Description
The Oxford Handbook of Social Stratification brings together leading experts to demonstrate the value of stratification research for sociology's past and future as a population science. In an era of profound transformation, characterized by growing inequalities, political unrest, technological disruption, demographic changes, and global crises, the need for rigorous scholarship on social stratification is crucial. This Handbook provides a forward-looking overview, illustrating how the field remains grounded in its scholarly roots while expanding to address contemporary social inequality dynamics.With historical insights, analytical precision, and methodological rigor, the Handbook serves as both a comprehensive field assessment and a roadmap for future research. Part I covers core concepts such as social class, gender, race, education, and life course analysis. Part II offers state-of-the-art research insights on social mobility, family dynamics, education and labor markets, migration, discrimination, and policy, connecting these to classical sociological questions. Part III explores future research directions, incorporating innovations from behavioral and cognitive sciences, sociogenomics, cultural analysis, and responses to global crises. Broad, cohesive, and accessible, the volume is an indispensable resource for scholars, students, and anyone interested in understanding the construction, maintenance, and challenge of social hierarchies and their impact on shaping 21st-century societies.
Table of Contents
1. Social Stratification Research: Achievements, Challenges and the Road Ahead Lucinda Platt, Javier G. Polavieja, Herman G. van de Werfhorst PART I - FUNDAMENTALS OF STRATIFICATION 2. The Microlevel Foundations of Social Stratification Processes: Perfect Rationality, Bounded Rationality, and Behavioral Approaches Carlo Barone 3. Class Louis-André Vallet 4. Gender as an Axis of Stratification Claudia Buchmann, Man Yao 5. Education and Stratification: Classical and Contemporary Questions and Research Herman G. van de Werfhorst, Heike Solga 6. Race and Ethnicity Anthony F. Heath, Yaojun Li, Divya Vaid 7. Life-Course Dynamics of Social Stratification and Mobility Anette Eva Fasang, Karl Ulrich Mayer PART II - CORE AREAS OF THE FIELD 8. What What We Know and Do Not Know About Social Mobility Martin Hällsten 9. Contemporary Class Analysis Daniel Oesch 10. Organizations and Stratification: Toward a Relational Inequality Model Dustin Avent-Holt, Safi Shams, Donald Tomaskovic-Devey 11. The Role of Education in the Intergenerational Mobility Process: Lessons from the United States Florencia Torche 12. Flexibility in Educational Systems: Concept, indicators, and proposed measurements Katarina Weßling, Rolf van der Velden 13. Cumulative Advantage, Intergenerational Reproduction, and Life-Course Mobility: A Synthetic Approach Thomas A. DiPrete 14. Social Stratification of Retirement Transition Konrad Turek, Kène Henkens 15. Influence of Family Relationships on Children's Social Mobility Barbara Schneider, Mathilda Smith 16. Homogamy within Romantic Relationships Diederik Boertien, Gøsta Esping-Andersen 17. Divorce and Inequality Bram Hogendoorn, Matthijs Kalmijn 18. Gender Inequality in the Labor Market: Trends, Sources, and Solutions Hadas Mandel, Assaf Rotman 19. Migration and Stratification Lucinda Platt 20. Discrimination Gunn Elisabeth Birkelund, Edvard Nergård Larsen 21. Spatial Segregation: Form, Consequences, and Dynamics Carolina Zuccotti 22. Racial Inequality in the United States: The More Things Change, . . . Samuel R. Lucas 23. Labor Market Institutions and Social Inequality Paolo Barbieri 24. The Welfare State and Economic Inequality David Brady 25. Class Politics: Dealignment, Realignment, and the Role of Parties Geoffrey Evans PART III - REFLECTIONS, DEBATES, AND EMERGING ISSUES 26. Genetics, Stratification, and Meritocracy Fumiya Uchikoshi, Dalton Conley 27. The "Dark Matter" of Stratification Research: Noncognitive Characteristics, Socioeconomic Attainment, and Social Mobility Michelle Jackson, Sophie Moullin 28. Neither Dry RATs nor Sticky Cultural Soup: Culture, Stratification, and the Problem of Endogenous Preferences Javier G. Polavieja 29. Health, Climate Change, and Stratification Jason Beckfield, Hanne Dahl Vonen 30. Wealth Inequality: A Relational Perspective Asher Dvir-Djerassi, Fabian T. Pfeffer 31. Populism and Inequality Jeff Manza, Bart Bonikowski, Sobha Gadi 32. The Education Divide and Support for Populists Jaap van Slageren, Matthijs Rooduijn 33. Social Stratification by Gender and Parenthood: The Importance of Family Formation, Gender Roles, and Ideals Marie Evertsson, Charlotta Magnusson, Maaike van der Vleuten 34. Understanding Immigrant Labor Market Stratification: What Can the Case of Recent Refugee Migration to Europe Contribute? Irena Kogan, Yuliya Kosyakova 35. Inequality and Stratification in the Transitions from Socialism Theodore P. Gerber, Michael Zaslavsky 36. Inequality and Stratification in Latin America Mauricio Salgado, Javier Castillo 37. Inequality and Stratification in East Asia Hyunjoon Park, Hiroshi Ishida, Kuo-Hsien Su 38. Modernization and Long-term Trends in Social Mobility Ineke Maas, Marco H. D. van Leeuwen
