4 Values in the News Part 5 Urban Poverty - Theory and Policy Chapter 6 The Positive Functions of Poverty Chapter 7 The Federal Role in Solving America's Urban Problems Chapter 8 Time for an Employee’s Lobby Chapter 9 Some Utopian Scenarios Part 10 Ethnicity, Ethnic Groups, and Immigration Chapter 11 The Birth and Growth of a Suburban Jewish Community Chapter 12 Symbolic Ethnicity: The Future of Ethnic Groups and Cultures in America Chapter 13 Second Generation Decline: Scenarios for the Economic and Ethnic Futures of Post-1965 American Immigrants Chapter 14 Toward a Reconciliation of “Assimilation” and “Pluralism”: The Interplay of Acculturation and Ethnic Retention Part 15 Sociology in America Chapter 16 Sociology in America: The Discipline and the Public Chapter 17 Best Sellers by American Sociologists: An Exploratory Study Chapter 18 Sociological Amnesia: The Shortness of the Discipline's Attention Span Part 19 Other Ways of Doing Sociology Chapter 20 Two Satires Chapter 21 The Hard-Core Experiment Chapter 22 The Workfare Presidency Chapter 23 Two Op-Ed Pieces Chapter 24 Preserving Everyone’s New York Chapter 25 Stop Letting George Do It Chapter 26 Two Reviews Chapter 27 “Jaws”: Urban Hero Saves Small Town Chapter 28 Urban Renewal Policy for Children Part 29 Appendixes Chapter 30 Appendix A: An Autobiographical Account Chapter 31 Appendix B: Selective Bibliography of Herbert J. Gans Chapter 32 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

This collection provides an excellent retrospective of Gans's work; it is also a useful supplement to introductory sociology texts. Gans's engagement with critical intellectual and scholarly issues, his interest in public policy, and his coherent discussions of theory make this book especially accessible for undergraduates.

Contemporary Sociology

The book is an excellent celebration of a reflective and critical sociological life journey which takes on broad old and new topics and influences.
— David Calvey

Network

Herbert Gans has, more than any other sociologist, been more successful for a longer time in bringing the insights and findings of sociological work to the attention of the general public. His research has always been probing and on the mark right down to the details, and his thinking about public issues and policy has those qualities too. These essays give the full flavor of a life of hard work and solid thought.

Howard S. Becker

The book is an excellent celebration of a reflective and critical sociological life journey which takes on broad old and new topics and influences.

Network - David Calvey