Studying social life? This book provides an engaging, concise introduction. It covers a diverse range of theorists from the rich history of sociology and shows how thinking sociologically can help us understand our lives, the groups we are part of, and the rapid social changes and inequalities that shape contemporary societies. In this book you will encounter: ? Compelling international examples and a range of theoretical perspectives from across the world; ? A brand new chapter on Digital Lives, covering a range of topics from filter bubbles and memes to digital inequalities; ? The latest approaches emerging from efforts to build an inclusive global sociology, equipped for the challenges of the 21st Century. The book is essential reading for anyone new to studying sociology and is supported by a wide range of podcasts, videos, discussion questions and further reading recommendations at thisissociology.home.blog
Dan Woodman is T.R. Ashworth Professor in Sociology at University of Melbourne. He researches youth, young adulthood and generational change using longitudinal method. Dan is co-Editor in Chief of Journal of Youth Studies and the President of the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences in Australia. He has been teaching first year sociology students at the University of Melbourne for a more than a decade. Steven Threadgold is Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Newcastle. His research focuses on youth and class, with particular interests in unequal and alternate work and career trajectories; underground and independent creative scenes; and cultural formations of taste. Steve is the co-director of the Newcastle Youth Studies Network, an Associate Editor of Journal of Youth Studies, and on the Editorial Boards of The Sociological Review and Journal of Applied Youth Studies. His latest book is Bourdieu and Affect: Towards a Theory of Affective Affinities (Bristol University Press). Youth, Class and Everyday Struggles (Routledge) won the 2020 Raewyn Connell Prize for best first book in Australian sociology. Steves current research projects are on online cultural taste communities called Dank Distinction and Homologies of Snark; the ARC funded Young Hospitality Workers and Value Creation in the Service Economy investigating the immaterial forms of labour young people perform to create value in the night-time economy; and the FEDUA funded research program Regional youth in precarious times: Work, wellbeing and debt. Contact at steven.threadgold@newcastle.edu.au
Chapter 1: What is Sociology? Chapter 2: The Foundations of Sociology Chapter 3: Building a More Inclusive Sociology Chapter 4: Living in a Connected World Chapter 5: Social Selves Chapter 6: Culture and Media Chapter 7: Digital Lives Chapter 8: Class Chapter 9: Sex, Gender and Sexuality Chapter 10: Race and Ethnicity Chapter 11: Changing the World
This book is more than a clear, very accessible, and often fun introduction to sociology. It is an introduction to our world through sociology. Be careful: once you start reading it, you will never again see the world in the same way. The brilliance of its authors is to explain the key debates and approaches from around the world in a very accessible way. A must-read for every citizen.
Geoffrey Pleyers, Professor of Sociology, Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium)
This book is a refreshing introduction to sociology, it is accessible, enjoyable and innovative. It presents sociology and the importance of understanding structures, power, and interactions today. It presents some familiar names and several additional thinkers who have shaped our imagination in the 21st century. The book will appeal to people encountering sociology for the first time as well as sociologists who need a quick refresher on some of the latest trends in the discipline.
Bandana Purkayastha, Board of Trustess Distinguished Professor, University of Connecticut.
