Background
Smelser, Neil Joseph was born on July 22, 1930 in Kahoka, Missouri, United States. Son of Joseph Nelson and Susie Marie (Hess) Smelser.
(Gordon W. Allport of Harvard first introduced me to the s...)
Gordon W. Allport of Harvard first introduced me to the study of collective behavior. When I was a freshman in 1948, his introductory course inS ocial Relations set my mind working. Later, when I was a graduate student in 1955, he reactivated and deepened these workings. During the years after studying with him his words have returned to haunt me. So far as I know, he is unaware of my intellectual debt; I should like to record it now. In working on my doctoral dissertation I delved into the collective protests of theB ritish working classes in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In trying to decipher the content and timing of these eruptions, I came to be deeply impressed with the explanatory potential of a distinctively sociological approach. The idea of attempting a theoretical synthesis of collective behavior came to me in the summer of 1958. Since then I have worked continually on this volume. Between 1959 and 19611 was a member of the Center for Integrated Social Science Theory at the University of California, Berkeley. Known familiarly as the Theory Center, this group consisted of six or seven scholars from various departments. Each member was relieved of academic duties for one semester in each of his two years in the Center. At meetings we discussed theoretical issues arising from the work of one or more members. We had no office for meetings; we wandered peripatetically from one members study to another. We had no secretary, no research assistants, no stationery with letterhead. Simple as it was, the Theory Center had unparalleled value. With the advance of academic specialization in the midtwentieth century, few things can be more salutary than to have scholars take temporary leave from the confines of their research projects to discover the minds of others in an unhurried atmosphere. In the Theory Center we read one anothers work w (Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008FV5YK2/?tag=2022091-20
( These skillfully written essays are based on the Georg ...)
These skillfully written essays are based on the Georg Simmel Lectures delivered by Neil J. Smelser at Humboldt University in Berlin in the spring of 1995. A distillation of Smelser's reflections after nearly four decades of research, teaching, and thought in the field of sociology, the essays identify, as he says in the first chapter, ". . . some central problematics—those generic, recurrent, never resolved and never completely resolvable issues—that shape the work of the sociologist." Each chapter considers a different level of sociological analysis: micro (the person and personal interaction), meso (groups, organizations, movements), macro (societies), and global (multi-societal). Within this framework, Smelser covers a variety of topics, including the place of the rational and the nonrational in social action and in social science theory; the changing character of group attachments in post-industrial society; the eclipse of social class; and the decline of the nation-state as a focus of solidarity. The clarity of Smelser's writing makes this a book that will be welcomed throughout the field of social science as well as by anyone wishing to understand sociology's essential characteristics and problems.
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( The golden anniversary edition of THEORY OF COLLECTIVE ...)
The golden anniversary edition of THEORY OF COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR from Quid Pro Books is a modern take on a sociological and social psychology classic. Featuring a reflective new Preface by the author and an extensive, analytical Foreword by MIT's Gary Marx, it is an authorized and painstaking edition—not just scanned and forgotten like most such reprints today. As part of the Classics of the Social Sciences Series, it features quality formatting such as original notes, legible tables, complete index, and extensive bibliography (including updating references for the new Foreword). The original page numbers are embedded for continuity of citations and referencing. Publisher's Note: Some retail sites use our description for others' OCR or photocopied versions without clarifying that it only applies to the anniversary edition by Quid Pro, LLC. Only the Quid Pro edition features proofread materials, fully-presented notes and bibliography, and new introductions by the author and Gary Marx. It is the authorized edition, prepared with care and pride, and has a cover painting by sociologist Jerome Carlin of revolutionary figures at a costume ball. Please look for this specific version and not rely on the description's location as indicating which one is sold for that page. As Gary Marx notes in his Foreword, "The book is elegant, original, carefully crafted and forcefully argued. In its totality, it is a fine example of an effort to define a field, identify major types and systematically connect central variables. This is done to organize an amorphous collection of behaviors that seem to be intuitively linked, but which had not previously enjoyed an equivalent framework for identifying those links. His innovative treatment of the form known as the craze nicely illustrates this. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of economic history and applying stages of the value-added process, Smelser shows commonalities across areas previously seen as distinct—such as economic swings, expressive crowds and fads and fashion—and offers a systematic way to differentiate these from other forms. The sense of craftsmanship and the care in construction can serve as a model for theorizing and for the effort to both acknowledge and yet reduce the indeterminacy of social phenomena." Marx concludes, "As 2011 events such as the Tsunami in Japan and the unexpected uprisings in the Middle East suggest, the importance of the field and the need to advance knowledge is not just historical. This book remains a rich contribution toward that advancement." Now in its second printing, it is truly a standard, foundational work in the field, often adopted for classwork and research.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1610270843/?tag=2022091-20
( To love and to work, Freud's famous definition of psych...)
