2002-01-01,Thomas Hill Green,Lectures on the Principles of Political Obligation,Hardback,9781904303022,4.99,"The present work is Thomas Hill Green’s account of his conception of ‘the common good’ and its importance in determining a set of criteria that will give us the means to evaluate the conduct of political establishments. The principles of political obligation are all founded on this attractive idea of a common good, and Green is able to apply his principles to a wide range of matters from land law to personal freedom. How well the book succeeds in convincing the reader that a common good ought to act as a basis for evaluating the role of political establishments may be unclear. But there can be little doubt that the work is one of the most important contributions to political philosophy made by any English philosopher, and almost certainly the single most important contribution made by any British idealist. The book has attracted philosophers, sociologists, politologists and others since the day of its appearance, and continues to fuel lively debate today.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2003-01-01,Daniel Meyer-Dinkgraf,European Culture in a Changing World: Between Nationalism and Globalism,Hardback,9781904303336,34.99,"In the words of Ezra Talmor: To deal with European Culture in a Changing World is to deal, in fact, with the reciprocal relation between Politics and Economics on the one hand, and Culture on the other. In an era when economic forces are pushing towards European Economic Unity or towards the Globalisation of National Markets it is rather difficult to demarcate the role of Culture. While the European Narrative may have been written by Monnet, De Gaulle, and Adenauer, the Global Narrative is written by an unknown author or rather by Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand. On the one hand the postmodernist claim that the Grand Narrative is dead is given the lie. A Grand Narrative is now being written not by Philosophers but by Managers of Multinationals. The Foucauldian “ça parle” (it speaks) is instantiated by the anonymous authors of the Global Narrative. The question to be asked is: What will happen to the rich mosaic of National European Cultures? The answer to this question is not only a matter of National Memory and National Identity, it is also a matter of the sources of cultural creativity. L’Europe de nations may have been the theatre of endless national wars but it was also the cradle of a very rich mosaic of national cultures. The point is: how will creative genius adapt to the two new trends - European Unification and Globalism? This volume brings together essays by leading scholars in a myriad of disciplines, all of which attempt to shed light on these issues. Contributions by: Nicholas Perdikis, Shari L. Boyd, William A Kerr, Sylvia MacPhee, Marcela Cristi, Anu Randveer, Martti Randveer, Viljar Jaamu, Vello Vensel, Anatoly Zotov, Warren Breckman, Douglas Moggach, Malgorzata Bogunia-Borowska, Alexandros Kioupkiolis, Eric W. Ruckh, Avron Kulak, Kevin P. Spicer, Bernard Zelechow, Dorothy M. Betz, Robert Stanley, Rosemary Gray, Jean-François Thibault, John Danvers, Ewa Macura, William A. Everett, Armand Singer, Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe ","""Overall structure of the book is very appealing. Introduction is well-descriptive and written in a simple style. It motivates the reader and creates new inquiries about the topics.The biggest strength of the book is its diversity of topics, deftly managed by authors who assembled their ideas and connected them to the central theme."" Ahmad Saeed Kahn, University of Trento, CEU Political Science Journal Vol. 5, No 1 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2003-01-01,Filip Spagnoli,Homo-Democraticus: On the Universal Desirability and the Not So Universal Possibility of Democracy and Human Rights,Hardback,9781904303268,39.99," The subject of the book - the universal value of human rights and democracy - is highly topical in view of the “democratic imperialism” of the current US-government. While leaving aside the problem of the acceptability of war as a means to promote democracy (e.g. the second Gulf War), the book focusses on a philosophical, moral and pragmatical defence of the universal application of democracy and human rights. Only if this defence is successful can the discussion on the means and tactics of democratic imperialism begin. The originality of the book is its defence of the universal value of both democracy and human rights. Whereas the defence of the universality of human rights has a long tradition, there is as yet almost no literature on the universal desirability of democracy. The defence is partly philosophical, ethical, political, legal and practical. It draws on the history of philosophy and ethics, as well as on political science. The book is directed at a general public interested in geo-politics and in the state of democracy back home. Politicians, lawyers, journalists and students may find it interesting. As it discusses important parts of the history of political philosophy, it can also be used as a textbook for university students in philosophy or politics.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2004-01-01,Filip Spagnoli,Democratic Imperialism,Hardback,9781904303398,29.99,"Once you accept that democracy and human rights are universally desirable and that they should be implemented and respected everywhere, the question remains how you can promote this universal respect. It is not because you accept universality that everyone accepts it. How can you turn the norm into a fact? How do you universalise democracy and human rights? And what are the actions you can take and the instruments you can use? This volume expounds a political philosophy which it applies in several key branches of politology, including international law, legislation, international monitoring, regional and global protection mechanisms, education, and seminally, democracy and human rights.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2005-10-01,Brian Farmer,"American Conservatism: History, Theory and Practice",Hardback,9781904303541,5.99,"American Conservatism: History, Theory, and Practice from Brian R. Farmer is a history of conservatism in the United States that illuminates the odyssey of American conservatism beginning with the Pilgrims and Puritans of the early colonial period and proceeding through the Revolutionary era, the Antebellum period, the Age of Laissez-Faire, Post-Depression Conservatism, the Reagan Era, and concluding with the ideologies and policies of the George W. Bush Administration, arguably the most ideologically driven conservative administration in American history. Conservatism in general and the multiple facets of conservatism are defined, and the political socialization process that produces and perpetuates political ideologies in general and conservatism in particular are presented, to lay the groundwork for the rich history of American people, policies, and events that have surrounded those conservative ideologies that follows. Farmer provides a tool for those interested in American Politics in general and American conservatism in particular with a tool that helps explain the historical development of American ideological conservatism, both in a theoretical sense, and in a policy sense, and thus draws a connection between the American past and what must be considered an exceptional conservative American administration, even by American standards, under George W. Bush. Farmer illustrates that the basic ideological underpinnings that have driven the Bush administration that have generally been viewed by Europeans as “exceptional,” have been present in American politics since its earliest colonial beginnings with the Puritans and been carried forward by the ideological descendants of the Puritans from that time through the present. In essence, the form of American conservative “exceptionalism” exhibited during the Bush administration was present in American politics from the very beginning and has continued through the present, albeit in a more extreme form since the traditional ideological conservatives currently dominate all three branches of the American government and the terror attacks of 9/11 allowed them to garner popular support for their “exceptional” programs. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2005-12-01,Mark Yoffe and Andrea Collins,Rock n Roll and Nationalism: A Multinational Perspective,Hardback,9781904303565,34.99,"In the mid-twentieth century, pop music joined classical and folk as an important site of the formation and renewal of nationalism. Rock 'n' Roll and Nationalism: A Multinational Perspective, deals -- in essays on Croatia, Bosnia, England, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Russia, Slovenia, and the United States -- with the fascinating interplay between national and nationalistic identities and emotions and the rock music idiom. This scholarly enquiry brings together the talents of observers of popular music, including academic and independent scholars, and rock performers and journalists. Though the authors use many methodologies to get at their subjects, they all include thick description of the cultural systems around which rock in the eight different countries is structured. The author’s insights into the detail and nuance of their topics will lead readers to new understanding of the subject of rock and roll and nationalism, and also provide them with a fruitful jumping off point for thoughtful further research. Most of the papers included in this volume were presented at two extraordinary international conferences, Popular Music and National Culture, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in November 2000 and Crossroads in Cultural Studies, held in Tampere, Finland, in June-July 2002.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-01-01,J. Jeremy Wisnewski,Review Journal of Political Philosophy Volume 4,Paperback,978-1-4438-0022-8,19.99,"The Review Journal of Political Philosophy publishes high-quality work in moral and political philosophy, broadly-construed. The Journal prides itself on its eclecticism, not limiting itself to any particular tradition, school of thought, or historical period. We publish articles, reviews, and discussion pieces from leading and new scholars from analytic and continental perspectives, along with articles that bridge the gap between these traditions. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-04-01,Kiymet Tunca Caliyurt and David Crowther,Globalization and Social Responsibility,Hardback,9781904303787,39.99,"Over the last decade the question of the relationship between organisations and society has been subject to much debate, often of a critical nature. The decade has seen protests concerning the actions of organisations, exposures of corporate exploitation and unfolding accounting scandals. At the same time ethical behaviour and a concern for the environment have been shown to have a positive correlation with corporate performance. The nature of corporate social responsibility is therefore a topical one for businesses and academics. There are however many different perspectives upon what is meant by corporate social responsibility and how this might be applied within organisations. This book explores some of these different perspectives based upon the experiences of different people in different parts of the world. There has been much written about globalisation – some of it positive and much of it negative. It is a subject which arouses definite opinions. Despite the fact that the word globalisation is part of the title of this book it is not our intention to contribute to this debate. Instead we use the word globalisation in its original sense to represent the ubiquity of the concern for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which is the subject matter of this book. Specifically we are concerned with the social contract between an organisation and its stakeholders. It is apparent that any actions which an organisation undertakes will have an effect not just upon itself but also upon the external environment within which that organisation resides. In considering the effect of the organisation upon its external environment it must be recognised that this environment includes both the business environment in which the firm is operating, the local societal environment in which the organisation is located and the wider global environment. Effectively therefore there is a social contract between organizations and their stakeholders. Recognition of the rights of all stakeholders and the duty of a business to be accountable in this wider context therefore has been largely a relatively recent phenomenon. The economic view of accountability only to owners has only recently been subject to debate to any considerable extent. In the current environment there is a need to debate this issue and its implications. This book therefore recognises the international scope of the interest in corporate social responsibility both through the contributions made by the authors of the respective chapters, who come from various parts of the world, and also through the international importance of the perspectives offered by these contributors. In doing so the various authors demonstrate that corporations are a part of society just as much as each of us is as a individual. Furthermore they demonstrate that the issues and concerns are not local ones but are international is scope and concern us all. The contributions to this book provide a representation of the range of concern for this relationship and the range of topics which fall within the subject matter of CSR. Among the authors who have contributed to this book are representatives from every continent and from a wide range of disciplines. The topics which are considered in the various chapters are equally diverse. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-05-01,Linda Risso and Monica Boria,Politics and Culture in Post-War Italy,Hardback,9781904303916,39.99,"This volume originates from the Society for Italian Studies Postgraduate Colloquium that has taken place at University of Cambridge in April 2005. It gathers together articles by British, Irish and Italian young researchers working on various aspects of Italian Studies broadly defined since the end of World War II. The volume offers original insights into lesser known aspects of post-war Italian culture and introduces innovative perspectives on literature, women’s studies, cinema, history and politics. The result is the interdisciplinary and original examination of Italian culture and society in the last sixty years. The articles are divided into four sections according to the chronological period and the subject they deal with: Female figures, wartime and beyond, Post-war cultural representations, Political writings, Domestic and international Italian politics. Each section is a coherent ensemble and constitutes an example of the far-reaching results achieved by interdisciplinary research.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-06-01,Klaus-Gerd Giesen and Kees van der Pijl,Global Norms in the Twenty-First Century,Hardback,9781904303985,39.99,"Norms in the contemporary world system are no longer established exclusively through inter-state agreement but increasingly, are becoming truly global. This is made possible by the rapid privatisation of law and the self-regulation of the transnational private sector. Other forces driving this epochal transformation are the overwhelming pre-eminence of the United States, the erosion of the role of the United Nations, and the appearance of new actors such as subnational entities and NGO’s. They all contribute to the creation and ideological justification of new norms. This collection brings together critical studies on this complex process. Written by authors from eleven different countries, both established scholars and young specialists, the book challenges the often convenient rationalisations of regime theory, the governance approach, and ‘post-national’ or ‘cosmopolitan’ democracy, in order to explore the practical, theoretical and ethical implications of the new world of global norms.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-06-01,Alana Lentin and Ronit Lentin,Race and State,Hardback,9781847180018,39.99,"Speaking about racism in the western political climate of the first decade of the twenty-first century is more difficult than ever before. There is a feeling in post-colonial and post-immigration societies that the blatant overt racism of the past is no longer as pressing. Admitting racism elicits discomfort because common wisdom tells us that racism opposes everything that we believe in as citizens of democratic, “civilised” modern states. Yet state racism appears to be here to stay and, in many ways, is more acceptable than ever before. Immigration detention centres, the deportation of “failed” asylum seekers and “illegal” immigrants, racial profiling and the rolling back of liberties won by the civil rights movement are all examples of how state racism impacts on our daily lives. Race and State contributes to breaking the taboo of discussing the links between “race” and state. The papers collected in this book highlight the interconnections between “race” and state, from historical, theoretical or contemporary sociological perspectives. Part I of the book looks at theoretical issues in conceptualising the “race”-state relationship. Part II examines racism in its most pernicious contemporary manifestation: the racialisation of “terror”. Part III, on the racial state(s) of Ireland, is an important addition to the debate, examining Ireland as a “test case” for demonstrating and interpreting the relationship between “race” and state. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-07-01,Dawn Zinga,Navigating Multiculturalism: Negotiating Change,Hardback,9781847180162,44.99,"This provocative volume explores multiculturalism from different disciplinary perspectives as well as examining the associated issues from the perspectives of various countries. It considers how multiculturalism has been defined and the various meanings that the term holds while also focusing on the realities faced in different societal contexts. The authors address difficult and at times divisive questions about race, ethnicity, and identity. This collection challenges readers to examine their own perceptions of multiculturalism and to consider how the perspectives in this volume can inform their thinking. By examining the issues from different perspectives, the authors have encouraged individuals to consider how to navigate multiculturalism and negotiate change. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-07-01,Elena Bellina and Paola Bonifazio,State of Exception: Cultural Responses to the Rhetoric of Fear,Hardback,9781847180216,29.99,"In a globalized world exposed to ever more dramatic dangers, the established legal order enters into crisis and the rhetoric of fear is deployed in order to legitimate states of exception. Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben has widely elaborated on the historical effects of the juridical concept of the state of exception, recalling the definition formulated by German legal theorist Carl Schmitt. The state of exception presents itself as an inherently elusive phenomenon, a juridical no-man's land where the law is suspended in order to be preserved. The juridical tensions inherent in the state of exception necessitate a constant interplay of anomie and nomos, an ongoing interaction between order and the suspension of order used to justify every conceivable abuse of power. Such interplay, epitomized by the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA, has become central to today’s geopolitical scenario. This book examines the implications of the “state of exception” on both a macro and micropolitical level strongly informed by Italy's long history of exceptional uses of power. The book is divided into three parts. The first part explores philosophical issues related to the history of the state of exception within the frame of juridical, political, and economical principles. The second part focuses on Italian cultural and literary production during times of socio-political crisis, devoting special attention to the ways in which history may interact with its fictional representations. The third section is devoted to the literary and cinematic representations of the biopolitical effects of the state of exception on Italian urban areas and the spectacularization of terrorism in Italian cinema.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-07-01,Stuart Mitchell,The Brief and Turbulent Life of Modernising Conservatism,Hardback,9781847180094,39.99,"The Brief and Turbulent Life of Modernising Conservatism is an examination of government tensions and frustrations during a time of economic and social flux. It concentrates on the development of domestic industrial policy in the Conservative Party between 1945 and 1964, with particular emphasis on Harold Macmillan’s and Sir Alec Douglas-Home’s administrations. Between the general elections of 1959 and 1964, the Conservative Government effected a series of striking and dangerously controversial policy transformations in response to its recognition of Britain’s relative economic decline. These adjustments were both practical and strategic. The administration’s aim was extraordinarily ambitious. It sought to fashion a recognisably modern and dynamic, yet socially stable, nation that could retain its place in the international élite. Thereby, the Party hoped to ensure its own continuation in power. The author considers policy innovations that included an ill-starred attempt to join the European Community, the development of macro-economic planning, and the abolition of resale price maintenance–an exploit which roused the Tory Party to unusual heights of passion. The book does not simply regurgitate an orthodox high political narrative. Instead, it investigates topics of interest to modern historians and political scientists alike. It will be of value to anyone interested in questions of modern political ideology, social and economic change, the nature of popular political support, or the constraints on state power in the post-war world. ","""The remarkable electoral record of the Conservative Party in the Twentieth Century has not been matched by a corresponding level of academic interest. This relative neglect has left important gaps in our knowledge of post-war British political history. For example, the governments of Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home (1957-64) are often misunderstood. Popular memories of this period are dominated by the Profumo Affair and the satire boom of the early 1960s, which gave the impression of a Conservative Party which was out of touch with social change. Stuart Mitchell's important study will help to revise this dominant impression. Drawing on all the main primary sources, he shows that the Conservatives were accutely aware of the challenges of modernity. Indeed, many of their problems arose from their various attempts to adapt to social and economic change. Mitchell presents an engrossing account of the struggle between 'modernisers' and more traditional figures within the party. This gives his book considerable topical relevance, in addition to its merits as a well-researched contribution to political history."" Dr. Mark Garnett, Research Fellow, University of Leicester ""This is an important study which speaks both to the study of the past and debates on the present. It fills a gap in literature on the history of the post-war Conservative party, but should also be read by those engaged in, or commentating on, present day developments in David Cameron's Conservative Party."" Dr. Richard Grayson Lecturer in British Politics Goldsmiths College, University of London ""A learned and well written account. Timely."" Dr. Anthony Seldon Founding Director of the Institute of Contemporary British History ""Mitchell's text draws an elaborate picture of a critical turning point in the British social-history through an examination of the complex internal political dynamics that animated policy discussions within the ruling Conservative Party in this period."" Konstantin Kilibarda, York University, CEU Political Science Journal. Vol. 4, No. 4, Autumn 2009 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-08-01,Janet Youngblood,"Learning Democratic Practices: Political Parties, Media and American Political Development",Hardback,9781847180254,39.99,"How does “democracy” work in the United States? How are candidates selected to appear on the ballot? How are issues framed for presentation to the electorate? What processes, conversations, institutions, and laws interact to determine how democracy “works”? How do new politicians learn to deal with all of this?There is a large and growing literature about these issues, some of which is reviewed in Chapter Two. This book examines selected facts of these issues through the lens of learning theory. It turns out that viewing political parties as “communities of practice” is a very useful organizing principle. Within this point of view, and research presented in this book is examined how “partisans” (people who got involved beyond voting and letter-writing) learn how to function within these communities of practice. While this is formally interesting from a learning theory point of view, it turns out that the by-products of this inquiry say a lot about what is happening to “democracy” in the United States and how it got that way. The core of the book is a set of interviews with partisans. This book examines the factors that operate in political parties as communities of practice to maintain or discourage partisanship. The theories of adult learning involved in this research are from the field of learning from experience. Political socialization is the process by which the individual develops a politicalidentity. In a large research study in Europe, the political socialization processfor adults to learn active citizenship there was studied. This study is a partialreplica of this European study, by John Holford and Ruud van der Veen, et al.[Lifelong Learning, Governance and Active Citizenship in Europe (2003). FinalReport of the ETGACE Research Project: Education and Training for Governance and Active Citizenship in Europe: Analysis of Adult Learning and Design of Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Educational Intervention Strategies.Guildford: University of Surrey Department of Educational Studies.] In thework presented here, the activist in a political party is referred to as a “partisan”.For purposes of this research, “partisans” are those who have joined a politicalparty by taking part in membership activities, or as candidates. ","""Janet Youngblood summarizes in the opening chapters of her book serious deficits of late modern American democracy, such as the increasing role of the mass media, and the famous Supreme Court decision that “money is speech”. Her own in-depth interviews with party members discloses how all this has ruined the internal party democracy. American political parties nowadays are run as corporations, industries. The bewildering consequence is that such political parties discourage political participation, instead of what is their true mission, to stimulate participation. Janet Youngblood makes clear that this trend must and can be reversed."" Ruud van der Veen, Teachers College Columbia University ""Janet Youngblood makes an important contribution to our understanding of the process by which citizens become partisans. Her unique perspective comes from viewing the process of democracy through the lens of learning theory, and in analyzing political parties and the actors inside of those organizations as communities of practice. Youngblood’s book will be of relevance to practitioners as well as scholars in education, political science, and public policy, and I recommend it most highly."" Jane Junn, Rutgers University ""This study is a very important documentation of severe problems in the US democratic system. To analyse the political parties as communities of practice, and to make use of theories of political socialization and adult learning to do so, has proved to be a very productive approach. The author’s in-depth investigation reveals highly reprehensible features of the real political conditions of a nation which wants to be the democratic role model of others."" Knud Illeris, Professor of Lifelong Learning, Danish University of Education ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-08-01,Dzemal Sokolovic,Nation vs. People: Bosnia is just a case,Hardback,9781847180223,34.99,"The book is provoked by the recent tragedy of Bosnia and the clash within a paradigmatic multicultural society. It offers theoretical responses both to the challenge of Bosnia and to the global challenge of how to reconcile two facts of the modern world and the threat that stems from this: the existence of 200 states, and their commitment to their own integrities, and the existence of 8000 ethnic groups and their devotion to keep their identities alive. The question the book raises is whether nation (state) and democracy are the proper and only answers to these challenges. Presenting conceptual controversies about two of the most discussed and disputed concepts of the present day, the author insists on totally new notions of nation and people (ethnic group, narod, folk). He maintains that ethnicity and nationality have hitherto been defined mainly in terms of culture and politics in anthropology and political science. Both concepts are however basically societal phenomena and therefore fall primarily within the subject domain of sociology. By combining a theoretical analysis with experience from Bosnia, the book provides definitions of concepts such as ethnic group and nation, and thereby ensures a new perspective and analytical tool for an international audience of academics and officials in international institutions and organizations. While the book is written in an academic style, it is nevertheless accessible to a broader audience: professors willing to test their own views and students keen to meet new approaches; academics eager to face new theoretical challenges and politicians ready to apply new emerging expertise; international practitioners capable of learning from life and local activists able to make up new theoretical responses to global issues.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-08-01,Chandana Chakrabarti and Joel Wilcox,Religion and the Politics of War,Hardback,9781847180247,34.99,"Religious strife and theocratic inclinations—at present widespread and threatening to become yet more so—are obviously harmful to human beings, but also to life on earth generally. This book examines the complex interrelationships between religion, politics and war from a variety of perspectives in an attempt not only to enable the reader to gain an understanding of these interrelationships, but also to contribute to a critically important discussion concerning problems which they generate. The chapters examine topics such as arguments for and against the separation of church and state, whether or to what extent religion can be said to be the cause of war, the nature of (especially religious) tolerance, the ethics of evangelism, the nature and adequacy of the American response to the events of September 11, 2001 and possible ways to address the problems of, and arising from, religious strife and theocratic inclinations. The selection of readings is sufficiently diverse and accessible to afford interested students or non-specialists a grasp of the big picture with respect to the issues involved. Specialists in disciplines such as history, philosophy, political science or theology will find many stimuli for reflection and discussion. The book is notable for its combination of both western and Asian analyses and responses to the issues. This mixture of approaches constitutes an attempt on the part of the editors to represent in microcosm a discussion that, for reasons noted above, cannot take place too quickly or too widely. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-08-01,Peter Donaldson,Ritual and Remembrance: the Memorialisation of the Great War in East Kent,Hardback,9781847180230,34.99,"This book seeks to explore the spate of memorial construction that took place at civic and local level in the immediate aftermath of the Great War. At the heart of the work lies an examination of the layering of memory in this commemorative activity as the war dead were remembered in their various different roles, as citizens, work colleagues, school alumni, club members, parishioners, regimental comrades and, of course, fathers, husbands and sons. The study concentrates on the major urban centres of Canterbury, Folkestone and Dover, each of which experienced something of a revival during the war years and sought to perpetuate this renewed standing through the rituals of remembrance. Yet, though the focus is on the conflicts and compromises that underpinned communal commemoration, sight is not lost of the private tragedies that lay at the heart of collective remembrance. In uncovering the process by which local dignitaries actively sought the participation of the bereaved in the rites of constructing a war memorial, not least through the compilation of the names of the fallen, an impression of the almost palpable sense of sorrow that pervaded society in the immediate aftermath of the fighting is captured. It is the impact of these conflicting claims, the tension that existed within this complex matrix of remembrance and the extent to which the memory of the fallen was shaped by the demands of competing schemes that forms the basis of this study. In particular the focus falls on the memorialisation process itself, the debates over form and style, the rituals of naming and financing and the ceremonies for unveiling and dedication, for it was in this often lengthy and convoluted process that those in authority could assume control over the rites of mourning and transform private grief into a public narrative.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-09-01,Theophilus Kofi Gokah,Children on the Boundaries of Time and Space in Sub-Saharan Africa: Aspiration or Achievement of Policy,Hardback,9781847180353,24.99,"Children on the Boundaries of Time and Space in sub-Saharan Africa has come at the time when children’s well-being is on the agendas of governments, policy makers, schools and community organisations. It provides an in-depth analysis of the relation between official children’s rights and well-being policies and their implementation refracted through African as well as Western lenses. The content of the book is a departure from conventional stereotype approach to children’s well-being analysis in sub-Saharan Africa. In addressing issues around children’s rights and well-being, the book offers a reflection on the conflict between adult society and government welfare policies. The book also draws on existing knowledge about national and international efforts to change adult attitudes towards children. Analysis in the book demonstrates that there are both structural and operational problems in children’s rights and policies governing their well-being in sub-Saharan Africa. This sort of work has been neglected since the last few decades and has created a gulf between government policy rhetoric and practice. Children on the Boundaries of Time and Space in sub-Saharan Africa bridges that gap and reasserts the need for effective policy, material changes in resources and cultural change valuable to enhance children’s ability to stay healthy, grow and learn to become responsible citizens.