Very good book, but more suitable as complementary reading than as textbook. It's good to get inspired by sociology in social life and therefore very helpful, but not as a textbook. Ordered for our library.
Decided to use the previous edition based on pertinent readings...
I thought the revisiting of theory and links to fresh case studies was very good. I have used chapters 3 and 5 in teaching undergrad students and MA's My sole criticism would be that most of the case studies are from the USA, so it takes a further leap of interpretation to re-localise the concepts. If examples were more international the book would be more 'essential' here in Ireland.
Although not directly relevant to the programme I deliver (leadership of integrated services), the importance this collection places on using theory to understand the world we live in means that it's a useful anthology in supporting any student in the field of social sciences. It is clearly laid out and the editorial introductions to each section support the reader to make connections to classical and current sociological theory. I would recommend it as background reading for those wishing to grasp a range of theoretical approaches to underpin their knowledge.
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