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C Wright Mills

In "The Sociological Imagination," C. Wright Mills invites readers to explore the intersection of personal biography and social structure, urging us to understand how our individual experiences are shaped by larger societal forces. With a keen sociological eye, Mills challenges readers to see beyond their immediate surroundings and consider the broader historical and structural contexts that inform our lives.

Through compelling arguments and thought-provoking analysis, Mills encourages us to develop a sociological imagination - a critical perspective that enables us to connect our personal troubles to public issues. By examining the interplay between personal biography, historical context, and social structures, Mills sheds light on the complexities of modern society and the interdependent relationships that shape our everyday lives.

"The Sociological Imagination" remains a foundational text in sociology, inspiring readers to question their assumptions, challenge the status quo, and develop a deeper understanding of the intricate web of social forces that influence our world. Mills' compelling work continues to resonate with readers today, offering a timeless exploration of the power of sociological thinking to illuminate the complexities of the human experience.

Oxford University Press. LONDON. OXFORD. NEW YORK. 1959. 239p.

Edited by Håkan Hydén Roger Cotterrell David Nelken and Ulrike Schultz

This open access book pays homage to Reza Banakar, who passed away in August 2020, exploring the many different areas of socio-legal research that he worked on and influenced. It begins with a summary of his career and explains how he sparked a debate on the identity and aims of legal sociology. The book is then split into 5 sections: - Theory, including chapters on normativity and the stepchild controversy; - Methods and interdisciplinarity, illustrating how Banakar encouraged socio-legal scholars to push the boundaries of existing socio-legal knowledge through interdisciplinary imagination and methodological flexibility; - Legal culture, with particular focus on Iran - 2 areas of special interest for Banakar; - Law and science, covering topics such as human rights, the right to life, and the COVID-19 pandemic; and - Applied sociology of law, inspired by Banakar’s engagement with empirical research and case studies. As well as honouring Reza Banakar's memory and unique thinking, the book aims to advance the sociology of law by demonstrating the interconnectedness of the legal and the social from a broad range of perspectives.

Oxford; New York: Hart/Bloomsbury 2023. 495p.

By Kurt Lewin

FROM THE FOREWORD BY DORWIN CARTWRIGHT: “When the intellectual history of the twentieth century is written, Kurt Lewin will surely be counted as one of those few men whose work changed fundamentally the course of social science in its most critical period of development. During his professional life of only about thirty years, the social sciences grew from the stage of speculative system building, through a period of excessive empiricism in which facts were gathered simply for their intrinsic interest, to a more mature development in which empitical data are sought for the significance they can have for systematic theories. Although the social sciences are only barely into this third stage of development, Lewin's work has accelerated greatly the rate of development. Though he was primarily a psychologist and made his major contributions in that field, the influence of his work has extended well beyond the bounds of traditional psychology.

New York. Harper & Brothers Publishers. 1951. 365p.

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By Michael Argyle

FROM THE PREFACE: “ This book is intended for students of psychology and of the other social sciences, to give a guide to the procedures and results in this rapidly growing field. I hope that it will not be regarded as a 'textbook of social psychology', of which there are many already often illustrating a particular theoretical viewpoint with a congeries of experiments, quasi-experiments, and other people's opinions. Here only part of social psychology is dealt with the part dealing with the study of social interaction the fields of socialisation and personality being excluded. An effort has been made to put facts before theory, and to set out what facts have been discovered about social behaviour by reference to a substantial proportion of the valid research which has been done. The various theories are then examined in the light of this evidence. It is hoped that the book will also be of interest to others outside the strict category of students , since many of the results reported are of direct relevance to social administrators, while the methods of research described could be readily applied to the solution of practical problems.

London. Methuen & Co Ltd. 1957. 245p.

By  Nestar Russell

Horrified by the Holocaust, social psychologist Stanley Milgram wondered if he could recreate the Holocaust in the laboratory setting. Unabated for more than half a century, his (in)famous results have continued to intrigue scholars. Based on unpublished archival data from Milgram’s personal collection, volume one of this two-volume set introduces readers to a behind the scenes account showing how during Milgram’s unpublished pilot studies he step-by-step invented his official experimental procedure—how he gradually learnt to transform most ordinary people into willing inflictors of harm. The open access volume two then illustrates how certain innovators within the Nazi regime used the very same Milgram-like learning techniques that with increasing effectiveness gradually enabled them to also transform most ordinary people into increasingly capable executioners of other men, women, and children. Volume two effectively attempts to capture how step-by-step these Nazi innovators attempted to transform the Führer’s wish of a Jewish-free Europe into a frightening reality. By the books’ end the reader will gain an insight into how the seemingly undoable can become increasingly doable

Cham: Springer Nature, 2019. 333p.

By Carrie James

Social networking, blogging, vlogging, gaming, instant messaging, downloading music and other content, uploading and sharing their own creative work: these activities made possible by the new digital media are rich with opportunities and risks for young people. This report, part of the GoodPlay Project, undertaken by researchers at Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero, investigates the ethical fault lines of such digital pursuits. The authors argue that five key issues are at stake in the new media: identity, privacy, ownership and authorship, credibility, and participation. Drawing on evidence from informant interviews, emerging scholarship on new media, and theoretical insights from psychology, sociology, political science, and cultural studies, the report explores the ways in which youth may be redefining these concepts as they engage with new digital media. The authors propose a model of "good play" that involves the unique affordances of the new digital media; related technical and new media literacies; cognitive and moral development and values; online and offline peer culture; and ethical supports, including the absence or presence of adult mentors and relevant educational curricula. This proposed model for ethical play sets the stage for the next part of the GoodPlay project, an empirical study that will invite young people to share their stories of engagement with the new digital media.

Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2009. 127p.

Edited by Sven Quadflieg, Klaus Neuburg, Simon Nestler

Algorithms are not to be regarded as a technical structure but as a social phenomenon - they embed themselves, currently still very subtle, into our political and social system. Algorithms shape human behavior on various levels: they influence not only the aesthetic reception of the world but also the well-being and social interaction of their users. They act and intervene in a political and social context. As algorithms influence individual behavior in these social and political situations, their power should be the subject of critical discourse - or even lead to active disobedience and to the need for appropriate tools and methods which can be used to break the algorithmic power.

Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 2022. 381p.

By Talcott Parsons

The giant of social theory explains how societies work. From the preface: The present volume is an attempt to bring together, in systematic and generalized form, the main outlines of a conceptual scheme for the analysis of the structure and processes of social systems. In the nature of the case, within the frame of reference of action, such a conceptual scheme must focus on the delineation of the system of institutionalized roles and the motivational processes organized about them. “

The Free Press Of Glencoe Collier-Macmillan Limited, London. 1951. 596p.
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