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Understanding agency : social theory and responsible action / Barry Barnes.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: London ; Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage, 2000.Description: 1 online resource (xii, 163 pages)Content type:
  • text
Media type:
  • computer
Carrier type:
  • online resource
ISBN:
  • 9781848609044
  • 1848609043
  • 058530856X
  • 9780585308562
  • 9781446219140
  • 1446219143
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Additional physical formats: Print version:: Understanding agency.DDC classification:
  • 302/.1 22
LOC classification:
  • BJ1451 .B355 2000eb
Other classification:
  • 71.44
Online resources:
Contents:
Cover; Table of Contents; Preface; Part I: Materials and Arguments; 1 -- Everyday Discourse; 2 -- 'Choice' and 'Agency' in Social Theory; 3 -- A Brief Digression on Attribution; 4 -- On Individualism in Social Theory; 5 -- Transcending Individualism; Part II: Speculations and Evaluations; 6 -- 'Agency' and 'Responsibility' in Sociological Theory; 7 -- Agency, Responsibility and New Human Biotechnologies; 8 -- Rational Agents in Differentiated Societies; 9 -- On the Fine Line Between Status and State; Bibliography; Index.
Review: "In this book, one of the leading commentators in the field argues that social theory is moving in the wrong direction in its reflections on human freedom and autonomy. It has borrowed notions of 'agency' and 'choice' from everyday discourse, but increasingly it puts a misconceived individualistic gloss upon them. Against this, Barnes unequivocally identifies human beings as social agents in a profound sense, and emphasises the vital importance of their sociability. Notions of 'agency', 'freedom' and 'choice' have to be understood by reference to their role in communicative interaction; they are key components of the discourse through which human beings identify each other, and have effects upon each other, as social agents."--Jacket.
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
eBook eBook e-Library EBSCO Social Science Available
Total holds: 0

Includes bibliographical references (pages 156-160) and index.

"In this book, one of the leading commentators in the field argues that social theory is moving in the wrong direction in its reflections on human freedom and autonomy. It has borrowed notions of 'agency' and 'choice' from everyday discourse, but increasingly it puts a misconceived individualistic gloss upon them. Against this, Barnes unequivocally identifies human beings as social agents in a profound sense, and emphasises the vital importance of their sociability. Notions of 'agency', 'freedom' and 'choice' have to be understood by reference to their role in communicative interaction; they are key components of the discourse through which human beings identify each other, and have effects upon each other, as social agents."--Jacket.

Cover; Table of Contents; Preface; Part I: Materials and Arguments; 1 -- Everyday Discourse; 2 -- 'Choice' and 'Agency' in Social Theory; 3 -- A Brief Digression on Attribution; 4 -- On Individualism in Social Theory; 5 -- Transcending Individualism; Part II: Speculations and Evaluations; 6 -- 'Agency' and 'Responsibility' in Sociological Theory; 7 -- Agency, Responsibility and New Human Biotechnologies; 8 -- Rational Agents in Differentiated Societies; 9 -- On the Fine Line Between Status and State; Bibliography; Index.

Print version record.

WorldCat record variable field(s) change: 650

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