Zygmunt Bauman is one of the leading social and political thinkers of the modern world. He is a classic thinker in the sense that his books possess the two qualities laid out by the founding fathers of the social sciences - the moral basis and the artistic touch - but his greatest interest is in showing how personal troubles are inextricably connected to public issues. He turns his critical eye on just about any social issue, event or institution from shopping to the state and from sex to social inequality. To read Bauman is to see how the rhythms of everyday life may be turned into an erudite and critical practice that burns itself into the sociological imagination.

Bauman is an immensely prolific writer and his early work, in particular, can be very demanding of the reader. This book presents a wide range of important, lively and engaging readings, aiming to capture the originality of Bauman's special way of doing sociology and all the complexity of his core ideas, in a way that connects with twenty-first century minds. It is an ideal student introduction to Bauman's work, offering a mix of book chapters and essay discussions, excerpts from interviews and snapshots on life from Bauman's pocket books. The ultimate aim of the reader is to show students how to 'think sociologically' with Bauman. Organized in four parts, with a substantive introduction by the editor, the volume closes with an epilogue from Bauman himself.