Edited by expert scholars, this volume explores the 'imposter' through empirical cases, including click farms, bikers, business leaders and fraudulent scientists, providing insights into the social relations and cultural forms from which they emerge.

In Performing Deception, Brian Rappert reconstructs the practice of entertainment magic by analysing it through the lens of perception, deception and learning, as he goes about studying conjuring himself. Through this novel meditation on reasoning and skill, Rappert elevates magic from the undertaking of mere trickery to an art that offers the basis for rethinking our possibilities for acting in the modern world. Performing Deception covers a wide range of theories in sociology, philosophy, psychology and elsewhere in order to offer a striking assessment of the way secrecy and deception are woven into social interactions, as well as the illusionary and paradoxical status of expertise.

Erving Goffman and the Cold War presents a provocative new reading of the work of sociologist Erving Goffman. Instead of viewing him as a “marginal man” or academic outsider, Gary D. Jaworski explores Goffman as a social theorist of the Cold War. Goffman was deeply connected to both the ethos of his time and to a range of cold warriors and their critics, such as Edward A. Shils, Thomas C. Schelling, and the researchers on “brainwashing” associated with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, among others. Chapters on loyalty, betrayal, secrecy, strategy, interrogation, provocation, and aggression concretely illustrate these connections. Erving Goffman and the Cold War shows that Goffman was much more than a microsociologist of mundane life; he was a perceptive analyst of the Cold War America.

This book offers a history of sociological theory from a Christian perspective, tracing the origins of sociology from the beginnings of Western science as introduced by the Scholastics of the twelfth century, which, when combined with their emphasis on rationality, led to the Enlightenment "science of man"—an emphasis that eventually resulted in sociology, which combined empiricism and a Christian moral philosophy. With chapters focusing on the Scholastics, the Enlightenment, the rise of sociology in France, Germany, and the United States, and the legacy of Positivism, Christianity and Sociological Theory shows how the emphasis on moral philosophy was eventually lost as sociology rejected Christian underpinnings, resulting in what can only be described as an extremely limited sociology. A rigorous exploration of the trajectory of the discipline from its Christian origins, this volume reveals the potential that exists for sociology in an era of postmodern thought to reclaim its promise through a re-introduction of Christianity.

A unique hybrid of text and readings, this book combines the major writings of sociology′s core classical and contemporary theorists with an historical as well as theoretical framework for understanding them. Laura Desfor Edles and Scott A Appelrouth provide not just a biographical and theoretical summary of each theorist/reading, but an overarching scaffolding which students can use to examine, compare and contrast each theorists′ major themes and concepts. No other theory text combines such student-friendly explanation and analysis with original theoretical works. Key features include: * Pedagogical devices and visual aids - charts, figures and photographs - to help summarize key concepts, illuminate complex ideas and provoke student interest * Chapters on well-known figures, such as Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Parsons and Foucault as well as an in-depth discussion of lesser known voices, such as Charlotte Perkins-Gilman, WEB Du Bois, and Leslie Sklair * Photos of not only the theorists, but of the historical milieu from which the theories arose as well as a glossary at the back

Sociological Theory in the Contemporary Era: Text and Readings features well-edited original writings from sociologyÆs core contemporary theorists witháintroductory text that provides aáhistorical and theoretical framework for understanding these works. Authors Scott Appelrouth and Laura Desfor Edles use this unique text/reader approach to introduce students to sociological theory in a lively and engaging fashion.áKey Features:Enables students to compare and contrast core concepts and ideas: This book provides not just a biographical and theoretical summary of each theorist/reading, but an overarching theoretical framework with which to understand, compare, and contrast these selections. The authors rely on original texts to derive new meaning and excitement of sociological theory. áStresses contemporary applications and examples: In addition to chapters on well-known figures, there is also an in-depth discussion of lesser known voices. The social and intellectual milieu in which the selections were written is discussed, as well as their contemporary relevance. Thus, the book connects these seemingly disparate works not only theoretically but also via concrete applications to todayÆs world.Provides a variety of visuals and pedagogical devices: Charts, figures, photographs, and discussion questions help summarize key concepts, illuminate complex ideas, and provoke student interest. No other theory text combines such ôstudent-friendlyö explanation and analysis with original theoretical works.á áIntended Audience:This is an excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying sociological theory in courses such as Contemporary Sociological Theory, Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, and Sociological Theory

