Product Description

The edition of this already classic reference work has been completely updated and radically revised. Originally published in 1985 to great acclaim from social scientists, librarians, and professionals, this work now takes into account changes that have occurred in the social sciences over the past 10 years. Ninety per cent of the entries are new, entirely rewritten, or substantially revised. The new entries cover developments in traditional fields over the last decade, newly vital areas of study such as environmental economics and cross-disciplinary pursuits such as women's studies and cultural studies. Theoretical movements such as post-modernism which were only beginning to be discussed in 1985 are now given prominent coverage.
The Social Science Encyclopedia, Second Edition, has been written by a truly international team of contributors and thus presents a global understanding of the expanse of thought within the social sciences. A distinguished board of advisory editors have worked closely with the editors in determining the most important concepts, thinkers and techniques in each field.
* lengthy entries cover each of the major disciplines within the social sciences
* extensive cross-referencing within the text as well as at the end of each entry directs the reader through the volume and provides easy access to relevant articles
* related fields are also covered in depth and the philosophy of the social sciences is addressed as are theories, methodology and areas of study
* profiles of key figures and schools of thought from Freud to Foucault and from the Chicago School of Economics to the Frankfurt School are also provided

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #120889 in eBooks
• Published on: 2007-03-30
• Released on: 2007-03-30
• Format: Kindle Book
• Number of items: 1

From Library Journal
More of a dictionary than an encyclopedia, this one-volume paperback update to the first edition (LJ 4/15/86) comprises 600 entries, 90 percent of which are new or substantially revised to reflect recent developments and approaches in the social sciences, e.g., feminism, postmodernism, sociobiology, environmental and evolutionary economics, and cultural studies. Contributors, mostly scholars from the United Kingdom and the United States, are aiming at an audience of scholars and social scientists who need a handy desk reference for quick overviews of terms, concepts, movements, and individuals from disciplines outside or adjoining their own fields. The entries are of high quality in terms of content, but inevitably any one-volume work that attempts to cover all the social sciences will have gaps: for example, there's an entry on semantics but no entries for the equally important linguistic subfields of phonology and syntax. Readers needing in-depth treatment of topics will be better served by the multivolume encyclopedias that cover individual disciplines in the social sciences, the true heirs to the venerable Encyclopedia of Social Sciences (1930) and the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (1968). All libraries that missed the hardcover should purchase this inexpensive paperback edition.AMarc Meola, Temple Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Similar to the 1985 first edition, the second edition of the Social Science Encyclopedia attempts to provide broad and up-to-date coverage of all of the social sciences in a single volume. It contains more than 600 signed articles, ranging in length from a few paragraphs to a few pages, representing current theory, practice, and policy in such disciplines as anthropology, economics, education, feminism, geography, government and politics, linguistics, philosophy, and sociology. With such broad coverage, the encyclopedia does not go into great detail. Fortunately, every entry includes a bibliography for further reading. Like the first edition, the encyclopedia is written primarily for specialists in the field. It has a relatively high reading level and will be most useful for researchers and graduate students.

A comparison of the first and second editions indicates that the editors have taken into account the many changes that have occurred in the social sciences over the intervening decade. In a random sample of entries selected from both editions, only one-quarter of the text was found to be the same. Approximately 15 percent of the entries from the first edition were dropped, and more than one-half of all entries have been revised and updated. A further 25 percent of the entries in the second edition are completely new. Many of the articles contain recent findings and citations, some as recent as 1994. This work will replace the first edition and will continue to serve as an update to the old standard, the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. It will be a useful addition to any social sciences research collection.

Review
"Renewed through significant revision, the encyclopedia will help students understand key concepts and current controversies across the full range of the social sciences." -- Rettig on Reference - June 1996

'...this is an excellent and authoritative publication.' - Adrian L. James, Professor of Applied Social Sciences, University of Bradford - Social Work and Social Sciences Review: An International Journal of Applied Research

'A useful addition to any social sciences research collection.' - Reference Books Bulletin

'Balanced international coverage ... consistently high level of scholarship.' - Choice

'Enthusiastically recommended.' - American Reference Books

'Recommended for all libraries.' - Choice

'The Kupers' volume stands with the high achievements of the encyclopedist tradition ... both readable and immensely useful.' - Donald N. Levine, University of Chicago

'The first and perhaps the most important thing to be said about this imposing volume is that it is a very good bargain ... A useful and usable volume.' - New Statesman

'There is much to applaud in the Encyclopedia. The entries are in general well written and informative, and pitched at the right level for likely readers. Particularly good are the longer master entries on whole disciplines.' - Times Literary Supplement

'This collection of essays goes a long way towards supplying a reasonable single-volume reference work that covers all the main disciplines and problem areas that exist within the field of the social sciences.' - Times Education Supplement

'Well written and authoritative, this is a work truly deserving of the accolade classic. Reasonably priced, it needs to be added to all reference collections serving a clientele with social science interests as well as general collections of any size.' - Reference Reviews

'the most authoritative one-volume reference work on the social sciences currently available' - International Review of Biblical Studies vol.45:1998/1999

...this is an excellent and authoritative publication. - Adrian L. James, Professor of Applied Social Sciences, University of Bradford - Social Work and Social Sciences Review: An International Journal of Applied Research

A selection of reviews from the first edition:

A useful addition to any social sciences research collection. - Reference Books Bulletin

Balanced international coverage ... consistently high level of scholarship. - Choice

Enthusiastically recommended. - American Reference Books

Recommended for all libraries. - Choice

The Kupers volume stands with the high achievements of the encyclopedist tradition ... both readable and immensely useful. - Donald N. Levine, University of Chicago

The first and perhaps the most important thing to be said about this imposing volume is that it is a very good bargain ... A useful and usable volume. - New Statesman

There is much to applaud in the Encyclopedia. The entries are in general well written and informative, and pitched at the right level for likely readers. Particularly good are the longer master entries on whole disciplines. - Times Literary Supplement

This collection of essays goes a long way towards supplying a reasonable single-volume reference work that covers all the main disciplines and problem areas that exist within the field of the social sciences. - Times Education Supplement

Well written and authoritative, this is a work truly deserving of the accolade classic. Reasonably priced, it needs to be added to all reference collections serving a clientele with social science interests as well as general collections of any size. - Reference Reviews

the most authoritative one-volume reference work on the social sciences currently available - International Review of Biblical Studies vol.45:1998/1999