Social shapes of the world Guide to boxes Preface About the authors Guided tour Acknowledgements Abbreviations part one Introducing Sociology 1 The Sociological Imagination What is sociology? The sociological perspective in everyday life Social change and the origins of sociology Sociologists look to the future Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further Appendix. Surfing for sociology: an entrance 2 Thinking Sociologically, Thinking Globally What is the classical tradition of sociology? Starting a short tour of sociological theory Mainstream or 'classical' perspectives in sociology The newer perspectives in sociology: other voices and the postmodern Thinking globally: a global perspective in sociology Taking stock and looking ahead Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 3 Doing Social Science: an Introduction The basics of sociological investigation What is a sociological 'truth'? Matters of epistemology Making sense of sociological data The tools of sociological research Ethical, political and policy questions Putting it all together: planning a sociological project Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further part two The Foundations of Society: from Macro to Micro 4 Societies Changing patterns of society Explaining modern industrial society Karl Marx: capitalism and conflict Max Weber: the rationalisation of society and the disenchantment of the world Emile Durkheim: the bonds that tie us together: from mechanical to organic Reviewing the theories The contemporary shape of world societies Conclusion: change and societies Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 5 Culture What is culture? The major components of culture Cultural diversity: many ways of life in one world Understanding culture From culture to cultural studies Looking ahead: culture and human freedom Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 6 Groups, Organisations and the Rise of the Network Society Social groups Organisations 'Social Networks' and the rise of the network society Looking ahead: the network society Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 7 Micro-sociology: the Social Construction of Everyday Life The social construction of reality Becoming social: the process of socialisation Becoming biographies? Two theories of socialisation The life course and generations Constructing situations: Erving Goffman and drama Ethnomethodology and conversational analysis Identity The sociologies of the body and the emotions Conclusion: micro-sociology Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further part three Social Divisions and Social Inequalities 8 Social Stratification What is social stratification? Closed and open systems of stratification: slavery, caste, estate and class Some examples of stratification at work: Japan and Russia The role of ideology: stratification's 'staying power' Explaining social stratification Marxist and neo-Marxist ideas on stratification and conflict Max Weber: class, status and power Stratification and technology in global perspective How might social stratification change in the future? Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 9 Global Inequalities and Poverty What is global stratification? Global wealth and poverty Who are the global poor? Global inequality: how is it to be explained? Global inequality: looking ahead Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 10 Class, Poverty and Welfare in the UK The nature of social class Some dimensions of class and social inequality in the UK Layers of social class in the UK Social exclusion and the idea of an underclass Poverty: the lower ends of inequality in capitalist society The 'Death of Class' debate Citizenship and the rise of welfare states Looking ahead: class in the twenty-first century Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 11 Racism, Ethnicities and Migration The social significance of race and ethnicities Prejudice and racism Explaining racism Discrimination Majority and minority: patterns of interaction Migration, ethnicity and race Ethnicity in the UK Racism and ethnic antagonism in Europe The future of ethnic relations Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 12 The Gender Order and Sexuality Basic distinctions: sex and gender? Patriarchy, gender stratification and sexism Becoming gendered: the case of gender socialisation Nancy Chodorow and the reproduction of mothering Understanding gender Resisting patriarchy: the Women's Movement and feminism Sexuality and stratification Theories of sexuality Key elements of sexual stratification: gay and lesbian relations Social change and sexuality Looking ahead: gender and sexuality in the twenty-first century Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 13 Age Stratification: Children and Later Life A sociology of children Growing older: the greying of the western world The social implications of ageing Researching ageing Looking ahead: ageing in the twenty-first century Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further part four Social Structures, Social Practices and Social Institutions 14 Economies, Work and Consumption The great economic transformations: a brief overview Economies: differing kinds The changing nature of work Unemployment The worlds of corporations Consumption in modern economies Looking ahead Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 15 Power, Governance and Social Movements Some opening distinctions: the meanings of power Political systems Globalisation and politics Gender and power Political organisation in Europe Explaining power? Theoretical analysis of power in society Power beyond the rules A new politics in the twenty-first century? The new social movements The globalisation of 'human rights regimes'? Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 16 Control, Crime and Deviance Some opening definitions The social and global shapes of crime Changes in social control Explaining crime and deviance Looking ahead Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 17 Families, Households and Personal Cultures What are 'families'? Family and history Thinking about families: theories and ideas Family differences in the UK: class, ethnicity and gender Practices of family life Towards the postmodern family? Looking ahead: families in the twenty-first century Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 18 Religion The nature of religion Understanding religion The nature of religious organisations The social shape of global religions Religion in Europe Religion in the twenty-first century Taking stock and looking ahead Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 19 Education Global education and literacy Schooling around the world Understanding education in the modern world Social divisions and schooling Some current issues in education Looking ahead Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 20 Health and Medicine What is health? Health: a global survey Some social links to illness Health care systems and the medical establishment Holistic, alternative or complementary medicine Understanding health and medicine HIV/AIDS and sociology Death, dying and sociology Taking stock and looking ahead: health in the twenty-first century Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 21 The Mass Media The media age Communication and social change Media theories Three key questions in media analysis The globalisation of the media Looking ahead: the future of the media Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 22 Science, Cyberspace and the Risk Society Risk and the three scientific revolutions of the twentieth century Knowledge and science: traditions of study The 'biotechnology revolution': social issues Assisted conception and the new reproductive politics The computer revolution and the information society Looking to the future: technology and the risk society Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further part five Social Change 23 Populations, Cities and the Shape of Things to Come Demography: an introduction Key factors shaping the population History and theory of population growth Urbanisation: the growth of cities The evolution of early cities The rise of the modern industrial city Mega-cities in low-income societies Globalisation and the spread of world cities Understanding cities? Looking ahead: population and urbanisation in the twenty-first century Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 24 Social Change and the Environment Sociology and the natural environment The changing global environment Growth and its limits The 'social practices' of degrading the environment Capitalism and the environment Taking stock and looking ahead: for a sustainable world? Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further 25 Futures: the Challenges for Sociology in the Twenty-first Century What is social change? Causes of social change Modernity The future and change: new kinds of society in the making? Globalisation revisited Postmodernity revisited The Risk Society revisited The shape of societies to come - A new world order? In conclusion Summary Critical-thinking questions Going further Glossary References Name index Subject index
