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The last three decades have witnessed a dramatic acceleration in the use, demand, and need for telecommunications, data communication, and mass communication transmitted and integrated into networks. Through a synthesis of contemporary theories about modernization, this book offers a broad-ranging introduction to the 'network' society in all its aspects

It is often said that children have always been working. With the onset of the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century, however, children became to be exploited under miserable circumstances in factories. That was the beginning of the movement against child labour. A worldwide awareness campaign has brought international organizations and governments to the position that child labour should urgently be replaced by child education. The objectives seem simple and laudable but the issues involved are very complex. What actually is child labour, and what is childhood? How many child labour

"The concept of anomie is one of the classics of sociological theory. Developed and evolved by scholars such as Emile Durkheim and Robert K. Merton, the concept refers to the absence of clear social norms and values and to a lack of sense of social regulation. However, whereas Merton focused on features of relative deprivation that cause anomie, Durkheim was primarily interested in the link between rapid social change and social anomie. According to the latter, normative regulation is threatened with being undermined and people are likely to lack the social and psychological means for adjustment in times of rapid social change. Empirically, it has been shown that citizens of changing societies are more likely to report feelings of powerlessness, loneliness and pessimism. Drawing on survey data from the South African General Household Survey polled in 2002, this paper examines the extent of social anomie in South Africa. The results will be placed in a comparative context using data from the EUROMODULE project. The key emphasis of the paper, however, lies in determining the sub-groups in South African society most affected by social anomie and the relation between syndromes of anomie, on the one hand, and socio-demographic factors that account for its variance on the other. We are especially interested in racial differences in the level of anomie. Using descriptive and multivariate statistics, the paper sets out to examine the ethnic and socioeconomic determinants that affect social anomie. Overall, the paper aims to explore the validity and suitability of Durkheim's and Merton's explanatory frameworks for understanding the phenomenon and the structure of social anomie in South Africa." (author's abstract)

Introduction : The impact of innovations in biotechnology on social cohesion / Michael D. Mehta -- The impact of agricultural biotechnology on social cohesion / Michael D. Mehta -- Agricultural biotechnology and developing countries : issues of poverty alleviation, food security, and sustainable development / Jacqueline E.W. Broerse and Joske F.G. Bunders -- Legitimation crisis : food safety and genetically modified organisms / Christopher K. Vanderpool, Toby A. Ten Eyck, and Craig K. Harris -- Genetically modified foods in Norway : a consumer perspective / Margareta Wandel -- Commercializing Iceland : biotechnology, culture, and the information society / Kyle Eischen -- Biotechnology and social control : the Canadian DNA data bank / Neil Gerlach -- Biotechnology as modern museums of civilization / Annette Burfoot and Jennifer Poudrier -- The production, diffusion, and use of knowledge in biotechnology : the discovery of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes / Robert Dalpé, Louise Bouchard, and Daniel Ducharme