The Handbook of Sociology ushers in a new age of sociological thought and practice. This long awaited volume synthesizes the field. It provides an original and comprehensive look at this vital discipline--that has not had a new handbook in 25 years . . . years in which sociology as a field of study and practice has undergone significant change. Eminent scholars representing both micro and macro perspectives combine their expertise to address the diversity, growth, and new developments that characterize the field of sociology today. Smelser, one of the leading sociologists of our time, introduces the Handbook with a reflective and insightful essay on the historical developments within the field, the status of sociology as a discipline, and the future of the profession. The first set of essays covers theoretical and methodological issues on such topics as: scientific sociology, norms, values and sanctions, social structure, the use of data, and causal inference. The second set of essays discusses bases of inequality in society by examining such issues as: inequality and labor processes, race and ethnicity, age, and gender and sex roles. The third segment of this volume explores major institutional and organizational settings such as: jobs and work, environments and organizations, politics, family, education, religion, the sociology of science, medical sociology, and mass media. The volume concludes with a section on social process and change such as: spatial processes, deviance and social control, social movements and collective behavior, and development and the world economy. (See below for a list of contributors). With contributions by many of the leading social thinkers of our time, this authoritative and comprehensive Handbook will be a necessary tool for all sociologists--advanced students and scholars alike. Offering incomparable depth and breadth, the Handbook of Sociology effectively synthesizes the complex and controversial issues which surround the discipline of sociology. This single landmark volume transcends the field's increasingly specialized boundaries, providing scholars in sociology and related disciplines with exciting new possibilities for teaching and research. "I have had occasion to read carefully through almost every one of these chapters. Reflecting Professor Smelser's tasteful coordination, they are a remarkable collection of ideas and reflection. Never in recent years have I felt so excited by the insights and potential of work in such diverse areas of our discipline. If you were to buy only one book this year, you just found it--a powerful review, critique, and reconceptualization of the state-of-the-art; more, an exhilarating look into the future." --Professor Ronald S. Burt, Columbia University "Perhaps every academic discipline needs a book like this, a thick collection of careful descriptions of subdisciplines by authorities widely recognized in their fields. Smelser has assembled an excellent collection. . . . Each article contains a lengthy, up-to-date bibliography. . . . This is a book every academic library will need. There is no better handbook of contemporary sociology." --Choice "One of the most successful contributions. . . . Exceptionally rich in its coverage of fields of sociological specialization, data sources, bibliographic material and theoretical expositions. . . . It has . . . established a standard of academic excellence which all subsequent handbooks will have to confront." --The Sociological Review