The social sciences are about people and the relationships between individuals and the social and material world we live in. They are about the social structures which shape - and are shaped by - social forces such as ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality and age and the bodies we inhabit. How are these relationships changing and to what extent and how can people influence change? What are the big issues which concern us today? How can the social sciences help us to understand what is going on? Social Sciences: The Big Issues third edition looks at what matters in terms of what is changing and what remains the same in contemporary life, bringing together personal concerns and social forces. Fully revised and updated, this book explores some of the debates about how we live our personal, domestic and emotional lives at a time of change and disruption, including economic crises and uncertainties. The issues covered include: changing selves and personal lives; the role of consumption and consumerism; materialism and material culture; as well as citizenship, migration and globalization as both opportunities and sources of inequality in the contemporary world and in everyday lives. The third edition of Social Sciences: The Big Issues provides a clear, accessible introduction to the ideas and approaches of the social sciences across a range of disciplines, including sociology, psychology and politics.

Author Biography

Kath Woodward is Professor of Sociology at the Open University. Her research is in social inequalities, most recently in the field of sport. Her most recent publications are Planet Sport (2012) and Sporting Times (2012).