Chasing Society

This is the updated opening episode about Parsons' groundbreaking work The Structure of Social Action that was first published 1937. In this opener, I will take up the problem of social order which is so central to the book and sociology in general.

In this episode, I attend to Simmel's  famous text The Metropolis and The Mental Life which was published in 1903. It seems as if this one has aged pretty well and may still be a valid description of the urban lifestyle.

In this episode, I introduce one of sociology's most important, yet, most difficult works: Talcott Parsons' two-volume epos The Structure of Social Action, originally published in 1937. Aside from a brief overview and introduction, I am also going to outline its most important theoretical concept: the unit act.

Some suggestions for further reading:
Joas and Knöbl (2009): Social Theory - Twenty Introductory Lectures.
Richard Münch (1994): Sociological Theory - From the 1920's to the 1960's.
And, of course, the man himself, Talcott Parsons (1968/1937): The Structure of Social Action - Volume I and II.

This episode zooms in on Durkheim's concept of social facts as outlined in The Rules of the Sociological Method.

In this episode, I introduce Georg Simmel's idea of a 'formal sociology' and use his ideas about 'conflict' and 'the stranger' as an example.

Welcome to the first part of my introduction to Max Weber. This episode introduces and illustrates some of his most important concepts and gives a short and concise summary of his most famous work: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.