Social Inequality in a Global Age

by Scott R. Sernau

This Third Edition of Scott Sernau′s highly acclaimed text provides a sociological framework for analyzing inequality within the United States.  Inequalities of race, class and gender can only be understood in the context of the changing global economy, and this is the first text to make that connection its focus.  With vivid examples and analysis, this text brings domestic inequalities and the global context home to students. Using lively writing and examples straight from today′s headlines, the author places each issue and dimension of inequality in the context of a changing global economy. He also introduces both classical and contemporary theories of stratification to help interpret these real-world illustrations. This edition features two new The Gordian Knot of Race, Class, and Gender (3) and Challenging the Social Movements (12), as well as a new focus on how the current regime of market-driven solutions actually contributes to, rather than reduces, social inequality.

Genres: Sociology, School

376 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2010

Reviews

[Audrey]

Not rating because it was a textbook but also 5000 stars out of 5 for this line and this line only:
"One day, as he reached to scoop another Santa out of the machine and into a box, the machine press came down on his arm and severed his hand. Fu's recovery was slow and painful, and he could no longer work in any of the factories where the work required speed and dexterity. His employee, a Taiwanese industrialist with offices in Hong Kong, offered him a small "severance package" (severance taking on a new meaning in this case)." WHAT
but also a little dry, lots of text without much breaking it up

[Ayla Cattanach · Rating 2 out of 5]

He takes a very heavy Marxist perspective to everything, which is valuable for some topics. Others though, he completely lacks on, such as sex and gender where he essentially cherry-picks context and what is considered "oppression." Also, despite having considerably up-to-date editions, there remains offensive and outdated language throughout the book. Overall, so incredibly shallow on what he deems "less important" and not worth the read.

[Heather Downs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent stratification textbook. I have a few others that I prefer because of the way that they are organized. This book is well researched and well written. Some of the examples could be expanded to relate to college students.