Once operating in relative obscurity, the sociological study of sleep has in recent years become a flourishing area of scholarly research generating unique insights into the ways in which sleep is socially negotiated, influenced, and organized.

Now, this new title from Routledge’s Critical Concepts in Sociology series brings together in one ‘mini library’ the essential groundbreaking and pivotal sociological texts. Furthermore, the development of the sociology of sleep has greatly informed—and been informed by—other academic subjects, such as anthropology, history, and geography. Consequently, the synthetic and cross-disciplinary quality of sleep research is fully reflected in the learned editor’s selection of major works to ensure that the collection will be welcomed by sleep researchers across the social sciences, and beyond.

The first of four volumes covers the intricate theoretical foundations of the sociology of sleep. Volume II, meanwhile, focuses on pioneering sleep research in the social sciences more generally. The third volume features groundbreaking scholarship on the various types of sleep cultures that exist in the contemporary Western world. Finally, Volume IV ventures beyond the Western world to make sense of sleep research that is situated in a multitude of different time periods and social contexts, and to offer an avowedly global perspective.

Supplemented with a full index and the editor’s newly written introductory essay, Sleep is a vital reference tool for established researchers and advanced students alike.