Works
by Frank Elwell
The
Evolution of the Future (Praeger, 1991)
About this
Title:
Written by sociologist Frank W. Elwell Chairman of the
Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work at
Murray State University. Rather than relying on simple trend
analysis, the book critiques futurism from the standpoint of
cultural materialism, a contemporary theory rooted in social
ecology/evolutionary theory. The book includes:
- A revision of Cultural
Materialism a systems theory that attempts to account
for the origin, maintenance, and change of society.
- The social evolutionary
process supported by the latest research and
supplemented with case studies and illustrations.
- The role of elites
discussing the nature and extent of their power in
determining future social evolution.
- The politics of the
future examining the clash between the technological and
ecological worldviews.
- Environmental limits
clarifying the empirical and theoretical underpinnings
to the debate.
- A critique of
postindustrialists including the popular utopian works
of Toeffler, Naisbitt and other optimists.
- The new totalitarianism
an update on the dystopia as envisioned by Huxley,
Heilbroner, and others.
Industrializing America:
Understanding Contemporary Society Through Classical
Sociological Analysis (Praeger, 1999)
About this
Title:
An analysis of any part of the social system must be
firmly rooted in a framework that outlines the whole system
and the interrelationships of the various parts. Building
on classical sociological theory, this volume proposes an
original and comprehensive systems theory of sociocultural
stability and change, which combines fundamental ecological
relationships with social structures and culture.
Relationships and concepts developed by Marx, Weber,
Malthus, Mills, Harris and Durkheim are explained and
synthesized into a coherent perspective, which is used to
examine multiple phenomena in hyper industrial societies:
- the structure of power
- bureaucracy
- the irrationality
factor
- globalization
- economic
rationalization
- current workplace
turmoil
- family and community
- agriculture and health
care
- higher education and
politics
- the rise of a new
ideology of technology
- possibilities for the
future
The author argues that recent
changes in social structures (for example corporations,
education, or the family) and culture (our socially created
and shared symbolic understanding of our world) are
interrelated and rooted in massive changes in population
size and industrial growth. By systematically relating the
analysis of these sociocultural phenomena to the whole and
to one another this volume presents a framework that can
serve to organize and integrate many diverse theories,
insights, and much empirical information into a
comprehensive worldview.
A Commentary on
Malthus (Mellen, 2001)
About this Title:
The book is a commentary on
Malthus’ 1798 Essay on Population that attempts to
tie the interpretation closely to the original Essay
rather than to the politically charged reactions to that
Essay. Malthus' master work is not a simplistic
projection of future population growth and inevitable
collapse, the Essay is actually a far subtler
ecological-evolutionary social theory. Malthus’ theory is
fundamentally based on the relationships between population
and food production. Increase the supply of food, he
argues, and population will rise to meet this increase.
This, he asserts, means that the race between population and
resources can never be truly won by any sociocultural
system. Therefore, some measure of social inequality is
inevitable in all human societies.
The work includes commentary
and criticism of Malthus’ methodology, the materialist,
evolutionary, and functional elements of his theory, as well
as the application of his theory to understanding the nature
of welfare programs and possibilities for social progress.
Macrosociology:
Four Modern Theorists
Paradigm Publishers (2006)
About this
Title:
This book examines the work of four modern theorists who have
taken on the larger themes of classical social theory.
C. Wright Mills, Marvin Harris, Immanuel Wallerstein,
and Gerhard Lenski have examined such phenomena and
processes as the rise and impact of capitalism, the
centralization and enlargement of authority, inequality,
and the intensification of production and population.
Borrowing what is useful from the classics as well as
relying on contemporary practitioners and empirical
evidence, each theorist adds his own insights and
interpretations in constructing a comprehensive
perspective of sociocultural stability and change. This
book fully summarizes and documents each perspective
using language and examples that resonate with the
general reader. A short biography on each theorist is
also provided.
Frank
Elwell is a professor of sociology and the founding dean
of the School of Liberal Arts at Rogers State Unversity.
He is the author of
The Evolution of the Future,
Industrializing America,
and A Commentary on
Malthus’ 1798 Essay as Social Theory.
Sociocultural
Systems: Contemporary Expression of Classical
Theory. Mellen: Forthcoming.
About the Title:
This
book is intended to
introduce students to the classical social theory of
T. Robert Malthus, Karl Marx, Emile
Durkheim, and Max Weber as well as the modern
expressions of these perspectives. It does this through
two mechanisms. First, it provides an overview and
critique of four major classical traditions in
sociology. Rather than discussing these theories as
history, the book will focus upon elements of the
perspectives that have proved useful in understanding
sociocultural systems. Then, the book will provide an
overview and critique of the perspective and analysis of
two contemporary social scientists writing within each
of these traditions. As modern representatives of
Malthusian theory, the book will examine the theories of
Gerhard Lenski and Stephen K. Sanderson.
For contemporary followers of Marx the theories of
Harry Braverman and John Bellamy Foster will
be examined. Representing the Durkheimian worldview will
be Stjepan Mestrovic, Robert K. Merton,
and Neil Postman. Finally, modern day Weberians
are represented by Norbert Elias and George
Ritzer. The overarching goal of the book is to
provide students with an in-depth understanding of each
of the classical sociological traditions and their
usefulness in understanding contemporary societies.
Through study of contemporary social scientists such as
Lenski, Braverman, Mestrovic, and Elias students will
truly come to appreciate the breadth and depth of
classical social theory as well as its usefulness in
understanding contemporary and historical sociocultural
systems. The book's concluding chapter demonstrates how
the various perspectives detailed in the book are
compatible with a comprehensive sociological worldview.
Dr.
Elwell's Home Page
©Frank Elwell
Send comments to felwell@rsu.edu
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