A watershed event in the field of sociology, this text introduced "a major breakthrough in the sociology of knowledge and sociological theory generally" (George Simpson, American Sociological Review ).In this seminal book, Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann examine how knowledge forms and how it is preserved and altered within a society. Unlike earlier theorists and philosophers, Berger and Luckmann go beyond intellectual history and focu...

The Invisible Religion is a modern classic of social science. Its influence goes well beyond sociology as it continues to inspire research in such diverse fields as sociology of knowledge, ethnology, theology, sociology of religion, and religious studies. In this volume, the author endeavours to answer one of the most important questions regarding religion in modern times: Are Western societies indeed becoming more secular as they modernize? His surprising answer is still part of ...

"If you liked Chaos, you'll love Complexity. Waldrop creates the most exciting intellectual adventure story of the year" ( The Washington Post).In a rarified world of scientific research, a revolution has been brewing. Its activists are not anarchists, but rather Nobel Laureates in physics and economics and pony-tailed graduates, mathematicians, and computer scientists from all over the world. They have formed an iconoclastic think-tank a...

The author of Magic and Masculinity explores the history and development of magic and witchcraft in Western society.Broomsticks, cauldrons, familiars, and spells—magic and witchcraft conjure a vivid picture in our modern-day imagination. While much of our understanding is rooted in superstition and myth, the history of magic and witchcraft offers a window into the past. It illuminates the lives of ordinary people in the past and elucidates the fascinating ...

A scientist integrates evolutionary biology, genetics, psychology, economics, and more to explore the development and workings of human societies."There is no good reason why human societies should not be described and explained with the same precision and success as the rest of nature." Thus argues evolutionary psychologist Pascal Boyer in this uniquely innovative book.Integrating recent insights from evolutionary biology, genetics, psychol...

"Vital reading for anyone who wants to create communications that cause people to act."Matt Barlow, CEO, CAPWhen you face a red light, what can you say to turn it green?On stage needing to hook the audience?Convincing a friend over coffee?Sweating it in a job interview?The results of what you say aren't coincidence. Whether you persuade, or not, is down to whether you use the right prompts.

An account of Cuban exiles, CIA informants, and cocaine traffickers in Florida by the National Book Award–winning author of The Year of Magical Thinking.In *Miami, New York Times–*bestselling author Joan Didion looks beyond postcard images of fluorescent waters, backlit islands, and pastel architecture to explore the murkier waters of a city on the edge.From Fidel Castro and the Bay of Pigs invasion to Lee Harvey Oswald and the Ke...

This royal historian's "lively study of the four Georges who sat on the English throne for over a century is a joy" (Jane Austen's Regency World).For over one hundred years of turmoil, upheaval, and scandal, Great Britain was a Georgian land. From the day the German-speaking George I stepped off the boat from Hanover to the night that George IV, bloated and diseased, breathed his last at Windsor, the four kings had presided over a changing nation.Kings of G...

The two most popular titles by the noted linguist and critic in one volume—an ideal introduction to his work.On Language features some of Noam Chomsky's most informal and highly accessible work. In Part I, Language and Responsibility, Chomsky presents a fascinating self-portrait of his political, moral, and linguistic thinking. In Part II, Reflections on Language, Chomsky explores the more general implications of the study of language and...

**Three meticulously researched works—including Pulitzer Prize winner Bearing the Cross—spanning the life of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.This collection from professor and historian David J. Garrow provides a multidimensional and fascinating portrait of Martin Luther King Jr., and his mission to upend deeply entrenched prejudices in society, and enact legal change that would achieve equality for African Americans one hundred years after their emancipat...

From the Nebula Award–winning author of Way Station : Ten stories—including one never before published—of mystery and imagination in a world that cannot be.People work; folk play. That is how it has been in this country for as long as Sam can remember. He is happy, and he understands that this is the way it should be. People are bigger than folk. They are stronger. They do not need food or water. They do not need the warm...

Revised and updated: the definitive primary-source history of US involvement in General Pinochet's Chilean coup—"the evidence is overwhelming" ( The New Yorker).Published to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of General Augusto Pinochet's infamous September 11, 1973, military coup in Chile, this updated edition of The Pinochet File reveals the shocking, formerly secret record of the US government's complicity with atrocity in a foreign country. ...