Bücher von Margaret S. (University of Warwick) Archer

Many social theorists now call themselves 'relational sociologists', but mean different things by it. They concentrate mainly on two-person relationships, but the authors of this book argue that the relational 'goods' or 'evils' generated in teams, charities or social movements are different in kind and in their consequences.

In this book, Margaret Archer examines the reflexive 'internal conversations' most people have with themselves, and their influence on how people make their way through the world. She argues that human reflexivity mediates between our personal concerns and the social contexts we confront - generating different forms which shape people's lives.

Through inner dialogue, 'the internal conversation', individuals reflect upon their social situation in the light of current concerns and projects. On the basis of a series of in-depth interviews, Archer identifies three distinctive forms of internal conversation, the missing link between society and the individual, structure and agency.

In this 1995 book, Margaret Archer addresses the problem of structure and agency and how to link rather than conflate the two. Her morphogenetic approach is the sociological complement of transcendental realism and offers a new understanding of social change. It poses a direct challenge to Giddens' structuration theory.

The human subject is under threat from postmodernist thinking which has declared the 'Death of God' and the 'Death of Man'. This book is a revindication of the concept of humanity, rejecting contemporary theory that seeks to diminish human properties and powers and asserting the primacy of practice over language.

A revised and updated edition of Margaret Archer's seminal contribution to social theory and the case for the role of culture in sociological thought.