Smelser,
N.J. (Ed.). (1988). Handbook of Sociology.
Newbury Park: SAGE.
The
scope of Smelser’s Handbook of Sociology
is relatively broad. It covers the major topics of theory, inequality,
organizations, and social change. Although this is not an exhaustive list of
fields under the sociology umbrella, the articles in each section do contain
information that touches on many of the theories and ideas in sociology. This handbook
is somewhat less broad than others examined on other subjects, but the scope is
still wide enough that it could be useful to any sociologist, regardless of how
they have specialized in their discipline.
The
audience intended for this handbook is upper-level undergraduate students and
masters students. The language in the text is geared towards an individual with
a good background in the discipline, however it is not totally opaque to a
reader with only minimal background in sociology. The topics presented in the
articles, however, assume that the reader is well-acquainted with both the
discipline and its history. Consequently, the reader with no background in the
field would struggle to fully utilize this text. On the same token, however, a
Ph. D in sociology would probably find this work somewhat pedestrian. The
material contained within it is excellent, but the articles are designed to
give the reader a broad understanding of the topic. This could help a serious
researcher or post-doctorate find new resources or act as a quick reference
guide, but this text would probably do little to meet their more extensive
needs.
The
timeliness of this book is lacking. This text was written some thirty years
after sociology was formed as a discipline, and almost that much time has
elapsed again since its printing. In terms of its usefulness today, it provides
a good retrospective look at the historical trends and ideas in sociology. It
also provides commentary on the theoretical and methodological framework of the
discipline that could still prove relevant in today’s world. But any
cutting-edge studies performed in this work, and any suggestions about the “modern”
state of sociology, are quite outdated.
Despite
being old, this work is fairly authoritative. The author of the work, Neil
Smelser, is a member of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, former
president of the American Sociological Association, and a professor emeritus at
the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). Consequently, he is quite
qualified to oversee the editing and compilation of a text that seeks to present
a broad overview of sociology. His credentials show that both his understanding
of sociology at large, and his connection to other sociologists, is quite
strong. Moreover, the book is published by SAGE, a respected academic publisher
that is known for producing good texts in a variety of disciplines. Thus,
despite its age, this handbook does carry with it a lot of authority.
The
documentation for this work is also extensive. Each article is meticulously
cited and presents an exhaustive list of material used in its writing. In fact,
if the reader were to open the handbook to a random page, it seems that there
is about even chance of finding either text or bibliography. The works cited
are from respected books and journal publications, which lends further weight
to the quality and authority of this work.
Finally,
this work is fairly objective. The topics are portrayed in a rational and
even-handed manner, and each of the articles that make up this work are
objective in both their tone and presentation of the given material. The only
weakness that may exist in the objectivity of this handbook is that each major
topic is covered only by a handful of articles. Thus, it is doubtful that both
sides of any given debate are adequately presented in the work at large, even
if each of its constituent parts remain relatively neutral. As a result, the
discerning reader would find this work an excellent starting point, but would
want to pursue further study in any of the given topics covered in this work. A
starting point is, however, exactly what this work is supposed to provide.
UC
Berkeley. “Neil J. Smelser.” Center for
Studies in Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www. cshe.berkeley.edu/neil-j-smelser
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