Corruption, crime, economic inequality, religious fundamentalism, financial crises, environmental degradation, population ageing, gender inequality, large-scale migration... This book tackles many of the most pressing problems facing societies today. The authors demonstrate that similar social mechanisms lie behind many of these seemingly disparate problems.

Indeed, many societal problems can be traced back to behaviours that are perfectly rational and often well-intended from an individual p...

Illuminates the social pretentions of the middle classes in the modern world, focusing on the tastes and preferences of the French bourgeoisie. This book argues that the social world functions simultaneously as a system of power relations and as a symbolic system in which minute distinctions of taste become the basis for social judgement.

COMPREHENSIVE: The book offers an unbiased introduction to all three methodological paradigms: positivist, interpretive, critical/cultural (quantitative, qualitative, critical). - INNOVATIVE: The book includes new sample student papers along with critiques of these papers to that students can model their own work on that of their peers.

FOCUSED ON THE STUDENT: Specific attention is given to presenting conceptual and theoretical information regarding methods, and to providing real-life exampl...

The eighth edition of The Dynamics of Persuasion again guides readers in understanding the power and limits of persuasion in contemporary society. This edition continues its accessible and detailed illustration of the theoretical underpinnings of persuasive communication through contemporary and relevant examples of persuasion in action. It features coverage of new scholarship on misinformation, health communication, and persuasion effects, including careful attention to persuasion’s r...

Hebdige's Subculture: The Meaning of Style is so important: complex and remarkably lucid, it's the first book dealing with punk to offer intellectual content. Hebdige [...] is concerned with the UK's postwar, music-centred, white working-class subcultures, from teddy boys to mods and rockers to skinheads and punks.' - Rolling Stone With enviable precision and wit Hebdige has addressed himself to a complex topic - the meanings behind the fashionable exteriors of working-class youth subcultures...

Children: Rights and Childhood is widely regarded as the first book to offer a detailed philosophical examination of children's rights. This fully revised and updated edition is ideal reading for advanced studies across Philosophy, Social Work, Law, Childhood Studies, Politics, and Social Policy.

Philosophy of Economics: A Contemporary Introduction is the first systematic textbook in the philosophy of economics. It introduces the epistemological, metaphysical and ethical problems that arise in economics, and presents detailed discussions of the solutions that have been offered. Throughout, philosophical issues are illustrated by and analysed in the context of concrete cases drawn from contemporary economics, the history of economic ideas, and actual economic events.

This demonstrates ...

Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local Lives is an exceptionally clear and readable introduction that helps students understand the application of anthropological concepts to the contemporary world and everyday life. It provides thorough treatment of key subjects such as colonialism and post-colonialism, ethnicity, the environment, cultural change, economic development, and globalization. This fourth edition has a fresh thematic focus on the future, with material relating to planning, de...

What is prejudice in the 21st Century and how can education help to reduce it?This original text discusses prejudice in detail, offering a clear analysis of research and theory on prejudice and prejudice reduction, drawn from findings in social psychology, critical thinking and education. Presenting the underlying principle that prejudice can be reduced through the development of four core attributes – empathy, understanding, cognitive flexibility and metacognitive thought – the...