Zygmunt Bauman (1925-2017) was Emeritus Professor of Sociology at theUniversities of Leeds and Warsaw
Keith Tester is Professor of Social Theory, University ofPortsmouth

Preface.
Introduction.
Conversation 1: Context and Sociological Horizons.
Conversation 2: Ethics and Human Values.
Conversation 3: The Ambivalence of Modernity.
Conversation 4: Individualization and Consumer Society.
Conversation 5: Politics.
Notes.
Bibliography

Zygmunt Bauman is one of the leading figures in contemporary socialthought. His work ranges across issues of ethics, culture andpolitics. It never forgets that social thought ought to help menand women make sense of their lives and aspire towards somethingdifferent. His books and essays always focus on the here and now:violence and moral indifference, globalization, consumerism,politics and individualization. They cast a sharp eye on thepanaceas of 'there is no alternative'; the embrace ofcommunity and the fads of the 'counselling boom'; throughwhich men and women are told that they can achieve biographicalsolutions to what are, in fact, systemic problems.
In this new book, Zygmunt Bauman and Keith Tester engage in fiveaccessible conversations that uncover and explore the assumptionsand commitments underpinning Bauman's ground-breaking socialthought. The conversations show how those commitments haveinfluenced Bauman's analyses of modernity, postmodernity and'liquid modernity'. The book ranges widely, fromautobiographical reflection through to pointers for theunderstanding and future of Bauman's social thought. Theconversations illustrate the moral substance of Bauman's refusal toaccept that the world cannot be made different. They show whysocial thought is a human necessity.
Conversations with Zygmunt Bauman is a book which willoffer fresh insight into Bauman's work for those who are familiarwith it, and provide an engaging and helpful entry point for thosewho are new to it.