Written by award-winning scholar, Jonathan Turner, Contemporary Sociological Theory covers the range of diversity of theory in nine theoretical traditions, and variants of theoretical approaches in these traditions. The result is a comprehensive review of present-day theorizing in sociology covering functional, evolutionary, ecological, conflict, interactionist, exchange, structuralist, cultural, and critical theories and the major proponents of these theories. Moreover, for each theoretical tradition, it origins are examined in a separate chapter with an eye to how classical theorists influenced the work of key contemporary scholars. This book will serve as a valuable resource for those readers seeking in-depth and comprehensive coverage of contemporary traditions in their historical contexts.
Unlike many texts, coverage is comprehensive and deep. The theories and their origins are examined in detail so that readers can fully understand the origins and present profile of theories in present-day sociology.
Unlike many texts that skim over theories on the surface, this book seeks to unlock for the reader their underlying structure of each theory. The book is written in a modular format so that theories and traditions can be examined in any order, and in many diverse combinations.
If desired, only the contemporary theories can be read without attention to their historical contexts, or the reverse is true if readers want to understand the historical origins of a particular theoretical tradition.
Since Jonathan Turner is an active theorist in his own right, he brings to the book an appreciation of how theories are created as an insider rather than as only a commentator on theory. As such, he is able to bring out the underlying assumptions, structure, and form of a theory in new and interesting ways for casual readers and scholars alike.

1. The Nature of Sociological Theory
PART I. FUNCTIONAL THEORIZING
2. The Rise of Functional Theorizing
3. Talcott Parsons¿ Analytical Functionalism
4. The Systems Functinoalism of Niklas Luhmann
5. Efforts to Revitalize Functionalism
PART II. EVOLUTIONARY AND ECOLOGICAL THEORIES
6. The Rise of Evolutionary and Ecological Theories
7. Ecological Theories
8. Stage Theories of Societal Evolution
9. Darwinian-inspired Evolutionary Theories
PART III. CONFICT THEORIZING
10. The Rise of Conflict Theorizing
11. Early Analytical Conflict Theories
12. Randall Collins¿ Analytical Conflict Theory
13. Marxian Conflict Theories
14. Conflict Theories in Historical-Comparative Sociology
PART IV. INTERACTIONIST THEORIZING
15. The Rise of Interactionist and Phenomenological Theorizing
16. Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Identity
17. Roles Theories
18. Status Theories
19. Dramaturgical Theories
20. Ethnomethological Theories
PART V. EXCHANGE THEORIZING
21. The Rise of Exchange Theorizing
22. Early Exchange Theorizing
23. Rational Choice Theories
24. Exchange-Network Theories
PART VI. STRUCTURALIST AND CULTURAL THEORIZING
25. The Rise of Structuralist and Cultural Theorizing
26. Early Structural and Cultural Theories
27. Cultural Theories
28. Structuration Theory
29. Network Analysis
PART VII. THE CHALLENGE OF CRITICAL THEORIZING
30. The Rise of Critical Theorizing
31. Critical Theorizing in the Frankfurt School
32. Postmodernism as Critical Theory
33. American-style Critical Theory

Jonathan H. Turner (PhD, Cornell University) is Distinguished Professor of sociology at the University of California at Riverside and University Professor for the University of California. The leading authority on sociological theory, Dr. Turner is the author of 38 influential books, which have been published in twelve different languages, as well as the author of many research articles in numerous journals and books.