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-09-01,Fethi Mansouri and Shahram Akbarzadeh,Political Islam and Human Security,Hardback,9781847180384,39.99,"In the wake of the September 11 and subsequent terrorist attacks, the academic and media commentaries on Islam the religion and Islam the basis for political ideology haves received an unprecedented high level of exposure and attention. The acts of political violence by extremist groups and the omnipresent war on terror have added fresh uncertainties to an already complex global order. Just as terrorism and counter-terrorism are locked in a mutually re-enforcing symbiosis, the sense of insecurity felt by Muslims and non-Muslims alike is mutually dependent and has the potential to escalate. This general assessment holds true for Muslims living in the Muslim world and beyond. The pervasive sense of being under attack physically and culturally by the United States and its allies has contributed to a growing unease among Muslims and re-enforced deep-seated mistrust of the ‘West’. Public articulation of such misgivings has in turn, lent credence to Western observers who posit an inherent antipathy between the West and the Muslim world. The subsequent policies that have emerged in this context of fear and mutual distrust have contributed to the vicious cycle of insecurity. The present volume is anchored in the current debates on the uneasy and potentially mutually destructive relationship between the Muslim world and certain West countries. It brings together leading international scholars in this interdisciplinary field to deal with such inter-related questions as the nature of Islamism, the impact of the ‘war on terror’ on the spread of militancy, the growing sense of being under siege by Muslim Diasporas and the many unintended ramifications of a security-minded world order. This volume deliberately focuses on these issues both at a broad theoretical level but more importantly in the form of a number of prominent case studies including Indonesia, Algeria and Turkey",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-10-01,Thomas Acton and Michael Hayes,"Counter-Hegemony and the Irish ""Other""",Hardback,9781847180476,29.99,"This volume hopes to act as a catalyst for some new and exciting areas of enquiry in the more “liminal” interstices of Irish Studies. Traveller Studies, Romani Studies and Diaspora and Migration Studies. These disciplines are all relatively new areas of enquiry in modern Ireland, a country whose society has witnessed very rapid and wide-ranging cultural and demographic change within the short space of a decade. The issue of multiculturalism is not one which is particularly new to Irish society as a number of contributors to this volume point out. What is new however is an increased acknowledgement of diversity and multiculturalism in Ireland and Europe as a whole. Such an acknowledgement makes increased dialogue between “mainstream” society, older minorities such as the Irish Travellers and the many newer immigrant communities such as the Roma all the more necessary. For such constructive dialogue to take place it is vital that the voices of Travellers and Roma are listened to and that their distinctive worldview be given due acknowledgement and respect. It is hoped that this volume will go some way towards the development of such a process. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-10-01,Amanda K. Baumle,Demography In Transition: Emerging Trends in Population Studies,Hardback,9781847180575,39.99,"The discipline of demography, much like the population processes which comprise its focus, changes theoretically, methodologically, and substantively as the world’s populations respond to internal and external forces. These disciplinary shifts are often identified and examined by demographers in academic journals and at annual population studies conferences. Demography in Transition is a compilation of seven studies presented by demographers at the Southwestern Sociological Association’s 2005 Annual Meeting. The works selected for this volume provide unique insight into complex demographic issues, as well as highlight many of the growing foci in the discipline. There has been a movement in demographic research towards focusing on understanding population processes for more heterogeneous, rather than homogenous, populations. This movement has resulted in an increase in research concentrating on outcomes dependent on gender, race, and ethnicity. Changes in population structures within the United States have resulted in another notable disciplinary focus. Aging populations, altering family structures, and a rise in Asian and Latino immigration to the U.S. have all attributed to novel areas of research for demographers. These timely issues, and their intersections, are central to the research explored in the chapters contained in this volume. In their chapters, these demographers examine the manner in which race and ethnicity affect access to heath care; the consequences and concerns associated with an aging population; the factors affecting Asian migration patterns; and the demographic implications of changing family structures. These chapters provide a glimpse into the current insights provided by demographic research, as well as directions for its future. "," ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-10-01,"Helen Asquine Fazio, Atreyee Phukan, V.G. Julie Rajan and Shreerekha Subramanian",Home and the World: South Asia in Transition,Hardback,9781847180407,39.99,"Home and the World: South Asia in Transition, by Helen Asquine Fazio, V.G. Julie Rajan, Atreyee Phukan, and Shreerekha Subramaniam Home and the World: South Asia in Transition appears at a crucial, pivotal time for South Asia as it interacts on the global plane. For in this new millennium, South Asia is rising even as it roils with internal contradictions and reacts to external pressures. India, as the most economically developed country, enjoys a soaring economy, while partisan politics and the old demons of poverty and caste continue to erode and stymie internally. Pakistan, twenty years after the fall of the dictator Zia-ul-Haq, has come of age and is beginning its cultural renaissance, and yet fundamentalist factions continue to retard advances for women and full participation in the global economy. South Asians live in virtually every nation on the earth, and “new world” ideas about national selfhood and identity shuttle between regressive, nostalgic impulses and progressive cause investment as immigrant money fuels both conservative insurrection and 21st century development. Gathering together essays by significant scholars, writers, diplomats, artists, curators, and activists, this volume addresses varied and divergent perspectives on nationalism, gender, diaspora and translation, art and untouchability. Provocative and au courant, Home and the World: South Asia in Transition is an accessible, lively, and essential reference volume for scholars of interdisciplinary humanities, political science and diplomacy as well as an informed general readership seeking to understand the global phenomenon of South Asia. ","""Home and the World: South Asia in Transition provides a valuable introduction to South Asian Literature and theory. I am impressed by Editors' discernment of cutting edge-issues."" - Bapsi Sidhwa, Author, Cracking India ""The first annual Rutgers South Asia conference was an educative and exciting experience for the hundreds who attended. The present volume captures the range and vivacity of the conference and showcases South Asian contributions to important contemporary debates in the arts, literature, history and politics."" - Dr. Sumit Guha, Prof. History and Director, South Asian Studies Program, Rutgers University ""The topics covered in this book range from gender and identity to contemporary art-a wide range of topics that shows both depth and scope of this anthology. For a humanities scholar or student interested in this region in general and India in particular, this book will provide the much needed understanding of the complexities and challenges that embody the region and its member nations. In that sense, this book does a wonderful job. My sincere congratulations to the Editors and contributors."" - Dr. Sanjib Bhuyan, Associate Professor, Agricultural Economics & Marketing, Rutgers University ""Drawing on history, geography, religion and the manifold shapes of art, these essays help us imagine South Asia and its diasporas in flux, bodily identities split open and refigured at the brink of a new century."" - Meena Alexander, poet, author of Raw Silk Distinguished Professor of English, Hunter College and the Graduate Centre, City University of New York ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-11-01,Ludovica Marchi,Italy and EPC,Hardback,9781847180681,39.99,"This book explores the domestic determinants of Italian policy towards European Political Cooperation (EPC) and the consequences of Italy's relation to EPC up to the beginning of 2006. It uses three Mediterranean case studies revolving around different areas of cooperation. It is based on an extensive use of domestic parliamentary debates, an uncommon practice for this kind of analysis. It adapts and extends the methodological enquiry employed by Hill in his 1983 edited collection of national foreign policies and EPC. It widens and deepens the contribution made by Bonvicini to that collection. The most academically quoted works utilised as standard texts on Italy and its foreign policy (Bonvicini 1983, 1996; Francioni 1992; Savignoni 1996; Hill and Andreatta 1997, 2001; and Missiroli 2000) provide only a limited view of the interaction of the country's position on EPC with Italian links to the Mediterranean. This interaction is particularly highlighted in the present book. Furthermore, the above contributions offer solely individual chapters, and not a full study of Italy's relationship with EPC. This book will appeal to those engaged in political science, international relations and European studies.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-11-01,Jerry Harris,The Dialectics of Globalization: Economic and Political Conflict in a Transnational World,Hardback,9781847180698,39.99,"Combining bold theortical analysis and careful empirical investigation Harris provides a critical framework to understand the political and economic underpinnings of globalization. In an unique historical approach the book examines how the revolution in information technologies and the break-up of the Soviet Union intertwined to present new global opportunities to reorganize capitalism as a unified world system headed by an emerging transnational capitalist class. The book challenges the common view that nation states still define international relations, with the United States as hegemonic leader of the world system. Instead Harris offers a more complex analysis of world affairs that sees the current period as one of transition between nationally based industrial capitalism and a global system based on revolutionary methods of production and new class relationships. He argues this conflict appears in every country as national economies realigned to fit new patterns of world accumulation creating a host of political tensions within and between nations. This analysis is detailed in a distinctive interpretation of the US military/industrial complex, as well as the contemporary class struggles in Germany and the emerging powers of China, India and Brazil. The book concludes by investigating alternative trends which are currently challenging the inequalities of global capitalism, unfolding a fresh approach to the relationship between the state, market and civil society. ","""This book is a timely and welcome contribution to our understanding of the nature and direction of change in world capitalism in the age of the microchip. Focusing on the cybernetic revolution and the sweeping changes it has brought about, Harris address’ such topics as the transformation of work, the conflict between new and old centers of capital, the rise of a transnational capitalist, the military-industrial complex, and terrorism. He identifies new theories, practices and strategies needed in this age of cyber-capitalism to achieve a renovation of participatory democracy and sustainable economics. These essays should be widely read and studied."" -William I. Robinson, Associate Professor of Sociology, Global and International Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara, author of A Theory of Global Capitalism, Production, Class and State in a Transnational World ""The Dialectics of Globalization is a fresh approach to the question of globalization and the technological transformations that underpin it. Whereas the Left has usually ignored the computer revolution, or been dazzled by it Harris systematically identifies the contradictions and crises below the surface of the shiny world of IT and traces its impact on ordinary people's lives. The last section on the state, markets and civil society is an incisive, clear and brilliant piece of writing."" -A. Sivanandan, Director of the Institute of Race Relations, Editor ""Race & Class,"" author of When Memory Dies. A. Sivanandan, Director of the Institute of Race Relations, Editor “Race & Class,” author of When Memory Dies. ""On the solid materialist foundations of his experience as an apprentice machinist with US Steel in Chicago, Jerry Harris has produced a valuable re-interpretation of the political economy of globalization, focusing on the complex inter-relations of capital, labor and technology. His subtle critical analysis of ""US Hegemony or US Globalization?"", complemented with detailed case studies of class struggle and globalization in Germany and the Third World, fruitfully locate the often confused rhetoric of nationalism and globalization within a more productive class perspective."" -Leslie Sklair, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science, author of The Transnational Capitalist Class. 'If you wanted to read just one primer to get a handle on all the important debates around global political economy, Jerry Harris's 'The Dialectics of Globalization' would be a good candidate. Harris's book is no simple survey - he takes partisan stances on a number of issues, some of them quite controversial. But he is fair with his opponents and rigorous in his argument ... What Harris does in this book is to raise this experience to the level of cutting-edge theory. readers should be fore-warned: this is not entirely and easy read. But it is not obscure gobbledygook either. In a few spots it's a tought climb, but once you get there, the view is terrific ... The Dialectics of Globalization does more than describe current realities in the world. It also points to a way out, to a 'successor system' that takes advantage of regulated markets in goods and services while severly restricting markets in labor and capital ... This book unfortunately has a steep price tag - thought it's not atypical for academic presses. Still, if a study circle purchased a copy to pass around, it would be a bargain, and a well-justified expense."" -Carl Davidson, Executive Director of networking for Democracy and formerly national leader of SDS and writer for The Guardian (in Wasafiri, May/June 2008 issue) ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2006-12-01,Piotr Cap,Legitimisation in Political Discourse: A Cross- Disciplinary Perspective on the Modern US War Rhetoric,Hardback,9781847180803,29.99,"How did the G.W. Bush administration manage to persuade Americans to go to war in Iraq in March 2003? How was this intervention, and the global campaign named as “war-on-terror,” legitimised linguistically? This book shows that the best legitimisation effects in political discourse are accomplished through the use of ‘proximization’–a cognitive-rhetorical strategy that draws on the speaker’s ability to present events as directly and increasingly affecting the addressee, usually in a negative or threatening way. There are three aspects of proximization: spatial, temporal and axiological. The spatial aspect involves the construal of events in the discourse as physically endangering the addressee. The temporal aspect involves presenting the events as increasingly momentous and historic and hence of central significance to both the addressee and the speaker. The axiological aspect consists in a growing clash between the system of values adhered to by the speaker and the addressee, and the values characterizing a third party whose actions, ideologically negative, are made “proximate” and thus threatening. Although the tripartite model of proximization proposed in the book is very complex at the level of its linguistic realisation, the working assumption is intriguingly basic: addressees of political discourse are more likely to legitimise pre-emptive actions aimed at neutralizing the proximate “threat” if they construe the threat as personally consequential. The book shows how language of the war-on-terror, and especially the rhetoric of the Iraq war, respond to this precondition. ","""Piotr Cap's book takes great theoretical strides in critical discourse analysis, exploring the dimensions of space, time and value, and applying his model to decisive texts in the contemporary world."" Paul Chilton, Lancaster University ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-01-01,Jessica Wardhaugh,Paris and the Right in the Twentieth Century,Hardback,9781847180940,34.99,"Certain images of Paris have become icons for the left, but the Paris of the right has received far less attention. This groundbreaking collection of essays examines the relationship between Paris and the right in the twentieth century, exploring how political leaders and parties have depicted and controlled the streets, people and history of Paris, and how the city has been both context and inspiration for journalists and novelists of the right. The first part focuses on the relationship between the right, the street and the people, and describes some of the most contentious political movements in recent French history, from the anti-parliamentary leagues of the Belle Époque to the contemporary Front National. The second part examines the importance of Paris for de Gaulle and his successors in their exercise of authority and control, whether in the media, the streets, or municipal politics. Lastly, the book explores the Paris imagined and experienced by right-wing novelists from Charles Maurras to the post-war “Hussards”, mapping out an intellectual topography and emphasising the tensions between a real and imaginary city. A Franco-British collaboration spanning history, literary studies and political science, this volume offers an original contribution to the political geography, culture and symbolism of the French capital. ","""It really is an outstanding and innovative collection of essays, which breaks new conceptual ground in exploring the politics and culture of the Right in the French capital from the nineteenth century to the present day. This is a fascinating subject, which does much to bring a much-needed understanding of how the Right has been a durable and successful presence in the life of the capital of France from the Dreyfus Affair to the election of Jacques Chirac as mayor. It is also a volume which brings together both French and British-based scholars of France, and is (for once) genuinely multi-disciplinary, including contributions by leading scholars of literature, history and politics. I have no doubt that the collection will have a considerable impact and should be read by all those who are interested in understanding the diverse textures and cultures of the Right in modern and contemporary France."" Martin Conway Baliol College, Oxford ""In this well-conceived volume of essays, the classic vision of a Paris divided between Eastern left-wing quarters and Western right-wing quarters is re-addressed with a new critical focus. From the close personal study of a Charles Maurras moving from one quarter to another as his career progressed to the more overt claiming of Parisian political space in demonstrations of the 1930s, 1960s or early twenty-first century, these essays offer a range of different insights which open up a new understanding of the relationship between the Right and the capital ... Wardhaugh modestly describes this volume as a call for new work, as an incentive for further explorations of a city that we know as much through the literature of Right and Left as we do through its political definitions. I suspect, however, that there is already a more significant conclusion to be drawn from the combined efforts of these authors: that the old heart of Paris, shaped as it is by a very particular pattern of social development, as well as the attempts of right-wing groups to assert themselves through political structures and of course, through the streets, has been for most of the twentieth-century a right-wing city, and that the claim of the Left to be the soul of Paris, as Paris is the beating political heart of France, rests more on the dominant intellectual influence of figures such as Jaures or Sartre than it does in reality, both physical and imagined, of the city as it is described here."" -Julian Wright, University of Durham, French History, OUP, June 2008 ""This stimulating volume addresses a surprisinig lack of sustained analysis, identified by editor Jessica Wardhaugh in her well crafted introduction, of the relationship between the French capital and the modern French right. ...collectively they [the authors] make impressive contributions to the historiography of the French right which are bound to stimulate further research."" Professor Sean Kennedy, Universtiy of New Brunswick Journal of Modern and Contemporary France, Vol 16; 3, August 2008 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-01-01,Gilles Leydier,"Scotland and Europe, Scotland in Europe",Hardback,9781847181008,39.99,"The aim of the book is to explore the long-standing and multi-faceted relationship between Scotland and the societies and cultures of the European continent, in various epochs and from a large diversity of view points and problematics. The book collects most of the contributions from the IVth annual conference of the Société Française d’Etudes Ecossaises, held in Toulon in October 2005. This international conference gathered fifty European academics, working in a wide range of research fields, from social history to art history, from language to literature, from politics to civilisation and cultural studies. The interdisciplinary ambition and cross-cultural perspective of the conference are reflected in the volume. The book is divided into four main sections: links with Europe, visions of Europe, voices in Europe, and current political issues within the European Union. It illustrates the richness and complexity of the dialogue between Scotland and the continent over the centuries, and underlines the open, fluid and dynamic character of the Scottish identity.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-01-01,Alexander Trapeznik,"V.M.Chernov: Theorist, Leader, Politician",Hardback,9781847180865,29.99,"Viktor Mikhailovich Chernov (1873-1952) was a Russian revolutionary figure and chief theoretician of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. During the 1890s he led the Populist groups away from a programme of anarchism, violence and despair into a closer harmony with the new problems facing Russia at the turn of the century - urbanisation, Marxism and industrialisation. He played a central role in shaping the political perceptions and tactics which came to be the hallmark of neo-populism. Chernov was instrumental in the coalescing of discordant Populist elements into the formation of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, and despite splits and successions, he remained at its helm until its final demise around 1920. He was concerned with the overthrow of autocracy and socialist revolution. He persuaded his fellow party members to accept the existence of an industrial proletariat in Russia and of its revolutionary vanguard role in leading the peasantry as a mass strike force. He argued that the small peasant producers formed part of the working class with a similar interest in socialism to that of the proletariat. Chernov also succeeded in formulating an agrarian policy which was summarised in the slogan 'the land belongs to no one and labour alone confers the right to use it.' Virtually all that Chernov wrote between 1899 and 1917, during his long stay in Europe, broken only briefly in 1905, was designed to adapt Western political strategy to the peculiarities of the Russian situation. However, the endeavour, at times, suffered from obvious defects and weaknesses. He took an 'internationalist' stance to the First World War and returned to Russia in April 1917, and in May he joined Kerensky's Provisional Government as Minister of Agriculture. Chernov proved to be an ineffectual and impotent minister, and he resigned from the Provisional Government in September 1917. He was powerless to prevent the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks. As leader of the majority party, he was elected President of the Constituent Assembly in January 1918. Upon its dispersal by the Bolsheviks, he fought a propaganda war on two fronts against the Bolsheviks and the reactionary forces, arguing that the Socialist Revolutionaries constituted a democratic 'third force'. Harassed by the Cheka, Chernov left Russia in 1920, once again for a long and melancholy exile in the West.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-02-01,Jacek Gutorow and Tomasz Lebiecki,Conformity and Resistance in America,Hardback,9781847181138,44.99,"Conformity and Resistance in America, a collection of thirty six essays from various fields of the U.S. studies, addresses the American culture as a space of fruitful tensions between the generally acknowledged canons and the projects that have questioned and subverted its very foundations and archives. The book seeks to give justice to those areas of American culture that traditionally used to be treated as marginal and negligible but which in fact have added up to its uniqueness. This includes various areas of American cultural and literary studies, gender and minority studies, themes of diasporic communities, multi-ethnic and multicultural society, problems of global economy and of competing worldwide ideologies. The papers included in this book try to answer pressing questions of the American identity in the post-9/11 world, and do so by pointing to the recent “humanities crisis” as well as revealing moments of heterogeneity and discontinuity in the making of any culture. Contrary to Samuel Huntington’s dictum telling us of the inevitable “clash of civilizations,” the following essays concentrate on what Edward W. Said called “humanism’s sphere” – the sphere of antagonizing discourses and narratives which challenge rather than confirm the bases of their legitimacy. Wavering between conformity and resistance, the essays propose possible formulas for the new American identity as it strives to define and project itself into the new century. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-02-01,"Marcel Kitissou, Muna Ndulo, Mechthild Nagel and Margaret Grieco",The Hydropolitics of Africa: A Contemporary Challenge,Hardback,9781847181121,39.99,"Water is both an essential resource and a source of disease and conflict in contemporary Africa. And we begin to learn that far distant processes of consumption and pollution can have their impact on the water systems of Africa: global warming produced by the material culture of the first world threatens the weather systems and very survival of developing countries. In this context, this volume – the product of an expert meeting at Cornell University’s Institute for African Development – traces and tracks the dynamics of the contemporary hydropolitics of Africa. The volume contains a variety of approaches to the study of the organisation of water within Africa ranging from technical essays on water borne diseases, through institutional analyses of the legal and political arrangements around the distribution of water to social policy analyses of the unmet demand for water amongst Africa’s poor. Taken as a whole, the volume provides the reader with a useful reference work on the contemporary hydropolitics of Africa whilst simultaneously providing a lively introduction to a critical and much neglected area of African development policy.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-03-01,Deborah Staines,Interrogating the War on Terror: Interdisciplinary Perspectives,Hardback,9781847181305,34.99,"Interrogating the War on Terror presents a critique of contemporary war culture and politics, introducing a range of political, philosophical, legal, artistic and social perspectives on a devastating war. Bringing together contributors from the United States, UK and Australia—implicitly dissenting from within the Coalition of the Willing—this volume explores the discourses and cultural effects of the current “war on terror”. Is the so-called war on terror justified? Seeking an ethical engagement with the problems and paradoxes of this global conflict, the authors situate the historical and legal meanings of terror and terrorism alongside the exploitation of such terms by the Bush Administration and other governments in recent years. Contributions by philosophers, sociologists, and law and literature scholars raise questions about neo-conservatism, freedom, security and the new legitimation of torture, and demonstrate how this war brings political and discursive power to bear on democracy, human rights and individuals in places as far-flung as Iraq, Bali, and the U.S. Artworks by internationally renowned war artist George Gittoes, and several essays by cultural theorists return a critical emphasis to the role of visual media, affect, gender and popular culture in understanding and rethinking war. Interrogating the War on Terror’s multi-disciplinary and international perspectives will be useful to scholars and students alike in addressing this highly topical issue. The essays reference mainstream sources and widely-documented events in the war on terror, making it accessible also to the general reader. ","This collection is a brilliant contribution to the burgeoning literature on the ""war on terror"". Thoughtful, poignant, and elegantly constructed, the authors offer fresh, interdisciplinary perspectives on some of the most important questions of our times. From start to finish, I was enthralled. Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck, University of London What kind of imagination, what sort of reasoning made possible the proclamation of a ""war on terror"" so vaguely defined that it could never end? Without condescension or self-righteousness, the essays in this book look for answers to the catastrophe of US foreign policy as it responded to the events of 9/11. This is rhetorical analysis at its most persuasive: passionate, eloquent, deadly serious, and seeking hard to make sense of a counter-terror that mirrors its opponent. John Frow, University of Melbourne ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-03-01,"Julie Connolly, Michael Leach and Lucas Walsh","Recognition in Politics: Theory, Policy and Practice",Hardback,9781847181411,39.99,"The concept of recognition, and its relationship to the way we theorise identity and justice, has emerged as part of an important debate in contemporary political and social theory. With contributions from Nancy Fraser and international commentators, this new collection examines key theoretical and practical problems of ‘recognition’ in politics. Beyond important normative issues in social theory, such as how cultural claims to difference may be justly accommodated in liberal polities, it addresses a range of practical problems in which a politics of recognition approach casts new light on old conflicts and tensions, examining these problems within the context of processes of globalisation and increasing cultural diversity. Organised into three sections, Recognition in Politics: Theory, Policy and Practice analyses new theoretical directions, the challenges of managing multicultural societies, and social policy case studies. Featuring a recent paper by Professor Nancy Fraser based on her 2004 Spinoza Lecture, this collection examines core issues in contemporary debates over recognition, extending these debates in new and significant ways. The contributors extend the literature on recognition by applying the theory to practical, contemporary political problems. These papers reveal the capacity of the recognition paradigm to generate new insights into political problems, but also the limitations of the concept’s theoretical purview. Together, these commentaries offer an invaluable road map to the most recent scholarship on recognition.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-03-01,"Maarit Heinonen, Jouko Nikula, Inna Kopoteva, Leo Granberg",Reflecting Transformation in Post-socialist Rural Areas,Hardback,9781847181282,39.99,"The rural reforms in many post-soviet countries produced a number of unintended consequences. The reforms were guided by ideals of romanticized society of family farmers; they were to be the basis of the rural middle-class, together with owners of non-agricultural SME’s, acting as guardians of democracy and common good. The guidelines were set by advisers from World Bank and IMF, who preferred family farms or individual farms over the collective enterprises. In most countries the result was nothing like those envisaged by reformers. Instead of efficient and productive family farms, the result was almost complete de-capitalization of agriculture and collapse of production. The reform was destructive not only as far as production is concerned, but more importantly to rural communities. Social ties, which were based on the collective farm as the main economic and social resource for local community, were eroded. Only from the turn of this decade some early stages have been visible of new developments in economic and social life in post-socialist rural areas. The result is that now, more than fifteen years since the beginning of agricultural reforms, the key agricultural producers in Russia, Baltic countries and elsewhere are very large capitalist farms or large agricultural holding companies. This anthology is based on the presentations given at the 5th Aleksanteri Conference 10 – 11 November 2005 in Helsinki, Finland, and it is devoted to the analysis of some of these issues. The volume is divided into two parts, in the first part the focus is on the patterns and problems of transformation of post-socialist agriculture and agricultural policies while the second part is focuses mainly on efforts to revitalize rural communities and issues of local development. ","""The contributions in the book cast a critical and in many cases also fresh light on the reform policies that national government in close cooperation with international organizations carried through and on the simplified understanding of the nature and mechanisms of post-socialist transition processes. The articles raise important questions about the role of institutions, legacies and local practices as preconditions for overcoming the severe and often unintended social and economic consequences of transition. The book is of high relevance for scholars of rural development in Central and Eastern European countries and Russia and for practitioners of rural development."" PhD. Ilkka Alanen, Academy research fellow, University of Jyväskylä ""The book 'Reflecting Transformations in Post Socialist Rural Areas' brought together various authors whose backgrounds range from economics or political analysis to sociology or anthropology. Therefore, there is no doubt the book must present different views, must focus on different geographical areas in Central and Eastern Europe (with the dominant interest in former Soviet Union) and must use different theories to interpret and explain authors’ empirical findings. Albeit such 'polyphony' threatens to result into incoherent text, it is not the case of this work. Confronting various approaches, studied areas, theories and findings strengthens the general impression of the reader that the post-communist rural transition is not an easy win-win process because real rural world analysed from broader and various perspectives is too far from ideas about the ideal world with zero transaction costs where any action is easy to be implemented. The book is not an ideological apologetics of the “only right way” of transforming rural areas but gives lively mosaic of hopes and fares, winners and losers, successes and failures emerging during post communist transition in the Central and Eastern European countryside."" -PhDr. Michal Lošťák, Vice-dean for International Relations, Czech University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Agriculture in Prague ""I consider that the book contains a lot of interesting material and raises very important issues, in particular, concerning rural development."" -Ewa Rabinowicz, Swedish Institute for Food and Agricultural Economics, Lund, Sweden, European Review of Agricultural Economics, vol 35, no 2, June 2008 ""RAkowska-Harmstone and Dutkiewicz, with their central, eastern, and southeastern European colleagues, have produced a fine two-volume set for the regional, transition and area studies literature. Scholars, policymakers, and business leaders will find in the trends, prospects, and variations analyzed a foundation for understanding the successes and failures across the European continent and beyond."" -Joshua B. Spero, Fitchburg State College, in Slavic Review, vol. 67, no. 2 (Summer 2008), pp472-3 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-05-01,Peter Baofu,"Beyond the World of Titans, and the Remaking of World Order: A Preface to a New Logic of Empire Building",Hardback,9781847181787,39.99,"Contrary to the conventional wisdom held by many, not only the dominance of the U.S. in the post-Cold War era is much exaggerated, but also its days as a hyper-power are ending. Instead, the world is slowly but steadily evolving towards what Dr. Baofu originally calls the dawn of 'the post-post-Cold War era' in 'the world of titans' for a tremendous remaking of world order, to be governed by different types of empires crossing regional borders. This has important implications for understanding the logic of empire-building, be it in the past, present, or future, to the extent that the current theoretical debate on international relations among different paradigms is as much misleading as obsolete. The current debate also obscures something more tremendous in the long run, in relation to the emergence of what Dr. Baofu proposes as 'the union of the unions' in the farther future that humans have never known, both here on earth and later in deep space. