A Hundred Years of Sociology

Tracing development of scientific sociology from Comte onwards, this book provides a narrative history of figures, ideas, and schools that lie behind the work of contemporary sociologists. It describes the convergence of two major streams of sociological thought: a speculative and philosophical tradition and a reformist, fact-finding tradition.

Tracing the development of scientifi c sociology from Comte to the present, A Hundred Years of Sociology is a concise, narrative history of the major fi gures, ideas, and schools that lie behind the work of contemporary sociologists. Covering both theoretical and empirical contributions, the book describes the convergence of two major streams of sociological thought: a speculative and philosophical tradition and a reformist, fact-fi nding tradition. Throughout the volume, the author is as much concerned with the content of ideas as with their labels and chronology. The important developments in both American and European sociology are considered in full, and special attention is given to the emergence of social anthropology and social psychology and to the profound infl uence of World War II on current work in the field.