Lydia Morris is a Professor in the Sociology Department at the University of Essex. Her recent research interest has been in the politics of migration in the EU, looking at citizenship, rights and inequality. Her recent publications include Managing Migration: Civic Stratification and Migrants' Rights (2002); Social Divisions (1995); Dangerous Classes (1994) and The Workings of the Household (1990).

Introduction: Sociology and Rights - An Emergent Field Part 1: Political Economy and Rights 1. Do We Need Rights: If So of What Sort? 2. Return of the Proletariat?: Pension Rights and Pension Finance in an Ageing Society 3. Developing an Economic Sociology of Care and Rights Part 2: Status, Norms and Institutions 4. Social Rights, Trans-National Rights and Civic Stratification 5. 'Women's Rights are Human Rights': Campaigns and Concepts 6. Human Rights, Anti-Racism and EU Advocacy Coalitions Part 3: Meaning, Interpretation and Rights 7. Rights, Social Theory and Political Philosophy: A Framework for Case Study Research 8. Rights Work: Constructing Lesbian, Gay and Sexual Rights in Late Modern Times 9. The Sociology of Indigenous People's Rights Part 4: The Clash of Rights 10. Punishment, Rights and Justice 11. Mental Disorder and Human Rights 12. Free to Speak, Free to Hate? Conclusion: A Foundation for Rights or Theories of Practice?