Steven Yearley is Professor of Sociology at the University of York; author of Science and Sociological Practice (Open University Press, 1984), Science Technology and Social Change (Unwin Hyman, 1988) and The Green Case: A Sociology of Environmental Arguments, Issues and Politics (Harper Collins, 1991); editor of Deciphering Science and Technology (with M McNeill and I Varcoe), and Protecting the Periphery: Environmental Policy in Peripheral Regions of the European Union (with S Baker and K Milton).

'Fluid, readable and accessible ...I found the overall quality of the book to be excellent. It provides an overview of major (and preceding) developments in the field of science studies. It examines landmark works, authors, concepts and approaches ...I will certainly use this book as one of the course texts' Eileen Crist, Associate Professor, Science & Technology in Society, Virginia Tech Science is at the heart of contemporary society and is therefore central to the social sciences. Yet science studies has often encountered resistance from social scientists. This book attempts to remedy this by giving the most extensive, thorough and best argued account of the field and explaining to social scientists why science matters to them. This is a landmark book that demystifies science studies and successfully bridges the divide between social theory and the sociology of science. Illustrated with relevant, illuminating examples, it provides the ideal guide to science studies and social theory.