Encyclopedia Of Social Theory

The Encyclopedia of Social Theory cuts across all relevant disciplines, theories, approaches, and schools to present the latest information and research.

The Encyclopedia of Social Theory is an indispensable reference source for anyone interested in the roots of contemporary social theory. It examines the global landscape of all the key theories and the theorists behind them, presenting them in the context needed to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Led by internationally renowned scholar George Ritzer, the Encyclopedia of Social Theory draws together a team of more than 200 international scholars covering the developments, achievements, and prospects of social theory from its inception in the 18th century to the present. Understanding that social theory can both explain and alter the social world, this two-volume set serves as not only a foundation for learning, but also an inspiration for creative and reflexive engagement with the rich range of ideas it contains.

The Handbook of Social Theory presents an authoritative and panoramic critical survey of the development, achievement and prospects of social theory.

This concise encyclopedia is the most complete international survey of sociology ever created in one volume. Contains over 800 entries from the whole breadth of the discipline Distilled from the highly regarded Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, with entries completely revised and updated to provide succinct and up-to-date coverage of the fundamental topics Global in scope, both in terms of topics and contributors Each entry includes references and suggestions for further reading Cross-referencing allows easy movement around the volume

From terrorism to social inequality and from health care to environmental issues, social problems affect us all. The Encyclopedia will offer an interdisciplinary perspective into these and many other social problems that are a continuing concern in our lives, whether we confront them on a personal, local, regional, national, or global level.

Social deviance does not involve just criminal behavior—it’s any behavior that violates a cultural norm, and that can involve something as minor as consistently and deliberately wearing lively mismatched socks. Moreover, whether a crime, a sin, or simply unique taste, what’s considered deviant at one time and place can change, as when extensive tattooing and "body art" evolved from a sideshow carnival spectacle to a nearly universal rite of passage within U.S. culture. Drawing contributions from across the social and behavioral sciences, including sociology, anthropology, criminology, politics, psychology, and religion, the Encyclopedia of Social Deviance introduces students to this lively field of rule-making and rebellion that strikes at the core of what it means to be an individual living in a social world. Key Features: More than 300 articles are organized A-to-Z in two volumes available in both electronic and print formats. Articles, authored by key figures in the field, conclude with cross-reference links and further readings. Although organized A-to-Z, a thematic “Reader’s Guide” groups related articles by broad areas (e.g., Concepts; Theories; Research Methodologies; Individual Deviance; Organizational Deviance; etc.) as one handy search feature on the e-Reference platform, which also includes a comprehensive index of search terms.

Contains 336 alphabetically arranged entries that provide information on specific theories, theorists, schools of thought, key concepts, and topics in the field of social theory, each with cross-references, and a list of further readings. Includes a chronology and index.