The All-Consuming Life of an Encyclopedia Editor

by George Ritzer, University of Maryland- College Park and Editor, The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology

For several decades, I have edited various types of books (and a journal). Usually, editing has been a diversion from the far more arduous task of writing. I assumed, when I began, that editing The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology would not be much different from my previous editing of anthologies, companions, and handbooks. I was also buoyed by the fact that I edited the less ambitious Encyclopedia of Social Theory (only two volumes) in 2005, which was not much more difficult than previous editing experiences.

I could not have been more mistaken about The Encyclopedia of Sociology. As Georg Simmel pointed out more than a century ago—quantitative differences can turn into qualitative differences. Dealing with close to 1,800 entries and a slightly smaller number of authors made for a very different, and infinitely more complex, task than I had ever experienced or imagined. Instead of a set of tasks completed during breaks from writing (and teaching), it consumed my work life, and even my personal life, for nearly two years. With never-ending piles of drafts of entries to read (or re-read), I rarely went anywhere without a briefcase full of them. My wife grew weary of the entries constantly in hand. Divorce, or at least a trial separation, was threatened more than once. While I am glad it is over and pleased with the result. I am not sure I would have undertaken this Herculean task had I fully anticipated what was involved, but in the end I am glad I did.

Why Another Encyclopedia?

There was a clear need for a new encyclopedia of sociology. The previous one was published in the early 1990s with a minor revision in 2000. It not only was comparatively brief (five volumes), but was primarily a reflection of a sociology of an earlier era. A contemporary encyclopedia that reflected late 20th and early 21st century sociology was needed. A longer encyclopedia that dealt with the discipline in greater breadth (over 30 different areas are covered) and depth (often, at least 50 entries were written covering major topics in each of those areas) was required. This breadth and depth makes The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology a near-exhaustive overview of the state-of-the-art in sociology in the early 21st century.

A great emphasis was placed on being absolutely up-to-date by choosing the latest topics in the field and having them written by authors intimately associated with them. However, classical ideas, theories, methods, and so on were certainly not ignored. Sociology has not outgrown its classical roots and it continues to draw sustenance from them. Thus, the classical entries are living topics that inform sociology today.

The willingness of so many sociologists to contribute to this endeavor—for little or no economic reward—was extraordinary. Of course there were refusals, and some who did not deliver their entries on time (and in a few cases not at all), but the vast majority did what they promised and sometimes much more.

I read all of the entries, sometimes several times. While daunting, it had its rewards not only in, I hope, higher-quality entries, but also in the fact that I learned about areas of sociology far removed from my own interests and highly specific topics about which I knew little or nothing. More important, I know that readers who spend only a short time with these entries will find the experience edifying. Why Go Online?

The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (BEOS) is now a physical reality and, on the surface, it would seem that my work on it is completed. However, that is far from the case as it lives on in BEOS Online (see www.sociologyencyclopedia. com/overview.asp). We are well into the process of creating lists of new entries and lining up authors to write them. Why new entries? After all, the bound version of the Encyclopedia was published only a few months ago.

First, even the nearly 1,800 entries, 10 volumes (plus an 11th devoted to the index), 6,000 pages, and 3.5 million words do not come close to exhausting what could be written about sociology. Second, sociology continues to develop and expand with new concepts, ideas, theories, methods, and the like, and they need to be added to a live resource. Third, areas already covered by print entries continue to evolve and need to be revised and updated to reflect those changes. Finally, we made a decision to include entries in the encyclopedia only on deceased sociologists (based on the belief that in at least some cases the passage of time was needed in order to decide whether inclusion was warranted). As time passes new possibilities for entries present themselves on a regular basis. For example, since the completion of the bound version of the encyclopedia, such notables as Jacques Derrida, John Kenneth Galbraith, Betty Friedan, and Jean Baudrillard have died. Entries on these notables (and undoubtedly others) will be added in regular updates of BEOS Online.