To love and to work, Freud's famous definition of psychological maturity, here becomes the focussing principle for a renewed examination of the dominant themes that play themselves out in adult life. Erik Erikson, Neil Smelser, and nine leading experts in adult development consider the stages that adults pass through and the crises that adults confront as they attempt to create a meaningful life. Themes of Work and Love in Adulthood is a book that raises many fascinating questions about adult experience. How, for example, does work affect personality? Are love and work in competition; must one be pursued at the expense of the other? Is there a point in life past which men lay less stress on mastery and turn more toward emotional fulfillment? And do women experience a shift in the opposite direction? More generally, why do adult crises fall into predictable patterns and how do adults grow as they respond to these crises? Is the recent broadening of standards for adult conduct an opportunity for personal liberation or a source of personal debilitation? Much more than a summary of current work on adulthood, Themes of Work and Love in Adulthood is a book full of unusual rewards: Erik Erikson's sensitive reconstruction of the entanglements of love and work revealed in the correspondence between Freud and Jung; Ann Swidler's fascinating discussion of the historical transformation of the love ideal from medieval times to its contemporary form; Robert LeVine's analysis of the adult life course in an African culture. When these unique essays are added to the important position papers by major theorists of adult development--Daniel Levinson, Roger Gould, and Marjorie Fiske--the result is a book that is both useful and exciting.
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(ESSAYS IN SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION is a collection of sev...)
ESSAYS IN SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION is a collection of several of Dr. Smelser's recognized and often-cited articles exploring timeless issues of sociological theory and research. First published in 1968 by Prentice-Hall, and widely referenced and adopted since, it is available again for scholars and students, and in both print and ebook editions for ready classroom assignment. A useful resource written by one of the leading social scientists of the late twentieth century, this book is part of the new CLASSICS OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES Series from Quid Pro Books. In addition to this book, the series features new presentations of several important and influential works by Dr. Smelser: • Sociological Theory: A Contemporary View • Theory of Collective Behavior • Comparative Methods in the Social Sciences • The Sociology of Economic Life (Second Edition) • The Changing Academic Market
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(Quality ebook reprint of a classic work in the social sci...)
Quality ebook reprint of a classic work in the social sciences, written by one of the leading scholars on the intersection of two important disciplines: economics and sociology. This is an unabridged republication of the Second Edition of this much-cited study. Presented with care, the ebook edition features such proper digital formatting as: active TOC, linked endnotes, fully-linked subject and names indices, and all the original graphs and tables. Neil Smelser's recognized guide is now part of the Classics of the Social Sciences Series from Quid Pro Books.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BNADDS2/?tag=2022091-20
(In all civilizations, men have evinced dramatic collectiv...)
In all civilizations, men have evinced dramatic collective behavior - the craze, the riot, the revolution. Professor Smelser applies the insights of contemporary sociology in this work to unify the subject of collective behavior under a single coherent sociological theory.
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( For several decades the writings of sociologist Neil J....)
