The History of Sociology in Britain

For many years, the history of British Sociology has been a neglected area of study among sociologists. In more recent times, there are signs of a growing curiosity among British sociologists about their subject's origins and development. This collection sets out both to encourage and satisfy that curiosity while recognising the value of history as a teaching tool that can be used to inspire young sociology students and furnish them with a deeper understanding of the development of British sociology.

The volume contains essays by distinguished sociologists and historians who discuss British sociology's controversial origins, the neglected legacies of several individuals and institutions, the history of how the discipline was taught in the UK throughout the twentieth century, and its peculiar relationships with statistics and the humanities.

The History of Sociology in Britain reveals the distinct character of British sociology through the course of its historical evolution. It is an original contribution and valuable addition to the field which intersects with historiography, epistemology and literature.

Includes contributions from historians and sociologists to stimulate greater interest, interdisciplinary cross-fertilisation and discussion Provides a number of case studies into individuals, disciplines and methodologies within British sociology, as well as larger critical, analytical and empirical revaluations of their significance Assesses and evaluates the teaching of sociology in Britain

Autorentext

Plamena Panayotova has written a doctoral thesis on the history of British Sociology and Statistics and currently teaches quantitative methods and statistical literacy at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

Inhalt

1. Introduction; Plamena Panayotova.- Part 1: Disputed Origins.- ****2. Did British Sociology Begin with the Scottish Enlightenment?; Kenneth Macdonald.- 3. Victorians and Numbers: Statistics and Social Science in Nineteenth-Century Britain; Lawrence Goldman.- Part 2: Neglected Legacies.- 4. Making Sense of Christopher Dawson; Garrett Potts and Stephen Turner.- 5. Richard Titmuss, Eugenics, and Social Science in Mid-Twentieth-Century Britain; Chris Renwick.- 6. Social Status, Social Position and Social Class in Post-war British Society; Colin Mills.- 7. 'Poor Cousins': The Lost History of Sociology in the Polytechnics; Geoff Payne.- 8. Anglo-America: The Case of Edward Shils, Sociologist, 1910-1995; Martin Bulmer.- Part 3: Teaching Sociology.- 9. No Longer Oblivion: Sociology Courses before the 'First' Sociology Course; Christopher T. Husbands.- 10. The Rise of the Social Sciences in British Education, 1960 - 2016; Peter Mandler.- 11. The Teaching of Research Methods in British Sociology in the Twentieth Century; Plamena Panayotova.- Part 4: Historical Peculiarities.- 12. Sociology and Statistics in Britain: The Strange History of Social Mobility Research and its Latter-Day Consequences; John H. Goldthorpe.- 13. What Kind of 'ology'? Two Cultures and the Success of British Sociology; John MacInnes.