In this volume the distinguished sociologist Anselm Strauss reflects on his self-professed, lifelong intention to create sociological awareness in his readers and students. Strauss democratizes sociology by making sure that relativities of status, power, and wealth are acknowledged in the conduct of everyday life, and by recognizing that all collective life is subject to negotiation, rearrangement, and reconstruction.

Represented here are some ideas for which Strauss is best known. He addresses work, leisure, culture, illness, identity, and policy. These disparate topics are linked by Strauss’ web of negotiation by which organizational arrangements can be changed. The volume concludes with discussion about problems of method, consultation, and teaching, affirming Strauss’ commitment to passing along the sociological awareness reflected in this volume to a next generation.

Squarely in the long tradition of the Chicago School of sociology, the work of Anselm Strauss represents the very best thinking in modern sociological and psychological analysis. Those interested in the origins of his major conceptual frameworks will find this an essential volume.