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Modern sociology and modern socialism were born at the same time and developed in conversation with each other - a link that is obvious in the work of Marx, but also visible in that of Durkheim, Weber, and Du Bois, among others. However, the extent of this overlap is yet to be fully realized. Theories of Emancipation: Sociology and Socialism at the turn of the Twentieth Century uncovers this relationship to argue that the concepts, questions, and theories that are foundational to the discipline emerged in conversation with, and in reaction to, the political and intellectual movements of the turn of the twentieth century socialist left.

Aaron Major argues that paying attention to the early influence of socialism on the discipline opens a new pathway for advancing central debates around personhood and agency. This book places canonical texts within their broader political and intellectual context, and in so doing offers novel insight into some of the discipline's most pressing concerns. A reimagining of sociology's history also informs current conversations about its future trajectory by reasserting its aspirations to higher, moral ends. Theories of Emancipation recovers a relationship between social science and human emancipation that has largely been displaced or forgotten.