American Social Theory

Charles Lemert's book explores American social theory and culture from the colonial era to the present, drawing upon the work of seminal and overlooked philosophers, sociologists, litterateurs, and political activists. It offers a coherent yet variegated intellectual framework for understanding American intellectual attitudes on race, gender, popular culture, political thought, capitalism, and social movements, and explores schools of thought from transcendentalism and pragmatism to interactionism and intersectionality.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 01 January 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Due to the importance of philosophy in the Enlightenment, European social theory has dominated discourses of theory to the present day. Yet, looking deeper, Americans have made important contributions from very different social and cultural perspectives. Drawing from Euro and American traditions alike, this new book builds, for the first time, an intellectual framework for understanding American social theory up to the present. Charles Lemert, a master of "finding theory where you’d least expect it," traces the roots of American theory to 16th century colonization and, since, to an enormous range of writings and writers, both influential and lesser known. He delights readers with bold discoveries and a masterful rendering of American history and social thought that completes a fuller record of the theory we need to understand today.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138629745