Key Concepts

Fundamentalism 2nd Edition

Steve Bruce

“Steve Bruce writes always with great lucidity from a clearly stated point of view. His essay on fundamentalism is no exception. It is well informed and easily accessible and it deserves to be taken seriously even by people who disagree with his view.”

— Martin Riesebrodt, University of Chicago

Concepts of the Self 2nd Edition

Anthony Elliott

“What Anthony Elliott accomplished in the first edition of Concepts was remarkable. Here, a second time around, he does it still again – even better! No reader, whether student or scholar, will want to be without this brilliant book – a claim certified by the thousands of students who enjoyed the first edition.”

— Charles Lemert, Wesleyan University

Care

Judith Phillips

“Judith Phillips’s book takes a fresh look at the much debated and researched concept of care. The author not only reviews current thinking on the subject and what has shaped that thinking but also provides some interesting new perspectives.”

— Julia Johnson, Open University

Consumption

Alan Aldridge

“Written with unusual clarity and confidence, this small book packs a big intellectual punch. No one interested in new work in the sociology of consumption should be without it”

— Charles Lemert, Wesleyan University.

The Market

Alan Aldrige

“Clearly written and very readable, Aldridge's text surveys a range of debates on the rise of the market, its advocates and critics, successes and failures, market ideologies and social values, globalization and the ‘marketization’ of public life.”

— Dr Fran Tonkiss, LSE

The Network Society

Darin Barney

“The social and political implications of the spread of networks have begun to attract increasing scholarly attention. Barney's eloquently written book provides much needed philosophical and political depth to the subject and will be likely to become an essential source in years to come.”

— Ronald J. Deibert, University of Toronto

Disability

Colin Barnes and Geof Mercer

In this book, Barnes and Mercer provide a concise and accessible introduction to the concept of disability. Drawing on a burgeoning ‘disability studies' literature from around the world, and from a range of disciplinary perspectives, the authors explore the evolution of this concept and offer a wide-ranging critique of established academic, policy and professional orthodoxies. The book highlights disabled peoples' exclusion and marginalization in key areas of social activity and participation across different historical and cultural contexts, such as family life and reproduction, education, employment, leisure, cultural imagery and politics.

Health

Mildred Baxter

“This lively and emminently readable book provides a succint account of current thinking and research on the concept of health, and especially its link with social processes. Written by a foremost international expert on the subject, Mildred Blaxter's Health has marshalled a welth of information from the USA , the UK and other countries on different dimensions and ideas about health- and how they have changed over time. The book will be essential reading for all students with an interest in health, especially medical students. It will set the standard for years to come.”

— Mike Bury, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University London

Gender

Harriet Bradley

This book provides an introduction to the concept of gender and the different theoretical approaches which have developed within gender studies. It has been designed as a student introduction and is accessible to anybody interested in contemporary relations between women and men.

The People

Margaret Canovan

This groundbreaking study sets out to clarify one of the most influential but least studied of all political concepts, charting the conflicting meanings of ‘the people’ and the concept's development from the ancient populus Romanus to the present day.

Empire

Alejandro Colás

“In this excellent book, Alejandro Colás draws together a wide range of theoretical perspectives and combines them with rich historical detail to illustrate his argument. That he does so in a concise, readable and yet rigorous way is something to be applauded. In short, Empire is a highly impressive achievement.”

— Ray Kiely, SOAS, University of London

Human Rights

Michael Freeman

Human Rights is an innovative and challenging introductory text that invites students to think conceptually about one of the most important and influential political concepts of our time. Its unique interdisciplinary approach emphasizes the complex ways in which the experiences of the victims of human rights violations are related to legal, philosophical and social-scientific approaches to human rights.

Trust

Russell Hardin

In this wide-ranging book, Russell Hardin sets out to dispel the myths surrounding the concept of trust in contemporary society and politics. He examines the growing literature on trust to analyze public concerns about declining levels of trust, both in our fellow citizens and in our governments and their officials.

Poverty

Ruth Lister

“This thought-provoking analysis is informed by its understanding of both the experience and meaning of poverty. It deserves to be made compulsory reading for all those engaged in making, carrying out or studying policies that affect the lives of people in poverty in any way.”

— Adrian Sinfield, University of Edinburgh

Governance

Anne Mette Kjær

Governance is an easy-to read introduction to an increasingly important concept in political science. It provides a clear overview of how the concept has been used in the sub-fields of public administration and public policy, international relations, European studies, and comparative politics.

Global Justice

Jon Mandle

“This is a clear and promising attempt to explain and develop some deeply held and widely shared intuitions about justice.”

— Thomas Pogge, Australian National University

Minority Rights

Jennifer Jackson Preece

“This is an important book. At a time when western societies are becoming increasingly polarised between those who urge the virtues of multiculturalism and those who fear that our values are being undermined and our security threatened by the presence of minorities, we badly need a careful and clear-headed appraisal of minority rights and the dilemmas that they pose. Jennifer Jackson-Preece is to be congratulated providing us with just such an account.”

— James Mayall, University of Cambridge

Power

John Scott

“Scott provides a well-documented and admirably succinct analysis of social power in all its diverse forms and their embodiment in both hierarchical social institutions and interpersonal relations.”

— Dennis Wrong, Emeritus Professor, New York University

Nationalism

Anthony D. Smith

For the last two centuries, nationalism has been a central feature of society and politics. Few ideologies can match its power and resonance, and no other political movement and symbolic language has such worldwide appeal and resilience. But nationalism is also a form of public culture and political religion, which draws on much older cultural and symbolic forms.

Equality

Stuart White

This highly accessible book provides an engaging introduction to the concept of equality and to the debates, historical and contemporary, that surround it. It explains and critically considers how the demand for equality arises in different spheres. The book will be of interest to students and researchers in philosophy and the social sciences and anyone interested in the values that animate democratic political life.