21st Century Sociology: A Reference Handbook

Editor/Author: Bryant, Clifton D. and Peck, Dennis L.
Publication Year: 2007
Publisher: Sage Publications

ISBN: 978-1-4129-1608-0
Category: social sciences
Image Count: 31
Book Status: Available

21st Century Sociology: A Reference Handbook provides a concise forum through which the vast array of knowledge accumulated, particularly during the past three decades, can be organized into a single definitive resource. The Reference Handbook focuses on the corpus of knowledge garnered in traditional areas of sociological inquiry, as well as document the general orientation of the newer and currently emerging areas of sociological inquiry.

This book is found in the following Credo Collections:

• SAGE Sociology Collection
• SAGE Reference Collection

See what others are saying:

• As noted in the preface, the field of sociology has emerged from its early beginnings as a "monolithic" subject to become an expansive body of knowledge with layers of specialization. This handbook serves as a survey and assessment for the numerous specialty areas represented by the field, offering 106 essays authored by scholars from 12 different countries. The handbook's taxonomy is in itself elucidating. Divided into 12 sections, volume 1 (Traditional and Core Values) defines and traces the evolution of topics that are foundational to the discipline. Volume 2 (Specialty and Interdisciplinary Studies) includes the less traditional and emerging subfields and methodologies within sociology such as visual sociology and the sociology of femininity. It also discusses the hybridized subfields that explore sociological aspects of other disciplines, such as "the sociology of consumer behavior" and "the sociology of food and eating." The articles are of sufficient depth, providing useful overviews of subjects. Authors are consistent in their efforts to contextualize topics within the overarching discipline, in addressing the early development of topics, and in commenting on future directions. In some cases, contextualizing a subfield is more complicated than in others, e.g., in the chapter entitled "Popular Culture;" on an intrinsically interdisciplinary subject, the authors' examination of popular culture's evolution shows that it has been "of interest not just to sociologists but also to a variety of area specialists in fields such as American studies ... anthropologists, historians, and literary scholars." The chapter focuses on the emergence and development of the sociology of popular culture, and the authors intentionally describe theories and concepts in a language and style that is accessible to a lay audience. With this valuable handbook the editors have successfully synthesized a field that has expanded considerably in recent years.

  M. L. Stark
  Harvard Business School