Research Handbook on Analytical Sociology

Research Handbooks in Sociology series

Edited by Gianluca Manzo, Professor of Sociology, Sorbonne University, France

Providing an up-to-date portrait of the concepts and methods of analytical sociology, this pivotal Research Handbook traces the historical evolution of the field, utilising key research examples to illustrate its core principles. It investigates how analytical sociology engages with other approaches such as analytical philosophy, structural individualism, social stratification research, complexity science, pragmatism, and critical realism, exploring the foundations of the field as well as its major explanatory mechanisms and methods.

‘This Research Handbook is an important update on the status of analytical sociology from a rich roster of authors. A riveting read for both novices and the initiated!’
– Delia Baldassarri, New York University, US

‘Analytical sociology emerged as a distinct area of sociology around the turn of the millennium. Twenty years later, the Research Handbook on Analytical Sociology provides an opportunity to assess what it has achieved and what its prospects are. The editor and contributing authors are well-known analytical sociologists and their chapters provide authoritative overviews of a range of fascinating and important topics. Not only professional sociologists but anyone interested in the social sciences will profit greatly from reading this comprehensive and stimulating book.’
– Richard Breen, Nuffield College, University of Oxford, UK

‘This Research Handbook provides an excellent introduction to the central concepts and methods employed by leading scholars in analytical sociology. It compellingly positions analytical sociology as a viable approach to doing rigorous science in which data supports theoretical advancement. The authors embed analytical sociology in its proper historical and contemporary context, articulating commonalities and differences with related intellectual movements and fields within our discipline.’
– Arnout van de Rijt, European University Institute, Italy and President of the International Network of Analytical Sociology