Structure and Agency

The relationship of social structure to individual and collective agency has been central to sociology from the outset. It remains so in period in which poststructuralists have challenged the idea of stable social structures and even the usefulness in social science of the concept of structure itself. The historical trajectory of the debate about the respective importance of structure and agency and the relationship between the two provides the narrative context of this collection of articles.

Structure and Agency is a collection of classic and contemporary readings on this central sociological theme. Readings from Marx, Weber and Durkheim are included as well as recent pieces by authorities including Margaret Archer, Pierre Bourdieu and Stuart Hall. These four volumes cover respectively the seminal sources of the structure/agency debate and the 'cultural turn'; critical theory, Giddens' structuration theory, and critical realism; the application of theory to specific areas of social life; network theory and globalization; and a conclusion covering current theoretical trends and debates. The editor's introduction provides a parallel historical and theoretical commentary to the readings.

Volume I: Modernity, Sociology and the Structure/Agency Debate
Volume II: Postmodernity - An End to the Structure /Agency Dichotomy
Volume III: Structure/Agency Theories Applied
Volume IV: Network Theory - Transcending the Traditional Limits of Structure/Agency