The last decade has witnessed a revival of interest in the problems of modernity and modernization. In particular, three major processes have emerged as objects of debate:

"The transformations of capitalism manifested in globalization and

the unfolding of post-industrial society

"The rapid and strong economic development of countries outside the

West

"The political and economic transformations in the post-Soviet countries

of Eastern Europe

This critical analysis of long-term trends and recent developments in world systems examines such questions as: Will the cycles of boom and bust, peace and war of the past 500 years continue? Or have either long-term trends or recent changes so profoundly altered the structure of world systems that these cycles will end or take on a less destructive form?

The noted international contributors to this volume examine the question of future dominance of the core global systems and include comprehensive discussions of the economic, political and military role of the Pacific Rim, Japan and the...

'At last, a volume on civilization that truly reflects the complexity of multiple civilizations. The wealth of contributions Arjomand and Tiryakian have assembled demonstrates the value of an old concept for understanding the awful dilemmas confronting human kind in the global age. Its thoroughgoing renewal here establishes this book as the essential benchmark for future scholars of civilization' - Martin Albrow, Founding Editor of International Sociology and author of The Global Age - winner of the European Amalfi Prize, 1997

'In our tension filled world,...

This collection of essays examines the racialized and gendered effects of contemporary politics of belonging, issues which lie at the heart of contemporary political and social lives. It encompasses critical questions of identity and citizenship, inclusion and exclusion, emotional attachments, violent conflicts and local/global relationships. The range - geographically, thematically and theoretically - covered by the chapters reflects current concerns in the world today.

In recent social and political theory the term 'civil society' has achieved renewed currency. This volume offers a critical examination of the normative sense of 'civil society'. It includes analyses of civil society and democracy, citizenship, race and ethnicity, and post-communism.

Explores the historical development of economic theories of society from Marx, through to Weber, Schumpeter, Polanyi and Parsons. The contribution of economic sociology is demonstrated through critical assessments of key areas of their literature.

This study aims to provide the key to understanding the new class structure of post-industrial societies with their changing processes of social stratification and mobility. The treatment is interdisciplinary, connecting issues of welfare, stratification and political economy.

Argues that we can only make sense of environmental issues if we consider them as part of a more encompassing process of social transformation.

The history of sociology -- outside of accounts of the thought and influence of such founding figures as Marx, Durkheim and Weber -- remains relatively little examined. With an increasing emphasis on the globalization of research and knowledge, there is a growing need for scholars to understand the context of disciplinary development in other countries. In this book an international team of authors consider the nature of sociology and its development in a range of countries. Concentrating on the period since 1945, they show how the intellectual and institutional history of sociology has...

Presents and tracks the transformation of the societies and social relations that characterize the twenty-first century. This volume features conceptualization of three processes that are fundamental to the analyses of micro, meso and macro social relation