Shaun Best

This book explores the concept of the stranger as a 'modern' social form, identifying the differing conceptions of strangerhood presented in the literature since the publication of Georg Simmel's influential essay 'The Stranger', questioning the assumptions around what it means to be regarded as 'strange', and identifying the consequences of being labelled a stranger. Organised both chronologically and thematically, the book begins with Simmel's major essays on the stranger and culminates with an analysis of Zygmunt Bauman's thought on the subject, with each chapter introducing an idea or key theme initially discussed by Simmel before exploring the development of the theme in the work of others, including Schütz, Derrida, and Levinas. The stranger is an enduring concept across many disciplines and is central to contemporary debates about refugees, asylum, the nature of inclusion and exclusion, and the struggle for recognition. As such, this book will be of interest to scholars across the social sciences. ook will be of interest to scholars across the social sciences.

The Stranger

"This book explores the concept of the stranger as a "modern" social form, identifying the differing conceptions of strangerhood presented in the literature since the publication of Georg Simmel's influential essay 'The Stranger', questioning the assumptions around what it means to be regarded as "strange", and identifying the consequences of being labelled a stranger. Organised both chronologically and thematically, it begins with Simmel's major essays on the stranger and culminates with an analysis of Zygmunt Bauman's thought on the subject, with each chapter introducing an idea or key theme initially discussed by Simmel before discussing the development of the theme in the work of others, including Schutz, Agamben, Derrida, Butler, Levinas and Rorty. The stranger is an enduring concept across many disciplines and is central to contemporary debates about refugees, asylum, the nature of inclusion, exclusion and the struggle for recognition"--

Electronic Inspection Copy available for instructors here What is the place of leisure in societies where people complain of 'over-work'? How do personal freedom and choice relate to the inequalities of class, gender, disability and ethnicity? This critical introduction to the field offers a systematic account of the meaning and structure of leisure today. The book: • situates the student in the field • provides a comprehensive account of the leading approaches to leisure • explores the influence of class, race, gender, ethnicity, disability and age • discusses to role of the sate • examines leisure in the context of changing work relationships • locates leisure in the debate around globalization In short, this is an indispensable, one-stop guide to understanding leisure.

Themes and Perspectives

Leisure Studies

Zygmunt Bauman on Education in Liquid Modernity evaluates the contribution that Bauman has made to education studies. It outlines the central themes within social analysis in Bauman's writings, and examines how researchers have applied his key ideas to explore current theoretical issues. The book focuses on Bauman's ideas in relation to the management and consumption of education, including such topics as student voice and individual identity; relationships and inclusive education. Identifying and discussing underpinning assumptions about Bauman's work and its application to education, the book addresses the connection between his work and wider debates, providing a critical and clarifying re-examination of Bauman's contribution to the role of education within solid, post and liquid modernity. This book will appeal to academics, researchers and postgraduate students of education theory and the sociology of education. It will be of great interest to readers seeking a critical appreciation and application of Bauman's work to an educational context and Bauman scholars interested in the application of contemporary social theory to education and its role in identity formation in areas such as sex and relationships education. interest to readers seeking a critical appreciation and application of Bauman's work to an educational context and Bauman scholars interested in the application of contemporary social theory to education and its role in identity formation in areas such as sex and relationships education.

Zygmunt Bauman on Education in Liquid Modernity

This book is the first introductory guide to the work of Zygmunt Bauman, designed specifically for students and those new to his work. It provides a firm foundation for the independent reading of Bauman and for exploring the many interpretations of his influential ideas.

