The new, updated edition of the authoritative and comprehensive survey of modern sociology
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology, Second Edition is an authoritative survey of the major topics, current and emerging trends, and contemporary issues in the study of human social relationships and institutions. A collection of contributions from globally-recognized scholars and experts explore the theoretical and methodological foundations of sociology, new and established debates, and the most current research in the field. Broad in scope, this book covers a multitude of topics ranging from crime, urbanization, sexuality, and education to new questions surrounding big data, authoritarian capitalism, and the rise of nationalism.
Since the first edition of the Companion was published, new developments have emerged and new problems have been created such as the omnipresence of social media, political and institutional upheaval, and the global refugee and immigration crises. This revised and updated second edition describes and explains social changes that have occurred in the past several years, both within the field of sociology and society as a whole. Previous material has been updated to reflect current research, while eleven new chapters address topics including feminist theory, debt and social change, and armed conflict and war. This comprehensive volume:
Offers an engaging and accessible guide to the field of sociology, revised and updated for the second edition Presents wide-ranging, comprehensive coverage of the discipline Explores issues of contemporary relevance such as digital media and consumption Reflects state-of-the-art scholarship and contemporary debates New chapters for the second edition cover essential topics including feminist theory, armed conflict, big data, authoritarian capitalism, debt and social change, and the rise of nationalism
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for academics and graduate students, researchers, scholars, and educators in the discipline of sociology and allied fields such as anthropology, human geography, political science, and psychology.
Contributors Bios vii Introduction xiii George Ritzer and Wendy Wiedenhoft Murphy Part I Introduction 1 1 Classical Sociological Theory 3 Alan Sica 2 Contemporary Social Theory 21 Jeffrey Stepnisky 3 Quantitative Methods 39 Russell K. Schutt 4 Qualitative Methods 57 Mitchell Duneier Part II Basic Topics 67 5 Action, Interaction, and Groups 69 Kimberly B. Rogers and Lynn Smith‐Lovin 6 Social Network Analysis 87 Nick Crossley 7 Culturalizing Sociology 104 Laura Grindstaff and Ming‐Cheng M. Lo 8 Deviance: A Sociology of Unconventionalities 124 Nachman Ben‐Yehuda 9 Criminology 141 Charles F. Wellford 10 Critical Sexualities Studies: Moving On 156 Ken Plummer 11 Racial and Ethnic Issues: Critical Race Approaches in the United States 174 Brittany C. Slatton and Joe R. Feagin 12 Families 190 Medora W. Barnes 13 Sociology of Education 206 Joseph J. Merry and Maria Paino 14 Sociology of Religion 224 Robert D. Woodberry, Christian Smith, and Christopher P. Scheitle 15 Medicine and Health 250 William C. Cockerham 16 Urbanization 267 Kevin Fox Gotham and Arianna J. King 17 Environmental Sociology 283 Richard York and Riley E. Dunlap 18 Social Movements, Protest, and Practices of Social Change 301 Kevin Gillan 19 War and Society 319 Miguel A. Centeno and Vicki Yang 20 Immigration 340 Noriko Matsumoto 21 The Sociology of Consumption 358 Christopher Andrews 22 Digital Technology, Social Media, and Techno‐Social Life 377 Mary Chayko 23 Contemporary Feminist Theory 398 Michelle Meagher Part III Cutting Edge Issues 417 24 Big Data for Sociological Research 419 Jason Radford and David Lazer 25 Toward a Sociology of Debt 444 Wendy Wiedenhoft Murphy 26 Sociology of Sport 460 Alan Tomlinson 27 From Fordism to Brexit and Trump: Is Authoritarian Capitalism on the Rise? 477 Robert J. Antonio and Alessandro Bonanno Index 496
GEORGE RITZER is Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, USA and was named a Distinguished-Scholar Teacher there. He is editor of the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2007) and author of several books including The McDonaldization of Society (9th ed., 2018), The Globalization of Nothing (2nd ed., 2007), and coauthor with Paul Dean of Globalization: The Essentials (2nd ed, 2019). WENDY WIEDENHOFT MURPHY is Professor of Sociology at John Carroll University, USA. She is author of Consumer Culture and Society (2017) and co-author with George Ritzer of Essentials of Sociology, (3rd ed., 2018) and focuses primarily on sociological theory, environmental sociology, and the sociology of consumption.
Reviews for The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology
This new edition will give us an excellent representation of the current state of academic sociology and will be well received as a sound, comprehensive outline of the main fields of sociological study. Nick Crossley, University of Manchester This wide-ranging and engaging proposal will provide excellent coverage of the discipline. George Ritzer was ideally placed to edit the previous volume and is one of the very best people to bring us up to date with all the developments in the field. Bryan Turner, CUNY Graduate Center
