After the Encyclopedia of Sociology had been in print only three years, we began to receive inquiries about when there would be a revised edition. This was surprising given that the Encyclopedia was so well received, that its distribution had been much broader than even optimistic supporters of the project had anticipated, and that the articles were largely broad reviews and summaries of areas of knowledge in sociology. However, some areas in sociology changed quickly during the last decade as we approached the Millennium so that interest in a recapitulation and updating did not seem inappropriate. In addition, the social sciences appear to have softened their borders, and thus we realized that a substantial and thoughtful addition of titles would add breadth and depth to the Encyclopedia.

August Comte's description of sociology as the "queen" of the social sciences seems to have...