17 Chapter 14: Population, Urbanization, and the EnvironmentLearning ObjectivesToo Few, Too OldPopulationPopulation GrowthPopulation DeclineBasic Population ProcessesFertilityMortalityThe Demographic TransitionMigrationUrbanizationEver-Larger Urban AreasSuburbanizationThe Changing Nature of Major U.S. CitiesCities and GlobalizationGlobal CitiesMegacities (and Beyond)The Main Site of Global ProblemsThe Center of Culture and ConsumptionThe Environment• Trending: Children of KatrinaTheories of the Environment and Its ProblemsGlobalization and the EnvironmentThe Leading Environmental ProblemsDestruction of Natural HabitatsAdverse Effects on Marine LifeThe Decline in FreshwaterGlobal WarmingGlobal ResponsesSustainable DevelopmentTechnological FixesDigital Living: Smart CitiesThe Paris AgreementSummaryKey TermsReview Questions
18 Chapter 15: Social Change, Social Movements, and Collective ActionLearning ObjectivesWorkers’ Rights, Consumer Activism, and Social ChangeSocial MovementsFeminist MovementsThe Women’s Movement in the United StatesThe Global Women’s MovementDigital Living: #MeToo MovementLGBTQ MovementsWorld War II and the Lavender ScareThe U.S.-Based Homophile MovementStonewallLesbian HerstoryHIV/AIDS, ACT UP, and Queer NationThe Ongoing Fight for Marriage EqualityThe Civil Rights MovementEmergence, Mobilization, and Impact of Social MovementsFactors in the Emergence of a Social MovementResources and Mobilization of Social MovementsParticipationGoals, Strategies, and TacticsFactors in SuccessThe Impact of Social MovementsThe Internet, Globalization, and Social MovementsCollective Action• Trending: Twitter and Tear GasCrowdsRiotsNegative Views of RiotsDisastersHuman Involvement in DisastersThe Effects of DisastersSocial Change: Globalization, Consumption, and the InternetGlobalization as the Ultimate Social ChangeGlobal “Liquids”Global “Flows”Globalization and the InternetCyberactivismConsumption and GlobalizationLocal and Regional DifferencesGlobal BrandsSummaryKey TermsReview Questions
19 Glossary
20 References: Chapter-Opening Vignettes
21 References: Comprehensive List
22 Index
Letter from the Author
The social world, as well as the field of sociology that studies that world, is always interesting, exciting, and ever-changing. My goal for this newly revised fourth edition of Essentials of Sociology is not only to introduce you to sociology, but also to discuss what has inspired—and what continues to inspire—my dedication to the field. The hope is that you will learn a good deal about the social world from the perspective of sociology, as well as how my interests have shaped my personal sociological journey.
My initial interests in the field were the sociology of work and the sociology of organizations, but I was quickly drawn to sociological theory and how even the most classical theories were relevant to my everyday life. That interest came to fruition in the publication of The McDonaldization of Society in 1993 (now in its ninth edition). In that book, I apply and expand on Max Weber’s famous classical theoretical ideas on rationality. I saw those ideas at work in my local fast-food restaurant, as well as in many other contemporary settings. After the publication of The McDonaldization of Society, I grew interested in consumption, including credit card debt and the places of consumption, and I authored two books on these topics, Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society and Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Continuity and Change in the Cathedrals of Consumption. I developed a curiosity about globalization after recognizing that McDonaldization and consumer culture had spread rapidly throughout much of the world. This inspired me to write The Globalization of Nothing and Globalization: A Basic Text. Most recently, my sociological journey has led me to the internet, especially social networking sites, which are highly rationalized, are often places to consume, and are all globalized.
You will discover how my interests have shaped this book in a variety of ways. Consumption figures prominently in most chapters; this reflects my belief that this topic should be a central concern for sociologists. This book also includes a strong emphasis on globalization to encourage you to better understand and appreciate how your daily lives are shaped by global processes. Each chapter contains a primary section on globalization that explains why and how globalization has influenced an array of sociological issues, including the discipline itself. Throughout this book—in sections headed “Digital Living”—the sociological implications of the internet and technology are explored. To demonstrate the relevance of sociology not just within academia but to the broader public, an additional pedagogical feature, “Trending” boxes, has been included. These highlight recently published books written by sociologists and scholars in related fields that have gained mainstream popularity. Most of these books are based on extensive ethnographic research about current sociological problems, and their narratives are readable, relatable, and fascinating to me—I hope the same will be true for you. The Trending boxes also include links such as webpages where you can watch videos of authors discussing their books and/or read reviews of their books from popular newspapers and magazines.
Here I have described a bit about my personal sociological journey. I hope that this book will provide you with a starting point to begin your own journey, to examine your social world critically, and to develop your own sociological ideas and opinions. My aim in writing this book is to equip you to see the social world in a different way and, more important, to use the ideas discussed here to help to create a better world.
—George Ritzer, University of Maryland
Acknowledgments
I need to begin by thanking Wendy Wiedenhoft, who coauthored the previous edition of this book. Unfortunately, Wendy’s workload prevented her from working on this edition. Nonetheless, many of her ideas and most of her previous contributions are to be found in this edition. I deeply appreciate everything she has contributed to this book.
I also want thank my friends for decades, and coauthors of a previous introductory textbook, Kenneth C. W. Kammeyer and Norman R. Yetman. That book went through seven editions, the last of which was published in 1997. It was most useful to me in this text in helping define various sociological concepts that have changed little over the years. I have also been able to build on discussions of many issues covered in that text. However, because of the passage of more than two decades in sociology and in the social world (an eternity in both), as well as the innumerable changes in them, this text has comparatively little in common with the earlier one. Nonetheless, my perspective on sociology was strongly shaped by that book and the many insights and ideas provided by my friends and coauthors before, during, and in the many years after the writing of that book.
Professor Rebecca Plante played a key role in the second edition of this book. She offered useful comments and suggestions throughout, and she was especially central in the revision of Chapter 9, on gender and sexuality. These are her areas of expertise, and the chapter is much improved because of her contributions to it. I would also like to thank Professor Paul Dean, coauthor of the second edition of my book Globalization: A Basic Text, for his numerous and important contributions to Chapter 7, on social stratification.
Thanks also to P. J. Rey, William Yagatich, Jillet Sam, Zeynep Tufekci, and Margaret Austin Smith for their contributions. Also to be thanked for writing first drafts of parts of earlier versions of chapters are Professors William Carbonaro (Chapter 11, on education), Deric Shannon (Chapter 12, on politics), and Lester Kurtz (Chapter 11, on religion). Professor Peter Kivisto made particularly important and numerous contributions