Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface -- 1. The Social Sciences and the Two Types of Relativism, Ryamond Boudon -- 2. Sociology, Critique and Modernity: Views Across the European Divide, Johann P. Arnason -- 3. The Decline of the Social, Alain Touraine -- 4. Sociology as a Science of Culture: Linguistic Pluralism in Australia and Belarus, Jerzy J. Smolicz and Margaret J. Secombe -- 5. An Old Theme Revisited: Sociology and Ideology, Micheal Wieviorka -- 6. Sociology and the Critical Reflexivity of Modernity: Scholarly Practices in Historical and Comparative Context, Bjorn Wittrock -- 7. Divergent Commitments and Identity Crisis, Eliezer Ben-Rafael and Yitzhak Sternberg -- Index of Persons -- Index of Subjects.

When examining how the social sciences have dealt with ideology, one's first impression is often one of considerable confusion. Sociology in particular is the scene of heated debates about ideology. These debates go sometimes so far as to echo doubts of participants with regard to their opponents' scientific endeavor, even straightforward denials of their scientific status. This volume brings together a series of articles that throw light on selected aspects of this intricate matter by well-known sociologists Boudon, Wittrock, Arnason, Touraine, Smolicz, Secombe, Wieviorka, Ben-Rafael and Sternberg.

Description based on print version record.