A contemporary critique of historical materialism

Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens (born 18 January 1938) is an English sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is the author of more than 34 books and was listed, in 2007, as the fifth most cited author in the humanities. He has held academic appointments at universities across the world and has received numerous honorary degrees. His works are divided into four stages: The first one involved outlining a new vision of what sociology is, presenting a theoretical and methodological understanding of that field based on a critical reinterpretation of the classics. His major publications of that era include Capitalism and Modern Social Theory (1971) and The Class Structure of the Advanced Societies (1973).