Selected Works of Herbert Blumer. A Public Philosophy for Mass Society

Herbert Blumer, Edited, with Critical commentary and an Afterword, by Stanford M. Lyman and Arthur J. Vidich

Selected Works of Herbert Blumer. A Public Philosophy for Mass Society - Herbert Blumer, Edited, with Critical commentary and an Afterword, by Stanford M. Lyman and Arthur J. Vidich

pagine 408

19,95 $

2000

University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago


The civic sociology of Herbert Blumer speaks to the fundamental problem of modernity: how freedom and equity can be assured when institutional and personal relations are threatened by disparate groups and factions -- in short, by difference.

Balancing essays on Herbert Blumer with Blumer's own writings on race relations, labor and management conflict, urbanization, and popular culture, this volume -- originally published as Social Order and the Public Philosophy -- establishes Blumer's thought as a basis for a public policy that remains faithful to the essential character of human life in a permanently pluralized and segmented society.

Stanford M. Lyman and Arthur J. Vidich situate Blumer's ideas in the context of earlier public philosophers such as William Graham Sumner, Herbert Croly, and Walter Lippmann. They consider the implications of Blumer's works for America's most pressing social issues and propose a sophisticated civic sociology of their own based on his studies and methods. Their new afterword affirms the rich harvest Blumer's philosophy continues to yield for postmodern society.

 

Indice

Preface
Acknowledgments
The Problem of a Public Philosophy: A Sociological Perspective
Introduction
Blumer's Antecedents
Sumner, Croly, and the Southern Comteans
Walter Lippmann: Public Opinion versus a Public Philosophy
Modernity and Democracy
Obstacles to Enlightenment: Stereotypes and the Mass Media
The Public Philosophy and the American Community: Inclusion and Exclusion
The Public Philosophy and the `Mandate of Heaven'
A Public Philosophy for Mass Society: The Civic Sociology of Herbert Blumer
Interaction and the Social Meaning of the Film
Public Opinion, Propaganda, and War
Morale, Truth, and Freedom of Speech
Race Relations and Inequality in the Democratic State
The Relevance of Symbolic Interactionism for Race and Ethnic Relations
Race, Political Power, and Public Philosophy
Race Relations in the Labor Market: Affirmative Action
A Public Philosophy for Affirmative Action
Race and Labor-Management Relations: Political Realism and Moral Order
Labor Conflicts in a Post-Protestant Era
Toward a Politically Realistic Public Philosophy
Mass Society: Beyond the Secularization Process
Industrial Conflict Resolution: A Model for a Public Philosophy
Notes
Selected Works of Herbert Blumer
Public Opinion and Public Opinion Polling
Morale
The State of the Problem
The Nature of Morale
Inadequate Views of Morale
Forms of Morale
Morale in America
The Nature of Race Prejudice
Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position
The Future of the Color Line
Social Science and the Desegregation Process
Nature of Segregation
Segregation as a Social Problem
The Segregating Group
Desegregation
Role of Functionaries
Role of Organizations
Conclusions
The Rationale of Labor-Management Relations
The Nature and Function of the Labor Strike
Control of the Labor Strike
Industrialization and Problems of Social Disorder
The Alleged Role of Industrialization in Producing Social Disorder
Assessment of Industrialization as a Source of Social Disorder
Sociological Theory in Industrial Relations
Group Tension and Interest Organizations
Economic Power Blocs natural to Society
Dynamic Organizations in a Mobile World
Nature of Group Tension
Continuous Workable Adjustments
Problems of Adjustment
Conflicts and the Public Interest
Proposals to Reduce Tension
Conclusion
Social Structure and Power Conflict
Introduction
Analysis of Power
Labor-Management Relations as Power Relations
The Concept of Mass Society
Afterword to the Illinois Paperback Edition
Selected Bibliography of Herbert George Blumer
Index