Nicole Woolsey Biggart is Professor of Management and Sociology at the University of California at Davis. She is the author of Charismatic Capitalism: Direct Selling Organizations in America (1989), and co-author (with Gary G. Hamilton and Marco Orrù) of The Economic Organization of East Asian Capitalism (1996).

Sociologists have rightfully claimed economy and economic activity as areas for their legitimate analysis. These articles, over thirty in total, reflect the best and latest thought in the exciting field of economic sociology. Beginning with the foundation of Smith, Marx, Engels, and Polanyi, the volume gathers some of the best writings by economic sociologists that consider national and world economies as both products and influences of society. Readings on economic action, capitalist states, globalizing markets, and the interactions between economy and culture all serve to construct a gripping overview of sociology's contributions to our understanding of economic life.

Introductory essays that place the readings in a theoretical perspective along with suggestions for further reading make this an ideal resource.