In an age when continued financial and other support for teaching and research in sociology cannot be taken for granted, sociologists have been surprisingly slow to provide a clear statement of the achievements of sociology in the western world since 1950. What Has Sociology Achieved? does this by assembling twelve essays specially commissioned from distinguished authors, to which the editors add an introduction setting out the issues and a concluding chapter which draws together recurrent themes.

Is Britain one nation, or many? Is it a nation with more than a thousand years of history, or 'an invented nation', only as old as the 1707 union of England and Scotland? Is devolution in Scotland and Wales a step towards the eventual break-up of Britain? And today, what does it mean to be British? The Nations of Britain offers an up-to-date analysis of these questions, drawing on sociology, politics, history and cultural studies to give a thorough account of the national relationships that constitute modern Britain. The book is divided into sections focusing on Scotland, Wales and England, and also on the legacy of Empire, the British relationship with Ireland, Europe and the Commonwealth, and the future of the British union. In each of these sections, recurrent themes such as cultural identity, multiculturalism, economy, politics and civil society are explored. The book examines different conceptions of England, Wales, Scotland and Britain, and argues that Britain will continue to accommodate national and cultural differences while itself remaining a nation. Constitutionally, today's asymetrical devolution could lead to the break- up of Britain, but it is more likely to evolve into an asymmetrical federalism. This book will be a valuable resource for students and teachers of British politics, sociology and contemporary history, and for other readers interested in the future of Britain.

Anthony Giddens is one of the world's best known sociologists. Since becoming director of the London School of Economics in 1997, he has also played a leading public role, not least as 'Blair's guru' and author of The Third Way . This book opens up for academic and general readers who Giddens is, what he has done in academic life over more than forty years, and how his work over the last decade on modernity, globalisation and transformation of personal life underpins his current public and political activities.

For those who care about the future of sociology, these 12 essays draw together recurrent themes covering analytical, hermeneutic and historico-institutional traditions. Theory, research methods and applications are also discussed.;Henk Becker has also edited "Impact Assessment Today" with A.L.Porter and "Sociologie en Verzorgingsstaat" with P.Glassbergen.