For several decades the writings of sociologist Neil J. Smelser have won him a vast and admiring audience across several disciplines. Best known for his work on social movements, economic sociology, and British social history, Smelser's psychoanalytic writings are less familiar to his readers. In fact, many people are completely unaware of Smelser's formal psychoanalytic training and ongoing counseling practice. With the publication of The Social Edges of Psychoanalysis, Smelser's thought-provoking essays on psychoanalytic concepts are finally brought together in one book. Psychoanalytic theory has had an ambivalent relationship with sociology, and these essays explore that ambivalence, providing arguments about how and why psychoanalytic approaches can deepen the sociological perspective. One of Smelser's main tenets is that human social behavior always contains both social-structural and social-psychological elements, and that psychoanalytic theory can bridge these two dimensions of human social life. Many of the issues Smelser addresses—including interdisciplinarity, the macro-micro link in research, masculinity and violence, and affirmative action—have generated considerable scholarly interest. This collection paves the way for further articulation of the relationship between sociology and psychoanalysis at a time when many sociologists are looking for interdisciplinary links in their work. Presented with clarity and grace, and free of the murkiness often found in both sociological and psychoanalytic writing, Smelser's new book will excite reflection and research on the less visible dynamics of social existence.
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(This study applies a structural-differentiation model of ...)
This study applies a structural-differentiation model of social change to the industrial revolution in cotton manufacturing in Great Britain, 1770-1840, examining both the industry itself and the family structure of the working classes within it. The author offers controversial interpretations of the issues of the restriction on children's and women's labour, strikes, protest movements, trade unions and cooperative societies.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0751201634/?tag=2022091-20
(Even after teaching generations of social scientists, Nei...)
Even after teaching generations of social scientists, Neil Smelser's classic study remains the most definitive statement of methodological issues for comparative scholars in political science, anthropology, sociology, economics, and psychology. These issues are timeless and therefore the lucid analysis remains timely and relevant—offering a unique clarity to working scholars, as well as students fighting their way through the methodological thickets of comparative studies. Smelser posits a methodological continuity between the comparative studies of past masters and the more recent flow of contemporary comparative work. To that end, he takes a pragmatic, critical look at the classic studies of Alexis de Tocqueville, Émile Durkheim, and Max Weber. His analyses respect the historical specifics and contexts of their work, but also raise general issues such as cross-unit comparability, empirical representation of theoretical concepts and measures, and historical causality. The book further deals with the ongoing flows of comparative study in the social sciences, which, while methodologically more self-conscious than past work, nevertheless face a common set of issues, including causation, classification, and reducing bias. This book is one of the most well-known and frequently referenced studies of methodology and historical applications in the social sciences, and how the approaches vary by disciplines. It is written by the internationally recognized expert on the intersection of sociology with economics, psychology, and political science. An enduring resource, it is presented now as part of the Classics of the Social Sciences Series from Quid Pro Books.
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(THE CHANGING ACADEMIC MARKET is the inside story and scho...)
THE CHANGING ACADEMIC MARKET is the inside story and scholarly analysis of a leading sociology department's search, during the mid-1970s, to fill several faculty positions. This was attempted in the middle of the fundamental changes to the U.S. university and college market that began in the late 1960s. That sea change is exposed with candid self-awareness and examined in its practical effects on faculty hiring procedure, treatment of candidates, affirmative action, a shrinking market, professors' relations with each other and their political stances, and recommendations for other academics in various departments who are undergoing a similar recruitment process. A reviewer at the time of its initial publication in hardcover (Harvard's Nathan Glazer) called this book "a unique study ... placed within the context of a wise and subtle analysis of the changes that have taken place in the past decade in the academic market," analyzed for the first time with "care and attention to detail and sound research procedures." Another expert in the field (CUNY's Dorothy Helly) commented that this is "a rich text on a crucial aspect of higher education ... the recruitment process among dramatically increased numbers of Ph.D.'s who include a growing proportion of women and minorities"; she added that the approach used "constituted a radical departure from sole reliance on recommendations from a network of professional colleagues," the usual way of soliciting and selecting candidates. Now part of the new academic library of Quid Pro Books, this book is a classic research study and hallways account of faculty hiring -- of continued value to researchers, teaching applicants, and present faculty hiring committees. The original pagination from the previous hardcover edition is embedded into the text, for continuity and referencing purposes.
