Stretching the Sociological Imagination ― Essays in Honour of John Eldridge

Stretching the Sociological Imagination calls for renewed attention to the concept of the sociological imagination, allowing social scientists to link private issues to public troubles. Inspired by the eminent Glasgow-based sociologist and co-founder of the Glasgow Media Group, John Eldridge, it re-engages with the concept and shows how it can be applied to analyzing society today.

This edited volume unites prominent sociologists, both well-established and early career, who are inspired by the sociological imagination and by Eldridge's work more broadly. Eldridge was for many years Professor of Sociology and Head of Department at the University of Glasgow, UK, and is a renowned figure in the discipline, most notably through his work in three fields: the sociology of work and industry; social theory; and media sociology. This collection celebrates his contribution and its continued relevance today.

Matt Dawson is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Glasgow, UK, with research interests in social theory, political sociology, asexuality and the history of sociology. He is the author of Late Modernity, Individualization and Socialism: An Associational Critique of Neoliberalism (2013, Palgrave Macmillan).

Bridget Fowler is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow, UK. She is the author, amongst other works, of Pierre Bourdieu and Cultural Theory (1997) and The Obituary as Collective Memory (2007).

David Miller is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Social & Policy Sciences at the University of Bath, United Kingdom. He was Global Uncertainties Leadership Fellow (2013-15), and is co-director of Public Interest Investigations the non profit company behind two websites: spinwatch.org and powerbase.info.

Andrew Smith is Reader in Sociology at the University of Glasgow, UK, and a member of the ESRC Research Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity. His research interests are with cultural sociology, imperialism and the sociology of racism. He is the author of C.L.R. James and the Study of Culture (2010, Palgrave Macmillan).