The Emerald Guide to Zygmunt Bauman

In this ground-breaking book, Shaun Best analyses the intellectual knowledge production of Zygmunt Bauman and his rise to academic stardom in the English speaking world by evaluating the relation between his biography, the contexts in which he found himself, and why his intellectual creativity is admired by so many people. Bauman has an interesting 'contested' biography and underwent a number of intellectual shifts from the early stages of his academic career as Marxist. Bauman moved on and for almost ten years he was associated with 'postmodernity' (from 1989-1997) but in 2000 he decided to distance himself from postmodernism and rebrand his approach to understanding the contemporary world as 'liquid modernity'. Best shows how Bauman developed his canonised status becoming an intellectual guru in the UK and in Australia despite being largely ignored by the academic community in the United States and Central Europe. Rather than investigating Bauman's academic output as a demonstration of his 'creative genius', Best argues that most academic output involves the interplay of multiple factors and this book evaluates the influences on both intellectual choices and the social factors or contexts that led Bauman to attach himself to different sets of ideas during his academic career.

Why Good People do Bad Things

Zygmunt Bauman

Zygmunt Bauman on Education in Liquid Modernity evaluates the contribution that Bauman has made to education studies. It outlines the central themes within social analysis in Bauman’s writings, and examines how researchers have applied his key ideas to explore current theoretical issues. The book focuses on Bauman’s ideas in relation to the management and consumption of education, including topics such as student voice and individual identity; relationships and inclusive education. Identifying and discussing underpinning assumptions about Bauman’s work and its application to education, the book addresses the connection between his work and wider debates, providing a critical and clarifying re-examination of Bauman’s contribution to the role of education within solid, post and liquid modernity. This book will appeal to academics, researchers and postgraduate students of education theory and the sociology of education. It will be of great interest to readers seeking a critical appreciation and application of Bauman’s work to an educational context and Bauman scholars interested in the application of contemporary social theory to education and its role in identity formation in areas such as sex and relationships education.

Best offers a comprehensive overview of social theory from classical sociology to the present day. The reader is guided through the work of Durkheim, Marx and Weber and contemporary thinkers like Anthony Giddens, Michel Foucault, Jurgen Habermas, Judith Butler, Gilles Deluze, Manuel Castells, Luce Irigary, Naomi Woolf and Camille Paglia.

A Beginner's Guide to Social Theory

`This book is accessible, as a beginner's guide should be, but without an over-simplification of the arguments. It should prove an immensely durable text for generations of students to come' - John Hughes, Lancaster University At last, a book that makes social theory for undergraduates a pleasure to teach and study. The book offers a comprehensive overview of social theory from classical sociology to the present day. Students are guided through the work of Durkheim, Marx and Weber, functionalism, action perspectives, feminism, postmodernism and contemporary thinkers like Anthony Giddens, Michel Foucault, J[um]urgen Habermas, Frederic Jameson, Judith Butler, Gilles Deluze, Manuel Castells, Luce Irigary, Naomi Woolf and Camille Paglia. The book presents clear accounts of these contributions and employs an extensive range of activities that encourage the reader to evaluate the work of given theorists and approaches. The book is: - Comprehensive - Student-friendly - Accurate - Unpatronising It offers lecturers and students an ideal study resource for undergraduate modules in social theory.

This book explores the concept of the stranger as a ‘modern’ social form, identifying the differing conceptions of strangerhood presented in the literature since the publication of Georg Simmel’s influential essay ‘The Stranger’, questioning the assumptions around what it means to be regarded as ‘strange’, and identifying the consequences of being labelled a stranger. Organised both chronologically and thematically, the book begins with Simmel’s major essays on the stranger and culminates with an analysis of Zygmunt Bauman’s thought on the subject, with each chapter introducing an idea or key theme initially discussed by Simmel before exploring the development of the theme in the work of others, including Schütz, Derrida, and Levinas. The stranger is an enduring concept across many disciplines and is central to contemporary debates about refugees, asylum, the nature of inclusion and exclusion, and the struggle for recognition. As such, this book will be of interest to scholars across the social sciences.

Janis Griffiths

Tanya Hope

Delivering results at AS/A Level for AQA and OCR Everything you need in one book to teach AS and A Level, Active Sociology covers all the content for AQA and OCR while providing students with the skills needed to achieve the best results in their exams and coursework.

Shaun Best

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