Philip Abrams Libri

This book argues that history and sociology share the same vital preoccupation: the desire to unravel the puzzle of human agency. How do large-scale social transformations occur, and what is the role of the individual in them? Phil Abrams devotes three chapters to the development of industrialism and scrutinizes, in that connection, the theories of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. Subsequent chapters consider Talcott Parsons and the debate on convergence; the formation of states; the idea of the event as a legitimate concern of history and sociology; individuals and sociological generations; deviancy and revolution; and a final chapter on the limits of historical sociology. --Steven Lukes, Balliol College, Oxford

This 1976 book examines the commune movement in Britain, exploring sociology's ability to understand alternative societies and the implications of communal project outcomes for sociological theories on social solidarity. It critiques existing studies, questions friendship in capitalism, and argues that communes struggle against obstacles leading to disintegration or authoritarianism.