Book Reviews in ASA’s Contemporary Sociology

“… I think the dialectical negation, in a post-poststructuralist way perhaps, of poststructuralism’s  one-sided negation of “truth” and “structure” in favor of a politically more relative treatment of them devoid of self-reflective blind spots will do more justice to Dumont’s otherwise important goal of engaging with what is precious in the poststructuralist tradition. The lucidity of his prose has served in my view to further expose the inconsistencies of poststructuralism; but it also serves to provocatively enrich and deepen his dialogue with his readers. Whether or not this review is “truthful” may perhaps not matter if we follow Dumont’s logic. What should matter are the fruitful conversations his well-written and insightful book will hopefully spark.”

“… The greatest value of Koch’s book is that it genuinely opens, rather than closes, our self-questioning about the origins of our discipline. It presents a clear, well organized, and thought-provoking reading of Max Weber. Despite the subject’s complexity, its style renders it accessible to advanced undergraduates, graduates, and educated readers, as well as to academics in general.”

“… Perhaps we need further swinging of the magical wand to bring these other relevant new tradi­tions into the folds of insightful and nonordinary journeys made by all the authors in the volume. Helen A. Berger has done a wonderful job, including producing a succinct summary in the intro­duction, in swinging into reality this readable edited collection.”