In this second volume of The Information Age trilogy, with an extensive new preface following the recent global economic crisis, Manuel Castells deals with the social, political, and cultural dynamics associated with the technological transformation of our societies and with the globalization of the economy.

Extensive new preface examines how dramatic recent events have transformed the socio-political landscape of our world

Applies Castells’ hypotheses to contemporary issues such as Al Qaeda and global terrorist networks, American unilateralism and the crisis of political legitimacy throughout the world

A brilliant account of social, cultural, and political conflict and struggle all over the world

Analyzes the importance of cultural, religious, and national identity as sources of meaning for people, and its implications for social movement

Throws new light on the dynamics of global and local change

Manuel Castells (Spanish: Manuel Castells Oliván; born 1942) is a Spanish sociologist especially associated with research on the information society, communication and globalization.

The 2000–09 research survey of the Social Sciences Citation Index ranks him as the world’s fifth most-cited social science scholar, and the foremost-cited communication scholar.

He was awarded the 2012 Holberg Prize,for having "shaped our understanding of the political dynamics of urban and global economies in the network society."