- Hardcover: 232 pages
- Publisher: Polity Press (24 Aug 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0745636713
- ISBN-13: 978-0745636719
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 17 x 1.9 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,319,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Review
"How rare it is that one of the world′s most original social theorists writes a book so plain and important that it could be used as an introductory text for first–year students. Alain Touraine′s New Paradigm should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand today′s world as it is coming to be."
Charles Lemert, Wesleyan University
Product Description
- Touraine is one of the leading social thinkers in the world today and many of his books have been published in English.
- In this book Touraine presents a new theoretical framework for understanding the contemporary world. It is a broad theoretical work which seeks to make sense of everyday experience at the beginning of the 21st century.
- This is a major new theoretical work by one of the leading sociologists in the world today.
- A great reference book for those studying sociology and social theory at any level.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read A New Paradigm having already read the book's follow-up, Thinking Differently. Even in the book's title, A New Paradigm sets its target very high - namely to re-invent the field of sociological study which may have become out-of-favour in light of recent changes in society.
Touraine initially sets out to describe the decline in use of the 'social' to explain the current world. To summarise this briefly: globalization has led to a separation of the economy and society, and people are no longer defined by their positions of employment. Workers rights, for example, are no longer the defining issue they once were, and we no longer think, as functionalists did, about how individuals can benefit society as a whole. Instead, where social issues once took precedence, we now think of ourselves in cultural terms and new social movements form in our globalized world on the basis of cultural identity. This can be explained through Touraine's definition of modernity - the overriding importance of rational thought, and the recognition of the universal rights of the individual. The rise of the cultural can be seen most strongly amongst women, who are at the centre of the new organisation.
Touraine argues clearly and strongly for the decline of the social and the rise of the cultural, and he goes on to elaborate on this in Thinking Differently. Evidence of the persuasiveness of Touraine's argument can be seen in the news daily, where Touraine's work has resonated on a daily basis with, for example, current debates on assisted suicide. A dignified death is, for Touraine, a cultural right and indeed it is the chapter devoted to cultural rights that is the book's strongest. Touraine outlines that cultures no longer aspire merely to equality, but also to a recognition of difference. Again, the example of women is used to make this point clear.
So, I feel that Touraine has lived up to his promise of delivering a new paradigm for understanding today's world. Paired with Thinking Differently, this book should have a wide-reaching effect on the future study of sociology. This brief review cannot do it justice, and you should really read it to discover as much for yourself.
Touraine initially sets out to describe the decline in use of the 'social' to explain the current world. To summarise this briefly: globalization has led to a separation of the economy and society, and people are no longer defined by their positions of employment. Workers rights, for example, are no longer the defining issue they once were, and we no longer think, as functionalists did, about how individuals can benefit society as a whole. Instead, where social issues once took precedence, we now think of ourselves in cultural terms and new social movements form in our globalized world on the basis of cultural identity. This can be explained through Touraine's definition of modernity - the overriding importance of rational thought, and the recognition of the universal rights of the individual. The rise of the cultural can be seen most strongly amongst women, who are at the centre of the new organisation.
Touraine argues clearly and strongly for the decline of the social and the rise of the cultural, and he goes on to elaborate on this in Thinking Differently. Evidence of the persuasiveness of Touraine's argument can be seen in the news daily, where Touraine's work has resonated on a daily basis with, for example, current debates on assisted suicide. A dignified death is, for Touraine, a cultural right and indeed it is the chapter devoted to cultural rights that is the book's strongest. Touraine outlines that cultures no longer aspire merely to equality, but also to a recognition of difference. Again, the example of women is used to make this point clear.
So, I feel that Touraine has lived up to his promise of delivering a new paradigm for understanding today's world. Paired with Thinking Differently, this book should have a wide-reaching effect on the future study of sociology. This brief review cannot do it justice, and you should really read it to discover as much for yourself.
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