Introduction
pp. 1-15
in: Seth Abrutyn (ed), Handbook of contemporary sociological theory, Berlin, Springer, 2016Abstract
"Who now reads theory?" Given the strange position theory and theorists have in the discipline—it is a required course, a key to research, and a specialization, while also being a course most students dislike, an area that is difficult to publish in, and a position that often goes to those who can teach theory but who research other things—this essay considers the principal roadblocks to teaching theory in the twenty-first century. In particular, the (1) time crunch—or the ever-growing body of theorists and theories, (2) slavish adherence principle—or tendency to take theorists at their literal word, and (3) conceptual crunch—the ever-growing body of concepts that basically mean the same thing, are highlighted. Having done so, the Handbooks vision is laid out: three slightly different pedagogical styles, organized by and around the Handbook's chapters, provide the reader with a more coherent vision of sociological theory.