Sociology Reading Recommendations

I'm interested in how societies form, how friendships and close contacts play a part, and I want to generate some large-scale analyses which give insights to these fundamental processes. Can you list 20 people whose names and work I should know very well?

Sure, here are 20 people whose work focuses on the formation of societies and relationships:

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Rousseau is best known for his work on social contract theory, which explores the origins of society and the role of the individual within it.
Adam Smith - Smith is best known for his work on economics, specifically his book "The Wealth of Nations," which discusses the role of market forces in the formation of societies.
Karl Marx - Marx is best known for his work on communism and his theories about the relationship between social classes and the economy.
Emile Durkheim - Durkheim is best known for his work on sociology, including his book "The Division of Labor in Society," which explores the role of social institutions in the formation of societies.
Max Weber - Weber is best known for his work on the role of religion and other cultural factors in the development of societies.
Georg Simmel - Simmel is best known for his work on the individual in society and the role of social relationships in shaping human behavior.
Herbert Spencer - Spencer is best known for his work on social evolution, which focuses on the development of societies over time.
George Herbert Mead - Mead is best known for his work on the development of the self and the role of social interactions in shaping the individual.
Talcott Parsons - Parsons is best known for his work on the role of social institutions in the formation and maintenance of societies.
Robert K. Merton - Merton is best known for his work on the sociology of knowledge, which explores the relationship between social structure and the development of ideas.
Pierre Bourdieu - Bourdieu is best known for his work on the relationship between social class and cultural capital.
Anthony Giddens - Giddens is best known for his work on the role of social structures in shaping individual behavior and the development of societies.
Margaret Mead - Mead is best known for her work on the role of culture in shaping human behavior and the development of societies.
Sylvia Nasar - Nasar is best known for her work on the relationship between social networks and individual success.
Mark Granovetter - Granovetter is best known for his work on the strength of weak ties, which explores the role of social connections in shaping individual behavior.
S. E. Finer - Finer is best known for his work on the role of the state in the formation and development of societies.
Elinor Ostrom - Ostrom is best known for her work on the governance of common resources, which focuses on the role of social institutions in the management of shared resources.
Rodney Stark - Stark is best known for his work on the role of religion in the development of societies and the formation of social networks.
Peter Blau - Blau is best known for his work on the role of social networks in shaping individual behavior and the development of societies.
Eva Illouz - Illouz is best known for her work on the sociology of emotions, which explores the role of emotions in shaping social relationships and the development of societies.

What about some lesser-known characters?

Here are a few less well-known people whose work focuses on the formation of societies and relationships:

Georges Gurvitch - Gurvitch is best known for his work on social theory and the role of social groups in shaping human behavior.
David Lockwood - Lockwood is best known for his work on social integration and the role of social networks in shaping individual behavior.
Peter Berger - Berger is best known for his work on the sociology of religion, which explores the role of religion in the formation of societies and the development of social networks.
Manuel Castells - Castells is best known for his work on the sociology of the internet and the role of technology in the formation of social networks and communities.
Dennis Wrong - Wrong is best known for his work on the sociology of power, which explores the relationship between power and social relationships in shaping individual behavior.
Tamotsu Shibutani - Shibutani is best known for his work on the sociology of interpersonal relations, which focuses on the role of social networks in shaping individual behavior.
Aleksandr Luria - Luria is best known for his work on the relationship between culture and the development of the individual, and the role of social networks in shaping human behavior.
Amitai Etzioni - Etzioni is best known for his work on the sociology of organizations, which explores the role of social institutions in the formation and development of societies.
Harrison White - White is best known for his work on social networks and the role of social connections in shaping individual behavior and the development of societies.
Jo Freeman - Freeman is best known for her work on the sociology of social movements, which explores the role of social networks in shaping collective action and the development of societies.

Can you list some contemporary women I should know?

Sure, here are a few contemporary women whose work focuses on the formation of societies and relationships:

Anna Neumann - Neumann is a sociologist and social network theorist whose work focuses on the role of social networks in shaping individual behavior and the development of societies.
Nancy DiTomaso - DiTomaso is a sociologist and organizational theorist whose work focuses on the role of social networks in shaping individual behavior and the development of organizations.
Christine Horne - Horne is a sociologist and social network theorist whose work focuses on the role of social networks in shaping individual behavior and the development of societies.
Juliet Schor - Schor is an economist and sociologist whose work focuses on the role of consumption and consumer culture in shaping social relationships and the development of societies.
Karen S. Cook - Cook is a sociologist and social network theorist whose work focuses on the role of social networks in shaping individual behavior and the development of societies.
Barbara J. Risman - Risman is a sociologist and social theorist whose work focuses on the role of gender in shaping social relationships and the development of societies.
Maria Charles - Charles is a sociologist and social network theorist whose work focuses on the role of social networks in shaping individual behavior and the development of societies.
Jennifer Richeson - Richeson is a social psychologist whose work focuses on the role of race and ethnicity in shaping social relationships and the development of societies.
Kathleen Blee - Blee is a sociologist and social theorist whose work focuses on the role of gender in shaping social relationships and the development of societies.
Mary C. Waters - Waters is a sociologist and social theorist whose work focuses on the role of race and ethnicity in shaping social relationships and the development of societies.