Ben Agger (1952–2015) was professor of sociology and humanities at the University of Texas at Arlington. He also directed the Center for Theory and edited the electronic journal Fast Capitalism (www.fastcapitalism.com). Among his recent books are Postponing the Postmodern, Speeding Up Fast Capitalism, Fast Families, and Virtual Children (with Beth Anne Shelton).

• Chapter 1 PrefaceChapter 2 Sociology as Secret Writing: Lessons from PostmodernismChapter 3 Learning Discipline DiscursivelyChapter 4 Beginning ScienceChapter 5 Method as the Main TextChapter 6 Concluding ScienceChapter 7 "Maybe the Reviewer is Just Dense": Review and Revision as ArgumentChapter 8 Was Sociology Always Like This?Chapter 9 Sociological Writing in the Wake of PostmodernismChapter 10 Has Mainstream Sociology Gone Public?

Ben Agger asks many important questions about the promise of sociology in an era of cold facts and hard convictions. They are questions that younger sociologists in particular ought to be asking of themselves and of the discipline in which they make an intellectual home. Sociology could become the first true science of pluralism if those within it acknowledge and resist the strongest of the ideological winds blowing in all directions. The new material in this edition, particularly Agger's narrative account of the ASA coming to terms with "public" sociology, is timely and a permanent reminder that the profession's fate is tied directly to its leadership.