Vision and Method in Historical Sociology Some of the most important questions of the social sciences in the twentieth century have been posed by scholars pursuing investigations at the intersections of social theory and history viewed on a grand scale. What research agendas have these investigators followed? How have their basic assumptions about society, history, and the purposes of scholarship informed the questions they have asked, and the kinds of answers they have offered? How have they used various sources of evidence about the past to pursue case studies or comparisons among, groups, periods, nations, or civilizations? These are some of the issues addressed by the essays collected in Vision and Method in Historical Sociology. The nine core essays of the book focus on the careers and contribu- tions on nine major scholars: Marc Bloch, Karl Polanyi, S. N. Eisen- stadt, Reinhard Bendix, Perry Anderson, E. P. Thompson, Charles Tilly, Immanuel Wallerstein, and Barrington Moore, Jr. These essays, written by younger scholars who are themselves involved in historical sociology or social history, convey a vivid sense of the vision and values each major scholar brings (or brought) to his work. In addition, the essays analyze and evaluate the research designs and methods used in the most important works of each scholar. The 1970s and 1980s are proving to be a period of rapid growth and renewal for historical sociology. The introduction and conclusion to this volume discuss the long-running tradition of historically grounded research in sociology, while the conclusion also provides a detailed discussion and comparison of three recurrent strategies for bringing historical evidence and theoretical ideas to bear upon one another. Finally, an annotated bibliography on methods of comparative and historical sociology is also offered as an aid to ongoing research and teaching. iN Informative, thought-provoking, and unusually practical, Vision and Method in Historical Sociology offers fascinating and relevant reading to sociologists, social historians, historically oriented political economists and anthropologists— and, indeed, to anyone who wants to learn more about the ideas and methods of some of the best-known scholars in the modern social sciences.Vision and Method in Historical Sociology Edited by rT Harvard University Cambridge University Press Cambridge New York Port Chester Melbourne SydneyPublished by the Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 IRP 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011, USA 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia Cambridge University Press 1984 First published 1984 Reprinted 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: Vision and method in historical sociology. Based on the proceedings of the Conference on Methods of Historical Social Analysis, held in Cambridge, Mass., October, 1979. Bibliography: p. L Historical sociology - Congresses. 2. Historical sociology - Methodology - Congresses. I. Skocpol, Theda. TL. Conference on Methods of Historical Social Analysis (1979 : Cambridge, Mass.) HM104.V57 1984 301.0722 84-7013 ISBN 0-521-22928-6 hardback ISBN 0521-29724-9 paperback