Ranging from some of the most advanced economies in the world to others with only modest national income, and from well established democracies to countries with lengthy histories as dictatorships, Europe presents the social scientist with a laboratory of different social forms. Colin Crouch here draws on 40 years experience as a researcher on European societies to explore this diversity across such key areas of life as patterns of birth and death, family, gender, migration, religion, work, economy and inequality.This accessible book is written with students on courses in sociology and political science, and also general readers, in mind. However, it also marks an original contribution to the study of European societies by presenting a new approach to study of social class in post-industrial societies, and by bringing together knowledge of all parts of Europe, including those in the east.

List of Illustrative Material List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Foreword 1. Is there a European society? 2. The people of Europe 3. Identities : religion and ethnicity 4. Europeans ar work 5. From occupations to classes 6. Delineating the class structures of contemporary Europe 7. The wider implications of class 8. How many Europes? Statistical Appendix References Index