This edited collection calls for renewed attention to the concept of the sociological imagination, allowing social scientists to link private issues to public troubles. Inspired by the eminent Glasgow-based sociologist, John Eldridge, it re-engages with the concept and shows how it can be applied to analyzing society today.

This festschrift commemorates the legacy of UK-based Portuguese sociologist Herminio Martins (1934-2015). It introduces Martins' wide-ranging contributions to the social sciences, encompassing seminal works in the fields of philosophy and social theory, historical and political sociology, studies of science and technology, and Luso-Brazilian studies, among others. The book features an in-depth interview with Martins, short memoirs, and twelve chapters addressing topics that were central to his intellectual and political interests. Among those that stand out are his critique of Thomas Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions, his work on the significance of time in social theory and the interweaving of techno-scientific developments and socio-cultural transformations, including the impact of communication and digital technologies, and of market-led eugenics. Other themes covered are Martins' work on patrimonialism and social development in Portugal and Brazil, and his analysis of the state of the social sciences in Portugal, which reflects his highly critical appraisal of the ongoing marketization andneoliberalization of academic life and institutions worldwide.

The first serious academic study of obituaries, this book focuses on how societies remember. Bridget Fowler makes great use of the theories of Pierre Bordieu, arguing that obituaries are one important component in society's collective memory. This book, the first of its kind, will find a place on every serious sociology scholar's bookshelves.

The first serious academic study of obituaries, this book focuses on how societies remember. Bridget Fowler makes great use of the theories of Pierre Bordieu, arguing that obituaries are one important component in society's collective memory. This book, the first of its kind, will find a place on every serious sociology scholar's bookshelves.

This is the first comprehensive description of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of culture and habitus. Within the wider intellectual context of Bourdieu's work, this book provides a systematic reading of his assessment of the role of `cultural capital' in the production and consumption of symbolic goods. Bridget Fowler outlines the key critical debates that inform Bourdieu's work. She introduces his recent treatment of the rules of art, explains the importance of his concept of capital - economic and social, symbolic and cultural - and defines such key terms as habitus, practice and strategy, legitimate culture, popular art and distinction. The book focuses particularly on Bourdieu's account of the nature of capitalist modernity, on the emergence of bohemia and, with the growth of the market, the invention of the artist as the main historical response to the changed place of art.

This festschrift commemorates the legacy of UK-based Portuguese sociologist Herminio Martins (1934-2015). It introduces Martins' wide-ranging contributions to the social sciences, encompassing seminal works in the fields of philosophy and social theory, historical and political sociology, studies of science and technology, and Luso-Brazilian studies, among others. The book features an in-depth interview with Martins, short memoirs, and twelve chapters addressing topics that were central to his intellectual and political interests. Among those that stand out are his critique of Thomas Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions, his work on the significance of time in social theory and the interweaving of techno-scientific developments and socio-cultural transformations, including the impact of communication and digital technologies, and of market-led eugenics. Other themes covered are Martins' work on patrimonialism and social development in Portugal and Brazil, and his analysis of the state of the social sciences in Portugal, which reflects his highly critical appraisal of the ongoing marketization andneoliberalization of academic life and institutions worldwide.

In this first comprehensive and systematic study of Pierre BourdieuÆs theory of culture and habitus, Bridget Fowler examines the intellectual context of BourdieuÆs work, while providing an exacting and systematic reading of the development of his thinking on "cultural capital." Pierre Bourdieu and Cultural Theory outlines the key critical debates that inform BourdieuÆs work: the role of Lukßcs and Goldmann, BenjaminÆs discussion of the sacred and the secular; and HabermasÆs examination of communication. Fowler goes on to provide a lexicon of BourdieuÆs thought in cultural theory, explaining the importance of capitalùeconomic and social, symbolic, and culturalùas well as outlining the importance of key terms like habitus, practice and strategy, "legitimate culture," and consumer society, in the context of BourdieuÆs analysis of capitalism and modernity. There is also substantive analysis of BourdieuÆs work on contemporary culture. This critical examination concludes with a discussion of the state and education as exemplified in BourdieuÆs latest work. Comprehensive, critical, and rigorous, this is the definitive guide to the changing contours of BourdieuÆs cultural theory. It will be the essential reference for students of sociology, cultural studies, and social theory.