New Horizons in Sociological Theory and Research: The Frontiers of Sociology at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century

This work tackles the issue of the tasks that confront sociology in the third millennium. It examines the sociological interpretations of the worldwide revolution which - amid unprecedented scientific and technological progress and the globalization of markets - has generated new inequalities, poverty, structural unemployment and mass conditionings. A number of sociologists (including Boudon, Beck and Eisenstadt) offer interpretations of changes in world society, while outlining the frontiers of sociological research for the 21st century. The contributions prompt reflection on the structure and organization of sociological research and aim to revitalize sociological enquiry by conducting original and stimulating analysis of theoretical and methodological issues.