, Sociological Theory
76_fm_i-xx.indd i 4/14/10 3:12:51 PM
,This page intentionally left blank
, Eighth Edition
Sociological Theory
George Ritzer
University of Maryland
76_fm_i-xx.indd iii 4/14/10 3:12:51 PM
, SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY, EIGHTH EDITION
Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the
Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights
reserved. Previous editions © 2008, 2004, and 2000. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior
written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network
or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.
Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside
the United States.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOC/DOC 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
ISBN: 978-0-07-811167-9
MHID: 0-07-811167-6
Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Michael Ryan
Vice President EDP/Central Publishing Services: Kimberly Meriwether David
Senior Sponsoring Editor: Gina Boedeker
Executive Marketing Manager: Pamela S. Cooper
Managing Editor: Nicole Bridge
Project Manager: Erin Melloy
Design Coordinator: Brenda A. Rolwes
Cover Designer: Studio Montage, St. Louis, Missouri
Lead Photo Editor: Alexandra Ambrose
Cover Credit: Farinaz Taghavi/Getty Images
Buyer: Nicole Baumgartner
Compositor: Glyph International
Typeface: 10/12 Times Roman
Printer: R. R. Donnelley
All credits appearing on page or at the end of the book are considered to be an extension
of the copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ritzer, George.
Sociological theory / George Ritzer.—8th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-07-811167-9 (alk. paper)
1. Sociology. 2. Sociologists—Biography I. Title.
HM585.R57 2010
301.01—dc22
2010006523
www.mhhe.com
rit11676_fm_i-xx.indd iv 4/14/10 3:12:58 PM
, About the Author
George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland,
where he has also been a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and received a Teaching
Excellence Award. In 2000, he received the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching
Award of the American Sociological Association, and in 2004, he received an honor-
ary doctorate from LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Australia.
Dr. Ritzer has served as Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Sec-
tions on Theoretical Sociology and Organizations and Occupations. He held the
UNESCO Chair in Social Theory at the Russian Academy of Sciences and a Fulbright-
Hays Chair at York University in Canada, and he received a Fulbright-Hays award to
the Netherlands. He was Scholar-in-Residence at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced
Study and at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences.
Professor Ritzer’s main theoretical interests lie in metatheory and in applied
social theory. In metatheory, his contributions include Sociology: A Multiple Paradigm
Science (1975, 1980), Toward an Integrated Sociological Paradigm (1981), and
Metatheorizing in Sociology (1991). George Ritzer is perhaps best known, however,
for The McDonaldization of Society (5th ed., 2008), translated into more than a dozen
languages, and for several related books (also with a number of translations), includ-
ing Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society (1995), Enchant-
ing a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption (2nd ed.,
2005), The Globalization of Nothing 2 (2007), and the forthcoming (with Craig Lair)
Outsourcing: Globalization and Beyond. He edited the two-volume Encyclopedia of
Social Theory (2005), the eleven-volume Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2007),
and The Blackwell Companion to Globalization (2007), and he is the founding editor
of the Journal of Consumer Culture.
In 2010, McGraw-Hill published the third edition of Professor Ritzer’s
Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classic Roots: The Basics. Also in 2010,
McGraw-Hill published the sixth edition of Classical Sociological Theory. The latter
text, as well as this one, have been translated into a number of languages.
v
76_fm_i-xx.indd v 4/14/10 3:13:05 PM
, Sociological Theory
76_fm_i-xx.indd i 4/14/10 3:12:51 PM
, To David,
With Love
rit11676_fm_i-xx.indd vi 4/14/10 3:13:06 PM
, Brief Contents
Biographical and Autobiographical Sketches xvi
Preface xviii
PART I Classical Sociological Theory 1
CHAPTER 1 A Historical Sketch of Sociological Theory: The Early Years 1
CHAPTER 2 Karl Marx 43
CHAPTER 3 Emile Durkheim 76
CHAPTER 4 Max Weber 112
CHAPTER 5 Georg Simmel 158
PART II Modern Sociological Theory: The Major Schools 189
CHAPTER 6 A Historical Sketch of Sociological Theory: The Later Years 189
CHAPTER 7 Structural Functionalism, Neofunctionalism, and Conflict
Theory 236
CHAPTER 8 Varieties of Neo-Marxian Theory 277
CHAPTER 9 Systems Theory 331
CHAPTER 10 Symbolic Interactionism 351
CHAPTER 11 Ethnomethodology 391
CHAPTER 12 Exchange, Network, and Rational Choice Theories 416
CHAPTER 13 Contemporary Feminist Theory 454
vii
76_fm_i-xx.indd vii 4/14/10 3:13:06 PM
, viii Brief Contents
PART III Recent Integrative Developments in Sociological Theory 499
CHAPTER 14 Micro-Macro and Agency-Structure Integration 499
PART IV From Modern to Postmodern Social Theory (and Beyond) 547
CHAPTER 15 Contemporary Theories of Modernity 547
CHAPTER 16 Globalization Theory 574
CHAPTER 17 Structuralism, Poststructuralism, and Postmodern
Social Theory 605
CHAPTER 18 Cutting-Edge Developments in Contemporary Theory 645
Appendix A-1
References R-1
Credits C-1
Name Index I-1
Subject Index I-13
rit11676_fm_i-xx.indd viii 4/14/10 3:13:06 PM
76_fm_i-xx.indd i 4/14/10 3:12:51 PM
,This page intentionally left blank
, Eighth Edition
Sociological Theory
George Ritzer
University of Maryland
76_fm_i-xx.indd iii 4/14/10 3:12:51 PM
, SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY, EIGHTH EDITION
Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the
Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights
reserved. Previous editions © 2008, 2004, and 2000. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior
written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network
or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.
Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside
the United States.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOC/DOC 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
ISBN: 978-0-07-811167-9
MHID: 0-07-811167-6
Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Michael Ryan
Vice President EDP/Central Publishing Services: Kimberly Meriwether David
Senior Sponsoring Editor: Gina Boedeker
Executive Marketing Manager: Pamela S. Cooper
Managing Editor: Nicole Bridge
Project Manager: Erin Melloy
Design Coordinator: Brenda A. Rolwes
Cover Designer: Studio Montage, St. Louis, Missouri
Lead Photo Editor: Alexandra Ambrose
Cover Credit: Farinaz Taghavi/Getty Images
Buyer: Nicole Baumgartner
Compositor: Glyph International
Typeface: 10/12 Times Roman
Printer: R. R. Donnelley
All credits appearing on page or at the end of the book are considered to be an extension
of the copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ritzer, George.
Sociological theory / George Ritzer.—8th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-07-811167-9 (alk. paper)
1. Sociology. 2. Sociologists—Biography I. Title.
HM585.R57 2010
301.01—dc22
2010006523
www.mhhe.com
rit11676_fm_i-xx.indd iv 4/14/10 3:12:58 PM
, About the Author
George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland,
where he has also been a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and received a Teaching
Excellence Award. In 2000, he received the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching
Award of the American Sociological Association, and in 2004, he received an honor-
ary doctorate from LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Australia.
Dr. Ritzer has served as Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Sec-
tions on Theoretical Sociology and Organizations and Occupations. He held the
UNESCO Chair in Social Theory at the Russian Academy of Sciences and a Fulbright-
Hays Chair at York University in Canada, and he received a Fulbright-Hays award to
the Netherlands. He was Scholar-in-Residence at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced
Study and at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences.
Professor Ritzer’s main theoretical interests lie in metatheory and in applied
social theory. In metatheory, his contributions include Sociology: A Multiple Paradigm
Science (1975, 1980), Toward an Integrated Sociological Paradigm (1981), and
Metatheorizing in Sociology (1991). George Ritzer is perhaps best known, however,
for The McDonaldization of Society (5th ed., 2008), translated into more than a dozen
languages, and for several related books (also with a number of translations), includ-
ing Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society (1995), Enchant-
ing a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption (2nd ed.,
2005), The Globalization of Nothing 2 (2007), and the forthcoming (with Craig Lair)
Outsourcing: Globalization and Beyond. He edited the two-volume Encyclopedia of
Social Theory (2005), the eleven-volume Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2007),
and The Blackwell Companion to Globalization (2007), and he is the founding editor
of the Journal of Consumer Culture.
In 2010, McGraw-Hill published the third edition of Professor Ritzer’s
Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classic Roots: The Basics. Also in 2010,
McGraw-Hill published the sixth edition of Classical Sociological Theory. The latter
text, as well as this one, have been translated into a number of languages.
v
76_fm_i-xx.indd v 4/14/10 3:13:05 PM
, Sociological Theory
76_fm_i-xx.indd i 4/14/10 3:12:51 PM
, To David,
With Love
rit11676_fm_i-xx.indd vi 4/14/10 3:13:06 PM
, Brief Contents
Biographical and Autobiographical Sketches xvi
Preface xviii
PART I Classical Sociological Theory 1
CHAPTER 1 A Historical Sketch of Sociological Theory: The Early Years 1
CHAPTER 2 Karl Marx 43
CHAPTER 3 Emile Durkheim 76
CHAPTER 4 Max Weber 112
CHAPTER 5 Georg Simmel 158
PART II Modern Sociological Theory: The Major Schools 189
CHAPTER 6 A Historical Sketch of Sociological Theory: The Later Years 189
CHAPTER 7 Structural Functionalism, Neofunctionalism, and Conflict
Theory 236
CHAPTER 8 Varieties of Neo-Marxian Theory 277
CHAPTER 9 Systems Theory 331
CHAPTER 10 Symbolic Interactionism 351
CHAPTER 11 Ethnomethodology 391
CHAPTER 12 Exchange, Network, and Rational Choice Theories 416
CHAPTER 13 Contemporary Feminist Theory 454
vii
76_fm_i-xx.indd vii 4/14/10 3:13:06 PM
, viii Brief Contents
PART III Recent Integrative Developments in Sociological Theory 499
CHAPTER 14 Micro-Macro and Agency-Structure Integration 499
PART IV From Modern to Postmodern Social Theory (and Beyond) 547
CHAPTER 15 Contemporary Theories of Modernity 547
CHAPTER 16 Globalization Theory 574
CHAPTER 17 Structuralism, Poststructuralism, and Postmodern
Social Theory 605
CHAPTER 18 Cutting-Edge Developments in Contemporary Theory 645
Appendix A-1
References R-1
Credits C-1
Name Index I-1
Subject Index I-13
rit11676_fm_i-xx.indd viii 4/14/10 3:13:06 PM
