The current volume is for the students of sociology and related disciplines. It provides an exposition as well as an important critique of the present situation in the field of sociology. This is simply the best and most comprehensive introductory text currently available. All of the chapters are written in a clear and cogent style, but also manage to initiate the reader into debates in a complex character. This book will deservedly become the standard introduction to sociology in numerous colleges and universities. The book is accessible in its style and content to students with no previous grounding in the area of sociology, whether they first approach the discipline, as undergraduates, or as someone meeting sociology as a component of vocationally orientated courses in social work, management, law, and civil service examinations.