Anthony Giddens has made original contributions to the fields of social theory, political sociology, the sociology of stratifications & suicide. This set includes carefully selected secondary articles which bring out the scope of his work.

Nancy Fraser, New School for Social Research --

First published in 2001. For Sociology is not the dogmatic stand of a single discipline against the tide of interdisciplinarity. Rather it is an attempt to explore the nature of sociological argument and the relationship of sociology both to the natural sciences and other social sciences, as well as assessing its role in understanding the complexities of the contemporary world. The essays in the collection were all presented at the British Sociological Association's annual conference in 1999, which sought to reassess sociology thirty years on from Alvin Gouldner's famous challenge to the discipline. Through reflection on the continuities and discontinuities in the discipline, and an exploration of some of the key themes and issues of our time, the writers represented here pose new challenges to the sociological imagination.

First published in 1975, this collection of essays embodies a conception of sociological thought as a critical analysis of social theories and doctrines, of social institutions and political regimes, of recent social movements. They deal, in particular, with some conservative versions of sociology and with attempts to develop more radical theories; they extend the author's previous writings on classes, elites and politics; and they analyse some of the problems of socialism in the late twentieth century. There is a close unity of theme througout the book in its critical attempt to formulate new intellectual bases for future radical and egalitarian politics. It is written with that quiet wisdom and impressive command of sources which readers have come to associate with Professor Bottomore's work.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the disruptions of climate change are features of post-normal times. In Sociology in Post-Normal Times, Charles Thorpe contends that the modern project of creating normalcy within the nation state has broken down. Integral to this is sociology, which is the science of social reform. Drawing from the work of seminal theorists such as Zygmunt Bauman and Anthony Giddens, Thorpe contends that sociology's “society” is no longer viable because globalization has put an end to social reform, thus the assumptions and goals of sociology must be left behind in order to create a new global humanity. In the face of the pandemic and climate change, Sociology in Post-Normal Times demands no less than the birth of a global humanity beyond nation states as the precondition for human survival.

The pace of modern life is undoubtedly speeding up, yet this acceleration does not seem to have made us any happier or more content. If acceleration is the problem, then the solution, argues Hartmut Rosa in this major new work, lies in “resonance.” The quality of a human life cannot be measured simply in terms of resources, options, and moments of happiness; instead, we must consider our relationship to, or resonance with, the world. Applying his theory of resonance to many domains of human activity, Rosa describes the full spectrum of ways in which we establish our relationship to the world, from the act of breathing to the adoption of culturally distinct worldviews. He then turns to the realms of concrete experience and action – family and politics, work and sports, religion and art – in which we as late modern subjects seek out resonance. This task is proving ever more difficult as modernity’s logic of escalation is both cause and consequence of a distorted relationship to the world, at individual and collective levels. As Rosa shows, all the great crises of modern society – the environmental crisis, the crisis of democracy, the psychological crisis – can also be understood and analyzed in terms of resonance and our broken relationship to the world around us. Building on his now classic work on acceleration, Rosa’s new book is a major new contribution to the theory of modernity, showing how our problematic relation to the world is at the crux of some of the most pressing issues we face today. This bold renewal of critical theory for our times will be of great interest to students and scholars across the social sciences and humanities.

The essential revision guide for A–level Sociology from trusted and best–selling author Ken Browne. Together with Sociology for AQA Revision Guide 1, this indispensable book provides everything you need to revise for the exams, with a clear topic–by–topic layout to recap key theories and central ideas. The revision guide maps perfectly onto Ken Browne, Jonathan Blundell and Pamela Law's Sociology for AQA Volume 2 with each topic cross–referenced to the main textbook so you can revisit any sections you need to. The book includes a guide to exam questions – and how to answer them – with sample worked answers showing how to achieve top marks. All specification options are covered, with exam tips throughout the book. With this revision guide to take you through the exam and Sociology for AQA Volume 2 to develop your sociological imagination, Ken Browne provides the complete resource for success in sociology.