Macrosociology – the study of large-scale social structures and  the fundamental principles of social organization – was the style  of sociology practiced by the founders of the discipline. Today, the  social theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber, Émile Durkheim, and Herbert  Spencer (among others) are commonly studied as part of the history of  the field, but the macrosociological approach no longer dominates the  discipline. Sociocultural Systems aims to reinstate  macrosciology as the heart of the discipline by demonstrating that both  classical and contemporary macrosociologists stand upon common ground.  Sociocultural Systems provides a critical understanding of  social institutions and issues while also furnishing a framework for  possible solutions to the perennial social crises that are part and  parcel of the development of human societies.
      Table of Contents
Acknowledgements- xi
Preface- xiii
Introduction- 3
1. Principles of Macrosociology- 7
2. Materialism in Macrosociology- 37
3. Evolutionism in the Work of the Founders- 67
4. Contemporary Social Evolution- 91
5. Bureaucratization- 125
6. Capital- 155
7. The State- 193
8. Rationalization- 221
9. The System- 239
A Glossary of Sociology- 265
Notes- 343
References- 365
Index- 371