Visions of the 21st Century

With the coming of the new millennium, this collection of articles examines how race, gender, nationalism, sexuality, the family, ethnicity, work, education, technology, community, globalization, inequality, and politics will change over the next century. The book offers fresh perspectives on all of these issues by not only examining the state of current events, but by also predicting what changes will occur. In theorizing change, the articles establish new opportunities for dialogue on the possibilities of prediction, a topic too long avoided by the social sciences. Additionally, authors not only predict what changes they believe will occur, but also describe the changes they think should occur. Despite the pitfalls involved in prescription, this collection specifically provides a platform for a reinvigorated role for social scientists as active contributors to the creation of more just and humane societies. The editors believe this role will be strengthened if we all join the dialogue about what problems exist in the world, and how solutions may be developed. Indeed, this is a dialogue too important to be left only to politicians and other conventional policymakers.