ABSTRACT
This book has examined a particular way of looking at and analysing the social world in which we live. It has focused mainly on how differences between people are perceived and interpreted, and how they are constructed as social problems. It has also looked at the consequences of these constructions for social
poverty, lone parenting, disability, ‘race’ and sexuality are important issues for you personally, they are frequently addressed in everyday conversations and jokes, in fiction, in the press, and on television and radio. We have stressed that how these issues are talked about is very dependent on the social and historical context; indeed, in some situations they may be ‘taboo’, to be avoided. The specific topics that have been addressed in this book are likely to be familiar to most readers, even if the way in which they have been discussed has involved new concepts and ideas.
