Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots：The Basics

GeorgeRitzerisDistinguishedUniversityProfessorattheUniversityofMaryland,wherehehasbeenaDistinguishedScholar-TeacherandwonaTeachingExcellenceawardbytheAmericanSociologicalAssociation,andin2004,hewasawardedanhonorarydoctoratebyLaTrobeUniversity,Melborune,Australia.HehasservedasChairoftheAmericanSociologicalAssociation'sSectionsonTheoreticalSociologyandorganizationsandOccupations.HeheldtheUNESCOChairinSocialTheoryattheRussianAcademyofSciences,aFulbright-HayChairatYorkUniversityinCanada,andaFulbright-HaysawardtotheNetherlands.HehasbeenScholar-in-ResidenceattheNetherlandsInstituteforAdvancedStudyandtheSwedishCollegiumforAdvancedStudyintheSocialSciences.Dr.Ritzer'smaintheoreticalinterestslieinmetatheoryaswellasappliedsocialtheory.Inmetatheory,hiscontributionsincludeMetatheorizinginSociology(LexingtonBooks,1991),Sociology:AMultipleParadigmScience(AllynandBacon,1975,1980),andTowardanIntegratedSociologicalParadigm(AllynandBacon).ProfessorRitzerisperhapsbestknownfortheMcDonaldizationofSociety(4/e,2004);translatedintomorethanadozenlanguages)andseveralrelatedbooks(alsowithanumberoftranslations,includingExpressingAmerica:ACritiqueoftheGlobalCreditCardSociety(1995),EnchantingaDisenchantedWorld:RevolutionizingtheMeansofConsumption(2/e,2005),TheGlobalizationofNothing(2/e,2007),and(withCraigLair)Outsourcing:GlobalizationandBeyond.HeeditedtheEncyclopediaofSocialTheory(2005),andisthefoundingeditoroftheJournalofConsumerCulture.Hejustcompletededitingtheeleven-volumeEncyclopediaofSociology(2007)andTheBlackwellCompaniontoGlobalization(2007).In2006,McGraw-HillpublishedthesecondeditionofProfessorRitzer'sContemporarySociologicalTheoryandItsClassicRoots:TheBasics.In2007,McGraw-HillwillpublishtheseventheditionofModernSociologicalTheory,andthefiftheditionofClassicalSociologicalTheory.Thelattertexts,aswellasthisone,havebeentranslatedintoanumberoflanguages.