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Abstract

The values and priorities of sociology as a discipline have changed dramatically over the past 70 years. Theories of race, class, and gender that had been excluded or marginalized in the positivist twentieth century now make up the classical core of social justice reading lists. Where did these central ideas germinate from? This article identifies and illustrates the influence of three representative theorists: Aime Césaire, C. Wright Mills, and Simone de Beauvoir. These three are commonly read for their incisive critiques of colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy, respectively. Focusing mainly on a critical appraisal of their principal texts in these respective areas -- Césaire’s (2000[1950]) Discours sur le colonialisme; Mills’ (1956) Power Elite; and de Beauvoir’s (2009 [1949]) Le Deuxième Sexe -- I draw attention to the enduring ideas of inequality, domination, and oppression that appear in contemporary sociology.

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