An Introduction to Sociology

Karim Murji is Professor of Social Policy at the University of West London. His research covers areas such as racism, urban studies migration, and policing; and publications include Racism, Policy and Politics (Policy Press, 2017). plus many papers from an ESRC-funded project on the Open City. With Sarah Neal he was the Editor of Current Sociology, and before that of Sociology. He is a Trustee of the Sociological Review Foundation. Sarah Neal is Professor of Sociology in the School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield. Sarah′s research engages with everyday social life in urban and rural places with a focus on ethnicity, multiculture, race and migration; communities and belonging. She has recently completed research projects investigating leisure practices and urban space; citizenship and religion in primary school worlds and the impact of Brexit in rural geographies. Sarah is widely published with a range of monographs and journal articles. With Karim Murji she was an editor of Current Sociology (2017-2024) and Sociology (2013-2017) and she is a member of the editorial board for Ethnic and Racial Studies.John Solomos is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Warwick. He has researched and written widely on the history and contemporary forms of race and ethnic relations in Britain, theories of race and racism, the politics of race, equal opportunity policies, multiculturalism and social policy, race and football, and racist movements and ideas. His most recent book is Antiracism: A Critique (Polity Press 2025). He has been Joint-Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Ethnic and Racial Studies since 1995. The journal publishes16 issues a year by Routledge. He is also co-editor of the book series on Racism, Resistance and Social Change for Manchester University Press (with Satnam Virdee and Aaron Winter).

This comprehensive collection provides up to date and relevant sociological information from experts in each topic area. Theory is made accessible and applicable through practical examples. This book is a perfect broad overview and will be all you need at the start of your sociology course before choosing your own specialised direction.

• Chapter 1: Approaching SociologyChapter 2: What is SocietyChapter 3: Global Sociology and Our Interconnected WorldChapter 4: Classical SociologiesChapter 5: Contemporary SociologiesChapter 6: Public SociologyChapter 7: ClassChapter 8: GenderChapter 9: SexualityChapter 10: RaceChapter 11: AgeChapter 12: Disability and NeurodiversityChapter 13: Families and HouseholdsChapter 14: WorkChapter 15: HealthChapter 16: EducationChapter 17: ReligionChapter 18: Crime and DevianceChapter 19: Cultures & Consumption Chapter 20: Digital SociologiesChapter 21: Media and SociologyChapter 22: War and Political ViolenceChapter 23: Nationalism and National IdentityChapter 24: Social MovementsChapter 25: MigrationsChapter 26: Climate Change and the EnvironmentChapter 27: Science and TechnologyChapter 28: Living in the CityChapter 29: Using Sociology