This book examines how 20thacentury theorists have used a discourse of OcrisisO to frame their conceptualizations of modernity. Through an investigation of four key thinkers (Georg Lukcs, Hannah Arendt, Reinhart Koselleck and Jrgen Habermas), Gilbert argues that scholars in the social sciences and humanities should be cautious of treating crises as explananda for research. Instead, the book calls for sociological analysis of the role of OcrisisO within social scientific discourse, and examines how OcrisisO has been used as a conceptual frame for legitimating theoretical agendas. GilbertOs Osociology of conceptsO approach presents crisis as a paradigm of modern thought, and, more generally, reflects on how concepts can become the carriers of diverse intellectual traditions and debates.aThe Crisis Paradigm will be of interest to students and scholars of social and critical theory, politics, sociology and history, as well as those working in thefields of media studies, communication and discourse analysis.