Introduction

Social theory is in a state of uncertainty at present. To begin with, it has a past but its practitioners seem unsure as to whether that past is a dead hand or an opportunity. Then again, social theory now consists of ‘a var ied, often confusing, array of approaches’ (Giddens & Turner 1987, p. 3), but its practitioners seem uncertain whether this diversity of approaches is a good or a bad thing. Finally, the practitioners of social theory seem uncertain whether to lay claim to constructing the base of a social ‘science’, or of a ‘critical reason’ which does without some of the claims of science.