Beyond the Cultural Turn: New Directions in the Study of Society and Culture (Studies on the History of Society & Culture) Book

Nothing has generated more controversy in the social sciences than the turn toward culture, variously known as the linguistic turn, culturalism, or postmodernism. This book examines the impact of the cultural turn on two prominent social science disciplines, history and sociology, and proposes new directions in the theory and practice of historical research. The editors provide an introduction analyzing the origins and implications of the cultural turn and its postmodernist critiques of knowledge. Essays by leading historians and historical sociologists reflect on the uses of cultural theories and show both their promise and their limitations. The afterword by Hayden White provides an assessment of the trend toward culturalism by one its most influential proponents. Beyond the Cultural TurnContributors: Richard Biernacki Caroline Bynum Steven Feierman Karen Halttunen Margaret C. Jacob Sonya O. Rose Jerrold Seigel William H. Sewell Jr. Margaret R. Somers Hayden WhiteRead More