The work of fifteen nationally and internationally known theorists in sociology, this volume demonstrates an exciting new trend in sociological thinking. Each essay proposes a link between the two distinguishable traditions of sociological theoryβthe microscopic, which stresses the self and the interaction among persons, and the macroscopic, which concentrates on the institutional, cultural , and societal levels. Each mode of analysis has had its champions, and the proponents of each have often taken positions of polemic opposition to one another. The past three decades witnessed a sharpening of this division through a kind of "microscopic revolution," a strong attack on macrosociology by behavioral sociologists, symbolic interactionists, and others.
Only very recently have the polemics waned in intensity, and a new cadre of scholars, both established and young, has come to appreciate the need for a new, integrative approach. The authors and editors of "The Micro-Macro Link" share the general conviction that the two levels of analysis are complementary and synthetic, not opposed. Their work, informed by that conviction, stands at the forefront of contemporary sociological theory and will no doubt influence both theoretical dialogue and empirical research for years to come.