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-05-01,Alice Spencer,Dialogues of Love and Government: a Study of the Erotic Dialogue Form in some Texts from the Courtly Love Tradition,Hardback,9781847181855,29.99,"Dialogues of Love and Government examines the use of the pseudo-Boethian didactic dialogue form in a wide range of Medieval texts on the theme of love by authors including Machaut, Froissart, Dante, Chaucer, Gower, Usk and Hoccleve. Although the broad, almost universal influence of Boethius in the Middle Ages has been much documented, the present study can be said to break new ground on several fronts. Firstly, whereas scholars have so far tended to focus on the visionary, Apocalyptic conventions deployed in the Consolatio and / or its stoical conclusions, this is the first study to examine the influence of the text qua philosophical dialogue. Secondly, Dialogues of Love and Government contains the first thorough exploration of the recurrent binding together of the dialogue form with the courtly love theme in the Middle Ages, proposing a theory that the origins of such a connection might be traced back to the ancient association between Socratic / Platonic elenchus and the spirit Eros. Finally, it analyses the political implications of this relationship, suggesting that the vertical trajectory of the “erotic” dialogue, with its abstraction away from the many to the one, naturally lends itself to the elitism and absolutism of Platonic politics. The frequent ambiguity and irony of courtly love dialogues – the fact that dialogism, to borrow a term from Bakhtin, is rarely fully overcome - can thus be read as implying scepticism about, or even an outright rejection of notions of love and politics which are Platonic in origin. "," ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-05-01,Max J. Skidmore and Andrew Cline,Politics and Language,Hardback,9781847181831,34.99,"Politics and Language, edited by Max J. Skidmore and Andrew R. Cline, is built upon a similar framework to Skidmore's 1972 work, Word Politics: Essays on Language and Politics (Palo Alto: James E. Freel and Associates). In keeping with its predecessor, this new volume brings together many of the most thoughtful and provocative essays and articles that together emphasize the complex interrelationship of language, thought, and action. In addition to scholarly and journalistic essays, the selections include editorials and commentary on contemporary issues. The sources are highly varied. Some are popular; some technical. Some are light; some deadly serious. All center on the language, as well as the actions, of politics. In 1972, the year of Richard Nixon's landslide re-election, America was struggling fiercely in Vietnam while protests were raging at home. The language of political discourse suffered drastically. The situation was unprecedented, and political rhetoric reflected the turmoil. In 2006, following the election of George W. Bush to a second term as President of the United States--hardly a landslide in this instance--the situation is less tumultuous but, perhaps, more dangerous. America again is involved in a struggle abroad. Protests do not rage as they did during Nixon's administration, but there nonetheless is a profound sense of unease. Although the country's unease does not compare with its earlier turmoil, its political discourse suffers. The struggle among competing values forms the essence of politics. The ways in which societies react to their languages-and use language to define and fight for values--is also part of that essence. This collection will have served its purpose if it calls attention to the importance of language to understanding the politics of the early 21st century.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-06-01,Holly Arida and Anan Ameri,Etching Our Own Image: Voices from Within the Arab American Art Movement,Hardback,9781847181954,34.99,"Etching Our Own Image: Voices From Within the Arab American Art Movement is a celebration of Arab American art and identity. In the wake of 9/11, the need for Arab Americans to define themselves, rather than be defined by others has galvanized an artistic movement. This collection of writers includes poets, musicians, playwrights, creative writers, painters, conceptual artists, comedians and scholars of the arts who have gathered to assert for themselves what it means to be Arab American and an artist. Arab American artists use their art both to resist and to embrace their past, present and future. Through their art they retain their origins, while creating something new. They collaborate and come together. The artists included here are above all artists and the artistic renderings in this collection demonstrate their commitment to craft, innovation, and expression. They take on the task of etching their own image willingly or unwillingly, consciously or unconsciously. By telling their own stories through their own artistic mediums, these voices from within the Arab American art movement reclaim their own image and tell the world who they are. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-06-01,Jeremy Wisnewski,Moral Perception (also available as Review Journal of Political Philosophy Volume 5),Paperback,978-1-4438-0021-1,19.99,"The Review Journal of Political Philosophy publishes high-quality work in moral and political philosophy, broadly-construed. The Journal prides itself on its eclecticism, not limiting itself to any particular tradition, school of thought, or historical period. We publish articles, reviews, and discussion pieces from leading and new scholars from analytic and continental perspectives, along with articles that bridge the gap between these traditions. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-06-01,Fran Blumberg,When East Meets West: Media Research and Practice in US and China,Hardback,9781847182012,34.99,"The impetus for this book was a series of guest lectures for the “Issues in Applied Cognition” Institute sponsored by Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education May 26-27, 2005 and convened at Fordham University in New York City and May 30-June 7, 2005 at The Beijing Center for Language and Culture in Beijing. The book that has since emerged is designed to serve as a reference that brings together theoretical perspectives, research findings, and cultural practice in the examination of media from a primarily Sino-American vantage point, as commented upon by Chinese, U.S., and U.K. researchers and practitioners. The need for such a reference is prompted by China’s status as a nascent superpower and the ramifications of that emerging status for collaborative ventures and exchange of information with the U.S. Clearly, one flourishing context in which this “sharing” will occur is media. The goal of this volume is to provide the basis for consideration of the theoretical and practical issues that both China and the United States media will encounter as they move toward greater economic and political interdependence. This discussion is approached through the lens of media practice, research, and education and includes the voices of media market researchers, journalists and editors, developers of children’s educational programs, and academicians. Collectively, the chapters offer a select set of snapshots of how media in China and the U.S. look at one point in time. This moment is one that includes China preparing for the Beijing 2008 Olympics and the U.S. grappling with its involvement in an unpopular war. However, these images may capture what has been referred to in photojournalism as a “decisive moment” in the fledgling media interdependency between the U.S. and China. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-07-01,Nabil Boudraa and Joseph Krause,North African Mosaic: A Cultural Reappraisal of Ethnic and Religious Minorities,Hardback,9781847182302,44.99,"This book’s ambition is to offer the most recent scholarship on North African cultures at a time when the very notion of culture is being re-evaluated in the shifting tides that both associate and divorce the forces of nationalism, globalism and neo-liberalism. Another ambition is to be a readable document about the past and the potential of North African civilizations. Those which have been crystallized into a polysemic voice from centuries of occupations, exchanges and what is now commonly called hybridizations. In this work the collective position of the authors, with their different fields of experience, is that the languages, musics, and the many expressions of common life in North Africa continue to flourish. That they are a bridge between sub-Saharan peoples and Europe. That they are a necessary antidote to the anemic political discourses that have prevailed since decolonization. That they are seminal for the future of the African continent as it begins its true voyage into democracy. It is difficult, at this juncture, to measure the distance that, in the decades to come, will be achieved on that voyage. It is, however, less difficult to evaluate the importance of North Africa on tomorrow’s world. If the past is an indicator, it will be an important force in the cross-flow of trade, ideas and of global destinies. ","""North African Mosaic is a significant landmark in the field of North African studies in the United States. In the past couple of decades, that field has primarily reflected the research and works of scholars in Near East or Islamic studies. It is therefore very satisfying to welcome the publication in the English language of a serious compilation of scholarly essays on North Africa which departs from such a monolithic perspective. The book offers an array of superbly informative essays on a variety of ethnic groups and issues, encompassing Amazigh (Berber) history, Amazigh arts, contemporary views on Amazigh identity and cultural survival, and a remarkable chapter on the peoples of the Western Sahara. Together, the depicted ethnic “minorities,” Amazigh for the most part but not exclusively, constitute a majority of voices which have unfortunately often been overlooked in American universities and whose history and culture may no longer be ignored. North African Mosaic breaks stereotypes and the Arabo-Islamic lock on North African studies in America. The result is a rich panoply of a little known contemporary North Africa. The perspective it offers its readers is not only refreshing, but undoubtedly more genuine in regards to the rich history and reality of a region which has not until now been examined in all of its diversity and effectively rooted in its African context."" —Helene E. Hagan, Anthropologist, Tazzla Institute for Cultural Diversity- Director ""In North African Mosaic, we have a group of innovative junior and senior scholars whose multidisciplinary approaches provide a diversity of subtle and complex interpretations of what it means to be an ethnic minority in a majority Arab-Muslim context. The conceptual and empirical landscapes covered are far reaching and intellectually bold. Whether covering schooling for modern Coptic subjectivity in nineteenth century Egypt or Berbers in medieval Al-Andalus or Amazigh painters in Morocco and Algeria, the authors to this impressive and original volume share a common humanistic vision that respects, indeed celebrates, differences whether in language, religion or ethnicity. Despite what otherwise poorly informed observers of North Africa may believe, the Maghreb is an incredibly diverse region, rich in cultural, religious, and ethnic traditions that neither colonialism nor the postcolonial project could marginalize or eradicate. The timing for such a scholarly endeavor could not be more propitious. As these distinguished authors so ably demonstrate, the multicultural, multiethnic, and multi-religious diversity that is the contemporary Maghreb is alive with accomplishment and promise that gives cautions optimism of a more enlightened future in an otherwise suffocating political landscape. This then is a timely, important, and engaging volume whose different authors, through their vast knowledge derived from direct field experience in the region, provide deep insight and analytical rigor on the subject of ethnic pluralism that has for too long been ignored, misrepresented, or vilified."" —From the Foreword by John P. Entelis ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-07-01,Henner Fürtig,The Arab Authoritarian Regime between Reform and Persistence,Hardback,9781847182166,39.99,"Economic and/or political liberalisation became a symbol of Arab authoritarian regimes since the initial phase of the “third wave of democratisation” in the early 1990s. Arab rulers found out that liberalisation could help strengthening their authoritarian rule; it diminishes both internal and external pressure and increases their legitimacy. While the regimes soon figured out that the West finally preferred stability and the containment of Islamic militancy to uncertainty caused by democratic “experiments”, 9/11 proved the failure of this unwritten agreement. Based on the experience that democracies do not wage wars against each other, the U.S. government came to the conclusion that only a sincere advancement of human rights and democracy in the Islamic world would – in the long run – avoid a repetition of 9/11-like events. The book analyses in detail how selected Arab regimes from Morocco in the West via Egypt in the centre to Syria and Palestine in the East reacted to this new, unprecedented challenge. Most of them promised a substantial intensification of the liberalisation process. Therefore, the book had to answer the question whether the current reforms are still rhetorical and cosmetic or real and radical, i.e. whether they once again rather foster the authoritarian regimes or lean towards the promotion of democratisation this time. Although a certain surplus of freedom for the ruled could be measured, the book resumed that the liberalisation process is still opposed to democratisation insofar as the authoritarian elite continues to use it as a tool to avoid democracy. Nevertheless, the authors did not stop here. They stated that under the complex circumstances of the modern world even rational actors such as Arab regimes cannot assess all the long-term consequences of their actions. Therefore, they cannot definitely be sure whether a specific measure contributes to the strengthening or to the weakening of their rule. Unintended, the reforms may result in long-term developments which are detrimental to the interests of the authoritarian elite. In other words, if certain liberalisation policies increase the legitimacy of the authoritarian rule in the short run, it still cannot be excluded that they may destabilise the system in the long run, i.e. democracy may come “by accident”.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-08-01,"Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Ole Dahl Rasmussen and Ole Wæver",10 x 10,Hardback,9781847182562,29.99," 10x10 collects personal essays by ten leading contemporary social science scholars on the ten works they each find have formed their own academic development the most. Based on the insights and experiences of people who have formed their various fields in important ways, it offers personal reviews, reflections, and recommendations of a 100 works that function as a more personal and sometimes idiosyncratic alternative to the lists of 'classics' found elsewhere. 10x10 deals not with an anonymous 'canon', but with the actual sources of inspiration for great scholarship. Those who have taken up the invitation to write about the greatest impacts on their own thought - inspirations stretching from Genesis to Public Choice theory - includes B. Guy Peters, Chantal Mouffe, Elinor Ostrom, James M. Buchanan, Joseph H.H. Weiler, Kalevi Holsti, Kenneth Waltz, Ole Borre, Richard Katz, and Thomas Hylland Eriksen. These eminent scholars here describe in their own words what made a difference for them, and why the rest of us should stand up, take notice, and read these books too. ","""10x10 is a wise reminder of the power that certain monumental canonical texts of the past, veritable cathedrals of ideas, have had and continue to have in the minds of significant thinkers. Even in an age focused on increasing opportunities for publishing made possible by new technologies, it is often from these same great arteries of thoughts that fresh and sustaining thinking is drawn."" —Frank A. Moretti, professor, Teachers College, Columbia University and Executive Director, Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning ""10x10 gives a unique insight into the relations great academics have with great books. It brings together very important works, very prominent scholars, and the personal and often very different views they have of both classics and less well-known, sometimes surprising, sources of inspiration."" Ove K. Pedersen, Professor and Director of the International Center for Business and Politics, Copenhagen Business School ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-09-01,Terri Ginsberg,Holocaust Film: The Political Aesthetics of Ideology,Hardback,9781847182630,34.99,"This timely new monograph takes as its starting point the provocative contention that Holocaust film scholarship has been marginalized academically despite the crucial role Holocaust film has played in fostering international awareness of the Nazi genocide and scholarly understandings of cinematic power. The book suggests political and economic motivations for this seeming paradox, the ideological parameters of which are evident in debates and controversies over Holocaust films themselves, and around Holocaust culture in general. Lending particular attention to four exemplary Holocaust “art” films (Korczak [Poland, 1990], The Quarrel [Canada, 1990], Entre Nous [France, 1983], and Balagan [Germany, 1994]), this book breaks disciplinary ground by drawing critical connections between public and scholarly debates over Holocaust representation, and the often sophisticated cinematic structures lending aesthetic shape to them in today’s global arena. ","“What Norman Finkelstein has done in exposing the political foregrounding of the Holocaust Industry, what Giorgio Agamben has done in extrapolating the contemporary implications of homo sacer from the horrors of the concentration camps, Terri Ginsberg is doing with astonishing command and competence about Holocaust cinema. Ginsberg’s voice is clear, concise, liberating, and the harbinger of an entire new generation of scholarship in cinema studies."" Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University; Editor, Dreams of a Nation: On Palestinian Cinema “Terri Ginsberg's Holocaust Film: The Political Aesthetics of Ideology is a much needed intervention in the field of Holocaust Studies in general and in Holocaust Cinema Studies in particular. What Ginsberg has fashioned is a reading of the Holocaust that is both immanent and materialist and much needed in these times when Holocaust scholarship is being shanghaighed by both ends of the political spectrum. It is Ginsberg's achievement that Holocaust cinematic texts are here restored to their historical moment in a way that must be accomplished if there is ever to be an understanding of how these texts might grasp the original moment of the tragedy. Her painstakingly thorough scholarship and theoretical rigor ensures that her work at least will not serve to promote the type of easy, knee-jerk response that simply adds flame to the fire and in the name of scholarship contributes to the perpetuation of other tragedies in the present Israeli–Palestinian situation.” Dennis Broe, Graduate Program Coordinator, Media Arts Department, Long Island University “Ginsberg ably demonstrates how the subgenre known as ‘Holocaust cinema’ has been co-opted by the culture industry. Bypassing the usual Hollywood touchstones, she focuses on four relatively neglected films that illuminate several key motifs that permeate many films on the subject: the “Christianization” of Jewish oppression, the commodification of genocide by both commercial and art house cinema, and the ethnocentric appropriation of the Holocaust by filmmakers with reactionary agendas. Eschewing the conformist platitudes of previous studies, Ginsberg’s book is a salutary and necessary provocation.” Richard Porton, co-editor, Cineaste; Author, Film and the Anarchist Imagination “Hollywood has produced more than 175 films on the Holocaust since the 1980s, and in fact by now the category is considered by some to constitute a virtual genre. Ginsberg challenges the under-examined status of these films and analyzes the work they perform to construct a revisionist discourse. Ginsberg’s astute understanding of cinematic strategies in addition to her confidence in distilling and unpacking even the most fraught of ideological discourses promise a groundbreaking and eminently useful study. Hers are important contributions which we very much need.” B. Ruby Rich, University of California-Santa Cruz; Author, Chick Flicks: Theories and Memories of the Feminist Movement “The importance of the Holocaust is beyond doubt. The importance of continuing the analysis and wide-ranging discussion of it is, at least in some circles. Here, in response, is an extremely scholarly and insightful treatment of Holocaust films and the aesthetic ideology that informs them. Sheds much light on several controversial problems connected to these horrific events. Highly Recommended.” Bertell Ollman, New York University; Author, Dance of the Dialectic ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-10-01,Priscilla Roberts,Bridging the Sino-American Divide: American Studies with Chinese Characteristics,Hardback,9781847183170,44.99,"Within China, the discipline of American Studies spans a wide variety of concerns and preoccupations, reflecting its practical diversity in a transnational setting. Essays in this volume by close to forty scholars, the majority most of them based in mainland China, reflect on the past history and current teaching of American Studies within China, placing these in comparative perspectives. The nature of globalization, the transmission of ideas and practices across cultural boundaries, the formulation and meaning of identity in cross-national communications, constitute major themes in contemporary American Studies in China. For officials and commentators alike, the past, present, and future state of Sino-American relations are also an overriding preoccupation of China’s America-watchers. Overall, this collection allows the reader to sample and appreciate the state of the field of American Studies in today’s China. ","""Bridging the Sino-American Divide is a welcome contribution to transnational American Studies. New scholarship in the book explores popular culture, feminism, literature, history, politics, diplomacy, foreign relations, trade, consumer culture, immigration, tourism, national values, globalization and other topics in comparative perspective. The rich smorgasbord of essays also surveys the development of American Studies in China, and provides institutional histories and pedagogical models, paying particular attention to cultural differences, and to the challenges facing Chinese Americanists in the 21st century. The result is a fascinating volume that will be of interest to scholars in a broad range of fields."" Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Stanford University, Past-President of the American Studies Association ""This essential and unique volume--by gathering a group of top scholars and leading practitioners from China and the United States--reviews critically the status of American Studies in China, highlights the political, social and cultural forces shaping Chinese perceptions of America, and examines the opportunities and challenges facing US-China relations. By putting together this important book, Priscilla Roberts has made a major contribution--one that is with no parallel in the existing scholarship--to the fields of American Studies and US-China relations. It is highly revealing, and highly recommended."" —Chen Jian, Michael J. Zak Professor of History for US-China Relations, Cornell University ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-10-01,Gary Backhaus and John Murungi,Colonial and Global Interfacings: Imperial Hegemonies and Democratizing Resistances,Hardback,9781847182968,39.99,"How space is owned through practices of domination that emerged through colonialism and have been sustained through capitalist social relations in a 'post-colonial' context. How Imperial power created, in Foucault's words, a 'boomerang effect' whereby the techniques developed to control and subjugate colonial subjects worked with such efficiency that they were imported back into Western societies to create new orders of control. How while new social movements such as the Zapatistas have remapped the rural and developed new ways to challenge and transform politics, Western societies have sought to reconstruct the world order through economic processes and military strategy. How the self-image of the West is shaped by its relationship with the 'Rest,' but also how the rest has found news ways of constructing identity that are now transforming the West as people, images, commodities, and meanings flow through the global economy. The cases considered cover every continent, contrast the West with the East as well as the global North with the global South, and prompt us to take history seriously in the construction of the present. Addressing the current buzzwords that have spread from geography across the social sciences and the humanities, this book will appeal to researchers and practitioners fascinated by the connections between cultural representation, power, spatiality, and how the ways we have been thinking about the world are open to question. ","""In this collection, Gary Backhaus and John Murungi bring together researchers in a transdisciplinary project to understand 'geographicity' as a distinctive approach to spatiality that integrates theory and practice. Linking the global to the local and the abstract to the concrete, the contributors tackle key concepts such as ideology as a site for rethinking spatiality - considering cartography as a practice for producing space and for visualising the connections between culture, politics and economics on a global scale and across centuries. Key ideas in the geographical turn in social inquiry such as sovereignty, state, nation and civilisation are reassessed using discourses that are concern with space, borders, marginalization and the construction of identities that are provisional attempts to fix meaning in particular times and places. This collection brings together insights from geography, cultural theory, history, phenomenological and post-structuralist philosophies to address questions which dominate our times."" —Mark Smith, The Open University, Department of Politics and International Studies ""Is the term globalization merely an arbitrary assemblage of ideas, events and phenomena or is it an explanatory term that colligates evidence around theories that seek to explain how cultures around the world are changing in the modern age? Gary Backhaus and John Murungi have assembled and international and interdisciplinary group of scholars to answer this question. These scholars show how colonialization, a historical period, and globalization, a period we purportedly are already in, are parts of a historical meta-narrative bound together by space-time structurizations. Binding this book together is an overarching conviction that geographicity, the spatiality of all phenomena, is an essential and necessary component to any research. The lack of such a focus in Western society is indicative of its uprooted and mobile character. The geographical turn is an essential component of the International Association for the Study of Environment, Space and Place (http://www.towson.edu/iasesp/). Essays in this volume were specifically selected because they contribute to a larger geographical turn in research. This innovative collection engages the social-spatial dialectic of colonial and global processes. It does so through addressing a wide range of topics, such as, how ideology and theodicy are mediated by cartography, how property and property rights play an important, if not unheralded role in globalization, and how space and the democracy of knowledge are mutual constituted. Case studies ground liminal processes by revealing their geographicity. For instance, authors’ engage the colonial feedback loop of torture and carcerality, how the rest globalizes the West, the global tensions of cultural identity and it’s (re)production, and the rise of Socialism in Africa. A brilliant study of the geopolitical forces facing our past, present and future, Colonial and Global Interfacings is required reading for anyone interested in globalization and it spatiality."" —Chris Lukinbeal, Assistant Professor, School of Geographical Sciences, Affiliate Professor, School of Justice and Social Inquiry, Associate Director, Master’s of Advance Study in Geographic Information Systems, Arizona State University “Tracing the ways in which globalized activities are modifying the world, affecting the ways we think, the way space is conceptualized, the ideologies we develop – all of which lead us to wonder, as some authors do, whether ‘globalization’ is the word we need to use. What are these multiple effects, these unforeseen consequences and these fragmented results? In what places, in what cities, in what regions? Multiple approaches make this book worth investigating to learn how some of these questions are being approached and answered.” — George Psathas, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Boston University “This collection gathers ingenious interdisciplinary efforts to address the antinomies of globalization and its spatial organizations. The fragmentation of culture is examined in terms of the complex dialectics of the incommensurability of the subjective concrete expression of lived situations and the objective abstract constructs of social reality. This is required reading in light of critically analyzing the geopolitical assimilation of space and its appropriation through hegemonic global economics in an epoch marked by thoughtless technological tyrannies. This committed rethinking of the possibilities of surpassing the chaotic contradictions of globalization in terms of rooted local expressions of universalism is more welcome than ever.” — Nader El-Bizri, University of Cambridge ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-10-01,Michael E. Connaughton and Suellen Rundquist,The American Village in a Global Setting: Selected papers from an interdisciplinary conference in honor of Sinclair Lewis and Ida K. Compton,Hardback,9781847183132,39.99,"In October 2005 a conference honoring the contributions of Sinclair Lewis to Midwest and American culture and celebrating the friendship between Sinclair Lewis and Ida K. Compton was held at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Sinclair Lewis would no doubt have been flattered, and perhaps a bit surprised by the breadth of this conference in his honor. The fact that scholars, writers, students and readers gathered to discuss his work and its broader influence would have pleased him. He would have learned that readers still found stimulus for serious thought in his writing, and that his works can serve as a springboard to discussion of today’s societal issues, some of which might surprise him considerably. The papers selected from the conference entitled The American Village in a Global Setting consider elements of Lewis’ world through today’s lens. In Part I, his version of community is compared to that documented in other ways, including architecture and television. Scholars address issues such as anti-Semitism, theocratic communities, the Irish, and outdoor life. In Part II, the concept of community is expanded to the visions of other authors including his contemporaries, such as Martha Ostenso, Josephine Donovan, and Willa Cather, as well as more recent writers. In Part III, today’s social and cultural issues in America are addressed, expressing the global and interdisciplinary intent of the conference. And, last, Part IV continues the global theme, addressing international communities and pedagogical philosophies through film and literature. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-10-01,"Dr. Anthony D’Souza and Dr. Carmo D’Souza Foreword by Dr. Marian Pinheiro, Principal V. M. Salgaocar College of Law & Dean of Faculty of Law, Goa University",World Constitutionalism,Hardback,9781847182937,39.99,"Intellectual quest for World Order is as old as the history of mankind. Saints and sages, religious visionaries and philosophers from all great civilizations have left their valuable contributions on the peaceful sands of time. However much of this wealth has been obliterated by other events of history wherein power, might and grandeur were used as the instruments of exploitation by a section of human beings . Time has come to research on the past, and on its basis to analyze the present and visualize a future for a just world order. In World Constitutionalism, over two dozen scholars, academicians, administrators, and leaders of civil society have come together to pen their innovative ideas. It is an attempt to carry their vision over national barriers through the realms of Human Rights, Environmental Law, Feminist Justice, Global Democracy and so on . In the fast evolving twenty first century , World Constitutionalism is already exploding on the global scene in all fields of life , as human race finds enlightenment through information and networking revolution, technology development, and conscious spiritual awakening taking place from East to West. World Constitutionalism endeavours to foster scientific study of world governance as a multi disciplinary subject with an added flavour of law to give it special sanctity in the minds of the Peoples of the World. The book is an addition to the growing movement for World Unity that presently reechoes round the globe. