The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology

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.

GEORGE RITZER is Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, USA and was named a Distinguished-Scholar Teacher there. He is editor of the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2007) and author of several books including The McDonaldization of Society (9th ed., 2018), The Globalization of Nothing (2nd ed., 2007), and coauthor with Paul Dean of Globalization: The Essentials (2nd ed, 2019).

WENDY WIEDENHOFT MURPHY is Professor of Sociology at John Carroll University, USA. She is author of Consumer Culture and Society (2017) and co-author with George Ritzer of Essentials of Sociology, (3rd ed., 2018) and focuses primarily on sociological theory, environmental sociology, and the sociology of consumption.