Giddens has written a constant stream of books, on a whole range of
topics (from the nation-state and violence to the transformation of
intimacy). He never stops. Over time, his formulation of his
grand-theoretical perspective, which he calls "the theory of
structuration," has become increasingly baroque, in my opinion.
Two of the clearest statements of the relevant ideas are probably
in CENTRAL PROBLEMS IN SOCIAL THEORY (1978) and, even more
accessibly, in a very nice collection entitled STUDIES IN SOCIAL
AND POLITICAL THEORY (1977).
Giddens has interested me for a long time, since my graduate school
days. On the whole though, what I've found most useful have been
specific arguments in which he captured powerful insights drawn from
19th- and 20th-century social theory (like the "duality of structure,"
which is partly a paraphrase of Durkheim and partly an intended critique
of Durkheim), and not so much the overall grand theory. If someone
wanted to undertake a comprehensive assessment of Giddens's work in
terms of its implications for CHAT, that would be a useful effort ...
but (be warned) quite a major effort.
Ageliki
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Ageliki Nicolopoulou
Department of Psychology
Lehigh University
17 Memorial Drive East
Bethlehem, PA 18015-3068
Tel: 610-758-3618
FAX: 610-758-6277