Sociology Catalogue 2009
Browse our latest catalogue. It’s fully searchable and hyperlinked, to help you find more information on and order the books that interest you.
Sociology UK Catalogue 2009
Sociology US Catalogue 2009
Polity is one of the world's leading publishers in sociology and social theory. We publish many of the key scholars in the field and our list has earned a reputation for innovative, cutting-edge publications. We also have a strong list of textbooks in sociology which are widely adopted at colleges and universities around the world.
Our authors include internationally renowned sociologists and social thinkers such as Pierre Bourdieu, Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck, Jürgen Habermas, Theodor W. Adorno, Zygmunt Bauman, Walter Benjamin, Norbert Elias, Jacques Derrida, Cornelius Castoriadis, André Gorz, Stuart Hall, Raewyn Connell, Jeffrey Weeks, Ann Oakley, Michèle Barrett, Lynne Segal, Nancy Fraser, Seyla Benhabib, Michael Mann, Anthony Smith, Claus Offe, Gøsta Esping-Andersen, Immanuel Wallerstein, Stan Cohen, Ray Pahl, Harold Garfinkel and Clifford Geertz.
Visit our highlights page for more information on our new and forthcoming general interest titles.
Giddens: Sociology 6th Edition
Praise for previous editions
“Giddens's book is composed with verve and panache, yet it is extraordinarily learned and reliable. It really is fun to read ... We need to applaud Giddens for a superb text as well as his singular contribution to the standing of sociology today.”
Frank Webster, Times Higher Education Supplement
Giddens and Sutton: Sociology: Introductory Readings 3rd edition
The third edition of this introductory reader in sociology has been thoroughly restructured, and fully revised and updated to offer a stimulating and wide-ranging set of readings for students approaching sociology for the first time. It will be an essential resource for anyone who wishes to engage with the scope of sociological thought today.
Martell: The Sociology of Globalization
"Globalization has become a central concept for understanding contemporary social processes and global crises. Martell has written an extremely lucid and comprehensive sociology of globalization that offers a welcome focus on political and economic issues whilst encompassing its cultural dimension. This book enriches our critical understanding of globalization."
Larry Ray, University of Kent
Erickson, Bradley, Stephenson and Williams: Business in Society
This book provides an indispensable introduction to business and organizations from a social perspective. Using classic and contemporary ideas and evidence, the book explores the connections between people, work, organizations and society. Carefully illustrated with a range of up-to-date case studies, the book shows how sociology can shed light on current developments in the business world.
Connell: Gender 2nd edition
"Presenting the leading edge of gender theory and research, the second edition of Gender is the smartest and most compelling introduction to critical gender studies that is currently available. Connell remains a steady and reliable guide for the student of gender and society."
Steven Seidman, State University of New York at Albany
Guibernau and Rex: The Ethnicity Reader 2nd edition
“Guibernau and Rex have put together a superb collection of writings on ethnicity. They have selected from the best historical and contemporary scholarship on this fraught issue, covering a wide range of topics, from citizenship to violence. Most importantly, the variety of contributions spans the globe. The Ethnicity Reader is an excellent resource for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in a wide range of disciplines."
Eric D. Weitz, University of Minnesota
Wells: Childhood in Global Perspective
“In this ambitious but accessible text, Karen Wells analyses the social forces that contribute to the construction of childhood in today's global world. This book deserves a wide audience; it is smart and places the sociology of childhood at the centre of contemporary global politics and analysis."
Steven Seidman, State University of New York at Albany
Marsh and Elliott: Exploring Data 2nd Edition
"Cathie Marsh’s original book, published 20 years ago, had a remarkable impact on students and researchers alike, liberating them to explore data – focussing on their meaning, not just the statistical significance. Jane Elliott has done an invaluable job in updating this book, taking account of developments in software and statistics."
Brendan Burchell, University of Cambridge
Blaikie: Designing Social Research 2nd Edition
"The revised edition of this valuable guide to designing research in the social sciences maintains its hallmark qualities: it is clearly organized yet broad ranging, and identifies the key issues which all robust social science research must confront while sharpening its approach to some of the most intractable and perennial research design questions. Above all, it is readable, versatile and intuitively applicable."
