Culture, Power, and History: Studies in Critical Sociology: 4 (Studies in Critical Social Sciences, 4) - Tapa dura

This volume brings together theoretical meditations and empirical studies of the intersection of culture, power and history in social life. New strategies for marketing and advertising to children, the production of gendered subjectivity in maquiladora factories, the racialized economic history of the construction of the Chicago School of sociology, and the normalization of cosmetic plastic surgery in contemporary America-these are some of the crossroads under investigation here, where cultural meanings and practices are set against historical landscapes of power. Included are contributions from William Gamson, Juliet Schor, Stephen Pfohl, Arthur and Marilouise Kroker, Jackie Orr, Leslie Salzinger, Eva Garroutte, Davarian Baldwin, Ramon Grosfoguel, Charlotte Ryan, Danielle Egan, Charles Sarno, Steve Farough, Karen McCorkmack, Abigail Brooks, Aimee Van Wagenen and William Wood.

Patricia Arend is a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at Boston College. Her areas of interest are gender, race, class, sexuality, consumption and social theory. Her dissertation examines "white weddings" in consumer society. Abigail Brooks is a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at Boston College. Her areas of interest include feminist theory, sociology of gender, critical gerontology and feminist age studies, sociology of the body, science and technology studies, and social theory. Her dissertation investigates women's lived experiences and interpretations of growing older against the contextual backdrop of growing prevalence, acceptance, and approval of cosmetic surgery. Denise Leckenby is a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at Boston College. Her areas of interest include qualitative methodology, feminist methodology, feminist theory, and sexuality. She is coeditor of Women in Catholic Higher Education: Border Work, Living Experiences, and Social Justice (2003). Stephen Pfohl is a Professor of Sociology and Chairperson of the Sociology Department at Boston College. He is the author of a wide variety of books and articles on topics ranging from the politics of deviance and social control to studies in social theory and contemporary culture. Pfohl's books include Death at the Parasite Cafe (1992) and Images of Deviance and Social Control (1994). Stephen is also a Past-President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Aimee Van Wagenen is a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at Boston College. Her dissertation investigates identity, public health and power in the science and practice of HIV prevention and education.