Developments in Sociology

The British Sociological Association has been in existence for over fifty years. This raises a series of questions about the key developments that have occurred in British Sociology; not only prompting the question 'Where are we now?' but also 'Where are we heading?'Many volumes deal with the global sweeps that range across the discipline but a different approach is taken in Developments in Sociology. Each chapter has been written by a distinguished British sociologist who has outlined the key developments in their particular field of study as well as highlighting future developments. As in any collection of this kind, it has not been possible to include every area of study but instead the aim is to give a taste of some of the key issues and debates in sociology and the direction of the discipline as it enters the twenty-first century.This volume examines the way in which theories and methods have been developed and the way in which sub-fields have been defined and redefined. It assesses how new perspectives have been used to study old problems and future possibilities for research.The key themes developed in this volume are:? The influence of theorizing, conceptualizing and re-conceptualizing in the development of sociology.? The impact of a range of methodologies on substantive developments.? The links between various fields of study.? The re-conceptualization of the discipline and the extension of fields of study.? The acquisition of sociological analysis and sociological insights in policy development.? The potential of sociology to engage in multi-disciplinary study.Altogether the volume points to the rich tradition of theoretical, methodological and substantive work in sociology.Robert Burgess is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester. He was a Professor in Sociology and Director of CEDAR (Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research) at the University of Warwick. His main research and teaching interests are in social research methodology and the sociology of education (especially higher education).Anne Murcott holds a research post as Professor of the Sociology of Health at Southbank University, London. Her sociology teaching spanned contributions to social science, medical, dental and nursing curricula in the University of Wales before moving to London. From 1992-98, she was Director of 'The National Diet: the social science of food choice', a Research Programme of the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council).