Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction

Citation

Elliott, A. (2022). Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Chapter Summary

The third edition has twelve chapters and an afterword, about 460 pages in all. The publisher presents it as a survey of the major theoretical traditions "from the Frankfurt School to posthumanism, and from feminism and post-structuralism to globalization theory", and a reviewer of an earlier edition, Douglas Ezzy, describes it as organised in thematic chapters. Its list of theorists includes Habermas, Butler, Giddens, Bourdieu, Kristeva, Žižek, Castells, Beck, Bauman, Zuboff and Stiegler, and reviewers of earlier editions note that most chapters open with a short vignette from everyday life before turning to theory. The chapter notes below stay close to the titles and the publisher's description.

Chapters 1–2: The Textures of Society; The Contemporary Relevance of the Classics

Reviewers describe the book's organising question as "what is society?", and the first chapter's title points to the texture of social life as its starting point. The second chapter takes up the classics; the publisher says classical debates are "given careful appraisal", and the title makes their contemporary relevance the question.

Chapters 3–5: The Frankfurt School; Structuralism; Post-Structuralism

These chapters cover three bodies of thought that shape much of the later field: critical theory in the Frankfurt tradition, the structuralist approach, and the post-structuralist reaction to it. Reviewers of earlier editions single out the combination of critical theory, psychoanalysis and (post)structuralism as part of the book's range.

Chapters 6–7: Theories of Structuration; Contemporary Critical Theory

Chapter 6 is devoted to structuration, the line of theory associated with Giddens in the publisher's list. Chapter 7 returns to critical theory in its more recent forms; the publisher's list of theorists names Habermas, although the sources do not say where each theorist is discussed.

Chapter 8: Feminism and Post-Feminist Theory

A single chapter gathers feminist and post-feminist thought. The publisher's list names Butler and Kristeva, and reviewers cite feminism and psychoanalysis among the strands woven into the book.

Chapters 9–11: Postmodernity; Networks, Risks, Liquids; Globalization

The middle-to-late chapters turn to diagnoses of the present. The three terms in "Networks, risks, liquids" recall work by Castells, Beck and Bauman, all named in the publisher's list, and the globalization chapter turns to the global scale.

Chapter 12 and Afterword: The Digital Revolution: Posthumanism and Beyond; Social Theory Today and Towards 2050

Chapter 12 is new in the third edition. According to the publisher it considers how digital technologies in general, and artificial intelligence in particular, are reshaping societies, and the list of theorists adds Zuboff and Stiegler. The afterword looks at the state of social theory and its prospects up to 2050.

Key Concepts

Chapters 1–5

• Classical heritage: the chapter titles treat the classics as a continuing reference point for contemporary argument, not only as history.
• Frankfurt School: the critical-theory tradition that the third chapter introduces.
• Structuralism and post-structuralism: the two approaches given separate chapters, the second following the first.

Chapters 6–8

• Structuration: the theme of Chapter 6, associated in the publisher's list with Giddens.
• Contemporary critical theory: the later development of critical thinking covered in Chapter 7.
• Feminist and post-feminist theory: grouped together in Chapter 8.

Chapters 9–12

• Postmodernity: the subject of Chapter 9 and a long-running theme in contemporary diagnosis of society.
• Networks, risks, liquids: the three terms in the title of Chapter 10.
• Globalization: both a chapter and a context for the theories in the book.
• Posthumanism: the concept in the title of Chapter 12, set against digital technology and artificial intelligence.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

• Range in one volume. The contents list covers critical theory, structuralism, post-structuralism, structuration, feminism, postmodernity, network and risk theories, globalization and the digital revolution, so the book works as a map of the field.
• Entry through everyday scenes. A reviewer of an earlier edition, Anthony Moran, praised the personal stories that begin most chapters for showing what is at stake in the theories that follow, and Douglas Ezzy noted that Elliott summarises each theorist's main points, adds discussion that stretches the reader and rehearses the main criticisms.
• Clarity praised by reviewers. Ann Branaman, David Held and others quoted by the publisher describe the exposition as accessible without losing depth, with Branaman saying undergraduates with no background can use it while advanced students gain from its clarity on difficult ideas.
• Updated for the digital age. The new Chapter 12 and the afterword extend a book that already covered globalization to technologies and artificial intelligence.

Limitations

• A narrow set of traditions. The list of theorists in the publisher's description is dominated by European and North American figures, and the chapter titles do not show a separate treatment of postcolonial or decolonial theory, or of race.
• Length and density. At about 460 pages, with twelve chapters and an afterword, the whole book is a substantial commitment for a first course; readers will normally select chapters.
• Exposition, not original texts. The book is a textbook that explains and appraises; it is not a collection of primary readings, so the theorists' own arguments have to be sought elsewhere.

Where It Fits in the Course

Within the contemporary theory list, Elliott is a survey organised by theoretical traditions. Stones's Key Sociological Thinkers is an edited book with one chapter per thinker, which suits readers who want a self-contained account of a single figure such as Bourdieu or Giddens, and Baert and Carreira da Silva's Social Theory in the Twentieth Century and Beyond assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each school and ends with the authors' own case for pragmatism. Contemporary Sociological Theory is an edited reader of original selections, so it is the place to meet the arguments first-hand after Elliott has given the outline.

The two primary works on the list, Bourdieu's Distinction and Giddens's The Constitution of Society, are the next step for readers who want to see two of the book's major positions in full. Elliott's structuration chapter and discussion of Bourdieu give background for each.

How to Use This Book

The book is meant for readers meeting contemporary social theory for the first time, and the site lists some introductory sociology or familiarity with Marx, Weber and Durkheim as helpful. Reviewers of earlier editions suggest it also serves more advanced students.

A practical plan: read Chapters 1–2 first to fix the vocabulary of the classical debates. Then choose the strands that match your course, for example Chapters 3–5 for the critical and post-structuralist line, Chapters 6–8 for structuration and feminism, and Chapters 9–12 for modernity, risk, globalization and technology. The afterword is short and works well as a reading-group discussion starter. While reading, pair each chapter with one primary text or a section of a companion reader, and use the chapter vignettes as prompts for your own examples.