This handbook explores feeling like an ‘imposter’ in higher education and what this can tell us about contemporary educational inequalities. Asking why imposter syndrome matters now, we investigate experiences of imposter syndrome across social locations, institutional positions, and intersecting inequalities. Our collection queries advice to fit-in with the university, and authors reflect on (not)belonging in, with and against educational institutions. The collection advances understandings of imposter syndrome as socially situated, in relation to entrenched inequalities and their recirculation in higher education. Chapters combine creative methods and linger on the figure of the ‘imposter’ - wary of both individualising and celebrating imposters as lucky, misfits, fraudsters, or failures, and critically interrogating the supposed universality of imposter syndrome.

This book critically explores the role of state schooling in the reproduction of social class inequalities in the UK. By uniquely combining critical ethnographic methods with participatory and visual research, it foregrounds the experiences and recollections of working class adults in relation to their past schooling. Drawing upon her own lived experiences, Jones theorises the experiences of her participants using an analysis of Marxist, Bourdieusian and Freirean frameworks to uncover relations of power and illustrate how schooling has reduced individual agency and sustained lived inequalities. By creating space for a Visual Intervention within Critical Ethnography (VICE) alongside her analysis of class and society, Jones successfully illuminates that working class struggles are not permanent, and that agency can be activated. The book also addresses an important need by centring research from the lived educational experiences of the working class, and, in particular, working class adults. Making a unique theoretical and methodological contribution using an innovative combined methodology approach, the text ultimately highlights the potential of empowering disadvantaged individuals by raising critical consciousness. Though it is focused on the experiences of adults, this book has important understandings for all sectors of education and will be of interest to academics, researchers and students interested in the sociology of education, research methods in education, social inequality, social class and education politics.

This multi-disciplinary collection addresses issues relating to current or former practitioners within the context of higher education. Drawing together a range of voices, the contributors explore contemporary issues organised around three core themes of pracademic identities, professional development, and teaching practice. Underpinned by theoretical frameworks, reporting empirical findings, and adopting a reflective lens, this critical examination draws on a range of experiences to provide a deeper understanding of the contribution of pracademics within the sector for stakeholders, including leaders, policy makers and professional bodies, and current and future pracademics. Dedicated to highlighting the potential of the pracademic contribution, this collection explores key topics including building networks, practice-informed teaching, consultancy, and collaborative research. Contributions investigate some of the practical barriers faced by pracademics making the transition into higher education, including imposter syndrome, cultural adjustment, and managing dual professional identities. The aim of this collection is to champion the benefits of a diverse academy for everyone involved.

There is a moral to this book, a bit of Confucian wisdom often ignored in social network analysis: "Worry not that no one knows you, seek to be worth knowing." This advice is contrary to the usual social network emphasis on securing relations with well-connected people. Neighbor Networks examines the cases of analysts, bankers, and managers, and finds that rewards, in fact, do go to people with well-connected colleagues. Look around your organization. The individuals doing well tend to be affiliated with well-connected colleagues. However, the advantage obvious to the naked eye is misleading. It disappears when an individual's own characteristics are held constant. Well-connected people do not have to affiliate with people who have nothing to offer. This book shows that affiliation with well-connected people adds stability but no advantage to a person's own connections. Advantage is concentrated in people who are themselves well connected. This book is a trail of argument and evidence that leads to the conclusion that individuals make a lot of their own network advantage. The social psychology of networks moves to center stage and personal responsibility emerges as a key theme. In the end, the social is affirmed, but with an emphasis on individual agency and the social psychology of networks. The research gives new emphasis to Coleman's initial image of social capital as a forcing function for human capital. This book is for academics and researchers of organizational and network studies interested in a new angle on familiar data, and as a supplemental reading in graduate courses on social networks, stratification, or organizations. A variety of research settings are studied, and diverse theoretical perspectives are taken. The book's argument and evidence are supported by ample appendices for readers interested in background details.