This first volume of The Society Pages series focuses on politics. Drawn largely from feature content, posts, and exchanges provoked by the elections of 2012, the chapters are organized into three main sections. "Core Contributions" exemplifies how sociologists and other social scientists think about otherwise familiar political phenomena like power, polling, and social movements. Chapters in the "Cultural Contexts" section draw out the political content and implications of cultural realms-from religion and race, to sports, humor, and new media technologies-that are often ignored or taken for granted. And the "Critical Takes" rubric gathers pieces on inequalities embedded in and reproduced through the political system, how sociological tools and insights are employed in the public sphere, and the role of government in shaping society through public policy.

The third volume in The Society Pages series tackles race, ethnicity, and diversity in contemporary American society. As with our previous volumes, the chapters are organized into three main sections. "Core Contributions" exemplifies how sociologists and other social scientists think about race-related groups and topics-in this case the demographics of race, the construction of group identities, and the social psychology of prejudice and racism. Chapters in the "Cultural Contexts" section engage race and diversity in and through cultural realms-ranging from mass media and sports to the environment-in which powerful racial dimensions are sometimes overlooked. Finally, the "Critical Takes" chapters provide sociological commentary, perspective, and reflections on the problematic structure and future of race relations in the United States.

The second volume in this series tackles crime and punishment. As in the first volume, the chapters are organized into three main sections. "Core Contributions" exemplifies how sociologists and other social scientists think about otherwise familiar phenomena like crime, incarceration, and suicide. Chapters in the "Cultural Contexts" section engage crime in cultural realms-from politics to families to international crime and justice-that are often ignored or taken for granted among laypeople or in other social science disciplines. Finally, the "Critical Takes" chapters provide sociological commentary, perspective, and reflections on crime and its control.

Ever since 1968 a single iconic image of race in American sport has remained indelibly etched on our collective memory: sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos accepting medals at the Mexico City Olympics with their black-gloved fists raised and heads bowed. But what inspired their protest? What happened after they stepped down from the podium? And how did their gesture impact racial inequalities?
Drawing on extensive archival research and newly gathered oral histories, Douglas Hartmann sets out to answer these questions, reconsidering this pivotal event in the history of American sport. He places Smith and Carlos within the broader context of the civil rights movement and the controversial revolt of the black athlete. Although the movement drew widespread criticism, it also led to fundamental reforms in the organizational structure of American amateur athletics. Moving from historical narrative to cultural analysis, Hartmann explores what we can learn about the complex relations between race and sport in contemporary America from this episode and its aftermath.

Midnight basketball may not have been invented in Chicago, but the City of Big Shoulders home of Michael Jordan and the Bulls is where it first came to national prominence. And it's also where Douglas Hartmann first began to think seriously about the audacious notion that organizing young men to run around in the wee hours of the night all trying to throw a leather ball through a metal hoop could constitute meaningful social policy. Organized in the 1980s and '90s by dozens of American cities, late-night basketball leagues were designed for social intervention, risk reduction, and crime prevention targeted at African American youth and young men. In Midnight Basketball, Hartmann traces the history of the program and the policy transformations of the period, while exploring the racial ideologies, cultural tensions, and institutional realities that shaped the entire field of sports-based social policy. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, the book also brings to life the actual, on-the-ground practices of midnight basketball programs and the young men that the programs intended to serve. In the process, Midnight Basketball offers a more grounded and nuanced understanding of the intricate ways sports, race, and risk intersect and interact in urban America.

"This book is very well written and clearly organized throughout. It is pitched at upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level race and ethnicity students...in sum, this is an important book, highly recommended to students and faculty alike. The authors draw extensively from classic and contemporary sociological theory throughout the text and maintain a transnational focus in each and every chapter." -TEACHING SOCIOLOGY "I used Cornell's earlier edition for years and consider it to be one of the best explanations/ examinations of race and ethnic relations around."-Margot Kempers, Fitchburg State College Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World, Second Edition uses examples and extended case studies from all over the world to craft a compelling, even-handed account of the power and persistence of ethnicity and race in the contemporary world. Known for its conceptual clarity, world-historical scope, and fair-minded treatment of these oft controversial topics, this updated and expanded edition retains all of the core elements and constructionist insights of the original. New to the Second Edition: Provides new concrete examples from around the world: Dozens of new examples have been added, including extended case studies of ethnic/identity construction in the former Yugoslavia, South Africa, and New Zealand. In addition, several new sections discuss treatments of neo-assimilation and segmented assimilation, and the invisibility of racial dominance. Incorporates the latest research and thinking in the field: Motivated by the suburban uprisings of 2005, an extended case study of race, culture, and belonging in contemporary France is fashioned. The theoretical underpinnings of this unique synthesis of race and ethnicity are sharpened throughout the volume, and the authors incorporate some of their own recent work on ethnic and racial analytic frames to sketch out broader implications for the field and possibilities for the future. Discusses the emergence of modernity and globalization: The authors demonstrate why ethnic and racial boundaries over the last 30 years and contrary to earlier, optimistic predictions have become stronger and more strident under the pressures of modernization, mass communication, and secularization. The book concludes by discussing how the downward spiral of hate and separateness can be halted, and even reversed. Intended Audience: This influential text is ideal for advanced undergraduate courses on race and ethnicity such as American Race Relations; Racial and Ethnic Relations; Ethnic Conflict; Comparative Race Relations; Cultural Diversity; Immigration Studies in the departments of Sociology, Ethnic Studies, Global Studies, and Anthropology.