The University of Missouri-St. Louis, along with Webster University and Southern Illinios University Edwardsville, is proud to sponsor Theory and Society, a refereed, interdisciplinary journal of social theory and practices, published by Springer in The Netherlands.

Considered by many to be the premier journal of social theory in English, Theory and Society is subscribed to by most major research libraries in the world. The journal has been published for nearly four decades with six issues a year. The journal's editors and authors are distinguished scholars with major international reputations in Sociology, History, Education, Anthropology, Art History, Political Science, Communication, and Gender Studies.

Karen Lucas, associate director of the Center, has served as managing editor and corresponding editor for Theory and Society since 1982. In addition to sponsorship by the Center, journal activities are supported by UMSL's College of Fine Arts & Communication, College of Education, Center for International Studies, and Office of Research Administration. We appreciate generous support from Webster University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

The UMSL editorial associates are an important part of the journal's life. UMSL, Webster, and SIUE faculty who serve in this capacity are interested in social theory in an interdisciplinary context. The editorial associates read manuscript submissions related to their research interests and meet twice a month for lively discussions of papers and issues. Thus each manuscript is well known by the editorial collective, leading to wise choices of reviewers and useful editorial suggestions for authors. This gives the editorial associates access to very current work in their areas of expertise and to the latest debates and concerns of a more general, interdisciplinary nature. The associates praise the group as a major opportunity for scholarly interactions with colleagues from other departments and exposure to other disciplines. The participation of faculty members from Webster and SIUE promotes academic interchange. Reading and discussing submissions, reviews, and editorial recommendations, as well as seeing how authors respond to requests for revisions, gives these faculty members an "insider" view of academic publishing, and a more sophisticated understanding of what is needed to develop a successful publication record.

We look forward to the continued partnership of Theory and Society with The Center for the Humanities and are pleased to be able to enhance faculty opportunities and the university's scholarly reputation by providing the journal a home in St. Louis.