Introduction to Sociology

Comprising lectures given by Theodor Adorno towards the end of his life, this anthology provides an introduction to his historical and conceptual engagement with sociology. The lectures were held at the time of the positivist dispute in German sociology, when Adorno was defending the position of the Frankfurt School against criticism from mainstream positivist sociologists. He sets out a conception of sociology as a discipline going beyond the compilation and interpretation of empirical facts, its truth being inseparable from the essential structure of society itself. Sociology, therefore, is not seen as one academic field among others but as an over-arching discipline impinging on all aspects of social life.