This book offers students a general introduction to issue of the global distribution of wealth and power throughout the world today. The Second Edition has been revised and updated and examines a wide variety of topics, from global economic trends to ethnic conflicts, in four major regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The book provides a theoretical framework that helps readers understand the regions better. Every region has its unique features, but each also exhibits features that are common across regions, countries and cultures. The book: - Presents a global view of stratification in a theoretical framework, made accessible to undergraduate students by using an effective combination of academic works, lively stories and news reports - Helps to educate students about social and cultural differences across the world, outlining our growing global interdependence and explains how this is connected to contemporary social problems.

Author Biography

York W. Bradshaw is Professor and Chair of Sociology at the University of Memphis. Prior to this position, he was Director of African Studies and Professor of Sociology at Indiana University, Bloomington. He has also taught and lectured at a number of African universities in Kenya, Zambia, and South Africa. Professor Bradshaw has written and taught on a number of topics, including education and health in developing countries, debt and economic adjustment in poor regions, and African and Asian development. His most recent book is The Uncertain Promise of Southern Africa (edited with Stephen Ndegwa). Michael Wallace is Professor of Sociology at Indiana University. His past work has dealt with issues of labor markets, organization of work and other topics in social stratification. His current research interests include analyses of the labor movements in Canada and Western Europe. He has edited a book titled Deindustrialization and the Restructuring of American Industry and is currently editor of the annual volume on Research in Social Stratification and Mobility.