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-11-01,Daniel Scroop,Consuming Visions: New Essays on the Politics of Consumption in Modern America,Hardback,9781847183385,29.99,"The United States is the quintessential consumer society. This collection of essays brings together a new set of American and European voices from across the disciplinary spectrum of the humanities and social sciences to explore in innovative and challenging ways the “consuming visions” that have informed American political, social, and cultural life in the twentieth century. Ranging in subject matter from the anti-chain store movement that swept across small-town America in the 1920s and 1930s to the “bling” aesthetic in contemporary African American film, these essays explore how questions of consumption have been imagined, understood, and contested. While the collection coheres around the contributors’ common concern with how consumption has been—and is—political, its distinctiveness lies in the broad sweep of its disciplinary range. Furthermore, Consuming Visions illuminates a wide range of methodological and theoretical approaches to the politics of consumption, with contributions from legal, social and political historians, and scholars from media and communications studies. Providing fresh perspectives on one the most dynamic sub-fields in American Studies, Consuming Visions will appeal to students and academics with an interest in consumerism and consumption in the twentieth-century United States. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-11-01,Antonio Medina-Rivera and Diana Orendi,Crossing Over Redefining the Scope of Border Studies,Hardback,9781847183415,34.99,"The present volume brings together selected proceedings of the 2005 Cleveland State University Symposium “Crossing Over: Learning to Navigate the Borderlands of Intercultural Encounters.” The collection of essays offers some samples of the complex and potentially infinite array of investigations that the newly expanded field of ‘Border Studies’ can add to the academy’s scholarly enterprise. The articles collected in this volume demonstrate innovative approaches to comparative explorations of topics in American, Latin-American, European, and Post-Colonial literature as well as Linguistics, History and Education. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-11-01,Glen Newey,Freedom of Expression: Counting the Costs,Hardback,9781847183606,34.99,"Freedom of expression has long been cherished as a liberal ideal. But in the political climate of the new millennium free expression finds itself under assault. Muslims greeted the publication by a Danish newspaper of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad with outrage. The Pope was forced to issue an apology after Muslims denounced his remarks about a Byzantine emperor as anti-Islamic. Meanwhile in the UK, the play Behzti was cancelled after protests by Sikhs and Christian activists attempted to force the BBC not to screen Jerry Springer: the Opera. The political establishment, as well as religious activists, has also tried to gag free speech. Moves to ban inciting religious hatred and “glorifying” acts of terrorism, have stirred up political ferment. In several jurisdictions Holocaust denial is already outlawed. The advent of the internet, with its lack of regulation, has fuelled long-standing feminist concerns about pornography. Child pornography has become rampant on the web. This collection explores the new challenges to free expression posed by cultural and political conflict and by technological change. It asks whether classical and modern liberalism still carry conviction against challenges to liberal orthodoxy. The contributors ask how to weigh the claims of free expression against other fundamental rights such as group membership, personal privacy, and the protection of the public sphere both as a discursive realm, and as a cultural space. Together they tackle the key questions facing free expression today: What does free expression mean in an age of global communications? How, if at all, can it be traded against other goods? Can free speech survive, given the growing awareness of its costs? ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-11-01,Alexander Mitjashin,Liberalism and Skepticism,Hardback,9781847183491,34.99,"The book Liberalism and Skepticism is devoted to political philosophy. It argues that there are very solid grounds to infer that libertarianism, as political order is able to provide more efficient decision-making than any other conceivable order. Methods that have been applied to support this idea turn out to be appropriate for the theory of knowledge, which points out the link between knowledge acquiring itself and the political order. Among the issues discussed in the book are Hume’s and Cartesian skepticism, theory of mind as it is understood within the conception held in the book, Nozick’s and Hayek’s libertarianism, the concept of manipulability of the social choice theory, the cause of Nazis coming to power, and many other themes. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-11-01,Peter Baofu,The Rise of Authoritarian Liberal Democracy,Hardback,9781847183378,39.99,"There is something fundamentally wrong with the conventional wisdom in the field of Comparative Politics, Political Theory, and even Political Science as a whole, which rigidly conceptualize and theorize political systems in terms of different categories (e.g., liberal-democratic vs. authoritarian), which are supposed to be distinct and separate, without much mixing of each other, certainly not in any major way. A liberal-democratic political system (like the one in the U.S.), in accordance to this conventional wisdom, is anti-authoritarian (and therefore good). Conversely, an authoritarian political system (like the one in mainland China) is anti-democratic and therefore bad. This book takes the challenging task to show that all political systems—different as each is, for sure, from the rest—have much in common. Under the right conditions, a liberal democracy, as an illustration, not only can be as evil as its authoritarian counterparts, albeit in different ways—but also can be more authoritarian as it becomes more advanced as a liberal democracy. In fact, Dr. Peter Baofu suggests that authoritarianism is an advanced stage of liberal democracy, under these conditions. To understand this, the book is organized into two main parts with different sections, that is, in relation to meta-theory (i.e., methodology and ontology) and theory (i.e., nature, the mind, culture, and society). ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-12-01,Ann Marie Bissessar,Rethinking the Reform Question,Hardback,9781847183972,34.99,"In this comprehensive and very wide ranging collection of papers from specific countries across the globe, a group of eminent and capable academics in the fields of public administration, policy and management draw on a vast amount of theoretical, empirical and comparative data to provide an up to date and timely collection of work aiming to explain the underpinning currents of the public sector reform phenomenon. This is a set of excellently written papers, brought together as a whole to provide a first rate resource for current and existing scholars in the field. Most of the research is based on empirical case material from some of the CARICOM countries, but one of the book’s key strengths is the keen location of findings on firm theoretical foundations, backed up with existing comparative data from other parts of the globe. It will prove a useful, first rate resource for other scholars who want to ascertain the key trends, challenges and dilemmas of public sector reform across the world. The first two, thought-provoking chapters set the global context of public sector reform, but are also strong on theoretical and comparative analysis. The remaining chapters introduce readers to a series of excellent in-depth, empirical and theoretical contributions, but they are not confined to the cases and countries under investigation, as all draw from existing theoretical, empirical and comparative data sources. The authors have given us a deeper sense of understanding of the countries being examined, and their underpinning knowledge of the political systems within which public sector reforms are taking place is very evident in this excellent book. Taken as a whole, this publication provides a set of well written chapters that will provide a very interesting reading. ","'Governance and Institutional Re-engineering comprises a series of thought-provoking articles on governance and the institutions of governance. It commences with amounts to a plea by a well-respected academician in the field of Public Administration, Gerald Caiden, in an article entitled "" Toward Cleaner Government."" The book brings together scholars from across the world. In setting out their various perspectives, integrity in public life, women and politics and neighbourhood management among the various themes, the writers demonstrate the range and diversity of debates involved in the governance of any country. The book was certainly successful in presenting an interesting, informed, well written discussion of contemporary challenges and recent discussions in the field of government and public administration.' Professor Tom Christensen, Professor in Political Science, University of Oslo 'Governance and Institutional Re-engineering is indeed a timely addition to the academic literature on a now well-discussed phenomenon referred to as 'governance.' In this book, twelve academics from around the globe present differing and unique perspectives on 'governance' and the mechanisms involved in governance. The book exposes readers with issues and challenges presented by leading academics from the UK, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean. Themes vary from women and the political process, neighbourhood management, representative bureaucracy, HIV/AIDS and health care, and integrity in public life. It explores the varying facets of governance and provides many thought provoking questions and debates on areas that are all critical in the governance process. This is certainly a book that provides very useful information for policy makers, politicians, students and interested citizens.' Professor Evan Berman, the Huey McElveen Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at Louisiana State University. Recent books include The Professional Edge ( M.E. Sharpe, 2004), Essential Statistics for Public Managers and Policy Analysts ( Congressional Quarterly Press, 2007). ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007-12-01,"Mary Alice Trent, Trevor Grizzle, Andrew Lang and Elsa Rogers",The Language of Diversity: Restoration Toward Peace and Unity ,Hardback,9781847183828,39.99,"The Language of Diversity is an orchestrated effort of twenty-eight contributing authors, an editor, and three co-editors across the United States and Canada, and the stellar list includes bestselling authors, scholars, academicians, businessmen, theologians, and healthcare providers. Steeped in the Christian worldview, the twenty-five essays are sectioned off into three areas. Section One is comprised of seven essays, which focus on topics that bridge the gap among racial, cultural, and religious differences in an effort to bring about a greater awareness of human diversity and civil charity. The five essays in Section Two examine interfaith relations among Christians, Muslims, and Mormons respectively. The selections provide a serious examination of the tenets of these faiths and pose many challenges among diverse faith-goers. Section Three entails thirteen essays that challenge readers to stretch behind the comforts of their boundaries to probe topics such as education and race; gender and hiring practices in higher education; the Christian church and race relations; implementation of a nursing practicum with a culturally-diverse perspective; a campaign to train credible business leaders in a global culture; etc. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-01-01,"John Eade, Martyn Barrett, Chris Flood and Richard Race","Advancing Multiculturalism, Post 7/7",Hardback,9781847184191,34.99,"Multiculturalism still matters and is even more important after 7/7 than it was before. The political discourse and rhetoric of integration sits uncomfortably alongside both multicultural realities e.g. the civil disturbances in Birmingham, England (October 2005), Paris, France (November 2005) and Sydney, Australia (December, 2005) and social scientific notions of where multiculturalism positions itself domestically and internationally. This edited collection is intended to be a major contribution to studies of multiculturalism examining the historical background and anthropological context, alongside more contemporary applied social policy perspectives. In this volume, we argue that a multicultural perspective is as relevant and important, both socially and politically in a post 7/7 world. Within a post 7/7 context, there are contributors within this edited collection who argue for both integrationist and multicultural approaches. The volume acknowledges both concepts and encourages the reader to increase understandings of both arguments and position her / himself within the debates. ","""...these essays offer a good starting point for further analysis and discussion. The last three contributions, especially, go to the heart of the problem with which Western liberal democracies perceive themselves to be confronted."" Hans van Amersfoort, University of Amsterdam, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36:1 Feb 2010 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-01-01,Ananda Das Gupta,Corporate Citizenship: Perspectives in the New Century,Hardback,9781847184351,29.99,"The international community has policy tools to influence business activity within and between nations, and to help ensure that globalization proceeds in a way that benefits all. These tools include legislation and regulatory frameworks, voluntary compliance with an agreed set of standards monitored by a third party, or self-regulation by businesses, often in conformance with voluntary codes of conduct. Balancing corporate investment with community investment is the way of the future. With growing public interest and concern regarding the sustainability of communities as globalization deepens, it will be necessary to show that the nations are working together to ensure that the activities of the business community make a positive contribution to the communities in which they do business. With all these points in the backdrop, the book aims at underlining the big-picture thinking on issues related to the roles that business can play in fostering a moral, equitable and ecologically sustainable world. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-01-01,Darren Lilleker and Richard Scullion,Voters or Consumers: Imagining the contemporary electorate,Hardback,9781847183996,34.99,"This edited collection seeks to map current thinking and practice in order to assess the extent to which the consumer, as opposed to the voter, should now to be elevated to a central position within our understanding of the relationship between the public and political spheres. The volume will firstly offer an overview of how consumerism has been applied to our understanding of political and voter behaviour so outlining the book’s key concepts. The volume then follows a processual approach to developing its analysis, offering essays that explore contrasting critical perspectives on the topic. The group of essays focus on conceptualising political consumerism; the next look at how political organisations use the tools of positioning and branding, so developing an overview of consumer-driven political behaviour. The focus then moves to the nature of political communication, both by parties and the media, and how this reflects the neo-liberal ontological perspective that encourages voting to be treated as part of consumer behaviour. Finally the book turns to the voter-consumer, looking firstly at the processing of messages and how this can be analysed from a consumerist perspective; and finally on voting behaviour itself, exploring the extent to which rational choice and economic models of voting have been increasingly a reflection of a consumerist perspective. Each chapter will approach the subject from a discrete perspective which will be outlined within its introduction. However the chapters will each explore the following: • Whether parties or voters are approaching one another using consumerist perspectives; • How this can be mapped empirically through specific examples or case studies; • The extent to which consumer behaviour models and perspectives help us understand voter or party behaviour. ","""Lilleker and Scullio's volume address the question of electoral choice from the economic perspective of the voter as consumer. Locatin their work within the political marketing literature, the two editors investigate if politics is seen by the ordinary citizen as part of a consumption diet. Despite the wide range of approached topics and analyzed countries, the volume is homogenous due to the basic common structure. Beyond such an easy to follow and clear format, the innovation of this book resides in the identification of new relationships between the public and politics. A furhter asset of the volume is the two-sided approach of the same issues and thus providing the reader with a comprehensive set of analytical tools. With a homogenous structure, clear writing style, logical and empirical connections between chapters, and with a systematic approach of the triadic relationship of voter-citizen-consumer, this book addresses relevant issues in the literature of voting behavior and challenges existing beliefs. By doing so, it provides a broader picture that makes political science students and scholars further delve into the topic."" Sergui Gherghina, Leiden University, CEU Political Science Journal, Vol. 5, Issue 3, September 2010 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-02-01,Sven Eliaeson,Building Civil Society and Democracy in New Europe,Hardback,9781847184658,39.99,"The European enlargement process culminating in 2004 was - as a follow-up to die Wende and the implosion of the Russian empire - an event of the same magnitude as 1815 and 1919. Like 1918-19, it was an “exit into history”, a momentous event in post-Westphalian Europe. Even if acceptance of ten new countries was premature, it was appropriate to the moment history provided. The presence of the “New kids on the block” meant both problems and prospects. The end of the cold war meant the fall of the iron curtain – but a mental remnant of the curtain remains, in terms of attitudes regarding civility, corruption, and transparency, and expectations for democratic politics. Several of the “new” countries are “late children of 1848”. For them, entering NATO was more important than joining the EU, and also preceded EU-membership. Poland is bigger than the other 2004 countries together and has a heavy historical legacy. It is - as Germany used to be - imprinted by its special path between East and West and fear of being encircled by enemies. Although the Building of Civil Society and Democracy in countries in transformation can draw on experiences from the countries already within the EU, there is no primrose path for EU-integration. It is, moreover, an irony that the new member states, as a result of the expectations for post-Communist politics, build institutions of a kind that are no longer sufficiently efficient for “old” Europe. The new countries became a full-scale experiment in rule by experts: now by neo-liberals instead of Communists. A common European public sphere and civil society might emerge, but its form remains visible only at the horizon. ","“Polish sociology laid the foundation for rethinking late socialism and its end, and with this volume signals its centrality to refiguring the European Union. Moving beyond discourses of democratic deficits and levels of integration, this collection helps refashion European integration’s study in manifestly social ways with attention to expertise, legitimacy, and civil society’s hybridization, among other intriguing chapters. Together with colleagues from across Europe and the USA, Eliaeson’s assembly not only honors Edmund Mokrzycki, in whose memory this collection was made, but also signals just how fertile his sociological imagination was, and how much his concepts still illuminate.” Michael D. Kennedy, Professor of Sociology, Director, Center for Russian and East European Studies, Center for European Studies, European Union Center University of Michigan ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-02-01,Wilmar Salim and Kiran Sagoo,Sustaining a Resilient Asia Pacific Community,Hardback,9781847184474,29.99,"Coming out of an established international graduate student conference organized by the East-West Center, this book presents selected papers written by graduate students from different fields of study. After identifying historical or contemporary issues in each field, these papers propose a framework for resolving these issues, whether through global commitment, regional cooperation, national policy, or local knowledge and practice. The unifying thread of this book is sustaining resilience in the Asia Pacific. We acknowledge this perseverance and try to sustain and disseminate it so that other communities may learn from these practices and experiences. Generally, a volume like this would address the challenge of this region from a security, economics or political perspective. This book hopes to add to the literature on resiliency by addressing these issues from a multidisciplinary and multilevel perspective. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-03-01,Rohee Dasgupta,"Cultural Practices, Political Possibilities",Hardback,9781847184771,34.99,"Culture has long been regarded as one of the most complicated concepts in the social sciences, possibly over theorized. Its ubiquity, tangled senses of particularity and the almost universal recognition of that assumed particularity require an extended vocabulary for framing the politics embedded in it. Cultural Practices, Political Possibilities attempts to explain the political significance and overlaps of cultural constructions as witnessed in global-local clashes, convergences of texts and contexts, within the state and community, identity and the self. Through various case-studies, concepts and interdisciplinary perspectives, the multinational group of authors from diverse academic backgrounds interprets cultural constructions of politics as factionalizing, identitarian, situational and particularistic in their links, affirmations and consequential divides. Each contribution, in its unique way explores the performative asymmetries and contradictions witnessed in diverse cultural interactions that shape new areas of political investigation. The book will be welcomed by students of international relations, environmental politics, sociology, anthropology and cultural studies. ","""Scholarly, wide-ranging and inspiring in its interdisciplinarity and geographical scope, this impressive text is a valuable contribution to the analysis of the relationship between cultural practices and politics."" Dr. Kate Nash, Reader, Department of Sociology & Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Global Media and Democracy, Goldsmiths College, University of London ""This creative and well informed volume opens up possibilities for cultural politics, diversity and radical practice in a wide range of geographical contexts. It's strength is in bringing to the reader vital cultural ecologies from key zones around the world, providing a much needed internationalist intervention to an often narrowly defined Anglo-American Cultural Studies. It provides an essential added dimension to current research."" Professor Sally R. Munt, Director, Sussex Centre for Cultural Studies, University of Sussex ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-03-01,Elena Marushiakova,Dynamics of National Identity and Transnational Identities in the Process of European Integration,Hardback,9781847184719,44.99,"This collection was inspired by the international conference ""Dynamics of National Identity and Transnational Identities in the Process of European Integration"", organized by the Balkan Ethnology Department of the Ethnographic Institute and Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and realized as project of the European Commission Jean Monnet Action Program for the support of Study and Research Centers. The book opens a debate on the changing notions of identity in the region of Central and Eastern Europe on the base of analysis of social developments influenced by EU accession and EU integration process. The most important aspect is the analysis of processes of breaking up the borders of national identity and transition towards new forms of transnational identities and emerging of consciosness of All-European unity. The book has a dual focus: on general topics related to the study of national and transnational identities and on the process of European integration. It brings together the work of researchers not only from different parts of Europe (from France to Russia) but from USA and Asia too. This book is a starting point for East-West discussion and brings new knowledge that will be an invaluable contribution to the common European research area. ","""This book proposes a study of transnational identities and the process of European integration. One of its main strengths is its multidisciplinary approach combining approaches from experts in humanities and social sciences; these comprise inter alia ethnology, anthropology, history and cultural studies. Another asset is that it offers both theoretical frameworks and empirical studies covering several themes and countries, with regards to particular populations in their homeland and abroad such as Gypsies, Turks in exile. It is innovative in the sense that the question of Central European countries and European integration is still in progress and remains under researched. It will be an important tool of analysis for researchers and policy makers interested in new development in Central and Eastern Europe."" —Daniele Joly, Director of Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations, University of Warwick “Dynamics of National Identity” is a most timely contribution to our understanding of the complexities of collective identities, and their rapid changes since the end of socialism, in the Balkans. The broad range of topics addressed by eminent scholars in this volume is truly impressive and opens up new and comparative perspectives on the issue of nationality in Southeastern Europe.” —Ulf Brunnbauer (Reader in Southeast and East European History at the Free University of Berlin) ""The contributions to the book present a welcome departure from mainstream approaches to the relations between EU integration and minorities. All too often analysts reduce the essence of European processes to an asymetrical interaction between European pressures for legal reforms and a (reluctant) adoption of European standards by candidate states. Relying on well-grounded empirical research, the contributors to this volume remind us of the need to grasp the reshaping of identities in the context of EU integration at the crossroads between multiple scales (local, regional, European and international) and a variety of social processes (new social mobilities and migrations, among others). The contributions also fruitfully underscore the need to move beyond normative distinctions between Central European and (exoticized) Balkan trajectories in order to provide a nuanced understanding of the twin process of europeanization and globalization in post-communist Europe."" —Nadege Ragaru, CNRS research Fellow, Lecturer at Sciences Po Paris. ""A fascinating collection of essays written in delicious East European English. It conveys the vigour of scholarship in the New Europe on issues of personal and social identity in that area. The volume is particularly strong in exploring the complex and multi-dimensional relation to ""Europe,"" as constructed in the homeland and by migrants. This book will be read with profit by anyone interested in the intimate life of new peoples within the EU as well as of those in the Balkans excluded from it."" —Andre Liebich, Head of the International History and Politics Section of the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva. ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-03-01,Ann Marie Bissessar,Governance and Institutional Re-engineering,Hardback,9781847184788,39.99,"Governance and Institutional Re-engineering comprises a series of thought-provoking articles on governance and the institutions of governance. It commences with what amounts to a plea by a well- respected academician in the field of Public Administration, Gerald Caiden, in an article entitled ""Towards Cleaner Government."" The book brings together scholars from across the world. In setting out their various perspectives, integrity in public life, women and politics and neighbourhood management among the various themes, the writers demonstrate the range and diversity of debates involved in the governance of any country. The book was certainly successful in presenting an interesting, informed, well-written discussion of contemporary challenges and recent discussions in the field of government and public administration. ","""Governance and Institutional Re-engineering is indeed a timely addition to the academic literature on a now well-discussed phenomenon referred to as ‘governance.’ In this book, thirteen academics from around the globe presented differing and unique perspectives on ‘governance’ and the mechanisms involved in governance. The book exposes readers with issues and challenges presented by leading academics from the UK, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean. Themes vary from women and the political process, neighbourhood management, representative bureaucracy, HIV/AIDS and health care and integrity in public life. It explores the varying facets of governance and provides many thought provoking questions and debates on areas that are all critical in the governance process. This is certainly a book that provides very useful information for policy makers, politicians, students and interested citizens."" Evan M Berman, Huey McElveen Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at Louisiana State University. ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-04-01,Alperhan Babacan and Linda Briskman,Asylum Seekers: International Perspectives on Interdiction and Deterrence,Hardback,9781847184917,29.99," ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-04-01,"Stefania Baroncelli, Carlo Spagnolo and Leila Simona Talani",Back to Maastricht: Obstacles to Constitutional Reform within the EU Treaty (1991-2007),Hardback,9781847185211,44.99,"European integration has long defied previous notions of state sovereignty and has since the days of the Coal and Steel Community been conferred with original supranational instruments. Yet the Treaty of Rome did not raise the same popular reactions as the Maastricht Treaty about the infringement of national sovereignty. This book suggests that the end of the Cold War has modified the functions of European integration so that the original ideals of integration have lost part of their appeal; hence the birth of the European Union can be regarded as an attempt to seek a new legitimacy. How far did the EU Treaty meet this unprecedented challenge? This book argues that the Maastricht Treaty established a constitutional framework for a new kind of polity without resolving the issue of its purpose and scope. The volume seeks thus to explain some of the reasons for the defeat of the Constitutional Treaty in 2005 dating them back to the Maastricht Treaty. In so doing, the book links the actual state of European integration with the decisions taken at Maastricht in five different realms of supranational policy-making. The first is the constitutional setting of the EU Treaty and its effect on national constitutional law; the second is the concept of governance and the changes introduced by the Economic and Monetary Union; the third is the historical background of the Maastricht agreement; the fourth the political economy of the Economic and Monetary Union; the fifth is the impact of European citizenship in the recent case-law of the European Court of Justice and the prospects of a EU politicisation. The book puts in perspective the solutions to the recent stalemate of the European integration process offered by the Lisbon Treaty. ","""...the books is an outstanding contribution for all scholars broadly interested in European politics and policies..."" Martino Bianchi, CEU Political Science Journal, Vol. 5, No. 2 (2010) ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-04-01,M. A. Oommen,Fiscal Decentralisation to Local Governments in India,Hardback,9781847184887,34.99,"The literature on fiscal decentralisation in India is few and far between. The collection of papers in this volume written by scholars who have done scholarly works on the theme seeks to fill the gap relating to the state sub-state level fiscal decentralisation in India. While the first paper by Anwar Shah, an internationally known expert on fiscal federalism, provides a general backdrop relating to fiscal decentralisation and macro management, all other papers critically review the various dimensions of fiscal decentralisation emerging in India since the implementation of the 73rd/74th constitutional amendments by the state governments. Two papers focus exclusively on Kerala which has won world-wide acclaim for its innovative initiatives in decentralisation. "," “This volume edited by Prof. Oommen, is an excellent collection of essays on the issues of fiscal decentralization in India. Democratic decentralization goes beyond mere delegation of powers. In essence, it is the fiscal empowerment of local governments. It has several dimensions such as assignment of expenditure responsibilities, revenue assignment and the transfer system. All these issues are dealt with comprehensively in this volume by the various authors who are well known for their scholarly output. This is truly a pioneering study on democratic decentralization in India.” C. Rangarajan, Former Chairman, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council and formerly Governor, Reserve Bank of India “Professor M.A. Oommen and his colleagues give us an excellent reference book on rural local government finance in India. It is one of a very few studies on this very important subject. This insightful volume is an important addition to the shelf of any student of government finance in India. The contributors to this volume are among the more thoughtful students of local public finance in India.” Roy Bahl, Dean, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-04-01,Bsaithi Omar,Land and Mind: Kenneth White's Geopoetics in the Arabian Context,Hardback,9781847184931,34.99," This book is both a study of the work of the Scottish writer, Kenneth White, in thought, travel writing and poetry, and an application of one of White’s main concepts, geopoetics, to Charles Doughty’ Arabia Deserta. It is a largely forgotten fact that Doughty considered all his travels to be leading up to an ars poetica. Omar Bsaïthi’s thesis is that Arabia Deserta is a superb example of geopoetics in action The result of the meeting of White and Doughty orchestrated by Bsaïthi is not only the reinterpretation of an English classic and perhaps a renewal of Arab studies, it is an introduction, via the writings of Kenneth White, to a regrounded field of culture. “In his presentation of geopoetics and intellectual nomadism, Bsaithi draws attention both to the nature of discontent felt in the Western culture and civilization in the postmodern era, and to the possible forms of encounter between figures highly representative of the Western mind, searching for the “ways out”, and other cultural spaces.” —Khalid Hajji, Professor at Mohamed 1rst University, Oujda, Morocoo “It is the merit of Mr Omar Bsaithi’s book to focus on a Franco-Scottish poet to establish an unprecedented correlation with Charles Doughty, author of Travels in Arabia Deserta. By so doing, he applies a method which belongs to Kenneth White’s own geopoetic practice: in a different and a priori foreign cultural context, he reveals similitudes and links through the study of a deeper and more poetic relation to terrestrial space.” —Laurent Margantin, Université de La Réunion ",""" In his presentation of geopoetics and intellectual nomadism, Bsaithi draws attention both to the nature of discontent felt in the Western culture and civilization in the postmodern era, and to the possible forms of encounter between figures highly representatives of the Western mind, searching for the “ways out”, and other cultural spaces."" —Khalid Hajji , Al Jazeera Centre for Studies "" It is the merit of Mr Omar Bsaithi’s book to focus on a Franco-Scottish poet to establish an unprecedented correlation with Charles Doughty, author of Travels in Arabia Deserta. By so doing, he applies a method which belongs to Kenneth White’s own geopoetic practice: in a different and a priori foreign cultural context, he reveals similitudes and links through the study of a deeper and more poetic relation to terrestrial space."" —Laurent Margantin, Université de La Réunion ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-05-01,Gérard Hugues and Karine Hildenbrand,Images of War and War of Images,Hardback,9781847185433,39.99,"Contributors to this volume address the issue of the representation of warfare, in an attempt to assess the veracity or mendacity of war images and their probable impact upon the sequence of events. War images may trigger unfathomable horror or conversely and paradoxically attain sublimity. The margin is sometimes narrow between ethics and aesthetics, let alone the almost irrepressible shift from information to propaganda. "," ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-05-01,Nubar Hovsepian,"Palestinian State Formation: Education and the Construction of National Identity ",Hardback,9781847185686,34.99,"This book examines the role of education in building a new Palestinian state, and especially on the role and function of the education system in the process of state formation. Since education frames a people’s identity, the nature of the education system affects how Palestinians relate to their state. Through education the Palestinian Authority (PA) transforms the parameters of identity to serve the requirements of state-building and the peace process. International assistance to the PA affects all of these processes through the disbursal of political rent, whose primary function is to bolster the PA and to keep the peace process going. The new Palestinian Authority has assumed two seemingly contradictory functions: state building and resistance, and the dynamic tensions between the two raise key questions for political and policy analysis. Are these functions mutually exclusive or complementary in the context of the ongoing peace negotiations, and state-building? Can the Palestinian leadership transform the Palestinian national movement from a revolutionary organization to a pragmatic state apparatus? Are the PLO and the PA interchangeable? What type of power does the PA need to cultivate the support, or to secure the compliance, of the Palestinian people for the state-building project? Clearly, the answers to these questions have a direct bearing on the education system. Will this system promote a resistance identity or a state-building legitimizing identity "," ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-06-01,"Jörg Esleben, Christina Kraenzle and Sukanya Kulkarni",Mapping Channels between Ganges and Rhein: German-Indian Cross-Cultural Relations,Hardback,9781847185877,34.99,"From the middle ages to the twenty-first century, India has held a fascination in the German imagination, not only as geographical location, but also as a philosophical and spiritual concept. Similarly, India has long held an interest in German language and culture, including wide recognition of several German authors, philosophers, and Indologists. This cross-cultural interest between the Indian subcontinent and the German-speaking world has manifested itself in literature, linguistics, the performing arts, religion, philosophy, history, politics, and many other fields. Concepts and names that mark some of the channels of exchange and communication between the two cultures include Balthasar Sprenger, Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg, Kalidasa’s Sakuntala, Herder, the Schlegel brothers, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Heine, Nietzsche, Max Müller, Hermann Hesse, Rabindranath Tagore, the ideology of the “Aryan,” Subhash Chandra Bose and his affiliation with Hitler, Gandhi, Annemarie Schimmel, Günter Grass, and others. In recent years, Orientalist Studies, Postcolonial Studies, Intercultural German Studies, and Transnational Studies have given new impetus and directions to the interest in Indo-German relations. The aim of this book is to achieve an overview over the current state and trends of research in this field. