About the Book

It was in the years 1830-1900 that the conceptual framework of modern sociology was created and it is this period, from de Tocqueville and Marx to Durkheim and Weber, that Professor Nisbet analyses in this book. In particular, he studies the development of five key concepts—”community, authority, status, the sacred, ” and “alienation, ” which are at the heart of modern social theory.

“This thoughtful and lucid guide shows more clearly than any previous book on social thought the common threads in the sociological tradition and the reasons why so many of its central concepts have stood the test of time.” “(Times Literary Supplement)”

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Contents

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About the Author / Editor

Robert A. Nisbet is the Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. His other works include “Degradation of the Academic Dogma” (1971), “The Social Philosophers” (1974), “The Sociology of Emile Durkheim” (1975), “Twilight of Authority” (1976) and “Sociology as an Art Form” (1976).

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