“Social Theory: From Modern to Contemporary Theory” and ‘The Outsourced Self” Book Analysis
The progress and evolution of human societal units mainly owe the present climax to multiple sociological theories and evolved concepts over time. The present critical essay ponders about the critical analysis of two books having lasting impacts on modern sociology. The said purpose revolves around Garner & Hancock’s “Social Theory: From Modern to Contemporary Theory, a reader, Vol II” (Social Theory, Volume II, n.d.) and “The Outsourced Self” by Hochschild, Arlie.
The authors, Garner and Hancock, depicted the current move of human society from modernism to contemporary by throwing light on evolutionary changes in the sociological concepts and theories. In chapter 17 “The Global Narratives”, Garner and Hancock mainly investigated and interpreted globalization along with geographical and temporal scope focusing human societal experiences and respective aesthetic preferences. Multiple narratives regarding global age include an imaginary association of global economy with colonial and imperial experiences in amalgamation with Eurocentric modernization and capitalistic approaches. It is relationship between classical socio-economic concepts and modern day evolved global economic systems embedded with information technology and advanced units of human society. The reading material included in the said chapter is expansion of historically evolved sociological concepts along with multiple economic systems developed from time to time by human generations.
Similarly, Arlie presented a reality based unique experience of human beings for economic purposes in “The Outsourced Self”. The conclusion of the book reveals to reader that present day market strategies and tools have cleverly invaded our houses. This invasion has multiple facets and huge dimensions like wedding service providers, day care center works, event organizers and managers, life oriented motivational speakers and multi task coaches. In addition to these dating services and surrogate parenting to bear our children in a biological way are penetrating in the human society worldwide. In all these circumstances where is our personal life? Can we name such a life as personal one? For business community our life is profit or loss. Can we ever be able to find another balance?
References
Garner, R., & Hancock, B. H. (Eds.). (2014). Social theory: Social Theory: From Modern to Contemporary Theory: A reader (Vol. II). University of Toronto Press.
Hochschild, A. R. (2012). The outsourced self: What happens when we pay others to live our lives for us. Metropolitan Books.
