Books by Lewis A. Coser

Written and compiled by friends and former students, The Idea of Social Structure honors Robert K

Lewis A. Coser takes readers from the coffeehouses of 18th-century London to the mass-culture industries of today in search of a definition for "the intellectual". Describing the settings where intellectuals thrive and exploring the nature and contributions of various well-known groups, he discusses the various roles intellectuals play in society and why they matter.

Lewis Coser presents an examination of the concept of social conflict and its use in empirical sociological research in this "lucid, comprehensive essay in social theory" (American Journal of Sociology).The positive values of conflict for all societies come to light in this study that reveals how conflicts fulfill social functions such as the maintenance of group boundaries and the prevention of the withdrawal of members of a group. Lewis Coser is critical of the view that conflict is dysfunctional and works to demonstrate its inadequacies. In a series of basic propositions distilled primarily from the theories of Georg Simmel, Coser clarifies the function of social conflict. Beyond this, Functions of Social Conflicts extends these propositions and relates them to psychoanalysis and empirical research theories.

Written and compiled by friends and former students, The Idea of Social Structure honors Robert K