Sociology: eBooks

Sociology is the systematic study of the taken-for-granted assumptions that people make about everyday life. This book explores a triumvirate of important concepts in sociology: power, trust and globalisation. These concepts and examples need to be studied so assumptions masquerading as "fact" can be debunked by critical sociological questioning. We explore domains such as politics and government, health and community care as well as global financial issues, which are all centrally relevant issues in modern Sociology.

The authors of this book discuss the latest advances in sociology research. Chapter One reviews technology and the place of labour in a future socialist society. Chapter Two focuses on YouTube users from different cultural markets with the purpose of identifying their patterns of behaviour in relation to gender, age and the main activities (uses) performed through this digital medium. Chapter Three presents studies which suggest that evolutionary models of direct reciprocity and indirect reciprocity both partially explain gift exchange and record keeping in various cultures. Chapter Four analyses social class and divorce behaviours. Chapter Five explores the spatial relations of grief, loss, memory and accomplishment through the growing phenomenon of sports-based charity challenges. Chapter Six discusses the prospects and challenges for civil society in contemporary Iran. Chapter Seven reviews a case study of locally unwanted land use activism in Hong Kong to explain participation in social movements. Chapter Eight provides a historical case study from North-west Nigeria to explain pioneering resettlement during a time of crisis and hardship.

In 2004, Michael Burawoy challenged sociologists to move beyond the ivory tower and into the realm of activism - to engage in public discourses about what society could or should be. His call to arms sparked intense debate among sociologists. Which side would "sociology" take? Would "public sociology" speak for all sociologists? In this volume, which opens with a foreword by Michael Burawoy, leading Canadian sociologists continue the conversation by discussing not only how and why they should do sociology but also how ethical judgments influence sociological practice and the evaluation of research. Most importantly, they ask whether and under what circumstances sociologists should advocate for social change. Regardless of whether they focus on activism, research, theory, or teaching, the contributors offer insights into where the discipline is heading and why it matters to people inside and outside the university.