George Herbert Mead has long been known for his social theory of meaning and the âselfâ - an approach which becomes all the more relevant in light of the ways we develop and represent ourselves online. But recent scholarship has shown that Meadâs pragmatic philosophy can help us understand a much wider range of contemporary issues including how humans and natural environments mutually influence one another how deliberative democracy can and should work how thinking is dependent upon the body and on others and how social changes in the present affect our understandings of the past. Historical scholarship has also changed what we know of Meadâs life including new emphasis on his social reform efforts his engagement with colonization and war and critical reinterpretation of the works published after his death. This book provides an approachable introduction to Meadâs contemporary relevance in the social sciences showing how a pragmatic view of social action serves as the core of Meadâs theory offering striking insights into human agency symbolism politics social change temporality and materiality. As such it will appeal to scholars of sociology and the social sciences more broadly with interests in social theory and the enduring importance of the sociological classics. . Language: English