Sociological Theory: Edition 10

George Ritzer · Jeffrey Stepnisky

Jan 2017 · SAGE Publications

About this ebook

Now with SAGE Publishing, and co-authored by one of the foremost authorities on sociological theory, the Tenth Edition of Sociological Theory by George Ritzer and Jeffrey Stepnisky gives readers a comprehensive overview of the major theorists and schools of sociological thought, from sociology's origins through the early 21st century. Key theories are integrated with biographical sketches of theorists, and are placed in their historical and intellectual context. This text helps students better understand the original works of classical and modern theorists, and enables them to compare and contrast the latest substantive concepts.

New to this Edition

• Chapter 1 now includes a discussion of colonialism as one of the forces that shaped modern society.
• The “Historical Sketch” chapters contain new material on the historical significance of early women founders, and on the contributions of W.E.B. Du Bois.
• Chapters on Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and Simmel now conclude with sections on contemporary applications of ideas from these 19th century thinkers.
• A new chapter focuses theories of race, racism, and colonialism, as well as theories about indigenous peoples and theories from the “Global South” that challenge the work of scholars from Europe and North America.
• The concluding chapter has a new section on theories of prosumption, one of the newest developments in consumer theory.
• New material on colonization, women classical theorists, and race theory, as well as new timelines, added to history chapters.

About the author

George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, where he has also been a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and won a Teaching Excellence Award. He was awarded the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Association, an honorary doctorate from LaTrobe University in Australia, and the Robin Williams Lectureship from the Eastern Sociological Society. His best-known work, The McDonaldization of Society (8th ed.), has been read by hundreds of thousands of students over two decades and translated into over a dozen languages. Ritzer is also the editor of McDonaldization: The Reader; and author of other works of critical sociology related to the McDonaldization thesis, including Enchanting a Disenchanted World, The Globalization of Nothing, Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society, as well as a series best-selling social theory textbooks and Globalization: A Basic Text. He is the Editor of the Encyclopedia of Social Theory (2 vols.), the Encyclopedia of Sociology (11 vols.; 2nd edition forthcoming), the Encyclopedia of Globalization (5 vols.), and is Founding Editor of the Journal of Consumer Culture. In 2016 he will publish the second edition of Essentials of Sociology with SAGE.