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(A pithy and clear guide to the process of creating and ev...)
A pithy and clear guide to the process of creating and evaluating theory in the social sciences. Using a simple model of theory creation and assessment--and applying it in depth to foundational and still-relevant social and economic theorists such as Durkheim, Marx and Parsons--Neil Smelser shows the way to a better understanding of what social theory is supposed to accomplish and how it can be read critically. First appearing in 1971 as a monograph drawn from his undergraduate class on sociological theory, Dr. Smelser's how-to book is now presented in modern format and with his timeless examples and explanations. Featuring a new Preface by the author, as well as a new Foreword by Arlie Russell Hochschild, this book makes understanding the insides of a theoretical framework as clear as such a daunting feat can credibly be accomplished. Useful for students and researchers learning the tools to read all sorts of theory in a critical manner, its republication and new presentation bring Dr. Smelser's legendary course on social theory to a new generation. Part of the Classics of the Social Sciences Series from Quid Pro Books.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1610270525/?tag=2022091-20
( Terrorism is the most clear and present danger we confr...)
Terrorism is the most clear and present danger we confront today, yet no phenomenon is more poorly understood by policymakers, the media, and the general public. The Faces of Terrorism is the first serious interdisciplinary examination of terrorism in all its facets. What gives rise to it, who are its proponents and how do they think, and how--and why--does it work? Neil Smelser begins by tackling the fundamental problem of defining what exactly terrorism is. He shows why a precise definition has eluded us until now, and he proposes one that takes into account the full complexities of this unconventional and politically charged brand of violence. He explores the root causes and conditions of terrorism, and examines the ideologies that inspire and fuel it throughout the world. Smelser looks closely at the terrorists themselves--their recruitment, their motivations, the groups they form, their intended audiences, and their uses of the media in pursuing their agendas. He studies the target societies as well, unraveling the complicated social and psychological impacts of having to cope with the ever-present threat of a terrorist strike--and responding when one occurs. He explains what it means to live under constant threat of terrorism, and addresses the thorny domestic and foreign policy challenges this poses. Throughout, Smelser draws from the latest findings in sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, psychology, psychiatry, and history. The Faces of Terrorism provides the breadth of scope necessary to understand--and ultimately eliminate--this most pressing global threat.
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( Neil Smelser's Social Paralysis and Social Change is on...)
Neil Smelser's Social Paralysis and Social Change is one of the most comprehensive histories of mass education ever written. It tells the story of how working-class education in nineteenth-century Britain—often paralyzed by class, religious, and economic conflict—struggled forward toward change. This book is ambitious in scope. It is both a detailed history of educational development and a theoretical study of social change, at once a case study of Britain and a comparative study of variations within Britain. Smelser simultaneously meets the scholarly standards of historians and critically addresses accepted theories of educational change—"progress," conflict, and functional theories. He also sheds new light on the process of secularization, the relations between industrialization and education, structural differentiation, and the role of the state in social change. This work marks a return for the author to the same historical arena—Victorian Britain—that inspired his classic work Social Change in the Industrial Revolution thirty-five years ago. Smelser's research has again been exhaustive. He has achieved a remarkable synthesis of the huge body of available materials, both primary and secondary. Smelser's latest book will be most controversial in its treatment of class as a primordial social grouping, beyond its economic significance. Indeed, his demonstration that class, ethnic, and religious groupings were decisive in determining the course of British working-class education has broad-ranging implications. These groupings remain at the heart of educational conflict, debate, and change in most societies—including our own—and prompt us to pose again and again the chronic question: who controls the educational terrain?
