Publisher Description

Few would dispute that as individuals we are living at a time of high anxiety and uncertainty in which many of us will experience a crisis of identity at some point of another. At the same time, the daily catalogue of disasters around the globe supplied by the media reminds us that we inhabit a world of crisis, insecurity and hazard. "Anxiety in a Risk Society" looks at the problem of contemporary anxiety from a sociological perspective and highlights its significance for the ways we make sense of risk and uncertainty. It argues that the relationship between anxiety and risk hinges on the nature of anxiety. The author belives that there is much for sociologists to learn from those who have made the condition of anxiety the focus of sociological inquiry a critical vantage point can be gained from which to attempt an answer to the question: Are we more anxious because we are more "risk conscious"? This is an original and thought-provoking contribution to the understanding of late modernity as a risk society.

Back Cover

Few would dispute that we are living at a time of high anxiety and uncertainty in which many of us will experience a crisis of identity at some point or another. At the same time, news media provide us with a daily catalogue of disasters from around the globe to remind us that we inhabit a world of crisis, insecurity and hazard. Anxiety in a Risk Society : looks at the problem of contemporary anxiety from a sociological perspective highlights its significance for the ways we make sense of risk and uncertainty argues that the relationship between anxiety and risk hinges on the nature of anxiety. Iain Wilkinson believes that there is much for sociologists to learn from those who have made the condition of anxiety the focus of their life's work. By making anxiety the focus of sociological inquiry, a critical vantage point can be gained from which to attempt an answer to the question: Are we more anxious because we are more risk conscious? This is an original and thought-provoking contribution to the understanding of late modernity as a risk society.

Author Biography

Iain Wilkinson

Table of Contents

Preface. Introduction. Part One: The Problem of Anxiety 1. Toward a Sociological Conception of the Problem of Anxiety 2. Social Indicators of Anxiety 3. Coping: From Personnal Style to Cultural Critique Part Two: Anxiety and Risk 4. Anxiety in Relation to Risk 5. A Speculative Age Conclusion

Review

""Anxiety in a Risk Society is an attempt to uncover the meaning behind the terms "risk" and "anxiety" by thoroughly reviewing the literature in these areas. Sociologists interested in the meaning of modern anxiety will find the book useful, as will those who are concerned that the risks of contemporary society are creating a highly charged environment leading to social unrest.."
-Contemporary Sociology 31, 4

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