We live in a world that is frequently characterized by change. What are these changes? Are they so radical? Do changes also bring uncertainties as well as new opportunities? How can we understand the things that matter? These are the questions with which the social sciences engage. This book offers an introduction to the big debates within the social sciences and to the ways of thinking and of dealing with what matters, which the social sciences employ. It introduces some of the important concepts and claims that promote understanding of recent discussion of identity, citizenship, social divisions, consumption and class, gender race and ethnicity, the role of the media and the impact of globalization.