Drawing on studies of social class, crime and deviance, education, work in bureaucracies and changes in religious and political organizations, this Very Short Introduction explores the tension between the individual's place in society and society's role in shaping the individual, and demonstrates the value of sociology for understanding the modern world. In this new edition Steve Bruce discusses the continuing arguments for social egalitarianism,...

It's impossible to exist in the contemporary world without being aware that powerful social forces, ideas, and movements--#MeToo, climate change, and Black Lives Matter to name just a few--are having far-reaching impacts on how we think and live. But why are they happening? And what are their likely effects? The new edition of Sociology For Dummies gives you the tools to step back from your personal experience and study these questions objectively,...

A rabbi (David Goldberg), an anthropologist (Frans de Waal), and two historians (Nile Green and David Hollinger) discuss different aspects of THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION.

Western culture has endlessly represented the ways in which love miraculously erupts in people's lives, the mythical moment in which one knows someone is destined for us; the feverish waiting for a phone call or an email, the thrill that runs our spine at the mere thought of him or her. Yet, a culture that has so much to say about love is virtually silent on the no less mysterious moments when we avoid falling in love, where we fall out of love, when...

"A new, counterintuitive theory for how social networks influence the spread of behavior. New social movements, technologies, and public-health initiatives often struggle to take off, yet many diseases disperse rapidly without issue. Can the lessons learned from the viral diffusion of diseases be used to improve the spread of beneficial behaviors and innovations? In How Behavior Spreads, Damon Centola presents over a decade of original research examining...

"Brown and Gay in LA chronicles the stories of second generation gay men living in Los Angeles to show how people living at the intersection of race, immigration, and sexuality are able to find agency within their families, schools, and communities"--

"As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power--which groups have it and which do not. In this book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories...

"[The author] takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee to tell the story of eight families on the edge. Arleen is a single mother trying to raise her two sons on the 20 dollars a month she has left after paying for their rundown apartment. Scott is a gentle nurse consumed by a heroin addiction. Lamar, a man with no legs and a neighborhood full of boys to look after, tries to work his way out of debt. Vanetta participates in a botched stickup...

Named a School Library Journal Best Book and a Eureka! Silver Honor Book, Treasury of Greek Mythology from award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli introduces a new generation to the enthralling tales of ancient Greece. From Zeus and Apollo to Perseus and Medusa, the mythical figures presented here are sure to capture the imagination of young listeners everywhere.