This book offers a comparative and critical introduction to the various major social theories and methods with an emphasis on the implicit assumptions upon which they are founded. It aims to go beyond the conventional theories and methods in the social sciences that are colored with Eurocentrism. It attempts to teach the reader not only the existing theories but also the art of theory-building.

This book aims to enable students of the social sciences and humanities to achieve "intellectual independence" by exploring how to critically and comparatively analyze the theories and methods currently being used; to identify the origins of existing theories and methods; and to produce their own ideas and theories.