"This new edition is an outstanding update of what I believe to be the best textbook for introducing undergraduates to global sociology. With a rich array of new examples, clear definitions of concepts and crisp theoretical summaries, it offers students a vision for participating as engaged citizens in a diverse, interdependent and sustainable ......
"A glossary of key concepts was just the sort of thing I needed when I was a sociology student. Peter Braham has written a lively, comprehensive guide to the most important concepts in our discipline. It will become an essential student resource." - David Silverman, Goldsmith's and King's College, University of London "A triumphant tour de force... will be a useful, even essential tool for students and faculty. It is actually fascinating reading even for non-sociologists since these ideas impact all of us all the time." - Anthony Synnott, Concordia University in Montreal "A crisp and comprehensive guide to the discipline. The thirty-eight entries, covering history, substance and evaluation, thereby describe both conventional and new topics that define the syllabus of modern sociology. A valuable guide to both teachers and students." - Bryan S. Turner, Presidential Professor of Sociology, CUNY USA Sociology consists of a myriad of frequently confusing concepts. Key Concepts in Sociology provides a comprehensive, lively and clearly-written guide to the most important concepts in the subject. It includes both what might be regarded as 'classic' sociological concepts, such as 'class', 'bureaucracy' and 'community', as well as subjects that have become increasingly prominent in recent times, such as 'celebrity', 'risk' and 'the body'. Each of the thirty-eight substantive entries: defines the concept provides a clear and compelling narrative clarifies the main debates, perspectives and disagreements gives advice on further reading Key Concepts in Sociology should be the first choice for sociology students at all levels of learning.
Explores the way in which the cell phone has been integrated into the transforming social structures and practices of contemporary China, and the ways in which mobile technology enables rural young women to participate in and create culture, allowing them to perform a modern, rural-urban identity.
Why is religion still important? Can we be fully modern and fully religious? In this new edition, Davie follows up her discussion of the meaning of religion in modern society and considers how best to research and understand this relationship. Exploring the rapid movements within the sociology of religion today, this revised and updated book: * Describes the origins of the sociology of religion * Demystifies secularization as a process and a theory * Relates religion to modern social theory * Unpacks the meaning of religion in relation to modernity and globalization * Grasps the methodological challenges in the field * Provides a comparative perspective for religions in the west * Introduces questions of minorities and margins * Sets out a critical agenda for debate and research The Sociology of Religion has already proved itself as one of the most important titles within the field; this edition will ensure that it remains an indispensable resource for students and researchers alike.
Why is religion still important? Can we be fully modern and fully religious? In this new edition, Davie follows up her discussion of the meaning of religion in modern society and considers how best to research and understand this relationship. Exploring the rapid movements within the sociology of religion today, this revised and updated book: * Describes the origins of the sociology of religion * Demystifies secularization as a process and a theory * Relates religion to modern social theory * Unpacks the meaning of religion in relation to modernity and globalization * Grasps the methodological challenges in the field * Provides a comparative perspective for religions in the west * Introduces questions of minorities and margins * Sets out a critical agenda for debate and research The Sociology of Religion has already proved itself as one of the most important titles within the field; this edition will ensure that it remains an indispensable resource for students and researchers alike.
What are the main characteristics of effective leadership? How can we understand leadership today? This wide-ranging, inter-disciplinary book provides readers with a complete introduction to the essentials of leadership. Included here are accessible and insightful entries on what leadership is, how it is practised and the relevant strengths and pitfalls. The book provides a one stop introductory guide to one of the most central and contested concepts in the social sciences. An invaluable reference tool, this book offers insight into issues such as: * Are leaders born or made? * Authoritarian versus participative leadership * The psychology of leaders and followers * Leadership development * Leadership styles, skills and functions * Leadership in practice This book is an indispensable guide to the central concepts of leadership for professionals and students alike.
We are living in a turbulent world marked by fast, continuous social changes that affect the lives of individuals, families, communities, organizations, businesses, nation-states, and international networks. This fundamentally commits contemporary sociology to being a science of change. This collection effectively mirrors this diversity and variety of transformations underway in today's societies and transnational spaces. Written by a group of internationally renowned sociologists, it offers a cutting edge understanding of what is happening in our life worlds, work lives and frames of social existence. Bringing up issues such as political turbulence, cultural and artistic dynamics, family changes, gender roles, migration flows and social movements, it is a timely contribution that discusses transformation and globalization and their consequences in both theoretical and substansive terms. Illuminating and comprehensive, this book will be of immense use for sociology students on all levels, as well as lecturers, researchers and others who are interested in social life and the consequences of human action. Arnaud Sales is Emeritus Proessor of Sociology at the University of Montreal, Canada.
"This is an important and thought-provoking collection of contemporary articles on the current crisis in social theory." - Professor Roger Penn, Lancaster University "With a comprehensive vision, great sociologists from around the world address the challenges of the new century." - Professor Michael Burawoy, University of California, Berkeley Over the past century, the field of sociology has experienced extraordinary expansion and vitality. But is this growth positive or negative - a promise of diversity or a threat of fragmentation? This critical volume explores the meaning of sociology and sociological knowledge in light of the recent growth and institutionalization of the discipline. A stellar group of international authors powerfully identify, question, and transform key assumptions in sociology. Leading us through the challenges faced by sociology, and the possible strategies for addressing them in the future, the book includes key issues such as: globalization development social policy inequality. An important companion for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers engaged with contemporary sociological theory, sociology of knowledge and sociological analysis.
