This volume provides researchers and scholars with a broad overview of the contributions of social psychologists and sociologists to the study of sexual relationships and sexual expression across the life course. These contributions include analyses of the dynamics of several types of contemporary sexual relationships – e.g., short-term, long-term non-exclusive, and committed. Chapters analy…
Macrosociology—the study of large-scale social structures and the fundamental principles of social organization—was the style of sociology practiced by the founders of the discipline. Today, the social theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber, Émile Durkheim, and Herbert Spencer (among others) are commonly studied as part of the history of the field, but, although the macrosociological approach th…
This handbook covers social movement activities in Latin American countries that have had profound consequences on the political culture of the region. It examines the developments of the past twenty years, such as a renewed upswing in popular mobilization, the ending of violent conflicts and military governments, new struggles and a relatively more democratic climate. It shows that, from south…
This book explores the microsensing technologies and systems now available to monitor the quality of air and water within the urban environment and examines their role in the creation of sustainable cities against the background of the challenges posed by rapid urbanization. The opening section addresses the theoretical and conceptual background of microsensing networks. The coverage includes d…
This book provides insightful sociological analyses of Japanese demography and families, paying attention not only to national average data, but also to regional variations and community level analyses. In analyzing Japanese family issues such as demographic changes, courtship and marriage, international marriage, divorce, late-life divorce, and the elderly living alone, this book emphasizes th…
This book provides a detailed, up-to-date snapshot of Australian family formation, answering such questions as ‘what do our families look like?’ and ‘how have they come to be this way?’ The book applies sociological insights to a broad range of demographic trends, painting a comprehensive picture of the changing ways in which Australians are creating families. The first contemporary …
What is family farming? How can it help meet the challenges confronting the world? How can it contribute to a sustainable and more equitable development? Not only is family farming the predominant form of agriculture around the world, especially so in developing countries, it is also the agriculture of the future. By declaring 2014 the “International Year of Family Farming,” the United Nati…
The widening gap between the rich and the poor is turning the American dream into an impossibility for many, particularly children and families. And as the children of low-income families grow to adulthood, they have less access to opportunities and resources than their higher-income peers--and increasing odds of repeating the experiences of their parents. Families in an Era of Increasing In…
This open access book draws on award-winning cross-generational research comparing the complex and life-changing processes of settlement among Albanian migrants and their adolescent children in three European cities: London (UK), Thessaloniki (Greece), and Florence (Italy). Building on key concepts from the social sciences and migration studies, such as identity, integration and transnationalis…
This book demonstrates the inevitability of a continuously growing role of data in our society and it stresses that this role does not need to be threatening: to the contrary, collection and analysis of data can help us prevent traffic jams, suppress epidemics, or produce tailor made medicine. The authors sketch the contours of a new information society, in which everything will be measured fro…