Carsten Bagge Laustsen is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University.Lars Thorup Larsen is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University.Mathias Wullum Nielsen is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of History, Stanford University.Tine Ravn is a doctoral fellow at the Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science, Aarhus University.Mads P. Sørensen is Senior Researcher at the Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science, Aarhus University.

'Students often experience social theory as intimidating. The braver ones sometimes question its point: why do we have to learn about Durkheim? This welcome new text should go some way towards answering that question, while also encouraging students to see theory as a 'necessary good' rather than an 'unnecessary evil'. Some of their teachers may also breathe a sigh of relief. An impressive achievement.' - Professor Emeritus Richard Jenkins, University of Sheffield

• Preface 1. What is Sociology? 2. Capitalism and Alienation: Marx and Weber 3. Recognition and Anomie: Durkheim and Honneth 4. Social Interaction and Marginalisation: Simmel and the Chicago School5. Power and Stratification: Foucault and Bourdieu6. System and Differentiation: Luhmann and Habermas7. State and Market: Althusser and Boltanski & Chiapello8. Uncertainty and Risk: Bauman and Beck9. The Reflective Self: Goffman and Giddens 10. Family and Work: Sennett and Hochschild11. Gender, Body and Identity: Butler and Haraway12. Factish and Fetish: Latour and Žižek13. Sociology as an Analytic Praxis