Erving Goffman (1922-82) was arguably one of the most influential American sociologists of the twentieth century. A keen observer of the interaction order of everyday life, Goffman's books, which have sold in the hundreds of thousands, continue to be widely read and his concepts have permanently entered the sociology lexicon. This volume consists of twelve original essays, all written by prominent Goffman scholars, that critically assess Goffman's many contributions to various areas of study, including functionalism, social psychology, ethnomethodology, and feminist theory.

Published in 1999, this book is an exploration of the life and work of American sociologist Alvin W. Gouldner. Gouldner's life and contribution to legal theory is a case study in the limits of critical, self-reflexive inquiry. Hegel's dialect is a major theme running throughout Gouldner's work, and, even throughout his life, Gouldner himself seemed trapped in the unfolding of the spirit through three distinct stages: 1945-1960 - thesis; 1960-1970 - antithesis; and 1970-1980 - synthesis or new thesis. Implications for creating a reflexive critical sociology in Gouldner's image are discussed.

Beyond Community Policing uses history and general sociological theory to examine the trajectory of municipal policing from Britain in the 1830s to its adoption and evolution in the America. By analysing the uncertain and uneven historical development of policing, this book illustrates in great detail the functional connections between cities (or communities) and police departments. Chriss also considers the development of municipal policing in the American West between 1850 and 1890, which helps to situate the current discussion of policing in the post 9/11 United States.

Published in 1999, this book is an exploration of the life and work of American sociologist Alvin W. Gouldner. Gouldner's life and contribution to legal theory is a case study in the limits of critical, self-reflexive inquiry. Hegel's dialect is a major theme running throughout Gouldner's work, and, even throughout his life, Gouldner himself seemed trapped in the unfolding of the spirit through three distinct stages: 1945-1960 - thesis; 1960-1970 - antithesis; and 1970-1980 - synthesis or new thesis. Implications for creating a reflexive critical sociology in Gouldner's image are discussed.

"Beyond Community Policing" uses history and general sociological theory to examine the trajectory of municipal policing from Britain in the 1830s to its adoption and evolution in the America. By analyzing the uncertain and uneven historical development of policing, this book illustrates in great detail the functional connections between cities (or communities) and police departments. Chriss also considers the development of municipal policing in the American West between 1850 and 1890, which helps to situate the current discussion of policing in the post 9/11 United States.

There has been a revitalization of interest in social control over the last decade, and this volume contributes to renewed attempts to explain and conceptualize social control in all its diversity. It provides a broad conceptualization of social control which is unique. Rather than concentrating solely on law and legal control (the criminal justice system), there are also treatments of informal control (socialization, group formation and the controls exerted in everyday life) as well as medical control (norms regarding health and illness, particularly with regard to notions of 'normal' behaviour). This volume brings together cutting edge analyses - both theoretical and empirical - of social control from leading scholars in the fields of sociology, criminology, and related social sciences. "Perspectives on Social Control" is of interest not only to sociologists and criminal justice practitioners, but also to medical professionals (primarily for the focus on medical control or medicalization), as well as a wide array of scholars from a variety of disciplines concerned with the socialization process and the pressures toward conformity exerted by social groups in everyday life.

An important new appraisal of Alvin W. Gouldner, one of the 20th century's most important activist sociologists. Gouldner (1920-1980) was a leading sociologist of his era who provided groundbreaking analyses in the areas of industrial sociology, critical sociological theory, ideology, reciprocity and class analysis. In Confronting Gouldner, Chriss confronts the larger issue of the place of critical theory, and specifically Marxism, in framing the perspective of sociology as political activism.

This text introduces students to the study of law from a sociological perspective by focusing on four themes: the relationship between law and society; law in everyday life; the role of race, class and gender in the legal system; and current political debates that are connected to law. While explaining the essentials elements of law, and drawing on scholarly literature and relevant cases, the author does not advocate for normative views on law and the legal system. The text compares laws across various societies, discusses international law, and demonstrates how the laws of certain countries affect those of others--providing readers with insights into the nature of law within any society.