Societies and Social Life: An Introduction to Sociology

Employing an historical and comparative approach, this text is founded on the work of the classic nineteenth- and early twentieth-century founders of sociology, who began their quest for objective social knowledge by addressing the large questions -- where did their societies come from, what were their characters, and where were they going. In their search for answers, they explored the origins of Western capitalism, analyzed its major economic, political and social institutions, and tried to predict future developments. The Author maintains those classic concerns by providing conceptual tools that help students to make sense of the changes currently sweeping American, European, and Third World societies.