Bauman and Contemporary Sociology: A Critical Analysis - Paperback

by Ali Rattansi (Author)

This book offers an incisive and original perspective on the works of Zygmunt Bauman, perhaps the greatest sociologist of the late twentieth century. It examines the limitations of his approach while recognising the importance of his legacy as a theorist who insisted on the need for moral engagement.

Front Jacket

The late Zygmunt Bauman is regarded by many as the greatest sociologist of the late twentieth century. This book is the first single-authored critical engagement with Bauman's most important work. Previous books on Bauman have been exegetical, but Ali Rattansi shines an unwavering critical light on key themes in Bauman's writing. He provides a compelling critique of Bauman's interpretation of the Holocaust, contemporary Western modernity, consumerism and globalisation, calling into question the cogency of Bauman's critique of conventional academic sociology. Rattansi sees Bauman's enduring legacy in his repeated insistence on the need for sociologists to take a moral stance in favour of the world's poor and downtrodden. Bauman and contemporary sociology offers an incisive and original perspective on the man and his legacy to fellow sociologists and a lucid and compelling introduction to his work for students, for academics beyond sociology and for general readers.

Back Jacket

The late Zygmunt Bauman is regarded by many as the greatest sociologist of the late twentieth century. This book is the first single-authored critical engagement with Bauman's most important work.

Author Biography

Ali Rattansi was Professor and is now Visiting Professor of Sociology at City, University of London. His many books include Marx and the Division of Labour, Postmodernism and Society and the Oxford University Press Very Short Introductions to Racism and Multiculturalism.