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-06-01,C. J. Fusco,"Our Orwell, Right or Left: The Continued Importance of One Writer to the World of Western Politics",Hardback,9781847186027,24.99,"Writers’ words have always been used by pundits and politicos in order to further their own agendas, but it is probable that no writer’s work has been used (and misused) as frequently and as effectively as George Orwell’s. Once the champion of Europe’s down-and-out and a self-proclaimed advocate of Socialism, Orwell was, understandably, embraced by many on the Left during his own lifetime. Following the publications of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four – and the writer’s own death shortly thereafter – Orwell also became a patron saint of sorts for many on the Right. Within the arenas of political theory and literary criticism, this confusing and seemingly contradictory turn of events has resulted in an ongoing battle over the writer’s legacy. Our Orwell, Right or Left examines Orwell’s reception history in order to decode why critics on both ends of the political spectrum have been compelled to claim Orwell as one of their own, and how they have gone about doing so. In many cases, when Orwell’s writing has been misused by those in politics, it has, alarmingly, reflected the same species of dangerous propaganda that Orwell had warned about in his final two books. As there is an inherent problem with a situation in which critics have misrepresented the scope and focus or Orwell’s writing – whether the misrepresentation happens to be intentional or not – Our Orwell, Right or Left takes a close look at the details of Orwell’s own writing and juxtaposes what George Orwell had written with the often dubious claims of his proponents. Manipulative political propaganda, however, is but one of the many very dangerous symptoms of repression and tyranny that Orwell had warned against in his writing. As Our Orwell, Right or Left shows, there are many aspects of our contemporary culture that are worryingly similar to the Oceania of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. That Orwell’s writing still remains prescient even approaching sixty years following his death proves that he is not only a writer still worthy of being read, but that he is also a writer still worth fighting over. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-06-01,Ralph J. Poole and Ilka Saal,Passionate Politics: The Cultural Work of American Melodrama from the Early Republic to the Present,Hardback,9781847185747,34.99,"This new collection of essays on American stage and film melodrama assesses the multifarious and contradictory uses to which melodrama has been put in American culture from the late 18th century to the present. It focuses on the various ways in which the genre has periodically intervened in debates over race, class, gender and sexuality and, in this manner, has also persistently contributed to the formation and transformation of American nationhood: from the debates over who constitutes the newborn nation in the Early Republic, to the subsequent conflict over abolition and the discussion of gender roles at the turn of the 19th century, to the fervent class struggles of the 1930s and the critiques of domestic containment in the 1950s, as well as to ongoing debates of gender, race, and sexuality today. Addressing these issues from a variety of different angles, including historical, aesthetic, cultural, phenomenological, and psychological approaches, these essays present a complex picture of the cultural work and passionate politics accomplished by melodrama over the course of the past two centuries, particularly at times of profound social change. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-06-01,Aleš Erjavec,"Postmodernism, Postsocialism and Beyond",Hardback,9781847185778,34.99,"The book focuses on three interrelated issues: the relationship between modernism and postmodernism; visuality and visual culture; and the relation between the East (former European socialist countries) and the West as regards aesthetics, globalization, culture, and the mechanisms of the presentation and representation of contemporary visual art. In the first part the author reflects upon some of the less noticed issues of modernism and its dominant theoretical narratives regarding art: its privileging of truth and its obfuscation of some segments of European art. One of his central tenets is that recent postsocialist politicized postmodern visual art contradicts Peter Bürger's canonical theory about the avant-garde art of the previous century. The art and culture discussed throughout this volume predominantly concern the visual. For this reason, in the second part visual culture and its uneasy relationship with art and art history are an object of reflection, a topic which is then complemented with that of the embodied eye in the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty. Photography, its relation to truth, and the problematic expectation that an ontology of photography is possible or necessary is the theme of the closing chapter of this part of the book. In the third part the author offers a global view on philosophy of art, visual culture, and the institutions that disseminate them. ","""I recommend this book to South African artists, art historians, and philosophers of art."" E. A. Mare, SAJAH, volume 23, No. 2, 2008 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-06-01,Helen Lee,Ties to the Homeland: Second Generation Transnationalism,Hardback,9781847185891,34.99,"Ties to the Homeland examines the connections maintained across national borders by the children of migrants, the “second generation.” In the context of globalisation and increasing population mobility, migrants’ transnational ties have become an important topic of research, yet until recently we have heard little about the reproduction of such ties in the second generation. The transnational engagements of migrants’ children are crucial for understanding future trends in the global movement of people, money, goods and ideas, and they also can have a significant impact on issues of cultural identity and “belonging” for these children, who grow up outside their parents’ homelands but may have dual or even multiple notions of “home.” The detailed case studies in Tie to the Homeland explore the diverse transnational practices and attitudes of members of the second generation and reveal significant intergenerational differences that bring into question some of the key assumptions underlying existing work on transnationalism. The case studies focus on the children of migrants originating in regions such as Europe, the Middle East and the South Pacific, and they bring an Australian perspective to a field that has been dominated by a European and North American focus. ","“The world of second generation Australians, steeped within a web of transnational connections and relationships, encompasses a complex array of negotiated identities, responsibilities and belongings. The essays included in Helen Lee’s collection draw on rich and multifaceted aspects of Australian second generation experiences that cover a range of pertinent topics: from the significance and diverse conceptualizations of homelands to questions of politics, remittances and music. They add important new dimensions to the growing body of Australian scholarship on second generation transnationalism. This collection, which combines conceptual clarity with the richness of data, will fill an important gap in the literature on migration and transnationalism and provide an invaluable insight into the dynamics of contemporary social life in Australia.” —Zlatko Skrbiš, Professor of Sociology, School of Social Science, Co-director of Research, SBS Faculty, The University of Queensland “This is the first volume to focus on the intersections of second generation and transnationalism studies in the Australian context. It provides a timely contribution to an emerging field of study that has to date included few accounts of Australian experiences. Helen Lee has woven together a stimulating collection of papers from complementary disciplines providing richly detailed primarily ethnographic accounts that showcase important new scholarship in the field. United by a common focus on identity, the collection offers a nuanced account of the varieties of practices and processes that characterise the transnational realities of the second generation including through music, film, religion, ritual, narrative and imagination.” —Dr Loretta Baldassar, Associate Professor, Anthropology and Sociology M255, University of Western Australia ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-07-01,Gary Backhaus and John Murungi,Dangers in the Incommensurability of Globalization: Socio-Political Volatilities,Hardback,9781847186096,29.99,"The thesis of incommensurability concerns the interrelation between subjective culture and objective culture through which the constitutive agency of chaos (incommensurability) emerges. The objectivations/products, the constituents of objective culture, carry their own Being, and this Being transcends the original subjective expressivities/intentions. The constitutive agency of this incommensurable interrelation becomes apparent in an age of globalization where its effects become global, bringing about dangerous socio-political volatilities. To illustrate, global warming has been neither the expressive intention of subjective culture nor a constituent of energy per se as an objectivated product in the context of objective culture. It emerges in the interrelation, an unforeseen incommensurability, a chaos in the culture of energy that threatens the globe/world in various ways. Incommensurability, the cultural form of chaos, is recognized as dramatically foiling human instrumental rationality, spoiling its hubris or belief in its own progress. The doctrine of incommensurability shows that we can not know what we are doing while we are doing it, for the empirical manifestations of chaos are only knowable after the fact and its effects are unpredictable. This book of essays is divided into two parts: the first dealing with contemporary themes in subjective culture and the second with those in objective culture. A few of the pressing topics treated in this volume are: abstracted information of a computer-based society versus locally-based, grounded knowledge, abstracted neo-liberal economics versus place-grounded economics, the geo-politics of peak oil, and the intensification of natural disasters as a consequence of global warming reveal the tenuous character of the contemporary world. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-07-01,Roberto Buonamano,Rights and Subjectivity: A Pre-History of Human Rights,Hardback,9781847186058,34.99," Over the course of the last century human rights have served as the pre-eminent currency of neo-liberal discourses and correspondingly informed the construction of the individual as a legal and political subject. This has been the case notwithstanding that the fundamental paradox of individual rights—as universal and inalienable attributes of human being that depend integrally upon the political and legal frameworks of the nation state for their recognition—perpetually reveals the contingency and frailty of modern human rights, whether in terms of their conceptualisation, application or enforcement. The pervasiveness of this form of subjectivity, and its influence upon both national constitutions and the emergence of international legal institutions, suggests the need to investigate not merely the more conventional histories of human rights—as a product of post-Enlightenment liberal theory and the international legal order of sovereign states—but also the pre-historical formation of the individual as an inherent bearer of rights. In order to chart a genealogical history of the relationship between rights and subjectivity, this study brings together an analysis of key doctrines and concepts, such as sovereignty, jurisdiction, democracy, natural rights and freedom, and an examination of certain historical narratives—the theological-political model of sovereignty during the Middle Ages; the development of feudal rights as dominial and individual liberties; the role of the text and the concepts of public law and property in Medieval Roman and Canonical jurisprudence; and, the theological and humanistic philosophical discourses on natural law and personal liberty. "," ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-07-01,Niklas Swanström and Ryosei Kokubun ,Sino-Japanese Relations: The Need for Conflict Prevention and Management,Hardback,9781847186201,34.99,"Sino-Japanese relations are crucial for the entire East Asian region and beyond. With both countries among the five biggest economies in the world, and being highly interdependent, the bilateral relationship is of key importance not only for economic cooperation and prosperity in the region but in a larger global perspective. Moreover, Sino-Japanese political and military relations are central to the regional security of Northeast Asia. Any deterioration in relations has the potential to generate conflicts with far-reaching consequences. Accordingly, conflict prevention and conflict management in Sino-Japanese relations are of vital concern to the international community. In the past decade, however, the Sino-Japanese relationship has been increasingly marked by political strife and tension. While this has not escalated into military conflict and in spite of changes with the emergence of a new leader, Yasuo Fukuda, in Japan and a political reshuffle at the 17th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2007, future developments are difficult to predict. Historical grievances and differing interpretations thereof play a large role in sustaining political tensions, which are reinforced by mutually negative perceptions at a grassroots level and a noticeable lack of trust. Japan’s occupation of parts of China in the first half of the 20th century and according to Chinese a failure by Japan to issue an apology remain a key obstacle to any improvement in relations. Tensions over contemporary issues have strong historical linkages and it is clear that problematic political relations have sub-optimized the economic potential between the two countries as well as heightened suspicions of each other’s military ambitions. More positively, business communities in both China and Japan have been pro-active in advocating improved cooperation and also a large majority of the ruling elite are eager to improve relations. Given the complex history and current power relations between the two countries, cultivating such will by no means be an easy task. Nevertheless, the authors hope that this book will help further understanding of Sino-Japanese relations and so contribute towards the development of mutually advantageous relations – a necessity in today’s world order. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-07-01,Christos C. Evangeliou,Themata Politica: Hellenic and Euro-Atlantic,Hardback,9781847186171,34.99,"“This book is a collection of timely political articles and essays. They focus primarily on political themes relevant to Greek/Turkish relations, the Cyprus problem, the obstacles that Turkey faces in the EU, and the problems that the US war on terror has created for them all. Written by a person of Hellenic ancestry, a trained philosopher, sensitive poet, and free spirit, the items of this collection are characterized by frank talk, freedom of thought, fresh ideas, and historical insights that penetrate the past sharply, as they try to discern the future of humanity. In these essays, the author’s love for things Hellenic is surely exaggerated. But, if anything in human history deserves excessive eulogy and praise, it should be, without doubt, the Hellenic spirit and its passionate love of wisdom and freedom.” ","“This volume reflects the encyclopedic thought of a philosopher and poet, uniquely qualified to identify the fissures afflicting the fabric of the American and the European societies and the Greek experience--fissures that he traces to their deviation from the classical heritage that has been sacrificed to the altar of modernity. It is a must reading for scholars as well as for political leaders that routinely make decisions in an historical vacuum and, in the process, ignore or fail to take into account the real interests of the citizens.” Nikolaos Stavrou, Professor Emeritus, Howard University, USA Editor of Mediterranean Quarterly “The issues that Professor Christos Evangeliou raises and discusses in his recent book, Themata Politica, are very important, multileveled, hotly debated, and timely indeed. His careful analyses are sharp and penetrating, and they deserve to be taken seriously and discussed thoroughly, regardless of whether one would agree with his views or not. In many respects, this is a most significant work of our contemporary political and philosophical thought.” Kostas Boudouris, Professor of Philosophy, University of Athens, Greece, Editor of Hellenic Philosophical Revew ""The themes of this lucid and challenging book mirror the recent political agonies that the author shares with other Hellenes and Philhellenes of the global world. He stresses particularly the issue of religion because it directly affects the politics of the countries covered here. As he put it, “Historically, the conflict between messianic Christianity and militant Islam has shaped the political fates of Greece and Turkey, the Mediterranean world, the Middle East, and Europe… European and American diplomats and political leaders will find useful historical analysis and insight, which can be utilized effectively to solve the persisting problem of elusive peace in this part of the world, and in the presence of economic conflict and religious fanaticism."" Leonidas Bargeliotes, Professor of Philosophy, University of Athens, Greece, Editor of Skepsis “Reading Professor Evangeliou’s new book is a pleasure. He writes with the lucidity of ancient Greek philosophers. He carries this virtue in this book which is particularly relevant to Greek Americans, Americans, and Europeans, because it sheds light on the place of Greece in the world, the fate of Cyprus, and the role of Turkey in the politics of America, the European Union, and the Middle East. This is done in the broader context of historical Hellenism and the ever-present art of civilization we inherited from the Greeks. It is a path-breaking and thought-provoking book."" Evaggelos Vallianatos, Author and Critic, USA ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-08-01,Khalid El-Awaisi,Geographical Dimensions of Islamicjerusalem,Hardback,9781847186331,29.99,"Islamicjerusalem has been at the heart of the Muslim religion from its early days. “The Geographical Dimensions of Islamicjerusalem” brings new dimensions and horizons to the relations between Islam and this Holy region. It delves into topics that have been overlooked in much of modern scholarship. It reinvestigates concepts and translates them into something that can be understood both physically and geographically. This work is an attempt to shed light on some of these concepts and the way they were perceived in early and later centuries. It lays the foundation and raises more questions for further scholarship. The book introduces the concept of Islamicjerusalem and the background development of this new field and presents some of the latest research to the reader. One of the main contributions of this book is the unveiling of the fact that Bayt al-Maqdis (Islamicjerusalem) is not a single city only; rather this work testifies to its long existence as a large spiritual region encompassing various cities, towns and villages. The book also contrasts the region of Islamicjerusalem with the sacred regions of Makkah and Madinah; particular attention is paid to the physical similarities between the Ka‘bah and al-Aqsa Mosque. A further asset of this book is the study of the various names and their connotations in early and later periods of Muslim rule. These evocative ideas and findings are supported with explanatory maps and diagrams. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-08-01,Karen Ross and Stuart Price,"Popular Media and Communication: Essays on Publics, Practices and Processes",Hardback,9781847186263,34.99,"This collection of essays has its origins in the MeCCSA 2007 conference held in Coventry in January that year. Like most edited volumes which emerge from conference contexts, this one comprises a richly diverse set of original papers which span the various themes and topics which together make up the fascinating field of media and communication. The book is broadly divided into four sections: media/public; media workers and professional identity; media industries and policy concerns; and political communication. The first section looks at the transformation of the private and public spheres through new technologies, and the phenomenon and implications of audience-mediated genres such as reality TV. The second part of the book looks at media practice from the point of view of both content and the self-policing of professional norms. The third part considers media policy including gender issues within the Scottish creative industries, and the history and future of the BBC charter. The last section looks a political communication and essays here are concerned with elite political rhetoric, together with a consideration of the internet’s impact on political activism. The editors believe that, within the wide-ranging subject matter our authors have considered, a common theme emerges. This is the way in which contemporary communication acts are structured by a number of closely related forces; capital, technology, social norms, resistive practices and gendered subjectivity all contribute to the production of public meaning. "," ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-08-01,Lila Rakoczy,The Archaeology of Destruction,Hardback,9781847186249,39.99,"Buildings and landscapes are traditionally analysed with their construction and use in mind, with less interest shown in their destruction or ‘end’. This innovative book, canvassing the opinions of historians, archaeologists, and other professionals, highlights the complexity of destruction both as a concept and a phenomenon. Drawing from a variety of time periods and cultures, it explores the multiplicity of meanings that destruction can have, and the many complications this creates. Included in this are the politics behind how destruction is remembered (or forgotten), the logistical and ethical dilemmas it presents us with, and the power tensions and transitions that often accompany it. One of the most fundamental themes explored in this book is what destruction is: who defines it and how we choose to recognise it, and why these questions need to be debated. It clearly demonstrates the importance of understanding the complexity of destructive acts, and argues that the best way to achieve this is by establishing channels of dialogue between archaeologists and other disciplines. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-08-01,"William H. Alexander, Cassandra L. Newby-Alexander and Charles H. Ford",Voices from within the Veil: African Americans and the Experience of Democracy,Hardback,9781847186256,39.99,"""And then--the Veil. It drops as drops the night on southern seas--vast, sudden, unanswering. There is Hate behind it, and Cruelty and Tears. As one peers through its intricate, unfathomable pattern of ancient, old, old design, one sees blood and guilt and misunderstanding. And yet it hangs there, this Veil, between Then and Now, between Pale and Colored and Black and White -- between You and Me."" W.E.B. DuBois, Darkwater: Voices from within the Veil, 1920 ""As the promoters of Jamestown 2007 began to speak of the accomplishment of greater diversity in the nation, and to market the myth of the seamless confluence of Indian, European, and African traditions in the early colony, many reflected not only about how the United States' colonial origins were based on the entrepreneurial ambitions of English settlers, the conquest and degradation of native populations, and the subsequent uprooting and enslavement of untold numbers of Africans, but also about how the more recent legacy of decades of discrimination and marginalization continue to shape our world today. Despite the assimilation, acculturation, and dehumanization that have occurred in the Americas, African Americans have continued to refashion their cultures to fit their own social needs and aesthetic preferences."" From Introduction Voices from within the Veil explores the 400-year prelude to the inclusion of African Americans in the commemoration of this nation's origins. With innovative approaches and pioneering research, these essays address both the conditions of African Americans' marginalization and some of the paths toward their empowerment: marronage, the Underground Railroad, social organization, and massive protest movements, among others. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-09-01,Cathy Crane and Nicholas Muellner,(1968) Episodes of Culture in Contest,Hardback,9781847186416,34.99,"This critical and historical anthology looks at a broad and dramatic historical moment with an eye towards the specific. (1968) brings together a dynamic range of scholars, critics and media-makers whose work directly engages the period’s international breadth of activism and critique through close readings of cultural production, from mass-media images to avant-garde practices. Contributors include: Gerry Beegan, Bruno Bosteels, George Flaherty, Colette Gaiter, Michael Golec, Dara Greenwald, Rachel Haidu, Kathy High, Branislav Jakovljevic, Sarah Lewison, Josh MacPhee, Chris Mills, Petra Rethmann and Geoff Waite. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-09-01,Theophilus Kofi Gokah,Children on the Boundaries of Time and Space in Sub-Saharan Africa: Aspiration or Achievement of Policy,Paperback,9781847187543,12.99,"Children on the Boundaries of Time and Space in sub-Saharan Africa has come at the time when children’s well-being is on the agendas of governments, policy makers, schools and community organisations. It provides an in-depth analysis of the relation between official children’s rights and well-being policies and their implementation refracted through African as well as Western lenses. The content of the book is a departure from conventional stereotype approach to children’s well-being analysis in sub-Saharan Africa. In addressing issues around children’s rights and well-being, the book offers a reflection on the conflict between adult society and government welfare policies. The book also draws on existing knowledge about national and international efforts to change adult attitudes towards children. Analysis in the book demonstrates that there are both structural and operational problems in children’s rights and policies governing their well-being in sub-Saharan Africa. This sort of work has been neglected since the last few decades and has created a gulf between government policy rhetoric and practice. Children on the Boundaries of Time and Space in sub-Saharan Africa bridges that gap and reasserts the need for effective policy, material changes in resources and cultural change valuable to enhance children’s ability to stay healthy, grow and learn to become responsible citizens. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-09-01,Leila Simona Talani,EU and the Balkans: Policies of Integration and Disintegration,Hardback,9781847187222,29.99,"Integration and disintegration are the two poles of the economic, political and security discourse in an area, the Balkans and Southern Eastern Europe (SEE), which over the past fifteen years has been the stage of dramatic events. Integration and disintegration are the two dimensions of an identity problem that many feel the area can solve by joining the European Union and diffusing its many conflicts in the peaceful waters of Europeanisation. However, quite apart from the obvious point that the accession process cannot be taken for granted in relation to many of the new Balkan countries, integration into the EU can be argued as having been and still being a further catalyst for disintegration. This book assesses the extent to which the integration of the Balkans into the EU will either foster or discourage the integration of the area itself, as well as the winners and losers under this process. The book addresses the topic in a multidisciplinary way. The contributions are the result of a fruitful co-operation between scholars from the Balkans, the UK and the US.The book tackles the issue of the relation between the EU and the Balkans in all its controversial and contradictory dimensions. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-09-01,David Crowther and Kiymet Tunca Caliyurt,Globalization and Social Responsibility,Paperback,9781847187628,19.99,"Over the last decade the question of the relationship between organisations and society has been subject to much debate, often of a critical nature. The decade has seen protests concerning the actions of organisations, exposures of corporate exploitation and unfolding accounting scandals. At the same time ethical behaviour and a concern for the environment have been shown to have a positive correlation with corporate performance. The nature of corporate social responsibility is therefore a topical one for businesses and academics. There are however many different perspectives upon what is meant by corporate social responsibility and how this might be applied within organisations. This book explores some of these different perspectives based upon the experiences of different people in different parts of the world. There has been much written about globalisation – some of it positive and much of it negative. It is a subject which arouses definite opinions. Despite the fact that the word globalisation is part of the title of this book it is not our intention to contribute to this debate. Instead we use the word globalisation in its original sense to represent the ubiquity of the concern for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which is the subject matter of this book. Specifically we are concerned with the social contract between an organisation and its stakeholders. It is apparent that any actions which an organisation undertakes will have an effect not just upon itself but also upon the external environment within which that organisation resides. In considering the effect of the organisation upon its external environment it must be recognised that this environment includes both the business environment in which the firm is operating, the local societal environment in which the organisation is located and the wider global environment. Effectively therefore there is a social contract between organizations and their stakeholders. Recognition of the rights of all stakeholders and the duty of a business to be accountable in this wider context therefore has been largely a relatively recent phenomenon. The economic view of accountability only to owners has only recently been subject to debate to any considerable extent. In the current environment there is a need to debate this issue and its implications. This book therefore recognises the international scope of the interest in corporate social responsibility both through the contributions made by the authors of the respective chapters, who come from various parts of the world, and also through the international importance of the perspectives offered by these contributors. In doing so the various authors demonstrate that corporations are a part of society just as much as each of us is as a individual. Furthermore they demonstrate that the issues and concerns are not local ones but are international is scope and concern us all. The contributions to this book provide a representation of the range of concern for this relationship and the range of topics which fall within the subject matter of CSR. Among the authors who have contributed to this book are representatives from every continent and from a wide range of disciplines. The topics which are considered in the various chapters are equally diverse. