American sociology and pragmatism : Mead, Chicago sociology, and symbolic interaction

Lewis and Smith reconstruct the intellectual histories of both American pragmatism and sociology as they developed from 1892 to 1935 at the University of Chicago. In doing so, the authors challenge much current thinking in philosophy and sociology. Contrary to the standard account of the history of American pragmatism, which depicts the philosophies of Charles Peirce, William James, John Dewey, and George Herbert Mead as forming a unified tradition, the authors argue that there were two distinct types of American pragmatism. One was the individualist pragmatism of James's and Dewey's functional psychology; the other was the more socially oriented pragmatism of Peirce and Mead. The authors present a reinterpretation of the intellectual influence of the pragmatists, especially Mead, upon the early Chicago sociologists and the subsequent tradition of symbolic interactionism. Through an analysis of relevant texts, they show that leading sociologists of the period, Small, Ellwood, Thomas, and Blumer, among others, approximate the philosophical tradition of James and Dewey more closely than that of Mead and Peirce. The convergence of textual, archival, and survey-based evidence collected by Lewis and Smith reopens the debate concerning the intellectual roots of American sociology. Their study points toward the need for a radically revised history of symbolic interactionism, American pragmatism, Chicago sociology, and American sociology itself from 1890 to 1935. Part One: A Synoptic Overview -- Charles Peirce: Logical Structures Of Sociological Realism -- William James: Radical Empiricism And Functional Psychology -- John Dewey: Inquiry And Genetic Logic -- George Herbert Mead: Philosophical Bearings On Social Behaviorism -- Part Two: Toward An Intellectual History Of Chicago Sociology -- Quantitive Indicators Of Mead's Role In The Development Of Chicago Sociology -- The Social Recognition Of Mead In American Sociology, 1895-1935 -- Mead And Chicago Sociology: Recollections Of Former Sociology Graduate Students -- Retrospect And Prospect: Larger Contextsof The Study -- Appendixes: 1. Courses Taught By Mead At The University Of Chicago, 1894-95 To 1930-31 -- 2. Distribution Of Sociology Graduate Students Among Mead's Courses, 1894-1935 -- 3. Distribution And Frequency Of Article Recognition In Sociology Dissertations, Journals, And Books, 1895-1935 -- 4. Selective Substantive Articles Written By Mead, 1894-1930. J. David Lewis And Richard L. Smith. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [321]-344. Slight shelf wear. Small tear on dustcover. Pages are clean and binding is tight. FINE book in VERY GOOD dustcover.