Howard Saul Becker

Howard S. Becker s'est fait connaître dans le monde entier comme le sociologue "d'Outsiders" et des "Mondes de l'art", dans la continuité de la tradition sociologique de Chicago. Aucun de ses lecteurs ne peut ignorer qu'il a été musicien professionnel, participant, au piano, à de nombreuses formations de jazz. Pourtant aucun d'entre eux ne l'avait encorre entendu jouer de la musique. La publication de ce livre-disque vient combler cette lacune tout en présentant ses réflexions les plus récentes en matière de sociologie de l'art.

"A classic sociological examination of art as collective action, Art Worlds explores the cooperative network of suppliers, performers, dealers, critics, and consumers that - along with the artist - "produces" a work of art. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition is updated with a new dialogue between Becker and eminent French sociologist Alain Pessin about the extended social system in which art is created and with a new preface in which the author talks about his own process for creating this influential work."--Jacket.

"Howard S. Becker is a leading contemporary sociologist who interprets society as collective action and sociology, therefore, as the study of collective action. This volume explores the theory and methods necessary to study collective action and social interaction. Becker includes most of his work on theory and method that has not previously appeared in book form. It reflects his unique way of thinking about and studying society. The first part of the book treats methodological problems as problems of social interaction and lists a series of research problems requiring analytic attention. The second part illustrates Becker's approach through full reports on two of his major research projects. Four theoretical statements on how people change comprise the third part, and the fourth part includes important contributions to the study of deviance. These essays illustrate the need to study deviance as part of the general study of society, not as an isolated specialty. Sociological Work is an important statement of the distinctive theoretical and methodological views associated with the Chicago School of Sociology; it shows a deep concern with the first-hand study of processes and human consequences of collective action and interaction. This illuminating volume is an engaging introduction to some of the issues of importance to sociologists and those interested in the studies of collective action and deviance, and it is well adapted to use in courses in these areas."--Provided by publisher

Symbolic interactionism, resolutely empirical in practice, shares theoretical concerns with cultural studies and humanistic discourse. Recognizing that the humanities have engaged many of the important intellectual currents of the last twenty-five years in ways that sociology has not, the contributors to this volume fully acknowledge that the boundary between the social sciences and the humanities has begun to dissolve. This volume explores that border area.

Tricks of the Trade will help students think about research projects. Assisted by Becker's sound advice, students will be able to make better sense of their research and simultaneously generate fresh ideas on where to look next for new data. Becker's tricks cover four broad areas of social science: The creation of the "imagery" to guide research; methods of "sampling" to generate maximum variety in the data, the development of "concepts" to organize findings, and the use of "logical" methods to explore systematically the implications of what is found. Becker's advice ranges from simple suggestions such as changing an interview question from "Why?" to "How?" (as a way of getting people to talk without asking for justification) to more technical advice such as how to manipulate truth tables.