Dialectics : parody or paradigm? A review and analysis of dialectical writing in contemporary sociology

Abstract

The thesis takes departure from Robert Friedrichs' text A Sociology of Sociology which appeared in 1970. In this book, Friedrichs claims that the use of dialectical notions in sociology is becoming so prevalent as to suggest that a new 'dialectical paradigm' might be in the ascendant. His argument, though impressionistic, makes persuasive reading. But how valid is the momentous claim contained in it? Would it survive an independent assessment of contemporary dialectical writing in sociology? Show more