Review Article : Contemporary Social Movements in Advanced Industrial Societies and Sociological Intervention: An Appraisal of Alain Touraine's Pratique

Abstract

Given various difficulties contained in the corpus of Alain Touraine, his work demands a close textual analysis. This paper provides a critical exegesis of his recent work on social movements in advanced industrial societies. After a review of Touraine's understanding of the particular contours of 'post-industrial society', it focuses on his discussions of the potential role of incipient social movements in shaping social change The paper proceeds to discuss his novel articulation of an applied sociology - which he terms 'sociological intervention' - designed to assist, not social integration, but societal transformation. Since this project is a work in progress. no definitive conclusions are drawn; however, a number of central unanswered questions are posed.

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