The book is addressed to a wide range of readers interested in sociology, its fundamental issues, the most important theories and directions of development, which have important ideological significance that goes beyond the scientific discussions of specialists. It is a detailed introduction to the fundamental issues of modern interpretive sociology. The book sets out the theoretical foundations of interpretive sociology, its basic concepts, historical stages of development in the works of J. Mead, G. Blumer, A. Schütz, P. Berger and T. Lukman, G. Garfinkel and, which is especially valuable, it gives a holistic analysis of the work of the representative of the socio-dramatic approach in sociology I. Hoffmann, little familiar to Russian sociologists.