Randall Germain, Carleton University
Barnes and Mercer: Exploring Disability 2nd Edition
"If students and teachers want one resource to assist in their exploration of disability studies, then this is it. It’s up-to-date, comprehensive and coherent, outlining the key themes and issues in a readable way. No-one studying disability on an undergraduate, postgraduate or professional training course should be without it."
Mike Oliver, Emeritus Professor, University of Greenwich
Nettleton: The Sociology of Health and Illness 2ndedition
"Sarah Nettleton’s The Sociology of Health and Illness has become a major text for students studying medical sociology. This second edition is a welcome event ... Its up-to-date treatment of changes in research and health care is essential reading for those attempting to understand matters medical in today’s fast changing environment."
Mike Bury, University of London
Pierson and Castles: The Welfare State Reader 2nd Edition
"In this second and updated version of their Welfare State Reader, Pierson and Castles have collated a masterful compendium of classic texts and important recent contributions to the contemporary and comparative analysis of welfare states. Preceded by useful introductions to each section, the volume covers traditional theories and perspectives, evolving debates and new political responses to enduring and recent challenges to maintaining social policy provision at a large scale. The result is an essential and invaluable resource for students, teachers and researchers interested in the development and the future of modern welfare states."
Jochen Clasen, University of Edinburgh
Pierson: Beyond the Welfare State? 3rd Edition
"Beyond the Welfare State? draws on a careful and exhaustive review of both the theoretical literature and empirical evidence on the contemporary Western welfare state and social democracy. Pierson's overview of the forces that propelled comparative welfare state development, crisis, and change is masterful, critical, and balanced. Packed with fresh insights and sharp reasoning, the book manages to pull together what it is important to know in the field of comparative welfare state studies. It is just about the best review of the literature currently available – a perfect text for upper-level university courses."
Gøsta Esping-Andersen,Pompeu Fabra University
This series makes available to a wide audience the ideas of some of the most influential thinkers, of our time. Cutting across the boundaries between academic disciplines and between different traditions of thought, the series addresses European as well as Anglo-American thinkers. The books are written in a clear and concise way, making them suitable for students and for the interested general reader.
New and published titles of interest to sociologists are listed below. Please check other subject pages for further titles in this series.
Polity’s new series of short volumes in the ‘Economy and Society’ series provide sophisticated and engaging insight into key topics in economic sociology.
Carruthers and Ariovich: Money and Credit
"Few books succeed in being both scholarly studies and textbooks at one and the same time, but Money and Credit is an exception. It is likely to become the standard work in the sociology of money and credit."
Richard Swedberg, Cornell University
Centeno and Cohen: Global Capitalism
"With deep insight and sparkling illustrations, Centeno and Cohen offer a comprehensive overview of how global capitalism works: both its promise and threats. Read it to understand our past, present, and future economic worlds."
Viviana A. Zelizer, Princeton University
Key Concepts is a series of concise and accessible textbooks exploring core concepts in the social sciences. The books focus on concepts that are central to each discipline and have a high degree of complexity surrounding them. For more information on individual titles please see the series webpage: www.politybooks.com/keyconcepts.
Titles include:
A major new series of innovative and lively short introductions to the main areas of the social sciences and humanities. For information on individual volumes please go to the series webpage: www.politybooks.com/shortintroductions.
This ground-breaking series sets a new agenda for debates in the social sciences and humanities. Each volume in the series sheds light on a particular issue or theme shaping social, political, economic, and cultural life in the new millennium. Written by internationally renowned scholars who are leaders in their field, books in this series provide original and accessible overviews of some of the most important topics of our age.
Titles include:
Browne: Introduction to Sociology 3rd Edition
"Sound, thorough, factually up-to-date and well written. This revised version of a trustworthy text is a must for anyone delivering an introductory course in sociology."
Janis Griffiths, Resources Editor for ATSS
Browne: Sociology for A2 AQA
"This is an excellent textbook which marries new and classic sociological theories and research in a very clear way, saving teachers time and making it interesting for students to understand - just what you would expect from the well-respected Ken Browne."
Christine Garnock-Jones, Silverdale School
Browne: Sociology for AS AQA 3rd Edition
"This latest edition contains all the magical ingredients of its predecessors. The text simultaneously stimulates and enthuses students with thought-provoking and accessible material, and is a welcome arrival in light of the recent specification changes."
Gerry Czerniawski, University of East London
