Mary Douglas
Mary Douglas’s innovative explanations for styles of human thought and for the dynamics of institutional change have furnished a distinctive and powerful theory of how conflicts are managed, yet her work remains astonishingly poorly appreciated in social science disciplines. This volume introduces Douglas’s theories, and outlines the ways in which her work is of continuing importance for the future of the social sciences. Mary Douglas: Understanding Human Thought and Conflict shows how Douglas laid out the agenda for revitalizing social science by reworking Durkheim’s legacy for today, and reviews the growing body of research across the social sciences which has used, tested or developed her approach.
Perri 6 is Professor in Public Management in the School of Business and Management at Queen Mary University of London. Since the 1990s, he has developed the neo-Durkheimian institutional approach from Mary Douglas’s work, showing how it explains styles of political judgement and decision-making in government and in organisations generally.