The Talcott Parsons Reader (Blackwell Readers Series) 
Bryan S. Turner (Editor)

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ABOUT THIS ITEM

Synopsis
Talcott Parsons has been one of the most influential American sociologists of the postwar period, but he has also been widely criticized for, among other things, the alleged conservatism of his structural functionalist theory. Bryan Turner's selections from Parsons' work provide a comprehensive overview of his principal contributions and are grouped under the following subdivisions: religion and modern society; life, sex, and death; sociological theory; and American society and the world order. Turner's introduction defends Parsons as a modernist and the selections reveal that Parsons' sociology was neither abstract nor conservative, but, rather, spoke to a range of major issues in the sociology of modern society. This Reader places special emphasis on medical sociology, his contribution to the study of politics and international relations, his concern for the human condition, his focus on culture, and finally his defense of general theory. The collection is supplemented by a complete Parsons bibliography and a selected list of critical works on his sociology. The book clearly presents the core features of Parsons' sociology and demonstrates his continuing relevance to critical issues today, such as globalization, the place of American civilization in the world order, and the importance of sociological theory as an analysis of modern culture.

From the Publisher
Talcott Parsons has been one of the most influential American sociologists of the post-war period, but he has also been widely criticized for, among other things, the alleged conservatism of his structural functionalist theory. Bryan Turner's selections from Parson's work provide a comprehensive overview of his principal contributions and are grouped under the following subdivisions: religion and modern society; life, sex, and death; sociological theory; and American society and the world order.

What People Are Saying
John Holmwood, University of Edinburgh
br> Parsons once described himself as an 'incurable theorist.' This excellent collection of essays reveals a practical sociologist possessing great insight into the modern condition. Professor Turner has done a real service in reminding us of the substantive issues to which Parsons' theoretical efforts were ultimately directed, issues which are as central to the discipline now as when Parsons was writing. —John Holmwood

FROM THE BOOK

 Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments
	Introduction: The Contribution of Talcott Parsons to the Study of Modernity	1
I	Religion and Modern Society	21
1	Christianity and Modern Industrial Society	23
2	Belief, Unbelief, and Disbelief	51
3	Religious Symbolization and Death	79
4	The Symbolic Environment of Modern Economies	87
II	Life, Sex, and Death	99
5	Illness and the Role of the Physician: A Sociological Perspective	101
6	Toward a Healthy Maturity	109
7	The "Gift of Life" and Its Reciprocation	123
III	Sociological Theory	155
8	Evolutionary Universals in Society	157
9	Pattern Variables Revisited: A Response to Robert Dubin	182
IV	American Society and the World Order	205
10	Social Strains in America	207
11	The Distribution of Power in American Society	220
12	Order and Community in the International Social System	237
13	Polarization of the World and International Order	253
14	Youth in the Context of American Society	271
15	Death in American Society - a Brief Working Paper	292
16	Religion in Postindustrial America: The Problem of Secularization	300
	Bibliography of Talcott Parsons	321
	Selected Bibliography (in English) on the Sociology of Talcott Parsons	336
	Chronology of the Life of Talcott Parsons	337
	Index	338

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