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-09-01,Janet Youngblood,"Learning Democratic Practices: Political Parties, Media and American Political Development",Paperback,9781847187475,19.99,"How does “democracy” work in the United States? How are candidates selected to appear on the ballot? How are issues framed for presentation to the electorate? What processes, conversations, institutions, and laws interact to determine how democracy “works”? How do new politicians learn to deal with all of this?There is a large and growing literature about these issues, some of which is reviewed in Chapter Two. This book examines selected facts of these issues through the lens of learning theory. It turns out that viewing political parties as “communities of practice” is a very useful organizing principle. Within this point of view, and research presented in this book is examined how “partisans” (people who got involved beyond voting and letter-writing) learn how to function within these communities of practice. While this is formally interesting from a learning theory point of view, it turns out that the by-products of this inquiry say a lot about what is happening to “democracy” in the United States and how it got that way. The core of the book is a set of interviews with partisans. This book examines the factors that operate in political parties as communities of practice to maintain or discourage partisanship. The theories of adult learning involved in this research are from the field of learning from experience. Political socialization is the process by which the individual develops a politicalidentity. In a large research study in Europe, the political socialization processfor adults to learn active citizenship there was studied. This study is a partialreplica of this European study, by John Holford and Ruud van der Veen, et al.[Lifelong Learning, Governance and Active Citizenship in Europe (2003). FinalReport of the ETGACE Research Project: Education and Training for Governance and Active Citizenship in Europe: Analysis of Adult Learning and Design of Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Educational Intervention Strategies.Guildford: University of Surrey Department of Educational Studies.] In thework presented here, the activist in a political party is referred to as a “partisan”. For purposes of this research, “partisans” are those who have joined a politicalparty by taking part in membership activities, or as candidates. ","""Janet Youngblood summarizes in the opening chapters of her book serious deficits of late modern American democracy, such as the increasing role of the mass media, and the famous Supreme Court decision that “money is speech”. Her own in-depth interviews with party members discloses how all this has ruined the internal party democracy. American political parties nowadays are run as corporations, industries. The bewildering consequence is that such political parties discourage political participation, instead of what is their true mission, to stimulate participation. Janet Youngblood makes clear that this trend must and can be reversed."" Ruud van der Veen, Teachers College Columbia University ""Janet Youngblood makes an important contribution to our understanding of the process by which citizens become partisans. Her unique perspective comes from viewing the process of democracy through the lens of learning theory, and in analyzing political parties and the actors inside of those organizations as communities of practice. Youngblood’s book will be of relevance to practitioners as well as scholars in education, political science, and public policy, and I recommend it most highly."" Jane Junn, Rutgers University ""This study is a very important documentation of severe problems in the US democratic system. To analyse the political parties as communities of practice, and to make use of theories of political socialization and adult learning to do so, has proved to be a very productive approach. The author’s in-depth investigation reveals highly reprehensible features of the real political conditions of a nation which wants to be the democratic role model of others."" Knud Illeris, Professor of Lifelong Learning, Danish University of Education ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-09-01,Fethi Mansouri and Shahram Akbarzadeh,Political Islam and Human Security,Paperback,9781847187727,19.99,"In the wake of the September 11 and subsequent terrorist attacks, the academic and media commentaries on Islam the religion and Islam the basis for political ideology haves received an unprecedented high level of exposure and attention. The acts of political violence by extremist groups and the omnipresent war on terror have added fresh uncertainties to an already complex global order. Just as terrorism and counter-terrorism are locked in a mutually re-enforcing symbiosis, the sense of insecurity felt by Muslims and non-Muslims alike is mutually dependent and has the potential to escalate. This general assessment holds true for Muslims living in the Muslim world and beyond. The pervasive sense of being under attack physically and culturally by the United States and its allies has contributed to a growing unease among Muslims and re-enforced deep-seated mistrust of the ‘West’. Public articulation of such misgivings has in turn, lent credence to Western observers who posit an inherent antipathy between the West and the Muslim world. The subsequent policies that have emerged in this context of fear and mutual distrust have contributed to the vicious cycle of insecurity. The present volume is anchored in the current debates on the uneasy and potentially mutually destructive relationship between the Muslim world and certain West countries. It brings together leading international scholars in this interdisciplinary field to deal with such inter-related questions as the nature of Islamism, the impact of the ‘war on terror’ on the spread of militancy, the growing sense of being under siege by Muslim Diasporas and the many unintended ramifications of a security-minded world order. This volume deliberately focuses on these issues both at a broad theoretical level but more importantly in the form of a number of prominent case studies including Indonesia, Algeria and Turkey. This edition includes a new introduction. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-09-01,Alana Lentin and Ronit Lentin,Race and State,Paperback,9781847187741,14.99,"Speaking about racism in the western political climate of the first decade of the twenty-first century is more difficult than ever before. There is a feeling in post-colonial and post-immigration societies that the blatant overt racism of the past is no longer as pressing. Admitting racism elicits discomfort because common wisdom tells us that racism opposes everything that we believe in as citizens of democratic, “civilised” modern states. Yet state racism appears to be here to stay and, in many ways, is more acceptable than ever before. Immigration detention centres, the deportation of “failed” asylum seekers and “illegal” immigrants, racial profiling and the rolling back of liberties won by the civil rights movement are all examples of how state racism impacts on our daily lives. Race and State contributes to breaking the taboo of discussing the links between “race” and state. The papers collected in this book highlight the interconnections between “race” and state, from historical, theoretical or contemporary sociological perspectives. Part I of the book looks at theoretical issues in conceptualising the “race”-state relationship. Part II examines racism in its most pernicious contemporary manifestation: the racialisation of “terror”. Part III, on the racial state(s) of Ireland, is an important addition to the debate, examining Ireland as a “test case” for demonstrating and interpreting the relationship between “race” and state. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-09-01,Stuart Mitchell,The Brief and Turbulent Life of Modernising Conservatism,Paperback,9781847187680,19.99,"The Brief and Turbulent Life of Modernising Conservatism is an examination of government tensions and frustrations during a time of economic and social flux. It concentrates on the development of domestic industrial policy in the Conservative Party between 1945 and 1964, with particular emphasis on Harold Macmillan’s and Sir Alec Douglas-Home’s administrations. Between the general elections of 1959 and 1964, the Conservative Government effected a series of striking and dangerously controversial policy transformations in response to its recognition of Britain’s relative economic decline. These adjustments were both practical and strategic. The administration’s aim was extraordinarily ambitious. It sought to fashion a recognisably modern and dynamic, yet socially stable, nation that could retain its place in the international élite. Thereby, the Party hoped to ensure its own continuation in power. The author considers policy innovations that included an ill-starred attempt to join the European Community, the development of macro-economic planning, and the abolition of resale price maintenance–an exploit which roused the Tory Party to unusual heights of passion. The book does not simply regurgitate an orthodox high political narrative. Instead, it investigates topics of interest to modern historians and political scientists alike. It will be of value to anyone interested in questions of modern political ideology, social and economic change, the nature of popular political support, or the constraints on state power in the post-war world. ","""The remarkable electoral record of the Conservative Party in the Twentieth Century has not been matched by a corresponding level of academic interest. This relative neglect has left important gaps in our knowledge of post-war British political history. For example, the governments of Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home (1957-64) are often misunderstood. Popular memories of this period are dominated by the Profumo Affair and the satire boom of the early 1960s, which gave the impression of a Conservative Party which was out of touch with social change. Stuart Mitchell's important study will help to revise this dominant impression. Drawing on all the main primary sources, he shows that the Conservatives were accutely aware of the challenges of modernity. Indeed, many of their problems arose from their various attempts to adapt to social and economic change. Mitchell presents an engrossing account of the struggle between 'modernisers' and more traditional figures within the party. This gives his book considerable topical relevance, in addition to its merits as a well-researched contribution to political history."" Dr. Mark Garnett, Research Fellow, University of Leicester ""This is an important study which speaks both to the study of the past and debates on the present. It fills a gap in literature on the history of the post-war Conservative party, but should also be read by those engaged in, or commentating on, present day developments in David Cameron's Conservative Party."" Dr. Richard Grayson Lecturer in British Politics Goldsmiths College, University of London ""A learned and well written account. Timely."" Dr. Anthony Seldon Founding Director of the Institute of Contemporary British History ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-10-01,Gavin Grindon,Aesthetics and Radical Politics,Hardback,9781847189790,24.99,"There has always been a strong connection historically between aesthetics and radical politics, and this is no less true for the global justice movement’s current preoccupation with cultural approaches to political action. The essays collected here seek to engage with past and present convergences between the theories and practices of artists and writers and the theories and practices of movements for radical social change. There is already a massive amount of literature on Marxist approaches to aesthetics, art and literature, and whilst recognising the usefulness of such approaches, the essays collected here attempt to engage with culture from other radical critical positions - whether they be anarchist, autonomist, ecological or otherwise. Such perspectives have often been overlooked historically, but it is arguable that they now more centrally influence the activities of radical artists and activists. As such, the perspectives of these essays, which are often drawn from or inspired by the practices of the current global justice movement, exhibit an exhilarating political and generational break with the suppositions of earlier radical theoretical approaches to cultural critique. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-10-01,Adenrele Awotona,"Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Iraq: Policies, Programs and International Perspectives",Hardback,9781847189271,39.99,"The scene in Iraq is most troubling; and further failure therein – especially failure in sustainable reconstruction – will compound the tragedy and bring grievous harm to too many: in Iraq, the United States, the Middle East and the Western world. Yet, the current efforts at reconstruction cannot succeed -- as we seem to be making many of the same mistakes that were made post-invasion. Simply put, a national occupying power cannot reconstruct a massive societal vacuum by working only top down. Reconstruction is not the simple reversal of destruction. Sustainability requires serious localized reconstitution of localized community infrastructure. Accordingly, in order to explore how Iraqi communities could be rebuilt in a manner that promotes social justice, economic and political sustainability, and the full participation of all stakeholders, the Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, USA, hosted a four-day international conference of Iraqi and international scholars and practitioners in July 2007. This volume collects some of the papers that were presented at the conference. Amongst the topics that the contributing authors have explored are the following: the role of organizations and institutions in defining strategies for sustainable rebuilding of community; rebuilding the Iraqi Oil Industry; and, successful project strategies in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The book concludes with a presentation of a number of international perspectives and their lessons for Iraq. These studies spring from Afghanistan, the United States of America and Africa. ","“Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Iraq: Policies, Programs and International Perspectives” should elicit an enthusiastic response from a variety of countries and international organizations which are interested in the topics covered in this book.” Fuad Safwat, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Boston “While the rest of the world focuses on the success and failure of military operations, millions of Iraqis are dealing with the destruction of their lives and their country. Rarely is any attention given to describing what a hopeful resolution to the devastation might be. Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Iraq gives us hope. It tackles the overwhelming problem of rebuilding Iraq--helping its children, families and institutions heal--in an insightful, systematic and believable way. Let us hope that this book will inspire many to focus their thoughts, feelings and actions on reconciliation, not war.” Diane Levin, Ph.D., Professor of Education, Wheelock College ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-10-01,Jerry Harris,The Dialectics of Globalization: Economic and Political Conflict in a Transnational World,Paperback,9781847189288,14.99,"Combining bold theortical analysis and careful empirical investigation Harris provides a critical framework to understand the political and economic underpinnings of globalization. In an unique historical approach the book examines how the revolution in information technologies and the break-up of the Soviet Union intertwined to present new global opportunities to reorganize capitalism as a unified world system headed by an emerging transnational capitalist class. The book challenges the common view that nation states still define international relations, with the United States as hegemonic leader of the world system. Instead Harris offers a more complex analysis of world affairs that sees the current period as one of transition between nationally based industrial capitalism and a global system based on revolutionary methods of production and new class relationships. He argues this conflict appears in every country as national economies realigned to fit new patterns of world accumulation creating a host of political tensions within and between nations. This analysis is detailed in a distinctive interpretation of the US military/industrial complex, as well as the contemporary class struggles in Germany and the emerging powers of China, India and Brazil. The book concludes by investigating alternative trends which are currently challenging the inequalities of global capitalism, unfolding a fresh approach to the relationship between the state, market and civil society. ","This book is a timely and welcome contribution to our understanding of the nature and direction of change in world capitalism in the age of the microchip. Focusing on the cybernetic revolution and the sweeping changes it has brought about, Harris address’ such topics as the transformation of work, the conflict between new and old centers of capital, the rise of a transnational capitalist, the military-industrial complex, and terrorism. He identifies new theories, practices and strategies needed in this age of cyber-capitalism to achieve a renovation of participatory democracy and sustainable economics. These essays should be widely read and studied. William I. Robinson, associate professor of sociology, global and international studies at the University of California Santa Barbara, author of A Theory of Global Capitalism, Production, Class and State in a Transnational World. The Dialectics of Globalization is a fresh approach to the question of globalization and the technological transformations that underpin it. Whereas the Left has usually ignored the computer revolution, or been dazzled by it Harris systematically identifies the contradictions and crises below the surface of the shiny world of IT and traces its impact on ordinary people's lives. The last section on the state, markets and civil society is an incisive, clear and brilliant piece of writing. A. Sivanandan, Director of the Institute of Race Relations, Editor ""Race & Class,"" author of When Memory Dies. A. Sivanandan, Director of the Institute of Race Relations, Editor “Race & Class,” author of When Memory Dies. On the solid materialist foundations of his experience as an apprentice machinist with US Steel in Chicago, Jerry Harris has produced a valuable re-interpretation of the political economy of globalization, focusing on the complex inter-relations of capital, labor and technology. His subtle critical analysis of ""US Hegemony or US Globalization?"", complemented with detailed case studies of class struggle and globalization in Germany and the Third World, fruitfully locate the often confused rhetoric of nationalism and globalization within a more productive class perspective. Leslie Sklair, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science, author of The Transnational Capitalist Class. 'If you wanted to read just one primer to get a handle on all the important debates around global political economy, Jerry Harris's '""The Dialectics of Globalization"" would be a good candidate. Harris's book is no simple survey - he takes partisan stances on a number of issues, some of them quite controversial. But he is fair with his opponents and rigorous in his argument.' Carl Davidson for In Review, May/June 2008 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-10-01,Antony Lentin,The Last Political Law Lord: Lord Sumner (1859-1934),Hardback,9781847188779,34.99,"2009 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of John Andrew Hamilton, Viscount Sumner (1859-1934), one of the greatest of English judges. His trenchant rulings, characterized by deep learning, wisdom and lucidity, and delivered with rare literary distinction and wit, are cited with respect and admiration as classics of the Common Law. Sumner’s personality, assured, articulate, dominating -'an amazingly powerful person' (Harold Laski)—also marked his controversial interventions in British public life. Uniquely for a law lord, he was appointed a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, where he strenuously advocated and helped to frame the much criticized reparation chapter of the Treaty of Versailles. As one of the `most formidable gladiators’ on the 'Diehard' wing of the Conservative Party, Sumner aspired—unsuccessfully—to the Woolsack. He defied the growing convention that law-lords should remain silent on political issues, speaking out forcefully on such sensitive topics as the Amritsar 'massacre', the Irish settlement and the General Strike. He resigned from the Bench in 1930 to campaign, as president of the Indian Empire Society, against moves towards Indian independence, and he was a leading activist in the cause of House of Lords reform. With the abolition in 2009 of the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (the law lords), Sumner stands out in sharp historical relief as an outstanding judge, a remarkable individual and as 'the last political law lord'. ","“It does not take the reader very long to realise that it is more detailed and more thoughtful than most judicial biographies. It combines an analysis of personality with the twin themes of law and politics …In respect of law, politics and character the manuscript builds to a convincing and rounded conclusion…This book has the capacity to be both useful and provocative to legal specialists. In general I think it is referenced to a level which will give it a lively and useful role in debates between legal historians.” —Professor Ray Cocks, Professor of Law, Keele University. “An excellent biography of one of the most interesting legal minds of his day. Professor Lentin explains, in each step of Sumner’s life, the astute, perceptive mind which cut to the core of issues, making enemies along the way, but leaving a legacy which has lasted for 90 years. The writing-style is precise, yet has a wry humour which makes it both informative and  entertaining….Lentin clearly demonstrates the characteristics that made Sumner stand apart from so many of his contemporaries; his unwillingness to compromise made him a figure to be respected and admired, but not particularly liked. It is perhaps at the Paris Peace Conference where Sumner’s formidable traits were most clearly demonstrated, and where enemies were made. The challenge of writing an absorbing biography of a man whom he has described as 'cutting, acerbic, cynical and contemptuous', whilst retaining sympathy and respect for the man, is one to which Professor Lentin has risen admirably. There is something here for everyone: law, history, politics, and a well-written and accessible account of his life and times of a fascinating character” —Dr   Carolyn J. Kitching, Reader in British International History, University of Teesside. 'A legal and literary Genius': such is the picture of Lord Sumner that emerges from this very scholarly, as well as readable and thought provoking biography. This biography by Cambridge Scholars Publishing is a welcome addition to the legal biographies library. It's an extremely meticulous work which presents John Hamilton, Lord Sumner, in a sympathetic light which will delight historians, politicians and lawyers, as it sums him up brilliantly. Phillip Taylor, MBE ""Antony Lentin, a historian and barrister, tells Sumner's story with brio and empathy, offering flashes of insight into wider Edwardian and inter-war politics as well as uncovering his subject's personal motivations, achievements and failures ... Lentin is a loyal and truthful biographer of Sumner, showing his flaws of arrogance and rancour as well as his courage, strength of personality, and commitment to ideals ... this elegantly written and thoughtful book deserves to be read. The author captures the main outlines of Sumner's legal contributions, and he has a sensitive understanding of Sumner's diehard brand of Toryism, and helps the reader penetrate into this now-extinct political mentality. Lentin's study of Sumner shows how much our understanding of the common law can be enhanced by the biographer and historian."" -Joshua Getzler, Law Quarterly Review 2009, 125(Oct), 702-709 ""Lentin's biography provides a well-researched, nuanced portrait of a complex man, suitable for a wide audience. The discussion of Lord Sumner's cases should prove useful to legal scholars, especially since his judgements continue to be cited in myriad national courts. Historians will benefit from the analysis of Lord Sumner's participation in events such as the Paris Peace Conference, and the examples of Lord Sumner's colonialist ideology will interest postcolonial scholars. Finally, the book may appeal to more general readers as it describes early-twentieth century debates about currently topical issues, including how a state should deal with terrorism, the desirability of judicial activism, and the appropriate balance of powers between executive, legislative and judicial authorities."" Wendy A. Matlock, Kansas State University in Law and Society Review, 44, 1 (2010, 198-200) ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-11-01,Richard J. Gelm,"How American Politics Works: Philosophy, Pragmatism, Personality and Profit",Hardback,978-1-4438-0006-8,34.99,"American politics is criticized and belittled by media critics and the public, yet the system is held out as a model for the world. The paradox of this simultaneous cynicism and adulation is rooted in the conflict between the human motives that drive politics. Crisply and clearly written with numerous historical examples, How American Politics Works explains the complex and sometimes confusing American political system in a vibrant and accessible light. Documented with recent and historical scholarship presented clearly in laymen’s terms, How American Politics Works explores the multiple dimensions of politics and the source of Americans’ disillusionment with their government through the “four Ps”: Philosophy, Pragmatism, Personality and Profit. Philosophical and moral principles underpin the key political institutions in America, but values are challenged in the quest to achieve workable political solutions. Policy is rarely made to conform to lofty principles alone. It often results from short-term incremental compromise, driven by people in pursuit of the public good and their own personal self-interest and profit. How American Politics Works explains the inner workings of the American political system, including the power of ideas, political compromise, powerful personalities and the preeminent position of money. While Americans’ high ideals are often illusive in the rough and tumble of political battles, and the public’s trust is bruised with every political scandal, balancing idealism and individual virtue with ambition and self-interest is the dynamic and safeguard of American politics. How American Politics Works offers a comprehensive presentation of the realities, challenges and possibilities of the American political system to bring an understanding, fascination and dedication to the wider public. ","“This is a splendid book and one that should be fully utilized by everyone with an interest in politics and our governing system.” —Former United States Senator George McGovern, Ph.D. in History, Northwestern University ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-12-01,Piotr Cap,Legitimisation in Political Discourse: A Cross- Disciplinary Perspective on the Modern US War Rhetoric,Paperback,978-1-4438-0026-6,14.99,"How did the G.W. Bush administration manage to persuade Americans to go to war in Iraq in March 2003? How was this intervention, and the global campaign named as “war-on-terror,” legitimised linguistically? This book shows that the best legitimisation effects in political discourse are accomplished through the use of ‘proximization’–a cognitive-rhetorical strategy that draws on the spaker’s ability to present events as directly and increasingly affecting the addressee, usually in a negative or threatening way. There are three aspects of proximization: spatial, temporal and axiological. The spatial aspect involves the construal of events in the discourse as physically endangering the addressee. The temporal aspect involves presenting the events as increasingly momentous and historic and hence of central significance to both the addressee and the speaker. The axiological aspect consists in a growing clash between the system of values adhered to by the speaker and the addressee, and the values characterizing a third party whose actions, ideologically negative, are made “proximate” and thus threatening. Although the tripartite model of proximization proposed in the book is complex at the level of its linguistic realisation, the working assumption is intriguingly basic: addressees of political discourse are more likely to legitimise pre-emptive actions aimed at neutralizing the proximate “threat” if they construe the threat as personally consequential. The book shows how language of the war-on-terror, and especially the rhetoric of the Iraq war, respond to this precondition. This second revised edition features an extended preface and a new closing chapter, which update the model into its state-of-the-art, 2008 version. ","""Piotr Cap's book takes great theoretical strides in critical discourse analysis, exploring the dimensions of space, time and value, and applying his model to decisive texts in the contemporary world."" —Paul Chilton, Lancaster University ""This fascinating book provides readers with new theoretical insights into issues of legitimisation (and representation). More specifically, the US rhetoric of war is critically analysed and explained in innovative pragmatic-linguistic ways - a methodology which could be applied to many other salient problems in our complex world."" —Ruth Wodak, Lancaster University ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-12-01,Gilles Leydier,"Scotland and Europe, Scotland in Europe",Paperback,978-1-4438-0047-1,19.99,"The aim of the book is to explore the long-standing and multi-faceted relationship between Scotland and the societies and cultures of the European continent, in various epochs and from a large diversity of view points and problematics. The book collects most of the contributions from the IVth annual conference of the Société Française d’Etudes Ecossaises, held in Toulon in October 2005. This international conference gathered fifty European academics, working in a wide range of research fields, from social history to art history, from language to literature, from politics to civilisation and cultural studies. The interdisciplinary ambition and cross-cultural perspective of the conference are reflected in the volume. The book is divided into four main sections: links with Europe, visions of Europe, voices in Europe, and current political issues within the European Union. It illustrates the richness and complexity of the dialogue between Scotland and the continent over the centuries, and underlines the open, fluid and dynamic character of the Scottish identity. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2008-12-01,J. Jeremy Wisnewski,"Torture, Terrorism, and the Use of Violence, Vol. II (also available as Review Journal of Political Philosophy Volume 6, Issue Number 2)",Paperback,978-1-4438-0023-5,12.99,"This volume brings together new and innovative work on questions of violence--and in particular on the moral and political questions surrounding torture and terrorism. Each essay contributes to our understanding of the limits and scope of violence, and how we might appropriately respond to it, in the context of concrete concerns. Questions include: is torture ever justified? How are we to understand terrorism? Should we believe the claim that torture is sometimes necessary? Is conscientious objection a tenable position? ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-01-01,John Young and Boris DeWiel,Faith in Democracy? Religion and Politics in Canada,Hardback,978-1-4438-0117-1,39.99,"This collection of essays questions the capacity of Canadian democracy to promote religious pluralism and recognize disparate faith groups as legitimate players on the political stage. These are more than rhetorical questions, as issues and public policies in contemporary Canada reflect an increasing concern that religion and religious belief ought not to intrude in political debate and matters of governance. Despite playing an active role in Canadian politics in the past, religious faith now risks relegation to the private sector. Efforts to push religious belief outside the public square set a dangerous precedent, provide rationale for further exclusion rather than inclusion, and logically culminate in monism rather than pluralism. Faith in Democracy focuses on contemporary challenges to religious pluralism in Canada with attention to the changing religious landscape throughout the country. These challenges are both old and new. They include such tasks as reconciling universal and particular perspectives of liberalism in law and recognizing the limits of secularism as an emergent dominant faith. How Canada responds to these challenges will not only influence public policy, but also test its commitment to democracy. