In a whirlwind of new readings, some seem more interesting than others. One shouldn't judge a book by its cover, of course... but before purchasing, a glance at the table of contents/index is a must! As often happens, the editorial staff of sociologicamente.it he returns with his #readingtips, a list of texts to consider. There have been many suggestions, but we recommend what we believe to be the best books for October 2023.
Among the best books for October 2023, a text by Bourdieu
The Market for Symbolic Goods and Other Writings on Art, published by Meltemi, is a collection of essays by the renowned author. In these texts, Pierre Bourdieu outlines the contours of a sociology of art capable of overcoming the classic antinomy between internal and external readings of works. The highlight of the collection, now in Italian translation for the first time, is The Market for Symbolic Goods, unanimously recognized as a fundamental text and a theoretical premise for the author's journey into the sociology of arts and culture. It is here that Bourdieu identifies the theoretical and methodological tools for a rigorous critique of any attempt at a "pure science" of cultural and symbolic objects, including the science we now call "art history."
The essay is accompanied by the translation of other writings on art, including Religious Piety and Artistic Devotion, in which the author, starting from a small ethnography of the church of Santa Maria Novella, questions the boundaries between the sacred and profane gaze, and an open letter to Paolo Fossati on the History of Italian Art, in which Bourdieu offers some "marginal notes" that, upon careful reading, reveal themselves to be anything but peripheral in the definition of a "science of art."
Among the best books for October 2023: economic sociology
Ten Lessons on Economic Sociology by E. Morlicchio and A. Cocorullo is a very useful text for teaching the subject of the same name. The book introduces students to the sociological study of economic phenomena by providing analytical categories and basic theoretical and methodological tools that revolve around Polanyi's distinction between formal and substantial concepts.
Each chapter corresponds to a complete lesson: the ten lessons can be read sequentially, as part of a comprehensive introductory course in economic sociology, or independently of one another, according to one's specific interests. Each lesson includes a section dedicated to recommended reading on the topics covered and a box of exercises for self-assessment.
Among the best books for October 2023: Survey data analysis
Among the best texts to consider for October 2023 is Survey Data Analysis: Exercises and Practice for Learning to Answer Simple Research Questions by Ferruccio Biolcati and Riccardo Ladini. Drawing on their academic teaching experience, the authors offer a series of exercises and practice exercises to learn how to analyze survey data using the most widely used statistical programs in social research (SPSS and STATA). The volume introduces students to these programs and covers the main techniques for constructing variables and analyzing data: univariate analysis, constructing indices and typologies, bivariate and trivariate contingency tables, and simple and multiple regression.
Beyond the practical approach to data analysis, the volume features two other distinctive features: it focuses on survey data, collected via questionnaires on representative samples of the population, and it closely develops research questions and data analysis, highlighting the central role of this connection for a coherent and effective research design. Furthermore, the volume provides useful tools for preparing a data analysis presentation, from defining the research question to discussing the results. The volume is aimed primarily at undergraduate and graduate students in the social, political, and economic sciences.
Among the books available for pre-order: positional sociology
The first text to have attracted the attention of this author is " Sociologia di Posizione. Prospettive teoriche e metodologiche" (Sociology of Position. Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives) by F. De Nardis, A. Petrillo, and A. Simone. The authors believe this is the first text conceived and conceived to define the theoretical and methodological contours of "Sociologia di Posizione." It aims to reconstruct the historical and critical context in which sociologies arose and, at the same time, to revitalize it in order to identify connections with the present.
The first part of the volume identifies several theoretical perspectives, ranging from the recovery of historical materialism and Marx's thought to studies on workerism and post-workerism, from the critique of Foucault and Bourdieu's knowledge-powers to feminist and gender theories. But that's not all. It also explores epistemologies of the South, Critical Media Studies, studies of old and new ideologies, the impact of neoliberalization on societies and institutions, and theories related to post-development.
The second part, instead, identifies several methodological and empirical perspectives, ranging from the critique of the social construction of data to (co)research, from document analysis to ethnography, from the use of archival sources to the historical-comparative method. Underlying all the contributions is a common understanding: sociology can never be at the service of power. It is a science that serves to explain social phenomena, including to position oneself in relation to them. Analyzing the present, therefore, helps define the critical parameters of alternative societies.
The text is due out on November 10th, but pre-order is available.
Lecturer in Communications and HR Management. Journalist with a degree in Sociology (cum laude). Editor-in-Chief of Sociologicamente.it.
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