Colonialism and Modern Social Theory

Gurminder K. Bhambra, John Holmwood

$36.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Polity Press
02 July 2021

Society & Social Sciences; Sociology & anthropology

Modern society emerged in the context of European colonialism and empire. So, too, did a distinctively modern social theory, laying the basis for most social theorising ever since. Yet colonialism and empire are absent from the conceptual understandings of modern society, which are organised instead around ideas of nation state and capitalist economy.

Gurminder K. Bhambra and John Holmwood address this absence by examining the role of colonialism in the development of modern society and the legacies it has bequeathed. Beginning with a consideration of the role of colonialism and empire in the formation of social theory from Hobbes to Hegel, the authors go on to focus on the work of Tocqueville, Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Du Bois. As well as unpicking critical omissions and misrepresentations, the chapters discuss the places where colonialism is acknowledged and discussed – albeit inadequately – by these founding figures; and we come to see what this fresh rereading has to offer and why it matters. This inspiring and insightful book argues for a reconstruction of social theory that should lead to a better understanding of contemporary social thought, its limitations, and its wider possibilities.

By: Gurminder K. Bhambra, John Holmwood
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 226mm, Width: 150mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 408g
ISBN: 9781509541300
ISBN 10: 1509541306
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 02 July 2021
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Gurminder K. Bhambra is Professor of Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies at the University of Sussex. John Holmwood is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Nottingham.

Reviews for Colonialism and Modern Social Theory

'This is a remarkably powerful book that supplies an eloquent, well-reasoned, and thorough account of how colonialism and empire are absent from sociology's current jurisdiction. Written by two outstanding sociologists, it is a nuanced and pertinent critique of the classical canon in modern social theory and an invitation to decolonize it.' Sari Hanafi, American University of Beirut and President of the International Sociological Association 'Bhambra and Holmwood analyse incisively how the elided colonial context of modern social theory has shaped and limited its purview, and that of western sociology. They provide a timely, provocative optic for engaging the unanticipated ethnoracial nationalist backlash to multicultural democracy.' Robert J. Antonio, University of Kansas