What is Sociology For?

Abstract

While the Berlin Wall was falling, Bryant and Becker edited a prestigious book entitled "What Has Sociology Achieved" (1990), which focused on the most relevant contributions of contemporary sociological thinkers and streams of thought to understand social change. Although there are several important Italian authors in this field such as Pareto, Mosca, and more recently, Acquaviva, Ardig`o, Ferrarotti, and Gallino, no Italian contributions were considered in that book. Nevertheless, Italian social, juridical, and economic studies of those years might have been pivotal in understanding the global change that is overwhelming the whole planet from the point of view of the nation-state representing the border between West and East.