A wide range of social scientific perspectives - from anthropology, geography, history, and Indigenous studies to politics, psychology, and sociology - are represented here. The effects of restructuring processes in Canada and New Zealand are particularly well documented, and the importance of words and their manipulation is emphasized, but it is the broad sweep of approach that distinguishes this work from more abstract or uni-disciplinary commentaries on restructuring. Feature essays, one by former Ontario premier Bob Rae on conservative and radical resistance to abuses of power and two on aboriginal/First Nations issues, challenge important public policy trends. Restructuring Societies takes crucial steps toward developing informed public debate about a process that affects us all.