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The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology

"This new edition will give us an excellent representation of the current state of academic sociology and will be well received as a sound, comprehensive outline of the main fields of sociological study."
—Nick Crossley, University of Manchester

"This wide-ranging and engaging proposal will provide excellent coverage of the discipline. George Ritzer was ideally placed to edit the previous volume and is one of the very best people to bring us up to date with all the developments in the field."
—Bryan Turner, CUNY Graduate Center

George Ritzer (Edited by), Wendy Wiedenhoft Murphy (Edited by)

9781119429357, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 25 August 2025

528 pages
23.9 x 16.5 x 3.1 cm, 0.816 kg

The new, updated edition of the authoritative and comprehensive survey of modern sociology

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology, Second Edition is an authoritative survey of the major topics, current and emerging trends, and contemporary issues in the study of human social relationships and institutions. A collection of contributions from globally-recognized scholars and experts explore the theoretical and methodological foundations of sociology, new and established debates, and the most current research in the field. Broad in scope, this book covers a multitude of topics ranging from crime, urbanization, sexuality, and education to new questions surrounding big data, authoritarian capitalism, and the rise of nationalism.

Since the first edition of the Companion was published, new developments have emerged and new problems have been created such as the omnipresence of social media, political and institutional upheaval, and the global refugee and immigration crises. This revised and updated second edition describes and explains social changes that have occurred in the past several years, both within the field of sociology and society as a whole. Previous material has been updated to reflect current research, while eleven new chapters address topics including feminist theory, debt and social change, and armed conflict and war. This comprehensive volume:

  • Offers an engaging and accessible guide to the field of sociology, revised and updated for the second edition
  • Presents wide-ranging, comprehensive coverage of the discipline
  • Explores issues of contemporary relevance such as digital media and consumption
  • Reflects state-of-the-art scholarship and contemporary debates
  • New chapters for the second edition cover essential topics including feminist theory, armed conflict, big data, authoritarian capitalism, debt and social change, and the rise of nationalism

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for academics and graduate students, researchers, scholars, and educators in the discipline of sociology and allied fields such as anthropology, human geography, political science, and psychology.

Contributors Bios vii

Introduction xiii
George Ritzer and Wendy Wiedenhoft Murphy

Part I Introduction 1

1 Classical Sociological Theory 3
Alan Sica

2 Contemporary Social Theory 21
Jeffrey Stepnisky

3 Quantitative Methods 39
Russell K. Schutt

4 Qualitative Methods 57
Mitchell Duneier

Part II Basic Topics 67

5 Action, Interaction, and Groups 69
Kimberly B. Rogers and Lynn Smith]Lovin

6 Social Network Analysis 87
Nick Crossley

7 Culturalizing Sociology 104
Laura Grindstaff and Ming]Cheng M. Lo

8 Deviance: A Sociology of Unconventionalities 124
Nachman Ben]Yehuda

9 Criminology 141
Charles F. Wellford

10 Critical Sexualities Studies: Moving On 156
Ken Plummer

11 Racial and Ethnic Issues: Critical Race Approaches in the United States 174
Brittany C. Slatton and Joe R. Feagin

12 Families 190
Medora W. Barnes

13 Sociology of Education 206
Joseph J. Merry and Maria Paino

14 Sociology of Religion 224
Robert D. Woodberry, Christian Smith, and Christopher P. Scheitle

15 Medicine and Health 250
William C. Cockerham

16 Urbanization 267
Kevin Fox Gotham and Arianna J. King

17 Environmental Sociology 283
Richard York and Riley E. Dunlap

18 Social Movements, Protest, and Practices of Social Change 301
Kevin Gillan

19 War and Society 319
Miguel A. Centeno and Vicki Yang

20 Immigration 340
Noriko Matsumoto

21 The Sociology of Consumption 358
Christopher Andrews

22 Digital Technology, Social Media, and Techno]Social Life 377
Mary Chayko

23 Contemporary Feminist Theory 398
Michelle Meagher

Part III Cutting Edge Issues 417

24 Big Data for Sociological Research 419
Jason Radford and David Lazer

25 Toward a Sociology of Debt 444
Wendy Wiedenhoft Murphy

26 Sociology of Sport 460
Alan Tomlinson

27 From Fordism to Brexit and Trump: Is Authoritarian Capitalism on the Rise? 477 
Robert J. Antonio and Alessandro Bonanno

Index 496

Subject Areas: Sociology & anthropology [JH]
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