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-01-01,Michael Orlov Grossman and Ronald Eric Matthews Jr.,Perspectives on the Legacy of George W. Bush,Hardback,978-1-4438-0134-8,34.99,"Opinions of the Presidency of George W. Bush and his perceived legacy seem to exist only at the extremes. From the contentious outcome of the 2000 election, to the attacks on September 11, to the ongoing War in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the efforts to transform major domestic policies, and culminating with the financial crisis of 2008, it is little wonder that the name George W. Bush tends not to evoke lukewarm opinion. During his time in office, Bush obtained the highest approval ratings of any sitting president, but also the lowest. Scholars and other observers of the Bush Presidency have been similarly divided. Across the board, the presidency of George W. Bush raises questions that invite challenges to political scientists, scholarly questions of significant general interest. The authors in this volume begin the process of addressing some of these questions, with essays that cover an array of issues related to his presidency, and the legacy it leaves. This collection of essays presented at the Mount Union College Symposium on the Legacy of George W. Bush, seeks to provide some balance, offering some initial assessments of the consequences of this controversial president and his eventful tenure in office. ","""While controversy is nothing new to any presidential administration, the political intensity associated that has come to describe the tumultuous years of the presidency of George W. Bush is captured effectively by Grossman and Matthews in this newly edited book. Perspectives on the Legacy of George W. Bush supplies political scientists with a comprehensive yet sobering account of the many facets of political leadership and foreign and domestic policies of former President George W Bush's administration. Accomplishing what few edited volumes on executive politics actually set to achieve, Grossman and Matthews succeed in piecing together a complex series of chapters unified by the common themes of presidential legacy and interpretation. The analysis begins with an examination of Bush’s public and personal leadership style and abilities as a rhetorical leader. It then moves on to provide an illuminating vantage point into how Bush sought to aggrandize executive authority by expanding war making powers, unilateral decision-making, and presidential prerogative. The highly controversial and hotly debated issues of Social Security reform, the coalescence of the evangelical right into the Republican Party, the rise of American global hegemony, and the legacy of the Bush Doctrine in foreign policy comprise the second half of this contribution. Perspectives on the Legacy of George W. Bush will be required reading for any student or scholar of the American presidency wishing to understand one of the most controversial presidential administrations in recent years since World War II."" —Chris Dolan, Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pennsylvania “This book provides a fascinating and balanced review of the leadership style and legacy of the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush. It addresses both the complexities of the Bush era and the challenges that face the modern presidency as an institution seeking to leave its mark on domestic and foreign policy. This book captures the spirit of the Bush presidency. Chapters present thoughtful interpretations of themes ranging from presidential personality and the role of religion in politics to the controversial No Child Left Behind program and prosecution of the War on Terror. In summary, this compelling new book contributes to our understanding of the legacy of George W. Bush at a critical time in the nation’s history.” — Jeffrey S. Lantis, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science and Chair, International Relations Program, The College of Wooster ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-01-01,Lori Maguire,The Foreign Policy Discourse in the United Kingdom and the United States in the “New World Order”,Hardback,978-1-4438-0131-7,44.99,"The goal of this book is to examine some of the major foreign policy debates in the United Kingdom and the United States in the period from 1992 to 2008: from the end of the Cold War and the aftermath of the first Gulf War to the 2008 American presidential election. The first President Bush spoke in 1991 of a “new world order” – which seemed to mean an American hegemony. The United States was now the world’s only superpower, although a superpower afflicted with weaknesses, especially economic ones. But by 2008 the “new world order” did not seem so new or so strongly American. The period saw the terrorist attacks against the U.S. of 11 September 2001, military problems for the superpower in Afghanistan and Iraq and, by the summer of 2008, near economic collapse. In all of these developments, Britain shared to a lesser or a greater extent. It is hoped that this book will shed an important light both on each nation and on the so-called “special relationship” between the two. Furthermore, this book is also not specifically concerned with policy or how policy is made but with the debate around policy and the rhetoric used to present different points of view. “The ‘Special Relationship’ between the US and Britain remains an enigmatic, ever-changing, but still very powerful factor in world politics. As an examination of their foreign policy discourses reveals, from the perspective of culture and values, few Western countries are as different as the United Kingdom and the US. With very few exceptions – the foreign policies of Gladstone and Tony Blair, and Chruchillian rhetoric, unmatched by his supremely realpolitical politics – British governments abhor talking about values and ideals. The British cultural peculiarity is to dismiss ideology and values as packaging, only to be caught by surprise time and again that they cannot do “business with Herr Hitler”, or that people kill each other for their values, religions, constructed identities and ideologies. Most American governments, by contrast, have had ideological and moral crusades embroidered on their banners in their foreign policy. There is a convergence with Britain when both proclaim that all they are doing is in their self-interest, but the Americans unashamedly assume that what is good for America is good for the world, while the British discourse, with the UK’s decline since 1945, rarely goes that far. As an analysis of their discourses reveals, the ‘Special Relationship’ is thus clearly founded on something either deeper or more superficial than shared culture or values; this volume sheds light on this surprising fact in most illuminating ways, and Lori Maguire’s achievement in bringing together these examinations is praiseworthy indeed.” —Prof. Beatrice Heuser, University of Reading ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-02-01,E. Ike Udogu and A. B. Zack-Williams,"African Mosaic: Political, Social, Economic and Technological Development in the New Millennium",Paperback,978-1-4438-0184-3,39.99,"African Mosaic is essential reading for all students of Africa, its people, society and future. Zack-Williams and Udogu bring together an invaluable collection of essays by both Africans and non-Africans dealing with some of the most pressing issues facing Africa in the new millennium. These include: • Development and the Democratisation Process • Human Rights and Ethnicity • Corruption • Education Policy • Health Systems • Gender and Migration • Information Communication and Technology The volume is equally suitable for undergraduates and postgraduates, as well as policy makers and NGO workers specialising in political science, development, sociology, history, anthropology, education and technology. ","“African Mosaic: Political, Social, Economic and Technological Development in the New Millennium has been put together by very seasoned Africanist-cum-general scholars in the disciplines of social sciences, business, humanities as well as in information and communication technologies. This useful book provides a very rich compendium of essays intended to address and, indeed, solve some of the pressing problems in the areas of democracy, human rights, healthcare, education, corruption and communications. The publication, superbly edited by two excellent scholars, should be both timely and helpful to policy-makers as well as political leaders of Africa, especially as they are determined through the instrumentality of the African Union and its various organs to tackle the above issues in order to make the continent more relevant in this eon of the new globalization.” —Y. M. Alex-Assensoh and A. B. Assensoh, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA and A.B. Assensoh, Ph.D., Professor, Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies (AAADS), Indiana University-Blooming-ton, Indiana, USA. (The Assensohs are also Co-Book Review Editors of AFRICAN & ASIAN STUDIES Journal of Leiden, The Netherlands. ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-02-01,Tanja Dreher and Christina Ho,"Beyond the Hijab Debates: New Conversations on Gender, Race and Religion",Hardback,978-1-4438-0169-0,39.99,"Headscarves in schools. Ethnic gang rapists. Domestic violence in Indigenous communities. Polygamy. Sharia law. It seems that in public debates around the world, concerns about marginalised communities often revolve around issues of gender and women’s rights. Yet all too often, discussions about complex matters are reduced to simplistic debates such as “hijab: to ban or not to ban?” or “Muslim women: oppressed or liberated?”. This collection provides a space for in-depth analyses on the politics of gender, race and religion. As well as critical reflections on images and experiences of Muslim women, chapters also explore the relationships between gender, violence and protection, and offer innovative possibilities for intellectual and practical understandings at the intersection of gender, race and religion. Essential reading for scholars and students of gender and women’s studies, cultural studies, racial and ethnic studies, religious studies and an educated public interested in understanding the challenges and possibilities of tackling both racism and the oppression of women. ","“Tanja Dreher and Christina Ho have intelligently and sensitively opened up a space for a number of authors who call on readers to develop a complex, but at the same time, simply human, appreciation of the intricate negotiations that Muslim women have to engage in to preserve the viability of their lives in a terrain rife with contradictions.” – Ghassan Hage, author of White Nation: Fantasies of White Supremacy in a Multicultural Society and Against Paranoid Nationalism: Searching for Hope in a Shrinking Society ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-02-01,"Upendra Chidella, Parameshwar Rama Bhat and Vikram Singh Sirola",In Defense of Liberal-Pluralism,Hardback,978-1-4438-0148-5,44.99,"The book takes a critical view of the Kantian and the Neo-Kantian moral philosophers’ preference to universalism, unity of morality, moral impartiality, consensus and common morality. The central claim of the book is if we treat human condition as complex and infested with irreducible choices and alternatives, then moral rightness and wrongness ought to operate beyond these binaries; giving epistemic status to Pluralism’s multiple rationalities. Redefining liberal-pluralism, the book also argues that moral reasoning is necessarily bound by paradoxes and contradictions, seen in our choices of life-projects, in the conflict between individual morality and common morality, and in justifying what is morally reasonable in the interpersonal framework. Equivocation in moral argumentation cannot be valued without understanding the nature of the ‘interpersonal’ that ought to sufficiently argue for moral disagreement, irreducible pluralism and limits of morality. Liberal-pluralism, thus, signifies quasi-relational (partially admitting Gilbert Harman) nature of moral reasoning in the multi-agent framework. It also takes account of reciprocity, fairness, reasonableness, tolerance, open-ended morality and agreeing to disagree. However, this idea of liberal-pluralism no way undermines rationality and reason nor turns anti-theory; but only treats morality as guided by ‘reason without unification’ and ‘pluralism without relativism’. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-02-01,Rila Mukherjee and M. N. Rajesh,"Locality, History, Memory: The Making of the Citizen in South Asia",Paperback,978-1-4438-0188-1,39.99,"Locality, History, Memory: The Making of the Citizen in South Asia was born out of the need to interrogate the tropes through which place, history and memory underpin notions of citizenship in present Southasia. Time as both time present and time past is framed here in two settings: as privileging both place (material or ideological site) and space. The latter refers to religion, oppression, marginalization and/or dalitisation. Time transcends both site/location and actual physical boundaries. Locality or location is therefore envisioned in terms of both actual place as well as a gateway to a larger space, in terms of a situation where historical memory negotiates the increasingly complex present. Agency and contingency therefore assume a critical importance here. Citizenship, far from being a discrete entity, is found to be multidimensional: it refers to formal status and the legal status of nationality and citizenship authenticated in the passport, but it also refers to rights and privileges; identity and solidarity, religious beliefs and a sense of belonging. Moving away from the role of the state, which has been at the centre of all inquiries on citizenship, we ask here the following questions in Locality, History, Memory: How does our history enforce or dilute the notion of the citizen? How far does memory strengthen or weaken it? What role does features not normally associated with citizenship such as access to natural resources, or ritual, faith and religion play in reinforcing such a status? History in the end is written by the historian and it was easy to map the changing methodologies used by the historians to essay the past but this is becoming increasingly difficult now. Another twist is the shift to hypertext at a popular level echoing what the late E H Carr had once called ‘bringing more and more people into history’. These so called alternative histories or people’s histories are becoming more and more popular because of the point at which we are located in time. Moreover, devices afforded by the new media enable these alternative histories to have an immediacy that the conventional historical format lacked. The collapse of state control over the new media has led to the resurgence of many archaic voices unimaginable just a decade ago. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-02-01,Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela and Chris Van Der Merwe,"Memory, Narrative and Forgiveness: Perspectives on the Unfinished Journeys of the Past",Hardback,978-1-4438-0158-4,49.99,"The United Nations’ declaration of 2009 as the International Year of Reconciliation is testimony to the growing use of historical commissions as instruments of reconciliation in post-conflict societies. Since the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has had a profound impact on international efforts to deal with the aftermath of mass violence and societal conflict, this is an appropriate time for scholars to debate and reflect on the work of the TRC and the wide-ranging scholarship it has inspired across disciplines. With a foreword by Harvard Law Professor Martha Minow, Memory, Narrative, and Forgiveness: Perspectives on the Unfinished Journeys of the Past offers readers a front-row seat where a team of scholars draw on both theoretical analysis and case studies from around the world to explore the themes of memory, narrative, forgiveness and apology, and how these themes often interact in either mutually supportive or unsettling ways. The book is a vibrant discussion by scholars in philosophy, psychology, psychoanalytic theory, history, literary theory, and Holocaust studies. The authors explore the complex, interconnected issues of trauma and narrative (testimonial and literary narrative and theatre as narrative), mourning and the potential of forgiveness to heal the enduring effects of mass trauma, and transgenerational trauma-memory as a basis for dialogue and reconciliation in divided societies. The authors go well beyond the South African TRC and address a wide range of historical events to explore the possibilities and the challenges that lie on the path of reconciliation and forgiveness between victims, perpetrators, and bystanders in societies with a history of violent conflict and unspeakable injustice. The book provides readers with a cohesive, theoretically well-grounded analysis of the impact of traumatic memories in the personal and communal lives of survivors of trauma. It explores how narrative may be creatively applied in processes of healing trauma, and how public testimony can often restore the moral balance of societies ravaged by trauma. The book deepens understanding of the ways in which lessons from the TRC might be developed and both usefully and cautiously applied in other post-conflict situations. ","""This is a very important and timely book for everyone concerned with a holistic approach to justice and peace. The significance of memory, truth recovery, and forgiveness cannot be underestimated. This book of essays promises to stimulate a very necessary interdisciplinary debate concerning trauma, apologies and healing."" —Alex Boraine, Chairperson and founder of the International Centre for Transitional Justice, author of A Country Unmasked: Inside South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Oxford, 2001). “Although volumes have been written about South Africa’s truth and reconciliation process, high-quality, analytical work has been relatively sparse. Until now! In breadth, depth, and generality, Memory, Narrative and Forgiveness is an unparalleled collection of research papers. This is not a book about South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission; nor even about South Africa itself. Rather, the various chapters explore and analyze fundamental processes of memory, healing, forgiveness, and memorialization of the past. This volume is an extraordinarily useful contribution to our understanding of truth and reconciliation throughout the world.” —James Gibson, is the Sidney W. Souers Professor of Government in the Department of Political Science at Washington University. He is the author of Overcoming Apartheid: Can Truth Reconcile A Divided Nation? (Russell Sage, 2004). ""This excellent collection of essays provides us with thoughtful distinctions between forgiveness and apology, atonement and moral repair, and reconciliation and social reconstruction. These distinctions themselves add nuance to what has become a growing and essential debate about how societies that have been torn apart by horrendous, violent conflict, can collectively engage in the process of healing and reconstruction. The essays engage the growing terrain of trauma theory …. The authors, however, not only look at social institutions but also at representations in art and literature, which enhances the rich quality of the text. Moreover, several of the authors, writing about reconciliation in post colonies, particularly in Africa, address the need to develop African ethical ideals, such as Ubuntu, as crucially important in the growing literature on transitional justice. This book will be a much-welcomed text in departments ranging from sociology, anthropology, law and comparative literature. "" —Drucilla Cornell is the Chair of Customary Law, Indigenous Values and Dignity Jurisprudence and co-director of the uBuntu Project at the University of Cape Town's Law Faculty. ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-02-01,Rachel Hutchins-Viroux and Jeremy Tranmer,Nationalism in the English-Speaking World,Hardback,978-1-4438-0149-2,34.99,"A great deal has been written in recent years about nationalism. Yet scholars remain sharply divided as to a coherent theoretical model of this phenomenon and many have called for further empirical research. This volume pursues this line of inquiry, examining a variety of geographical contexts within the English-speaking world, including Australia, Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States at different historical periods. These interdisciplinary studies combine elements of sociology, political science, history, literature, and cultural studies. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-02-01,María Amelia Viteri and Aaron Tobler,Shifting Positionalities: The Local and International Geo-Politics of Surveillance and Policing,Hardback,978-1-4438-0186-7,39.99,"The local-level and international contributors of Shifting Positionalities encompass particular common themes through in-depth social science research in an effort to understand the meanings of the reformulation of state discourses and practices in this post-9/11 era. Current conjunctions between sexual, racial and ethnic identities—and the surveillance practices of those identities—calls for a thorough examination of the multiple and usually unexpected meaning-making practices adapted by individuals. Far from being predictable, the latter speaks to the possibility of individuals and communities utilizing techniques of actively resisting—as opposed to passively embracing—the policing of their daily lives. Shifting Positionalities: The Local and International Geo-Politics of Surveillance and Policing addresses surveillance and policing as practices and sites that speak to the various ways in which bio-power, displacement and resistance converge to constitute particular subjectivities across borders. ","""Thank you very much for the opportunity to read and comment on your terrific book. Below you will find my reactions. The book is a terrific achievement and a wonderful contribution to resisting the dangerous expansion of surveillance and policing in all our lives. In the post-September 11, 2001 world, surveillance and policing have become pervasive, and yet mostly unexamined, parts of our lives—from ubiquitous security cameras and exhaustive airport searches to unprecedented levels of government wiretapping and surveillance of phone and web communications to the monitoring of library and financial records to the expansion of corporate surveillance of individual internet usage to the targeting of ethnic and religious minorities by police forces for observation, disappearance, and detention. Shifting Positionalities makes a critical contribution to documenting and understanding how these and other forms of surveillance and policing are shaping and damaging our lives and our society. Beyond the more obvious restriction of freedoms and rights, Viteri and Tobler’s diverse collection of essays insightfully shows how practices of surveillance and policing are subtly influencing our thoughts about ourselves and others, reshaping ethnic, racial, gender, sexual, and national identities, deepening state and corporate control over our bodies, and contributing to the further marginalization and demonization of Muslims, Arabs, and others deemed to be “terrorist” threats. Encouragingly, Shifting Positionalities also reveals how the expansion of surveillance and policing has led to the invention of surprising forms of resistance to these forms of dangerous social control. Given the threat that surveillance and policing pose to basic democratic and human rights, Shifting Positionalities strikes an important blow against a new and increasingly insidious Big Brother."" - David Vine, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, American University, Washington, DC Author of the book ""Island of Shame: The secret history of the US Military Base on Diego Garcia"" by Princeton. ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-02-01,Irma Sulkunen and Seija-Leena Nevala-Nurmi and Pirjo Markkola,"Suffrage, Gender and Citizenship – International Perspectives on Parliamentary Reforms",Hardback,978-1-4438-0162-1,49.99,"In 2006 Finland celebrated the centenary of universal and equal suffrage. The reform in 1906 was radical: women gained the right to vote and to stand as candidates in parliamentary elections. The new rights were immediately used and 19 women were elected to the Parliament. Finland was the third country, after New Zealand and Australia, in which women were admitted to full political citizenship. Norwegian women were also granted political rights before WWI. This publication studies suffrage, citizenship and parliamentary reforms in various socio-political contexts. It brings together new research from a wide range of scholars and disciplines. In addition to pioneers, attention is given to Austria, Britain, Canada, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovenia, among others. By highlighting national differences, the collection strives to disperse the universalising trend of research. The chapters suggest that the age of suffrage narratives based on a view of universal emancipation is over; more significant are deconstructive approaches and analyses embedded in local factors. From an international perspective, the realisation of female suffrage was a long and multi-faceted process taking different forms. The issue of women’s civil rights is certainly not a matter of the past. Internationally, suffrage, gender and citizenship are highly topical issues, as indicated in this collection. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-03-01,"Gloria Álvarez-Benito, Gabriela Fernández-Díaz and Isabel Mª Íñigo-Mora",Discourse and Politics,Hardback,978-1-4438-0334-2,39.99,"Drawing on political discourse from a wide rage of settings and perspectives, this book is set to provide a descriptive and analytical tool for examining political discourse and will be welcomed by anyone interested in discourse analysis in general, and in political discourse in particular. Topics covered in this book include the study of political discourse styles, the use of rhetorical strategies (vocabulary, metaphors, quotations, parentheticals, etc.), the relation between political discourse and society (legitimization, the private-public interface, identities), role of gestures in relation to speech, methods for analysing political discourse, and how to build and exploit a political language corpus. ","""This book departs from the premise that the analysis of political discourse is an interdisciplinary field covering linguistics, communication studies, psychology, sociology, anthropology and other disciplines. Such a view provides a multilateral presentation of relationship between politics and discourse in different countries both in verbal and non-verbal modes of interaction. The interdisciplinary scope or research is widened by the synthesis of theoretical frameworks and practical application. Being the insightful volume of papers evolving our understanding of political discourse, the book ""Discourse and Politics” is recommended both for specialists and for a wide range of audiences."" - Edward Budaev, PhD, Editor of the journal Political Linguistics “The book “Discourse and Politics” is an edited volume of chapters, based on papers presented at the conference in Seville. The chapters focus on political discourse strategies, on verbal and nonverbal elements in political interaction, and on methods of analysis. This timely volume on political discourse brings together many different approaches and perspectives from many different countries; as such, it is highly to be recommended.” - Peter Bull, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of York, UK. ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-03-01,"Graeme Watson, Barbara Gabriella Renzi, Elisabetta Viggiani and Máiréad Collins",Friends and Foes Volume II: Friendship and Conflict from Social and Political Perspectives,Hardback,978-1-4438-0333-5,34.99,"The product of an international, multi-disciplinary conference at Queen’s University Belfast, the two-volume Friends and Foes series offers an illuminating investigation of the relationship between friendship and conflict by established and emerging scholars. This second volume explores the topic from political, sociological and psychological perspectives. Many of these essays examine what types of friendships are forged, and how, in contexts of potential, or actual, social and political conflict, such as in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Others focus on how situations of conflict can be transformed into friendship, using insights from psychology, philosophy, history and anthropology. The papers in this volume will appeal to sociologists, political scientists, and all those concerned with themes of conflict resolution, identity, social capital, community-building and well-being. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-03-01,"Peter H. Hare, Michel Weber, J.K. Swindler, Oana-Maria Pastae and Cerasel Cuteanu",International Perspectives on Pragmatism,Hardback,978-1-4438-0194-2,39.99,"International Perspectives on Pragmatism combines, in a very appealing manner, a pragmatist approach of democracy with practical politics and history of ideas. The result is a meditation on contemporary society, while in the background there is a continuous debate on the concept of democracy, as defining mark of Western culture. Both its critics and its supporters talk about a decay of democracy, which would not justify an idealist perspective anymore. Arguments for this transpire from both the practical politics section of the volume, as well as from the second part that focuses more on the theoretical side of the discussion on democracy. On a more practical direction, there are contributors maintaining the idea that democracy is corrupt (and examples from today’s world are offered), while the theoretical perspective brings up the Rortian view, manifested through the well-known debate between the foundationalist and the anti-foundationalist perspectives. There’s also a very interesting debate on community and art, from a pragmatist point of view, which offers the volume a special serenity. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-04-01,Sam Binkley and Jorge Capetillo,"A Foucault for the 21st Century: Governmentality, Biopolitics and Discipline in the New Millennium",Hardback,978-1-4438-0444-8,44.99,"How relevant is Foucault’s social thought to the world we inhabit today? This collection comprises several essays considering the contemporary relevance of the work of Michel Foucault. While Foucault is best remembered for his historical inquiries into the origins of “disciplinary” society in a period extending from the 16th to the 19th centuries, it seems that today, under the conditions of global modernity, the relevance of his ideas are called into question. With the increasing ubiquity of markets, the break up of centralized states and the dissolution of national boundaries, together with new scientific and political discourses on biological life, the world of today seems far removed from the bounded, disciplinary societies Foucault described in his most famous books. Yet in recent years, it has become apparent that Foucault’s thoughts on modern society have not been exhausted, and, indeed, that much remains to be explored. Within this volume, novel interpretations and thematic developments of key Foucauldian concepts are presented in the works of 24 authors. Prominent among them are new forms of neoliberal economic conduct framed by distinct governmentalities; new critical concepts of biological life reflected in Foucault’s analysis of biopower, and new theoretical treatments of the effects of subjectivation. Moreover, included among these theoretical departures are empirical studies of contemporary formations of religion and spiritual practice, consumerism, race and racism, the discourse of genetics and the life sciences, surveillance and incarceration, and new social movements. Drawn from a conference held at the University of Massachusetts, Boston bearing the same title, A Foucault for the 21st Century: Governnentality, Biopolitics and Discipline in the New Millennium both expands our understanding of Foucault’s central theoretical legacy, and applies his ideas to a range of contemporary empirical phenomena. ","""...the editors have provided a broad cross-section of essays that take Foucault's ideas in interesting directions"" P. Taylor Trussell, Independent Scholar in Foucault Studies, No. 8 Feb 2010 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-04-01,Deniz Bayrakdar Assistant Editors: Aslı Kotaman and Ahu Samav Uğursoy ,Cinema and Politics: Turkish Cinema and The New Europe,Hardback,978-1-4438-0343-4,44.99,"This volume presents varied approaches concerning the relation between cinema and politics which focus on policies, eras, countries, mainstream and art cinema productions, transnational examples, changing narratives and identities.  Both cinema and politics have actors and directors for their scenes, and in this sense their discourses intermingle. The performances of the “actors/actresses” in both arenas attract particular attention. The actors, directors, and producers with ‘hyphenated/creolised/hybrid identities’ such as German-Turks, directors of Balkan cinema, or Italian filmmakers of Turkish origin give a wide and refreshing perspective to the discussion of Europe in the media. What these ‘mediated identities’ represent goes beyond the limits of the old Europe, towards the different sensitivity of the New Europe. Scholars and advanced students of Film Studies, European Studies, Identity Politics, Migration / Emigration and Gender Studies will find this volume of integral importance to their work. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-04-01,"Iñaki Garcia-Blanco, Sofie Van Bauwel and Bart Cammaerts","Media Agoras: Democracy, Diversity, and Communication",Hardback,978-1-4438-0348-9,39.99,"Media Agoras: Democracy, Diversity, and Communication is a collection of essays presenting some of the most up-to-date perspectives on the study of the role media play in the construction of a more inclusive and respectful society. From theoretical debates on the role played by media in fostering participatory practices in the public sphere to more empirically based analyses of the media policy, production, content, and reception in relation to democratic possiblities and diversity, this book presents a critical overview of such crucial debates in contemporary European societies. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-04-01,Bruce Drushel and Kathleen German,Queer Identities / Political Realities,Hardback,978-1-4438-0447-9,39.99,"Queer Identities/Political Realities examines the intersection of political leadership, media coverage, and sexual identity with particular emphasis on the negotiation of meaning between public behavior and private behavior in the United States. Centering on cases that illuminate key issues, each chapter questions assumptions about media coverage and extends current theoretical understanding. Each chapter focuses on a specific case within the broader conceptual fabric of queer theory, media theory, or rhetorical criticism. Varied methodological approaches allow us to gauge public discourse of multifaceted controversies that involve same sex behavior. History reveals frequent occasions when private sexual behaviors surface to attract public interest. While the prejudices and discrimination against same-sex partnerships, whether casual or permanent, remain entrenched in United States culture, there have been occasions when the public discussion is riveted on instances. This book argues that public interest changes when the partners in such relationships are of the same sex. The extraordinary public prejudice against same sex unions and public censure has been well documented in other research reports and continues to receive attention in other scholarly publications. This book will examine the unique intersection of political leadership, media coverage, and same-sex behavior. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-04-01,"Andrekos Varnava, Nicholas Coureas and Marina Elia",The Minorities of Cyprus: Development Patterns and the Identity of the Internal-Exclusion,Hardback,978-1-4438-0052-5,39.99,"This book examines the various minorities living in the island of Cyprus from the early modern (late Venetian and early Ottoman) period down to the present day. It charts their history, with special emphasis on their relations with the powers ruling Cyprus and with the two dominant Christian-Greek and Muslim-Turkish communities. The theme running through the book is that despite being significant members of Cyprus’ society, the three historical minorities (Maronites, Armenians and Latins) were only included in society to a certain extent by the two major communities. This was formalised in the post-independence (1960) period when they were compelled to become members of either dominant community and thus they suffered ‘internal exclusion’ by being regarded as religious sub-groups of one of the two dominant communities rather than national minorities in their own right. Within this general context, the social, legal and political roles, customs, culture and language of the various minorities are examined as they evolved through time and in response to internal and external developments affecting Cyprus in the political, economic and global spheres. They are discussed not as static entities, but as evolving groups that have adapted with greater or lesser degrees of success to the radical and at times painful changes Cyprus has undergone, especially over the last 150 years, in all walks of life. Finally, the question of what the future holds for the minorities of the island in the light of Cyprus’ EU membership and the prospect of reunification are also analysed. This book is a product of the conference “Minorities of Cyprus: Past, Present and Future”, which was held on 24 and 25 November 2007 at the European University Cyprus. