In Suffering Iain Wilkinson provides a compelling
sociological exploration of human suffering, and its political and
moral repercussions.

Sociology is always concerned with the causes and consequences
of human suffering in one form or another, yet there is no
sociology of suffering per se. This book is written with the
understanding that if sociology fails to attend to what suffering
does to people then it is left with a severely diminished account
of human experience. Wilkinson maintains that a sociological
response to suffering must confront the most unsettling questions
of meaning and morality. He argues that the apparent
'senselessness' of suffering has the power to transform
dramatically the ways we relate to society and ourselves. The book
explores some of the ways in which our sensitivity towards this
'problem of suffering' is related to a new 'politics of compassion'
in modern societies.

Powerful and timely, the book will have strong appeal to
upper-level undergraduate students of sociology, anthropology,
health, politics, and cultural studies, in addition to general
readers concerned to understand one of the most pressing issues of
our time.