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(First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylo...)
First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
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( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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(Drawing on the author's extensive experience in the field...)
Drawing on the author's extensive experience in the field, this book demystifies the committee. It explains how to get on certain committees and avoid others, how to get committee work done efficiently, how to ensure that your views are properly represented, how chairing a committee can help direct its outcome, and how to use committees to advance your academic career.
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Smelser, Neil Joseph was born on July 22, 1930 in Kahoka, Missouri, United States. Son of Joseph Nelson and Susie Marie (Hess) Smelser.
Bachelor, Harvard University, 1952. Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 1958. Bachelor, Oxford University, England, 1954.
Master of Arts, Oxford University, England, 1959. Graduate, San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute, 1971.
Member faculty, University of California, Berkeley, 1958-1994;
professor sociology, University of California, Berkeley, since 1962;
assistant chancellor educational development, University of California, Berkeley, 1966-1968;
associate director, Institute of International Studies, Berkeley, 1969-1973, 80-89;
University professor sociology, University of California, Berkeley, 1972-1994;
professor emeritus, since 1994;
director education abroad program for, University of California, Berkeley, 1977-1979;
special advisor Office of President, University of California, Berkeley, 1993-1994;
director Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, since 1994. Board directors Foundation Fund for Research in Psychiatry, 1967-1970. Board directors Social Science Research Council, 1968-1971, 96-, chairman, 1971-1973, member committee economics growth, 1961-1965.
Trustee Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences, 1980-1986, 87-93, chairman, 1984-1986. Trustee Russell Sage Foundation, since 1990. Member subcommittee humanism American Board Internal Medicine, 1981-1985, 89-90, member of advisory committee, since 1992, chairman advising committee, since 1995.
Chairman sociology panel Behavioral and Social Sciences survey NAS and Social Science Research Council, 1967-1969. Member commission on basic research in behavioral and social science National Research Council, 1980-1989, chairman, 1984-1986, co-chairman, 1986-1989. Chairman of Commission of selection Guggenheim Foundation, since 1996.
Chairman Common for Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (NAS/National Research Council), since 1996, German-American Academy Council, since 1999.
(This study applies a structural-differentiation model of ...)
(Even after teaching generations of social scientists, Nei...)
( To love and to work, Freud's famous definition of psych...)
(Quality ebook reprint of a classic work in the social sci...)
(THE CHANGING ACADEMIC MARKET is the inside story and scho...)
(THE CHANGING ACADEMIC MARKET is the inside story and scho...)
( Terrorism is the most clear and present danger we confr...)
( The golden anniversary edition of THEORY OF COLLECTIVE ...)
( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
( Neil Smelser's Social Paralysis and Social Change is on...)
(In all civilizations, men have evinced dramatic collectiv...)
(A pithy and clear guide to the process of creating and ev...)
(Drawing on the author's extensive experience in the field...)
( These skillfully written essays are based on the Georg ...)
(A treatise on the theory of collective behavior, such as ...)
(A treatise on the theory of collective behavior, such as ...)
(Used - Good Personality and Social Systems Jan 20, 1971 S...)
(ESSAYS IN SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION is a collection of sev...)
( For several decades the writings of sociologist Neil J....)
(First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylo...)
(Gordon W. Allport of Harvard first introduced me to the s...)
Member American Sociological Association (council 1962-1965, 67-70, executive committee 1963-1965, president elect 1995-1996, president 1996-1997), Pacific Sociological Association, International Sociological Association (executive committee 1986-1994, vice president 1990-1994), American Academy Arts and Sciences (honorary), Federation State Medical Boards (board directors since 2006), (American Philosophical Society (honorary), National Academy of Sciences (honorary).
Married Helen Thelma Margolis, June 10, 1954 (divorced 1965). Children: Eric Jonathan, Tina Rachel. Married Sharin Fateley, December 20, 1967.
Children: Joseph Neil, Sarah Joanne.