The Blackwell Companion to Sociology is a milestone collection of new essays by renowned sociologists, covering both the traditions and strengths of the field as well as newer developments and directions. bull; bull;Contains 31 definitive essays by an international panel of renowned figures in sociology bull;Covers traditional topics in sociology, such as theory, stratification, political sociology, and the sociology of education and social movements, as well as emerging areas such as immigration studies, the sociology of space and time, and the sociology of intimate relations and religion bull;Considers the most recent advances in communications, political mobilization, and analyses of the nation-state, reflecting the rapid changes wrought by globalization bull;Includes a comprehensive list of sociological data resources available on the web. Authors from the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere have contributed to this all-in-one reference work highlighting the relevance of interdisciplinary and international perspectives, while at the same time representing the scope and quality of sociology in its current form.

Judith R. Blau is Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and President of the US chapter of Sociologists without Borders, an international NGO. She is the author of Architects and Firms (1984), The Shape of Culture (1989), and Social Contracts and Economic Markets (1993), and Race in the Schools (2003), and has published articles on organizations, networks, economic inequalities, crime, sociology of science, urban sociology, historical sociology, medical sociology, and sociology of education.