SOCIOLOGICAL REALISM: SOCIETY AS THE WALLS OF OUR IMPRISONMENT (WILEY-BLACKWELL, 2026), SAL RESTIVO
Presents a powerful narrative that situates the individual within the inescapable framework of social forces In a world increasingly defined by inequality and existential threats, Sociological Realism: Society as the Walls of Our Imprisonment offers a bold reinterpretation of society’s role in shaping the individual. Beginning with the premise that society is a reality sui generis ―a unique and formative system―Sal Restivo carefully constructs an argument about how institutions, cultural traditions, and historical processes shape our identities, behaviours, and beliefs. Tracing the development of the sociological imagination from antiquity to the present day, the author introduces foundational thinkers whilst anchoring abstract theory in personal narrative and lived experience. This distinctive volume―part introductory sociology, part sociobiography―confronts dominant ideas about free will, agency, and the autonomous self. Engaging with contemporary issues including class,...