Simmel and 'the social'

Resource Information

The work Simmel and 'the social' represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Liverpool. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

Simmel and 'the social'

Statement of responsibility

Olli Pyyhtinen

Creator

• Pyyhtinen, Olli, 1976-

Language

eng

Summary

• This book argues for the centrality of Georg Simmel's social theory to the relational and processual emphases that are often considered as much more recent developments in social theory. Situating Simmel's work in particular with respect to New Vitalism and Bruno Latour's work, the book shows that Simmel has still an enormous amount to contribute.
• 'This is an original work, one that stimulates further reflection on the social as a crucial concept in both sociology and philosophy. Pyyhtinen has certainly brought the social alive for a contemporary audience.' - David Frisby, Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Member of

• Online access with purchase: Palgrave Connect (Social Sciences Collection)

Cataloging source

UK-WkNB

Index

no index present

Literary form

non fiction

Summary expansion

What is the social? The notion of the social lies at the core of sociology, yet the social is treated more often as a stable explanatory variable than as something that needs to be explained. This book engages in a critical reworking of the notion of the social by drawing on the work of the German sociologist and philosopher Georg Simmel. Instead of producing an exegesis of Simmel's work, the book renders Simmel's ideas in a new light by situating them in relation to contemporary social theory, in particular New Vitalism, the thought of the event and the work of Bruno Latour. The book draws attention to the centrality of Simmel's work to processualist and relationist emphases that are often thought of as much more than developments in social theory, and shows that with regard to these issues Simmel has still an enormous amount to contribute