Belonging is often overlooked in its relationship to society and social change, and yet it forms the bedrock of how we relate to the world around us. Through the work of Marx, Giddens and Goffman, this book covers the familiar terrain of identity theory, while going beyond it to other sites of identification and social change.

Vanessa May is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Manchester, UK.

PART I: SELF AND SOCIETY IN SOCIAL THEORY
1. Introduction
2. Where it All Began: The Sociological Classics
3. The Loss of Tradition: Diminished or Reflexive Selves?
4. The Relationship between Self and Society
5. Everyday Personal Life
PART II: SELF, BELONGING AND SOCIAL CHANGE
6. Belonging: A Window into Social Change
7. Cultural Belongings
8. Relational Belongings
9. Sensory Belongings
10. Conclusion: Self and Belonging in a Changing World.