Grand masters of contemporary social theory

This book aims to provide a comprehensive guide, detailing the academic development of prominent scholars and highlighting their connections to different social, cultural, and political thought traditions. It introduces leading figures and master theorists in contemporary social theory, guiding students to appreciate and understand the brilliance and academic achievements of these great individuals. Therefore, containing theoretical texts and critical evaluations of over thirty masters, this book will undoubtedly become an important reference work in social theory.

The thirty-four academic giants of contemporary social or cultural theory covered in this book include Heidegger, Bataille, Merleau-Ponty, Marcuse, Adorno, Benjamin, Habermas, Goffman, Berger, Foucault, Lyotard, Lacan, Derrida, Barthes, Kristeva, Irigaray, Baudrillard, Deleuze and Guattari, Virilio, Lefebvre, Lyotard, Luhmann, Taylor, Rorty, Chodorow, Giddens, Beck, Bourdieu, Bauman, Haraway, Jameson, Hall, Mitchell, and Said.