This reference is designed to give the reader a sound introduction to the debates and issues in which sociologists engage. Key concepts in areas such as social stratification, crime and deviance, culture and identity, mass media, power and politics, and religion are defined and explained. Each entry begins with a one-sentence definition and goes on to provide illustrative examples of the concept or an introduction to the major points in support or criticism of it. The length of the entry usually depends on the relative importance of the concept and often on the degree of controversy it...