This volume constitutes a sustained effort by prominent sociologists and other social scientists to assess the current standing of sociology. It is a stocktaking of the unique nature of sociology in the light of advances within the discipline itself and within a range of neighbouring disciplines.Table of ContentsIntroduction Frontiers of Sociology Peter Hedstrom Hedstrom, Peter Bjorn Wittrock Wittrock, Bjorn 1The Legacy and Frontiers of SociologyThe Emergence of Universalism: An Affirmative Genealogy Hans Joas Joas, Hans 15The Social Sciences and the Two Relativisms Raymond Boudon Boudon, Raymond 25The Return to Values in Recent Sociological Theory Piotr Sztompka Sztompka, Piotr 39Sociology and Political Science: Learning and Challenges Jack A. Goldstone Goldstone, Jack A. 59Toward a New Comprehensive Social Science Dietrich Rueschemeyer Rueschemeyer, Dietrich 67Sociology and the Historical SciencesHistory and Sociology: Transmutations of Historical Reasoning in the Social Sciences Bjorn Wittrock Wittrock, Bjorn 77Axial Visions and Axial Civilizations: The Transformations of World Histories between Evolutionary Tendencies and Institutional Formations S. N. Eisenstadt Eisenstadt, S. N. 113Social "Mechanisms" and Comparative-Historical Sociology: A Critical Realist Proposal Philip Gorski Gorski, Philip 147Sociology and the Economic SciencesSociology and the Economic Sciences Neil J. Smelser Smelser, Neil J. 197Formal Theory in the Social Sciences Richard Breen Breen, Richard 209Bourdieu's Contribution to Economic Sociology Richard Swedberg Swedberg, Richard 231Sociology and the Cultural SciencesModernity as Experience and as Interpretation: Towards Something Like a Cultural Turn in the Sociology of "Modern Society" Peter Wagner Wagner, Peter 247Geocultural Scenarios Ulf Hannerz Hannerz, Ulf 267Sociology and the Cognitive SciencesThe Social Stance and Its Relation to Intersubjectivity Peter Gardenfors Gardenfors, Peter291Shared Beliefs about the Past: A Cognitive Sociology of Intersubjective Memory Jens Rydgren Rydgren, Jens 307The Analytical Turn in Sociology Peter Hedstrom Hedstrom, Peter 331Sociology and the Mathematical and Statistical SciencesWe Always Know More Than We Can Say: Mathematical Sociologists on Mathematical Sociology Christofer Edling Edling, Christofer 345Statistical Models and Mechanisms of Social Processes Aage B. Sorensen Sorensen, Aage B. 369Causal Inference and Statistical Models in Modern Social Sciences Hans-Peter Blossfeld Blossfeld, Hans-Peter 401Notes on Contributors 433Author Index 439
