Knowledge as Culture: The New Sociology of Knowledge

By E. Doyle McCarthy

Book Overview

Drawing on the Marxist, French structuralist and American pragmatist traditions, this is a lively and accessible introduction to the sociology of knowledge.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 041506497X
• ISBN13: 9780415064972
• Release Date: September 1996
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 138 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

great book, contribution to the sociology of knowledge

This book deals effectively with the sociology of knowledge, a very important part of sociology as a whole, that seems to be considered by alot of people to be some marginal field of thought, when in fact it is arguably one of the most important and far reaching areas of thought, not only in sociology and social science, but in philosophy, the humanities and even the physical sciences like mathematics. The reason why the sociology of knowledge has had a history of only slowing coming out into the light of the central stage of thought from the arcane alcoves of academia is, ironically, predicted by the sociology of knowledge, especially the social construction of reality, dealt with in another book by Berger and Luckmann in 'The Social Construction of Reality.' Having read Berger and Luckmann's treatise several times, I thought it was one of the best works in this field. This book, 'Knowledge as Culture: The New Sociology of Knowledge' picks up from where the other left of, along with other books by other people. As a matter of fact, the author was apparently a student of Berger as indicated in the acknowledgements. These two books can in a way be considered a continuing conversation about the sociology of knowledge. This book by E. Doyle McCarthy brings the sociology of knowledge to center stage of the 21st century, by considering past theorists in the light of our modern, or some might say post-modern, social existence. She also offers her own original and thought provoking ideas, and engages the reader to do the same. I think the sociology of knowledge is one of the most profound and important subjects ever thought about, or "known," in the history of human discourse, and this book did not let me down.