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Abstract

Social stratification is a core substantive area within sociology. There are a number of textbooks and readers available on the market that deal with this central topic. In this article, I conduct a comparative review of (a) four stratification textbooks and (b) four stratification readers.

Keywords

inequalities, reading, social stratification, textbooks

TEXTBOOKS REVIEWED:

Gilbert, Dennis. 2011. The American Class Structure in an Age of Growing Inequality. 8th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. 312 pp. $63.95. ISBN: 9781412979658

Hurst, Charles E. 2010. Social Inequality: Forms, Causes, and Consequences. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. 464 pp. $87.20. ISBN: 9780205698295

Kerbo, Harold R. 2012. Social Stratification and Inequality: Class Conflict in Historical, Comparative, and Global Perspective. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. 672 pp. $96.56. ISBN: 9780078111655

Marger, Martin N. 2011. Social Inequality: Patterns and Processes. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. 488 pp. $84.69. ISBN: 9780073528304

READERS REVIEWED:

Brueggemann, John, ed. 2012. Inequality in the United States: A Reader. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. 512 pp. $66.67. ISBN: 9780205627783

Grusky, David, ed. 2008. Social Stratification: Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective. 3rd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. 1,104 pp. $70.00. ISBN: 9780813343730

Levine, Rhonda R, ed. 2006. Social Class and Stratification: Classic Statements and Theoretical Debates. 2nd ed. Lanham Heights, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. 304 pp. $29.95. ISBN: 9780742546325

Manza, Jeff and Michael Sauder, eds. 2009. Inequality and Society: Social Science Perspectives on Social Stratification. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 1,040 pp. $56.25. ISBN: 9780393977257

Social inequality/stratification is a core substantive area within sociology. Although social inequality and stratification are slightly different conceptssocial inequality refers to differences in prestige, power, and wealth; stratification refers to structured ranking of groups that perpetuates these inequalities (Schaefer 2008)- they are typically dealt with concurrently, and the terms are frequently used interchangeably. In this article, I will primarily use the term stratification to describe both interrelated concepts.

The importance of stratification to the field of sociology is evident in a number of different ways, In terms of research, for instance, the International Sociological Association (ISA) includes a Research Committee on Social Stratification that has been active since 1950. Through this committee, there is a popular specialty journal published quarterly called Research in Social Stratification and Mobility....

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