John Lie (pronounced "lee") was born in South Korea, grew up in Japan and Hawaii, and received his A.B., A.M., and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. His main interests are in social theory and political economy. Currently, he is the C. K. Cho Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he previously served as the Dean of International and Area Studies. His recent publications include Zainichi (Koreans in Japan) (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008) and Modern Peoplehood: On Race, Racism, Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Identity, paperback ed. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011). Robert Brym (pronounced "brim") was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, studied sociology in Canada and Israel, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, where he is now the S. D. Clark Professor of Sociology and Associate Chair (Undergraduate) of the Department of Sociology. Bob's research focuses on the social bases of politics and social movements in Canada, Russia, and the Middle East. His most recent book is Sociology as a Life or Death Issue, Third Canadian Edition (Toronto: Nelson Education, 2014). He is now conducting research on violence and intolerance in the Middle East and North Africa. Bob is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has won several awards for his research and teaching, including the Northrop Frye Award and the University of Toronto's highest teaching honour, the President's Teaching Award. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World has been published in Canadian, Quebecois, American, Brazilian, and Australian editions.