Illuminating social life: classical and contemporary theory revisited / edited by Peter Kivisto.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Classical sociological theory / Peter Kivisto -- Working longer, living less : understanding Marx through the workplace today / John P. Walsh and Anne Zacharias-Walsh -- The Weberian theory of rationalization and the McDonaldization of contemporary society / George Ritzer -- Surfing the net for community : a Durkheimian analysis of electronic gatherings / Anne M. Hornsby -- Alcohol-related windows on Simmel's social world / William J. Staudenmeier, Jr -- Contemporary theories and their connections to the classics -- Criminalizing transgressing youth : a neofunctionalist analysis of institution building / Paul Colomy and Laura Ross Greiner -- Why do African Americans pay more for new cars? : a structural explanation / Christopher Prendergast -- Critical theory, legitimation crisis, and the deindustrialization of Flint, Michigan / Steven P. Dandaneau -- Race-based critical theory and the "happy talk" of diversity in America / Douglas Hartmann and Joyce M. Bell -- The socially constructed body : insights from feminist theory / Judith Lorber and Patricia Yancey Martin -- Organizing door-to-door sales : a symbolic interactionist analysis / David Schweingruber and Nancy Berns -- Goffman's dramaturgical sociology : personal sales and service in a commodified world / Peter Kivisto and Dan Pittman -- Contrasts of carnival : Mardi Gras between the modern and the postmodern / Kevin Fox Gotham -- Negotiating the social landscape to create social change / Anne F. Eisenberg -- Globalization theory and religious fundamentalism / William H. Swatos, Jr.

Thirteen essays from leading academics showing how sociological theory can be used to shed light on contemporary issues such as the internet, alcohol use, body building and shopping malls.