A History and Theory of the Social Sciences

A History and Theory of the Social Sciences PDF

Author: Peter Wagner

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2001-07-17

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1446264513

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Divided into two parts, this book examines the train of social theory from the 19th century, through to the ′organization of modernity′, in relation to ideas of social planning, and as contributors to the ′rationalistic revolution′ of the ′golden age′ of capitalism in the 1950s and 60s. Part two examines key concepts in the social sciences. It begins with some of the broadest concepts used by social scientists: choice, decision, action and institution and moves on to examine the ′collectivist alternative′: the concepts of society, culture and polity, which are often dismissed as untenable by postmodernists today. This is a major contribution to contemporary social theory and provides a host of essential insights into the task of social science today.

Social Science for What?

Social Science for What? PDF

Author: Mark Solovey

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2020-07-07

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 0262358751

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How the NSF became an important yet controversial patron for the social sciences, influencing debates over their scientific status and social relevance. In the early Cold War years, the U.S. government established the National Science Foundation (NSF), a civilian agency that soon became widely known for its dedication to supporting first-rate science. The agency's 1950 enabling legislation made no mention of the social sciences, although it included a vague reference to "other sciences." Nevertheless, as Mark Solovey shows in this book, the NSF also soon became a major--albeit controversial--source of public funding for them.

The History of the Social Sciences since 1945

The History of the Social Sciences since 1945 PDF

Author: Roger E. Backhouse

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-05-24

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1107717779

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This compact volume covers the main developments in the social sciences since the Second World War. Chapters on economics, human geography, political science, psychology, social anthropology, and sociology will interest anyone wanting short, accessible histories of those disciplines, all written by experts in the relevant field; they will also make it easy for readers to make comparisons between disciplines. A final chapter proposes a blueprint for a history of the social sciences as a whole. Whereas most of the existing literature considers the social sciences in isolation from one other, this volume shows that they have much in common; for example, they have responded to common problems using overlapping methods, and cross-disciplinary activities have been widespread.

The History of the Social Sciences Since 1945

The History of the Social Sciences Since 1945 PDF

Author: Roger E. Backhouse

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-05-24

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0521889065

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The book covers the main developments in the social sciences after World War Two. Chapters on economics, human geography, political science, psychology, social anthropology, and sociology will interest anyone wanting short, accessible histories of those disciplines; they will also make it easy for readers to compare disciplines. A final chapter offers a blueprint for writing the history of the social sciences as a whole, drawing attention to the role of interdisciplinary work and to the importance of factors from the Second World War to the sixties and the fall of communism.

Documentary Research

Documentary Research PDF

Author: Gary Mcculloch

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2004-04-30

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 1134483252

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This up to date examination of how to research and utilise documents analyses texts from the past and present, considering sources ranging from personal archives to online documents and including books, reports, official documents and printed media.

Social Science and the Ignoble Savage

Social Science and the Ignoble Savage PDF

Author: Ronald L. Meek

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-02-03

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9780521143295

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Professor Meek traces the prehistory of the four stages theory, with emphasis on the influence of literature about savage societies.

Social Science Goes to War

Social Science Goes to War PDF

Author: Montgomery McFate

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2015-01-11

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0190613092

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The Human Terrain System (HTS) was catapulted into existence in 2006 by the US military's urgent need for knowledge of the human dimension of the battlespace in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its centrepiece was embedded groups of mixed military and civilian personnel, known as Human Terrain Teams (HTTs), whose mission was to conduct social science research and analysis and to advise military commanders about the local population. Bringing social science - and actual social scientists - to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was bold and challenging. Despite the controversy over HTS among scholars, there is little good, reliable source material written by those with experience of HTS or about the actual work carried out by teams in theatre. This volume goes beyond the anecdotes, snippets and blogs to provide a comprehensive, objective and detailed view of HTS. The contributors put the program in historical context, discuss the obstacles it faced, analyse its successes, and detail the work of the teams downrange. Most importantly, they capture some of the diverse lived experience of HTS scholars and practitioners drawn from an eclectic array of the social sciences.