Talcott Parsons: Critical Assessments (Critical Assessments of Leading Sociologists) 4vol set

Talcott Parsons (1904-79) is widely regarded as one of the most important sociologists of the twentieth century. His work has been influential both inside and outside the United States. He made major contributions to the history of sociology, the sociology of knowledge, medical sociology, and sociology of social institutions. His theoretical writing, although still the subject of much controversy, is recognized as reformulating the grounds of debate by giving a new direction to sociological inquiry. The ninety-five articles assembled here are organized into eighty-five chapters, covering each of the major theoretical debates in which Parsons was involved. The work is divided into major sections beginning with the intellectual background to Parsons' distinctive contribution to functionalism, and ending with the work of the last twenty years of his life, in which his interests in expanding his theories across all domains of human action produced a wide range of important and influential ideas. Thesevolumes provide an indispensable collection for Parsonian scholars and anyone interested in 20th century sociology.Talcott Parsons: Critical Assessments (Critical Assessments of Leading Sociologists) 4vol set, was published 1992 under ISBN 9780415037648 and ISBN 0415037646.