"Wilhelm 'Gi' Baldamus (1908-1991) was one of the most distinctive voices in British sociology in the second half of the twentieth century, who made major contributions to both industrial sociology and sociological theory. Yet many of his central concerns remain under-explored. They include: the role of classification and categorisation in the construction of knowledge; the relationship between relevance and triviality in the final products of sociological inquiry; the operation of often unacknowledged informal procedures in the acquisition of knowledge; the stubbornness and 'tenacity' of theoretical perspectives over time; the relationship between 'esoteric' (specialist) and 'exoteric' (popular) knowledge in various fields of inquiry; how knowledge acquisition is sustained by the adherence to given terminologies; and the relationship between sociological theories and their presentation in the form of diagrams." "This volume engages with these questions and with Baldamus's response to them. In addition, two of Baldamus's own later writings, never before published in English, are included and their significance explained. A substantial biographical introduction by the editors situates his work within the context of his life both before and after his exile from Nazi Germany." --Book Jacket.