How can differences be understood in social theory through comparisons, and how should social theory relate to regional studies to do so?

This question has been prevalent within the sociological field for over a century, but is becoming increasingly important in a globalised age in which cultural borders are constantly challenged and rapidly changing. In this collection, Arjomand and Reis illuminate the importance of exploring spatial, cultural and intellectual differences beyond generalizations, attempting to understand diversity in itself as it takes shape across the world. With contributions from internationally renowned scholars, and a focussed emphasis upon sociological key themes such as modernization, citizenship, human rights, inequality and domination, this title provides a rich and convincing discussion that will add significant value to the ongoing debate about alternative modernities, diversity and change within the social sciences.

Worlds of Difference constitutes an important and timely collection that will be of great inspiration for students and scholars alike.

Introduction to Worlds of Difference - Said A. Arjomand & Elisa Reis
PART I: ONE OR MANY MODERNITIES?
Chapter 1: Multiple Modernities and the Promise of Comparative Sociology - Said Amir Arjomand
Chapter 2: Are the Theories of Multiple Modernities Eurocentric? The Problem of Colonialism and its Knowledge(s) - Sujata Patel
Chapter 3: The Shores of the Southern Ocean - Steps Toward a World Sociology of Modernity, with Australian Examples - Raewyn Connell
Chapter 4: Conceptualizing Overlapping Modernities - A View from Postcommunist Eastern Europe - Petya Kabakchieva
Chapter 5: Forms of Secularity Before Secularism - The Political Morality of Ashoka and Akbar - Rajeev Bhargava
Chapter 6: Two Types of Secularization - The Iranian Case - Farhad Khosrokhavar
PART II: DEMOCRACY, CITIZENSHIP, INEQUALITIES AND THE CHALLENGE OF DIFFERENCE
Chapter 7: Racial Redress, National Identity & Citizenship in Post-Apartheid South Africa - Adam Habib and Kristina Bentley
Chapter 8: Democracy and the Challenge of Reconciling Equality and Difference - Elisa Reis
Chapter 9: Suffrage without Citizenship? Deliberating About the Boundaries of the Demos in Geneva - Connor Cradden and Lucio Baccaro
Chapter 10: Contemporary Citizenship - Four Types - Bryan S. Turner
Chapter 11: Gradual and Categorical Inequalities - Volker Schmidt