Talcott Parsons: Theorist of Modernity

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Talcott Parsons was not only the most influential American sociologist of his generation, but also one of the key social scientists of the twentieth century. Paradoxically he was also one of the most criticized and rejected figures in social science. Since his death in Munich in 1979, however, there has been a worldwide renaissance of interest in Parsonian sociology.This volume offers a reappraisal of Parsons' work by leading social theorists, who place his writing at the centre of current controversies over modernity, postmodernity and globalization. The wide-ranging discussion encompasses Parsons' value commitments and his place in American social theory, the problems of interpreting his work today, his conception of world history, and the contemporary neofunctionalist movement. Parsons' own work is represented by a previously neglected essay on American values that is central to an understanding of his analysis of modernization.The collection combines an evaluation of Parsons' sociological theory with an original focus on Parsons as a primary theorist of the social processes of modernization on a global scale. It will be essential reading for teachers and students of sociology and social theory, and for all those interested in cultural theory and modernity.