Inequalities of the World

If there is one unifying theme to this otherwise diverse collection of nine papers put together by Therborn (sociology, Uppsala U., Sweden), it is the need to recognize that people suffer from inequalities, not inequality. In other words, that it is important to be aware of multiple dimensions of inequality: inequalities of life and health, inequalities of freedom and respect, and inequalities of material and symbolic resources. Contributors explore varieties of inequality through examinations of health inequalities in Europe, cultural definitions of membership among French and American workers, economic change and social mobility, cross-national patterns of nonstandard employment relations and labor market inequality, and knowledge and inequality. Also included are case studies on class and inequality in Brazil, rural China, Russia, and France. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Goran Therborn holds the Chair of Sociology at the University of Cambridge, and is editor and author of Inequalities of the World, Asia and Europe in Globalization, Between Sex and Power and From Marxism to Post Marxism?

Arne L. Kalleberg is the Kenan Distinguished Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, at the University of North Carolina. His books include Fighting for Time: Shifting Boundaries of Work and Social Life, Organizations in America: Analyzing Their Structures and Human Resource Practices, and Work and Industry: Structures, Markets and Processes.