Table of Contents

Introduction. Anthony Giddens: Social Theory and Politics
Part I: Utopian Realism: A Political Reading of the Early Giddens
1. Critical Foundations: Structuration and System Transformation
2. Utopian Realism: Late Modernity Revisited
Part II: The Countours of a Giddensian Politics
3. The Political Consequences of Late Modernity
4. Globalization and Capitalism
Part III: The Third Way and Beyond: Critique and Reconstruction
5. The Third Way: A Utopian Realist Critique
6. Conclusion: Integrated Policymaking and the Transformation of Capitalism

Promotional Information

"This book unlocks the politics of Anthony Giddens' entire works, spanning half a century. Re-invigorating the critical concept of 'utopian realism', Kolarz shows the original promise, failures and possible futures of Giddens' project, creatively re-read as an integrated political whole. An invaluable resource for Giddens's advocates and critics across disciplines, as well as an original introduction to his thought for the uninitiated." - Will Leggett, University of Birmingham, UK "Giddens and Politics beyond the Third Way takes up some of the most pressing theoretical and practical problems of our age in an accessible and engaging manner. By way of a critical analysis of Antony Giddens' most ambitious sociological claims, Peter Kolarz provides readers with a comprehensive account of the challenges to social democracy today, the tasks of the state in the twenty-first century, and the prospects for individual autonomy in late modernity. The book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the proper relationship between facts and norms, and will be of great interest to students, academics and activists.' - Darrow Schecter, University of Sussex, UK

About the Author

Peter Kolarz is Policy Research Consultant at Technopolis Group, UK. He studied for his PhD at the University of Sussex, UK and subsequently worked as a lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

Reviews

"This book unlocks the politics of Anthony Giddens' entire works, spanning half a century. Re-invigorating the critical concept of 'utopian realism', Kolarz shows the original promise, failures and possible futures of Giddens' project, creatively re-read as an integrated political whole. An invaluable resource for Giddens's advocates and critics across disciplines, as well as an original introduction to his thought for the uninitiated." - Will Leggett, University of Birmingham, UK
 
"Giddens and Politics beyond the Third Way takes up some of the most pressing theoretical and practical problems of our age in an accessible and engaging manner. By way of a critical analysis of Antony Giddens' most ambitious sociological claims, Peter Kolarz provides readers with a comprehensive account of the challenges to social democracy today, the tasks of the state in the twenty-first century, and the prospects for individual autonomy in late modernity. The book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the proper relationship between facts and norms, and will be of great interest to students, academics and activists.' - Darrow Schecter, University of Sussex, UK