The Contemporary Bauman - Tapa dura

'Undergraduates might ask if this reader should be seen as a possible entry point for newcomers who are not aware of Bauman’s writings. I do believe so, simply because some of the texts found here are quite clear, especially the first two chapters.'

'Even scholars who are already familiar with Bauman’s books will find some interesting prolongations of his ideas...'
-Yves Laberge, Université Laval, in Sociology, vol 44 iss 3

This text covers Bauman’s contribution to sociology and social theory. This ideal teaching text analyzes Bauman's shift from a sociology of postmodernity to liquid modernity, and provides a critical assessment of the contemporary Bauman, appraising his novel theory of liquid modernity in terms of its implications for self-identity, interpersonal relationships, culture, communications, and the broad-ranging institutional transformations associated with globalization.

In addition to various extracts from Bauman's work, the book also contains a spirited reply from Zygmunt Bauman to both his sympathetic and unsympathetic critics. Bauman concludes by providing a new perspectives on his theory of liquid modernity, its differentiation from the modernity/postmodernity debate and its relation to current developments in contemporary social theory.