The Blackwell Companion to Major Contemporary Social Theorists is a survey of contemporary social theory that focuses on the thinkers themselves.

In original essays especially commissioned for this volume, leading experts and practitioners examine the life and work of 13 major theorists such as Elias, Baudrillard, Giddens, and Butler.

• Includes 13 original essays by leading scholars on major contemporary social theorists.
• Covers key figures such as Elias, Goffman, Foucault, Habermas, Giddens, Bourdieu, and Butler.
• Essays include biographical sketches, the social and intellectual context, and the impact of the thinker's work on social theory generally.
• Includes bibliographies of the theorist's most important works as well as key secondary works.
• Can be used in conjunction with The Blackwell Companion to Major Classical Social Theorists, edited by George Ritzer, for a complete reference source in social theory.

George Ritzer is Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland. He has chaired both the Theoretical and the Organizations and Occupations sections of the American Sociological Association, and authored more than 25 books, including Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society (1995), The McDonaldization of Society: An Investigation into the Changing Character of Contemporary Social Life (1995), Classical Sociological Theory (second edition, 1995), and The McDonaldization Thesis: Explorations and Extensions (1998).