Postmodernism And Social Inquiry

by David R. Dickens, Andrea Fontana

Overview

This introduction to postmodernism offers a comprehensive examination of postmodern theory and its application to the study of society. It surveys the work of theorists and explores the potential and limits of postmodern analysis across key areas of development, including deconstruction, semiotics, the new ethnography and feminist theory. This guide should be suitable as an undergraduate text for social and cultural theory courses and should appeal to students of social research methods.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781857283655
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/30/1994
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1490L (what's this?)

About the Author

David R. Dickens, Andrea Fontana, Fred Dallmayr

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Postmodernism in the Social Sciences, David R. Dickens, Andrea Fontana; Part I Postmodern Theories of Society; Chapter 2 Foucault, Postmodernism, and Social Theory, Steven Best; Chapter 3 Postmodernism and Antifoundationalsim, David Ashley; Chapter 4 North American Theories of Postmodern Culture, David R. Dickens; Chapter 5 Postmodernism and Feminism, Sondra Farganis; Chapter 6 The Future of Social Theory and the Limits of Postmodern Critique, Robert J. Antonio, Douglas Kellner; Part II Postmodern Research Methods; Chapter 7 Semiotics and Postmodernism, M. Gottdiener; Chapter 8 Postmodernism and Deconstructionism, Norman K. Denzin; Chapter 9 Ethnographic Trends in the Postmodern Era, Andrea Fontana; Chapter 10 The Postmodernism That Failed, Robert Goldman, Steven Papson;

Editorial Reviews

"....An excellent introductory handbook for all curious social scientists."

Annals of the Association of American Geographers

"...a first-rate introduction for social scientists interested in the complexities and controversies connected with postmodern thought. The authors all write with care, the various and central philosophical, humanistic, and sociological perspectives associated with postmodernism....The volume is well referenced and indexed, and is particularly suited for use as a text in upper-division and graduate level courses."

Choice

"....An excellent introductory handbook for all curious social scientists." —Matthew G. Hannah in Annals of the Association of American Geographers

"David Dickens and Andrea Fontana bring together a set of thoughtful and reflective assessments of postmodernism, essays that explore the deeper meanings and implications of the postmodern moment—philosophically, theoretically, methodologically, and morally. The essays in this volume separate the wheat from the chaff. They establish new directions in the capacities of social inquiry to comprehend and interpret what is actually occurring in our world today. The essays set a new path for our immediate future in a changing and problematic world." —John M. Johnson, Ph.D., Arizona State University School of Justice Studies

"Dickens and Fontana have stepped forward to provide us with an exceptional and highly accessible collection that clarifies the debates and puts them into context. The editors have brought together some of the most important theorists in the field to collectively deal with: the roots of postmodernism; the application of postmodern theories and ideas in the social sciences; and the limits of the perspective. This volume is also distinguished by the fact that the authors write in a non-contentious manner. It is refreshing to read the work of scholars who are more concerned with introducing students and colleagues to the debates than they are in scoring points at the expense of other colleagues.

This collection took over four years to develop. A great deal of care and effort went into crafting the individual pieces. The result is a work that is timely for the debates continue. But more important, this is a work that will endure, for it carefully and systematically reveals the underpinnings of all of the current debates. I highly recommend it." —Scott G. McNall, Ph.D., Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Toledo

Postmodernism and Social Inquiry is an important contribution to the emerging debates about the relevance of postmodernism for social theory and empirical social science. Divided into theoretical and methodological contributions, this edited volume brings together some of the leading North American expositors and critics of postmodernism. Written intelligibly and intelligently, the book could be read profitably by both students and faculty. They don't endorse postmodernism uncritically but rigorously analyze its contributions to theory and empirical research. At the very least, this book will convince readers that postmodernism needs to be taken seriously by social scientists." —Ben Agger, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, State University of New York at Buffalo, author of Fast Capitalism and The Discourse of Domination: From the Frankfurt School to Postmodernism

" ... is a constructive attempt to bridge the often wide divide between ever multiplying postmodern frameworks and sociological theory and methods. Sociologists should welcome this book. The authors have succeeded in demonstrating both the value and limits of various postmodern theories for sociological inquiry. I was impressed with the authors' clarity of presentation as well as the critical stance they took with regard to assessing the value of each postmodern approach for sociology. This book is a worthwhile resource for sociologists interested in gaining familiarity with the multiple faces of postmodern theories. It should prompt the reader to take postmodern critiques seriously as challenges to the thinking and doing of sociology as well as a new focus of study. This book could also serve as a very accessible text for upper division undergraduates and graduate students alike. I highly recommend it." —Nancy A. Naples, University of California, Irvine, Clinical Sociology Review

"These two books (compared to Theory as Resistance by Zavarzadeh and Morton) differ so much in tone and quality that one wonders that they were approved by the same editor. Postmodernism and Social Inquiry is a useful collection of essays exploring the relevance of postmodern theory to social, particularly sociological, inquiry. ...will be helpful and interesting to social scientists exploring the relevance of Postmodernism to their fields." —Jerry L. Martin, Georgetown University, Political Psychology

From the Publisher

"A constructive attempt to bridge the often wide divide between ever multiplying postmodern frameworks and sociological theory and methods. Sociologists should welcome this book. The authors have succeeded in demonstrating both the value and limits of various postmodern theories for sociological inquiry....I was impressed with the authors' clarity of presentation as well as the critical stance they took with regard to assessing the value of each postmodern approach for sociology....It should prompt the reader to take postmodern critiques seriously as challenges to the thinking and doing of sociology as well as a new focus of study. This book could also serve as a very accessible text for upper division undergraduates and graduate students alike. I highly recommend it."

Clinical Psychology Review