Title: Social inequalities in comparative perspective /
Authors: Devine, Fiona.; Waters, Mary C.; Wiley InterScience (Online service)
Publisher: Blackwell Pub.,
Year: 2004
Subjects: Equality Cross-cultural studies.; Social stratification Cross-cultural studies.
Abstract: This unique collection of original essays brings a comparative perspective to issues of social inequality. First-rate sociologists from around the world have contributed to this exciting and rigorous volume, drawing upon their own research in the fields of race and ethnicity, class and inequality, and gender and sexuality. Qualitative research on social inequalities is enjoying increasing prominence in the sub-discipline of social stratification because it addresses issues of culture, identity, experience, meaning and process. This collection is at the cutting edge of the study of social inequalities and identifies new directions of thinking about and doing research on race, class and gender in a stimulating and innovative way. Examples of race, class or gender inequalities are considered from the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, France, Portugal, Finland, and Japan. Each essay reflects on methodological issues and the strengths of qualitative research, and examines how new areas of research contribute to new ways of thinking. As a whole, these essays encourage students to see the study of social inequalities as central to a sociological understanding of contemporary societies in the twenty-first century.
Contents: Race, ethnicity, and immigration in the United States / Mary C. Waters -- The 'language of race', identity options, and 'belonging' in the Quebec context / Micheline Labelle -- Race and ethnicity in France / Riva Kastoryano -- Racisms, ethnicities, and British nation-making / Liviu Popoviciu and Mairtin Mac an Ghaill -- Working poor, working hard: trajectories at the bottom of the American labor market / Katherine Newman and Chauncy Lennon -- Class and social inequalities in Portugal: from class structure to working-class practices on the shop floor / Elisio Estanque -- Understanding class inequality in Australia / Bill Martin and Judy Wajcman -- Talking about class in Britain / Fiona Devine -- Research on gender stratification in the US / Christine L. Williams, Patti A. Giuffre, and Kristen A. Dellinger -- The Japanese paradox: women's voices of fulfillment in the face of inequalities / Yuko Ogasawara -- Catching up? changing inequalities of gender at work and in the family in the UK / Harriet Bradley -- Gender and work-related inequalities in Finland / Paivi Korvajarvi.