Michael Grimes looks at the voluminous scholarly literature published by American social scientists in the twentieth century and provides an overview and critique of the major theories, conceptualizations, and measurements of class inequality. No book published since the late fifties has had such scope. This volume assembles a framework for interpreting and understanding the changing character of the theories and methodologies used by scholars to study class inequality based on two schools of social theory--order and conflict--each with different assumptions about human nature and society, and about the unique role(s) that class plays in society. Grimes contends that theoretical perspectives result from the interaction of the unique biographies of theorists with the sociohistorical, ideological, and disciplinary settings within which they work, and that the relative popularity of perspectives on the subject within the discipline has varied over time as the setting has changed.

Part I of the book assesses the diverse perspectives on class inequality of early American sociologists. Part II examines the rise of functionalism within American sociology and its subsequent application to the issue of class inequality. Two conflict perspectives on inequality--labeled neo-Weberian and neo-Marxist theories--are discussed in Part III, while Part IV provides a summary and concludes that there is evidence of a convergence of sorts among contemporary perspectives on class inequality within the discipline. The colume is organized to facilitate use by graduate students and advanced undergraduate students as well as by professional social scientists--particularly sociologists.

When individuals from working-class backgrounds seek entry into the upper-middle-class world of academia, they often encounter difficulties. Examining the professional and personal lives of a group of sociologists from working class backgrounds, this extensive study finds that despite their successes as Ph.D. recipients, these scholars have suffered structural, interpersonal, and personal consequences that are linked to that class background. Many are uncomfortable with the academic role and the authority structure of the university, and see themselves as outsiders both within the academy and its larger cultural environment. The authors' conclusion, is that upward social mobility is never complete and that these upwardly mobile professionals appear to be caught in the middle between the world of their childhoods and the very different world that they must confront daily as members of the academy.

In Patching Up the Cracks Michael D. Grimes evaluates the American juvenile court system, specifically looking at its ability to address child abuse and neglect cases. This project is both a specific case study focusing on the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a discussion of the need to examine the juvenile court system within its larger social and institutional context. Grimes persuasively argues that in order to better evaluate the potential for juvenile court reform, it is crucial to understand the health of the larger community environment within which the court system operates. The book begins with a chronological overview of the evolution of children's rights and a brief history of juvenile justice in America, culminating in a thoroughgoing assessment of its current status. Grimes concludes with a discussion of the need for more adequate studies-researchers and students will appreciate the discussion of his own research design and methodology-of the ways that juvenile courts treat dependency cases and the processes through which these courts can improve their performance.