Social scientists have long recognized that solidarity is essential for such phenomena as social order, class, and ethnic consciousness, and the provision of collective goods. In presenting a new general theory of group solidarity, Michael Hechter here contends that it is indeed possible to build a theory of solidarity based on the action of rational individuals and in doing so he goes beyond the timeworn disciplinary boundaries separating the various social sciences.

This comprehensive collection of classical sociological theory is a definitive guide to the roots of sociology from its undisciplined beginnings to its current influence on contemporary sociological debate. Explores influential works of Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Mead, Simmel, Freud, Du Bois, Adorno, Marcuse, Parsons, and Merton Editorial introductions lend historical and intellectual perspective to the substantial readings Includes a new section with new readings on the immediate "pre-history" of sociological theory, including the Enlightenment and de Tocqueville Individual reading selections are updated throughout

Presently the world is undergoing tremendous social, cultural and economic transformation. For sociologists, the challenge is arriving at a sound mapping of this tumultuous world stage. In this book, the contributing authors consider solidarity as a cognitive problem of basic science. They examine how solidarity is produced and reproduced, how it is related to social processes, and how such processes can be formalized and create conditions for productively studying their properties. Mathematical models and representations are presented by the authors as a coherent set of tools for understanding many social phenomena.

This book presents a new view on the concept of solidarity and explains how it complements justice in health and social care.

The "Advances in Group Processes" series publishes theoretical analyses, reviews and theory-based empirical chapters on group phenomena. Volume 19 includes papers that address fundamental issues of solidarity, cohesion and trust. Chapter one shows how solidarity is a consequence of group-level phenomena (competition) and individual level phenomena (similarity). The second chapter examines solidarity among injection drug users, showing that the cohesion and solidarity of drug users are patterned by principles of collective action. The next two chapters integrate extant theories to provide new insights. Chapter three integrates principles of social exchange, status organizing processes and game theory to theorize solidarity; while chapter four shows how research on emotions can explain solidarity in status-differentiated groups. Two chapters then review and analyse long-standing programmes of research on cohesion and trust. Chapter five reviews a decade of growth for the theory of relational cohesion, showing how emotions lead to cohesion and commitment. Chapter six analyses how learning and social control can produce trust in networks of varying size. The final two chapters examine processes that are often neglected in the production of solidarity and cohesion. Chapter seven analyses group loyalty as a function of intra- and inter-personal factors. Chapter eight examines how relatively subtle features of speech arrangements can either maintain or disrupt solidarity. Overall, the volume includes papers that reflect a wide range of theoretical approaches to solidarity and contributions by scholars that work in the general area of group processes.

This book brings together philosophers, social psychologists and social scientists to approach contemporary social reality from the viewpoint of solidarity. It examines the nature of different kinds of solidarity and assesses the normative and explanatory potential of the concept. Various aspects of solidarity as a special emotionally and ethically responsive relation are studied: the nature of collective emotions and mutual recognition, responsiveness to others’ suffering and needs, and the nature of moral partiality included in solidarity. The evolution of norms of solidarity is examined both via the natural evolution of the human “social brain” and via the institutional changes in legal constitutions and contemporary work life. This text will appeal to students, scholars, and anyone interested in the interdisciplinary topic of social solidarity.

Dit boek onderzoekt in theoretisch en empirisch opzicht welke gevolgen globalisering en individualisering hebben voor solidariteit. Het besteedt aandacht aan informele solidariteit, zoals vrijwilligerswerk en mantelzorg, en aan formele solidariteit, zoals sociale uitkeringen en ontwikkelingshulp. Het plaatst kanttekeningen bij het wijd verbreide geloof dat de groeiende internationale concurrentie en kapitaalstromen en het toenemende egocentrisme van moderne burgers de solidariteit ondergraven.

This book brings together two traditions of thinking about social ties: sociological theory on sol idarity and anthropological theory on gift exchange. The purpose of the book is to explore how both theoretical traditions may complete and enrich each other, and how they may illuminate transformations in solidarity. The main argument, supported by empirical illustrations, is that a theory of solidarity should incorporate some of the core insights from anthropological gift theory. The book presents a theoretical model covering both positive and negative--selective and excluding--aspects and consequences of solidarity.