'In a compact, lucid, highly readable work, Robert Dunn provides incisive analysis of core sociological contributions of Dewey and Mead's pragmatism and of its continued relevance for critical social theory, social psychology, and democratic theory. Moreover, Dunn makes penetrating connections between their thought and classical theories of social thought, neo-pragmatism, and the related corpus of Kenneth Burke. The work's unique coverage stirs critical reflection about our practices.'
Robert J. Antonio, Chancellor's Club Teaching Professor, University of Kansas
'In this original, well-written and rigorous work, Robert Dunn reconsiders the sociology of knowledge from the perspective of American pragmatism. Drawing on a wide variety of theorists the author brings into conversation and shows connections among an eclectic and important group of authors, including Mead, Burke, Dewey, Mannheim, and Durkheim. Dunn demonstrates that the pragmatist emphasis on ordinary meanings and democratic experimentation can inform a new understanding of how we think, not just what we think. Dunn makes a persuasive case that academic theorizing in Sociology has become too fragmented and detached from the concerns of everyday life, and that his reassessment of pragmatism and the sociology of knowledge can contribute to a sociological theory attuned to a democratic ethos that can help revivify our public life.'
Kenneth H. Tucker, Jr., Helen P. Bibbero Professor of Sociology, Mount Holyoke College
