Global Sociology: Introducing Five Contemporary Societies

Chapter 1. Japan: The Importance of Belonging

Introduction

Japan's History

Japanese Culture

Group Life

Socialization

Deviance in a Demanding Society

Social Inequality in Japan: Class, Status, and Power

Demographic Change

Japan’s Future: Crisis And Continuity

Chapter 2. Mexico: Conflict and Cooperation

Introduction

Mexican Culture

Social Structure and Group Life

Social Institutions

Conflict and Deviance

Social Inequality and Conflict

Chapter 3. The San Peoples of Namibia: Between Subsistence and Globalization

Introduction

History ofthe San?

Part I: Reports On Field Research: The Hunting-Gathering Life

Social Structure and Group Life

Social Inequality

Deviance and Social Control

Socialization

Part II: The San in Modern Namibia

Chapter 4. Egypt: Youth, Inequality, and Social Change

Introduction

Egypt's History

Egyptian Culture

Gender Roles in Egyptian Culture

Youth Rises Up

Social Expectations and Inequality in Egypt

Egypt’s Authoritarian Government

After The Revolution

Chapter 5. Germany: Diversity in a Modern Nation-State

Introduction

German History: Borders and Peoples

Changing Borders: What is Germany

German Culture

Minority Groups in Germany

Deviance and Diversity

Inequality and Diversity

Demographic Change

Germany in An Age of Globalization

An effective supplement to any standard sociology text, this broad and comprehensive sociological description of five diverse contemporary societies with wide geographic distribution - Japan, Mexico, Egypt, Germany and the San peoples of Namibia - is organized around basic sociological topics: culture, social structure, group life, socialization, deviance, social institutions, social stratification, and social change. Fictional vignettes of individuals in each country help students experience first-person viewpoints on life in five very different societies. By comparing other societies with their own, students read about the range of social variation, learn what makes their own society distinctive, and gain a unique and fascinating vantage point on what sociology offers in a world of rapid social change.