Financial markets have often been seen by economists as efficient mechanisms that fulfill vital functions within economies. But do financial markets really operate in such a straightforward manner? The Sociology of Financial Markets approaches financial markets from a sociological perspective. It seeks to provide an adequate sociological coneptualization of financial markets, and examine who the actors within them are, how they operate, within which networks, and how these networks are structured. Patterns of trading, trading room coordination, and global interaction are studied to help us better understand how markets work and the types of reasoning behind these trends. Financial markets also have a structural impact on the governance of social and economic institutions. Until now, sociologists have examined issues of governance mostly with respect to the legal framework of financial transactions. Contributions in this book highlight the ways in which financial markets shape the inner working and structure of corporations and their governance. Finally the book seeks to investigate the symbolic aspects of financial markets. Financial markets affect not only economic and social structures but also societal cultural images and frameworks of meaning. Barbara Czarniawska demonstrates how representations of gender relationships are a case in point. Arguing that financial markets are not simply neutral with respect to questions of gender but enhance certain images and interpretations of men and women. Addressing many important topics from a sociological perspective for the first time, this book will be key reading for academics, researchers, and advanced students of financial markets in Business, Management, Economics, Finance, and Sociology.

About the Author
Karin Knorr Cetina is Professor of Sociology at the University of Constance, and member of the Institute for Global Society Studies, University of Bielefeld, Germany. She was Professor of Sociology at the University of Bielefeld, is a former president of the International Society for Social Studies of Science, a former member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and a future member of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Palo Alto, CA. She has published many articles in international journals on knowledge, science and financial markets and is the author of several books, including Epistemic Cultures: How the Sciences Make Knowledge (Harvard University Press, 1999), which received the Robert K. Merton Prize and the Ludwig Fleck Prize. Alex Preda teaches social theory at the University of Edinburgh, UK. His previous positions were at the universities of Constance and Bielefeld, Germany. He holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Bielefeld and an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Bucharest. He is the author of AIDS, Rhetoric, and Scientific Knowledge (Cambridge University Press, 2004), among others. His present research focuses on the transatlantic emergence of investor cultures in the late nineteenth century and on the relationship between vernacular economics and academic financial theories.

Reviews
Review from previous edition ...until now sociologists have shown little sustained interest in financial markets. The situation is clearly changing, however, and this welcome volume reveals that there are many different ways to apprehend these fascinating and perplexing institutions. * The American Journal of Sociology *
The Sociology of Financial Markets documents [the] intriguingly fresh perspectives [which] are emerging on personal interactions in such settings as trading floors, corporate boards of directors, and central bank policy-making committees. * Financial Analysts Journal *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199296927
Author Karin Knorr Cetina
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 520g
Dimensions(mm) 233mm * 156mm * 19mm