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-04-01,Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani,The Public Sphere and Media Politics in Malaysia,Hardback,978-1-4438-0360-1,39.99,"This book analyses Malaysian media from the Jurgen Habermas’ perspectives of “the public sphere” especially from the aspects of bourgeois public sphere, mass press, the commercialisation of the press and refeudalisation. Malaysia has also faced all of those aspects. However, the highlight of this book is the process called defeudalisation. The 2008 General Election has shown that a new public sphere of cyberspace or the Internet and the mobile phone was accessed and utilised significantly and was enough to be used by the opposition in influencing the public to vote them. It became one of the major factors in determining the result of the election which is for the first time the opposition denying the ruling government a two third majority in the parliament and taking control or governing of five states. This new and influential public sphere in Malaysia has reversed the Habermas’ argument of refeudalisation to a process called “Defeudalisation”. However, in creating a civil public sphere for the people to deliberate views, this book also argues that Malaysia needs a responsible media or freedom of the press with social responsibility. This book urges Malaysia to accept the idea or theory of social responsibility and the concept of public journalism in the public sphere. This book is suitable for all interested–politicians, journalists, academia, and students of politics, media studies, laws and Malaysian studies–in the issues of media politics, free press and the role of media in Malaysian society as well as those interested in civil liberties, democratisation, political theory, media theory, law and Malaysian studies. ","Azizuddin Sani has written a vitally important book on the interactions among media ownership, political bias, and public debate in Malaysia. His emphasis on the impact of the changing nature of mass media on the public sphere brings together a careful inventory of print and online publications with an assessment of government regulation and its technological limits, all measured against a strong theory of the need for vigorous public debate. This book is a major contribution to the study of politics, public policy, and applied political theory in Malaysia. —Donald L. Horowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Law and Political Science, Duke University, US In this bold and original work Azizuddin Sani uses Jurgen Habermas’s idea of the public sphere to develop his conception of “defeudalisation” as a tool for analysing the changing political role of the Malaysian media. In particular, he explores the development and impact of new communication technologies in the context of the 2008 election. This book should be of interest to all students, scholars and members of the educated public concerned with democracy in Malaysia. —John Horton, Professor of Politics, Keele University, UK ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-05-01,Magda Czigány,"""Just Like Other Students"": Reception of the 1956 Hungarian Refugee Students in Britain",Hardback,978-1-4438-0525-4,39.99,"Based on extensive archival research and in-depth interviews with former refugee students, the author has painted a detailed picture of how and why the students came to Britain after the failure of the 1956 revolution. She chronicles their studies and achievements and their attempts to adapt to British society and recalls the extraordinary welcome extended to them by British higher educational institutions as well as the magnanimous response by the people of Britain to the appeal to raise funds to cover the cost of their education. The British people, feeling guilty that the Suez crisis had prevented the British government from being able to help Hungary in face of Soviet aggression, readily offered whatever they could to help the refugees pouring into Britain. The Lord Mayor of London’s Appeal Fund was set up within a week of the Russian tanks rolling into Budapest. It had the then unprecedented sum of two million pounds as its target, which was collected, mainly from small individual donations, by the first week of January 1957. The universities immediately began to organize the selection and transfer of refugee students from the Austrian camps to Britain, to interview them, allocate places for them and set up the necessary English language classes. Nearly one thousand potential students were interviewed, five hundred of whom were placed in higher educational institution all over the country. Well over the half of these students obtained degrees, and an unusually high proportion went on to gain higher degrees. ","“Magda Czigány’s book is the story of many Hungarian students who fled Hungary and who went to Britain at the time of the 1956 uprising. The book covers the reasons why the students left, the financial and other help that they received, their journey – in winter, and often in harsh conditions – to the UK, and their experiences in the UK educational system. It deals with their slow but thorough integration into British way of life, and how many of them stayed on in Britain to work. Ms Czigány’s book is not just the outcome of many hours of patient and dedicated research, it is also the outcome of her personal experiences at a time of individual and national trauma – as she herself was one of the students who sought refuge in Britain. I commend it to a wide readership.” - John Nichols, H.M. Ambassador to Hungary, both for the Hungarian and English edition of the book: ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-05-01,Magda Czigány,"""Just Like Other Students"": Reception of the 1956 Hungarian Refugee Students in Britain",Paperback,978-1-4438-0550-6,19.99,"Based on extensive archival research and in-depth interviews with former refugee students, the author has painted a detailed picture of how and why the students came to Britain after the failure of the 1956 revolution. She chronicles their studies and achievements and their attempts to adapt to British society and recalls the extraordinary welcome extended to them by British higher educational institutions as well as the magnanimous response by the people of Britain to the appeal to raise funds to cover the cost of their education. The British people, feeling guilty that the Suez crisis had prevented the British government from being able to help Hungary in face of Soviet aggression, readily offered whatever they could to help the refugees pouring into Britain. The Lord Mayor of London’s Appeal Fund was set up within a week of the Russian tanks rolling into Budapest. It had the then unprecedented sum of two million pounds as its target, which was collected, mainly from small individual donations, by the first week of January 1957. The universities immediately began to organize the selection and transfer of refugee students from the Austrian camps to Britain, to interview them, allocate places for them and set up the necessary English language classes. Nearly one thousand potential students were interviewed, five hundred of whom were placed in higher educational institution all over the country. Well over the half of these students obtained degrees, and an unusually high proportion went on to gain higher degrees. ","“Magda Czigany’s book is the story of many Hungarian students who fled Hungary and who went to Britain at the time of the 1956 uprising. The book covers the reasons why the students left, the financial and other help that they received, their journey – in winter, and often in harsh conditions – to the UK, and their experiences in the UK educational system. It deals with their slow but thorough integration into British way of life, and how many of them stayed on in Britain to work. Ms Czigany’s book is not just the outcome of many hours of patient and dedicated research, it is also the outcome of her personal experiences at a time of individual and national trauma – as she herself was one of the students who sought refuge in Britain. I commend it to a wide readership.” - John Nichols, H.M. Ambassador to Hungary, both for the Hungarian and a potential English edition of the book: ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-05-01,Justin Holt,"Karl Marx’s Philosophy of Nature, Action and Society: A New Analysis",Hardback,978-1-4438-0551-3,34.99,"This work analyses Marx's philosophy of nature and shows how it is the basis for his practical philosophy. Previous analysis of Marx's philosophy of nature has considered humans as only natural beings and social beings. But, Marx analyzed humans' relationship to the natural world and to themselves as natural, social, and material. This material feature of human action can server as a basis for social critique and as the foundation for a practical analysis. The first chapter of this book analyzes Marx's philosophy of nature from his early to late works and argues that humans are natural begins that use nature to develop new capacities. This consideration is central in Marx's critiques of Hegel and Feuerbach. The second chapter discusses Marx's material critique of social forms and discusses why the distinction between material action and social action is a key component of Marx critique of capitalism. This chapter also discusses industrial history, ideology, wages, justice, and valorization. The third and final chapter builds on Marx's materialist analysis to develop a standard of practical action that takes human's material activity as its basis. This chapter also discusses classical historical materialist claims, liberal ethical theories, and a practical philosophic consideration of socialism. ","""I think justin has produced a powerful and compelling new interpretation of Marx's materialism that is closely related to political action. I recommend the book most warmly and without reservation."" - Simon Critchley, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, New School for Social Research, New York City ""In his book, Justin Holt considers the understanding of nature in Marx and establishes a materialist standard for practical action as a universal realization of human project. Holt managed to produce a truly original interpretation of Marx's account of nature, which is a timely enterprise at the moment where we are overusing our natural resources and face a possibility of a global environmental catastrophe."" - Dmitri Nikulin, Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science, New School for Social Research, New York ""...a powerful and thought provoking philosophical defense of communism as a viable and necessary alternative, vouching for far greater, but not unlimited, enhancement of the collective and the individual"". Ishay Landa, Israeli Open University in Marx and Philosophy Review of Books, 24 March 2010 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-05-01,"Olivier Coquelin, Patrick Galliou and Thierry Robin",Political Ideology in Ireland: From the Enlightenment to the Present,Hardback,978-1-4438-0528-5,44.99,"First delivered as part of an international conference held at Brest University in November 2007—under the aegis of the Centre de Recherche Bretonne et Celtique (CRBC)—, this collection of essays essentially aims at interrogating history in order to better understand the political and ideological complexity of early XXIst-century Ireland. This complexity reflects, in many respects, Ireland’s uniqueness among the Western European nations. Some of the multiple persuasions within the gamut of Irish political ideology, from the Enlightenment to the present, are thus explored from diverse angles of approach—dialectical, taxonomic, theoretical, practical, individual, collective—, and through a diverse range of disciplines—human sciences, political science, social sciences, literature, philosophy and art history—and themes—from Jonathan Swift’s rhetorical complexity to the evolution of Irish republicanism after 9/11, including the reassessment of Daniel O’Connell’s political ideology, Owenism in Ireland, Oscar Wilde’s socialistic ideology, the ideological development of the Republican and Loyalist prisoners… This unique collection of essays, far from being a static historiographical description, provides food for thought and sheds light on the fascinating ambivalent dynamics lying at the heart of the building process of a modern nation resulting from the aggregate of individual will, collective ideals and Zeitgeist. The impressive variety of issues raised by authors of diverse origins (United States, Ireland, Britain, France), including leading experts in the above-mentioned areas (Richard English, Robert Mahony, Jonathan Tonge, Kieran Allen, John Sloan, Christopher Murray, Vincent Geoghegan…), therefore, widely contributes to the fact that the present book will be intellectually stimulating and enlightening, at least as an introduction, for all the students and scholars of Irish studies and other related disciplines. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-05-01,Kathleen Starck,When the World Turned Upside-Down: Cultural Representations of Post-1989 Eastern Europe,Hardback,978-1-4438-0552-0,34.99,"This collection of essays explores post-1989 Western perceptions of Eastern Europe and how these manifest themselves in cultural representations. It starts out from findings in the academic field of “post-socialism”, claiming that “Easterners” and “Westerners” are still very much under the influence of the socialisation they underwent during the Cold War and its aftermath. As a consequence, the revolutions of 1989 and 1990 and the subsequent opportunities for exchange did not necessarily bring about a reconciliation of the different worldviews. It seems the East-West divide has not simply vanished with the collapse of socialism. The essays included in this book examine in how far the divide is mirrored in the cultural arena. They focus on portrayals of post-1989 Eastern European political and social transformations in Western poetry, fiction, travel writing, autobiography, theatre and documentaries and investigate the West’s fascination with the “Wild East” and how outsiders view or have experienced Eastern life after the iron curtain was lifted. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-06-01,Anthony D’Souza and Carmo D’Souza,Civil Law Studies: An Indian Perspective,Hardback,978-1-4438-0598-8,44.99,"The glacier of Ancient Vedic wisdom flowed down the Himalayan Kailash and watered the Hindu philosophy. The Shrutis (that which was heard) and the Smritis (that which was remembered) reflected this Vedic wisdom. Thinkers and philosophers of the time expressed their thoughts in prosaic Dharmasutras and later on in more refined poetic Dharmashastras. The Smritkars followed with their own interpretation, symbolically represented by the Code of Manu. That jurisprudence was responsible for taking the country through the Golden pages of its history. With the British dominance, India was plunged in Common Law Jurisprudence, interwoven with Hindu Philosophy. The Midnight country awoke in 1947 to an Independent democratic set up, and in 1950 was wedded to the Indian Constitutional philosophy, laid with the bricks of Common Law. With the establishment of the Supreme Court of India, the apex judicial institution in an interpretative mood carved a unique niche for Anglo- Indian Jurisprudence , amidst the Legal Systems of the World. In the twenty first century, India is on a launch pad as a new political and economical superpower. At this stage there is a need for India to familiarize with the Civil Law System, that has grip on the other half of the commercial world. Tiny pockets in Western and in Eastern India , as parts of erstwhile Portuguese or French colonial possessions had earlier experienced the Continental Jurisprudence. These pockets have the unique distinction of having run both the Common and Civil Law Systems and even simultaneously during the transition period . This experience can be a contribution to the globalizing world . Hence it is necessary to foster the study of Civil Law in India , not only from its historical past but also from its future prospects in world market. In “ Civil Law Studies: An Indian Prospective”, about two dozen scholars from the Law faculties of the Universities of India, Lisbon and Coimbra have collaborated to visualize the role for Civil Law Studies in the subcontinent . They have explored the different branches of law for comparative research such as constitutional, civil, commercial, criminal, etc. The book is intended to be a thought provoking exercise which will strengthen the Study and Research of Civil Law in India. The suggestions are meant to empower legal educators, law students , the bar and the bench in India. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-06-01,David Lockwood,Cronies or Capitalists? The Russian Bourgeoisie and the Bourgeois Revolution from 1850 to 1917,Hardback,978-1-4438-0562-9,39.99,"Why wasn’t there a successful bourgeois revolution in Russia? Was it because Russian capitalists were too servile in their relationship with the Tsarist autocracy? Or was it because Russian states (Tsarist, republican and Soviet) were just too strong? This book is a political history of the Russian capitalist class from 1850 to 1917 that seeks to answer these questions. The book covers the consistent opposition of the Russian bourgeoisie to the Tsarist autocracy up to and including the revolution of 1905. It then considers its alliance, from 1909, with ‘new state’ elements – officials, politicians, army officers and technical experts who were convinced of the possibility of reform and renovation through a radically reorganised state, cleansed of its autocratic detritus. Such a reorganisation was expected as a result of the Great War. While these ideas came to a temporary fruition in the February Revolution of 1917, they also laid the basis for a much more demanding Soviet state in October – and the destruction of the bourgeoisie itself. The book ends with a consideration of the wider implications for the concept of the bourgeois revolution-implications that stretch well beyond Russia-that are revealed by the rise and fall of the Russian bourgeoisie. ","This book is an analytical synthesis of well-known secondary and primary sources (overwhelmingly in the English language) concerning political relation between the Russian merchantry and the state in the last decades of tsarism. G.M.Hamburg Claremont McKenna College The Historian Journal ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-06-01,Alain Kerhervé,"Polite Letters: The Correspondence of Mary Delany (1700-1788) and Francis North, Lord Guilford (1704-1790)",Hardback,978-1-4438-0610-7,34.99,"Previously unedited, the letters exchanged by Mary Delany (1700-1788), one of the most prolific women in eighteenth century English correspondence, and Lord Guilford (1704-1790), the father of one of England's most famous Prime Ministers, Lord North, provide new material on eighteenth-century England. The letters are a source of information about life at Court, since Lord Guilford was governor to Princes George and Edward, King George III's intimate friend and Queen Charlotte's treasurer, while Mary Delany was offered a lodging at Court where she resided from 1785 to her death. Everyday concerns are associated with such exceptional events as the Gordon riots or the assassination attempt on King George III. The letters also bear testimony to the epistolary context of the period: the manuscripts are examined and commented upon, the structure of the letters examined, the originality of the style questioned. Morover, the correspondence between a man and a woman permits to question the contact between the public and private spheres in the second half of the eighteenth century. The whole constitutes a valuable source for further historical, biographical or literary study. In the footnotes, the names of the people and places mentioned are sorted out, and various connections established to the writing and historical context. Quick navigation through the letters is made possible by two indices. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-06-01,Muna Ndulo and Margaret Grieco,"Power, Gender and Social Change in Africa",Hardback,978-1-4438-0582-7,44.99,"Gender plays a hugely significant and too often under-considered role in predicting how accessible resources such as education, wage-based employment, physical and mental health care, adequate nutrition and housing will be to an individual or community. According to a 2001 World Bank report titled Engendering Development—Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice, enormous disparities exist between men and women in terms of basic rights and the power to determine the future, both in Africa and around the globe. A better understanding of the links between gender, public policy and development outcomes would allow for more effective policy formulation and implementation at many levels. This book, through its discussion of the challenges, achievements and lessons learned in efforts to attain gender equality, sheds light on these important issues. The book contains chapters from an interdisciplinary group of scholars, including sociologists, economists, political scientists, scholars of law, anthropologists, historians and others. The work includes analysis of strategic gender initiatives, case studies, research, and policies as well as conceptual and theoretical pieces. With its format of ideas, resources and recorded experiences as well as theoretical models and best practices, the book is an important contribution to academic and political discourse on the intricate links between gender, power, and social change in Africa and around the world. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-06-01,N. J. Kurian and Jacob John,Sub-national Fiscal Sustainability in a Globalised Setting,Hardback,978-1-4438-0611-4,39.99,"This collection of papers addresses the issues of fiscal federalism, centre-state relations, fiscal decentralization, unconventional methods of resource mobilization for filling the huge gap in infrastructure financing and strategies for achieving fiscal sustainability at the national and sub-national level in the globalized setting. Though a number of articles are in the context of Kerala, the overarching fiscal problems of sub-national governments are common to all. It contains detailed and in-depth analysis by eminent scholars and seasoned economic administrators, based on empirical and theoretical studies. Six decades of federal fiscal arrangement in India has resulted in centralization of fiscal powers, increase in regional imbalances and increased vertical and horizontal imbalances. Central and state government finances came under great stress during the last decade, and the situation continued in the early years of the current decade on account of a variety of reasons. The five-year period since 2003-04, however, saw significant fiscal correction and consolidation at the central and state levels. The still-unfolding implications of the global financial and economic crisis on the union and state finances are going to be severe. Both the centre and the states may take years before the targets of deficits set for March 2009 under fiscal responsibility legislations could be realized. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-06-01,"Enric Castelló, Alexander Dhoest and Hugh O’Donnell",The Nation on Screen: Discourses of the National on Global Television,Hardback,978-1-4438-0614-5,44.99,"“But we can still rise now”, runs a line of Scotland’s unofficial national anthem Flower of Scotland, “and be the nation again” who defeated the English King Edward II in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn. These short lines tell us much about the concept of the nation. Firstly, the pronoun of the nation is “we”. Secondly, nationhood remains aspirational for some, while it is entirely taken-for-granted for others. Thirdly, nations often trace their origins back to an implausibly dim and distant past. Finally, it points to the fundamentally discursive nature of the nation: the nation appears not as something which simply is, but as something which can be, called into existence through talk, official documents, official and unofficial national anthems, ceremonies and parades, monuments and statuary, press coverage and, increasingly, television. This book, which arose out of a conference held in Tarragona in 2007, focuses on the complex discourses of the nation to be found in the television systems of twelve different countries, examining how these circulate in fiction, in news and documentary (including re-enactment formats), and in entertainment programmes, adverts and the coverage of large-scale sporting events. The nation which emerges is everywhere and nowhere, talked about endlessly but never finally grasped, repeatedly staged and re-enacted but lacking a foundational script. In short, it is a site of struggle. The stakes are high, since the nation when mobilised is a force to be reckoned with, and the on-going attempts to define it are many, varied and often highly creative. This book details many such events, from the high drama of war reporting to the self-mocking irony of ten-second commercial spots. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-07-01,Lars Edgren and Magnus Olofsson,"Political Outsiders in Swedish History, 1848-1932",Hardback,978-1-4438-0976-4,34.99,"The idea of the 'Swedish model' has been a widespread and enduring concept in the social sciences since the 1930s, associated with the political dominance of the Social Democratic Party, peaceful social development and a tradition of political consensus. Taking this exceptionalism as their starting point, the essays in this volume present new research on Swedish political movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries which have been largely forgotten in history writing. The authors examine political outsiders in a double sense - both in their own time and in later historiography - and in doing so they contribute to a timely rethinking of the roots of contemporary Sweden. The volume will be of interest not only to specialists in the Nordic region, but also to readers with interests in the history of European popular politics, radical movements, collective violence and anarchism. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-07-01,Matthew C. Bronson and Tina R. Fields,So What? Now What? The Anthropology of Consciousness Responds to a World in Crisis,Hardback,978-1-4438-0977-1,44.99,"“The greatest crisis of our times in a failure of the human imagination.” -Editors The world is currently undergoing a period of unprecedented crises on virtually every front: economic, ecological, and humanitarian. It is starkly apparent that a shift is needed in our dominant structural systems – and that by addressing the collective thinking that has created and maintained these systems, scholars can do their part to catalyze such a shift. The interdisciplinary field known as the Anthropology of Consciousness offers important insights for enacting this necessary shift. This book draws on the work of a group of diverse scholars to explore what the intersection of anthropology and consciousness studies can contribute to the “public turn” within anthropology and the academy in general. Its twelve chapters span disparate geographies and disciplinary frameworks, yet cohere in their focus on common themes such as imagination, empathy, agency, dialogue, and ethics. The answers to the question “So What? Now What?” differ for a linguistic anthropologist in the South Pacific, an environmental educator in Hawai‘i, a grant-writing anthropologist serving a refugee agency in Portland, Oregon and the founder of a girls’ school in Brazil. Nevertheless, they are united in the desire to reframe the anthropology of consciousness as an “anthropology of conscience,” and this pioneering volume is the result. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-07-01,J. Ravindra Babu,Universalisation of Elementary Education: A Study of District Primary Education Programme from South India,Hardback,978-1-4438-0999-3,34.99,"The success of the primary education system has a direct bearing on the upper primary, non-formal and adult and continuing education sectors; an efficient primary education system is expected to contribute significantly to total literacy: an appropriate rise in literacy levels improves the functioning of other systems of education. Effective delivery of primary education contributes to bettering India's HDI (Human Development Index), including our standing in the Human Development Index evolved by UNDP. This volume is a study of the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) in one of the states of South India. It is a piece of policy evaluation research expected to contribute to the ongoing discussion of policy processes in primary schools. It specifically questions to what extent objectives such as access, retention, quality and equality are achieved by the implementation of the DPEP. Figures from before and after the implementation of the DPEP show a significant increase in enrolment levels in primary schools all over the state. Thus, the major impact of DPEP implementation is seen in enhanced access to primary schools. The study shows that the DPEP implementation succeeded in attaining the objective of equality. This can be observed from gender equality in dropout rates at various primary grades. The DPEP seems to have achieved only moderate success in meeting the objective of retention of students. The DPEP does not seem to have approached the quality objective very seriously. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-07-01,Vasile Boari and Sergiu Gherghina,Weighting Differences: Romanian Identity in the Wider European Context,Hardback,978-1-4438-1001-2,39.99,"Irrespective of the level of analysis, identity remains a vague concept, slippery, and insufficiently elaborated and defined. Be it individual or collective, ethnical or social, local or general, regional (e.g. the EU) or global, identity is a recurrent subject in political debates. Situated on the edge of history, anthropology, sociology, political science, and psychology it increasingly becomes a leading paradigm in the area of social sciences. Starting from the broader European perspective, this volume has a multidisciplinary approach and gathers relevant works of internationally renowned scholars who tackle questions related to the Romanian identity: Who are the Romanians? What is the essence of their identity and how has it evolved along history? What are their primary qualities and flaws? How do Romanians perceive their Europeanness and how do they assume their European condition? With no claim to unique answers, the book provides a multi-layered view of what Romanian identity means in contemporary period and how it develops in the broader European context. By challenging the common sense understanding of identity, we raise even more questions to be anasered by further research. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-08-01,"Christopher Garbowski, Jan Hudzik and Jan Kłos",Charles Taylor’s Vision of Modernity: Reconstructions and Interpretations,Hardback,978-1-4438-1128-6,39.99,"Charles Taylor is currently one the most renowned and influential contemporary philosophers. He is also widely quoted and discussed both in the social sciences and humanities. Taylor earns this attention through his remarkable capacity for presenting his conceptions in the broadest possible intellectual and cultural context. His philosophical intuition is fundamentally antinaturalistic, and tends toward developing broad syntheses without a trace of systematizing thinking, or any anarchic postmodernist methodology. His thought unites the past with the present, while culture is treated as a broad mosaic of discourses. Religion, art, science, philosophy, politics and ethics are all fields through which the Canadian philosopher deftly moves about in his search for their hidden structures and deepest sense. Taylor’s philosophical output is prodigious. Recently, as his monumental study A Secular Age (2007) indicates, he has been concentrating much of his attention on the problem of secularization.. The selection of contributions in the current volume proffer a penetrating cross section of Taylor’s thought. They are derived from a conference held in October 2008 in Lublin, Poland Although some of the articles are focused on a reconstruction of the philosopher’s concepts, most either engage in a polemic with elements of his thought or find inspiration in it for their own reflections. The contributions are grouped in four parts: 1) philosophy and the modern self; 2) the problem of secularization; 3) between liberalism and communitarianism; and 4) language, literature, and culture. ","""It needed the enthusiastic work of Polish scholars to put together an outstanding book on Charles Taylor""s vision of modernity. The contibutors of this important publication have addressed the work of Taylor from four perspectives, illuminating convincingly the message of his theory as a whole.” - Agnes Heller, Hannah Arendt Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City. “This volume contains a most skillfully composed selection of profound and insightful studies of Charles Taylor's works, written by the leading scholars of Poland - a country in which Taylor's philosophy reverberated particularly widely, engaging in an intellectually fertile interaction with the native Polish philosophical tradition, historical experience and present-day preoccupations. Offering a heretofore unexplored angle from which to perceive and interpret Taylor's ideas, this volume is bound already for that reason to enrich the ongoing world-wide philosophical concerns and debates in broadly understood humanities.” - Zygmunt Bauman, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Leeds. ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-08-01,"Jan Hartman, Jaap Nieuwstraten and Michel Reinders","Public Offices, Personal Demands: Capability in Governance in the Seventeenth-Century Dutch Republic",Hardback,978-1-4438-1012-8,39.99,"Public Offices, Personal Demands presents a novel perspective on European politics in the seventeenth-century. Its focus lies on the Dutch Republic, that surprising anomaly, often described as a miracle or enigma, admired by many during this age. This collection of essays explores one of the most fundamental questions of seventeenth-century governance: what makes a person capable for office? Contemporary viewpoints are discussed by a range of scholars from different historical disciplines. As this volume shows, debates about capability and office-holding were by no means restricted to political theorists. Scientists, citizens and merchants all discussed these matters in a similar vein. Nor was this heated discussion about who was fit govern a typically Dutch phenomenon. Because of its multifaceted and international approach, this book will appeal to both scholars and students in the fields of cultural and social history, the history of political thought, the history of early modern politics, and the history of science. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-08-01,Alexandre J. M. E. Christoyannopoulos,Religious Anarchism: New Perspectives,Hardback,978-1-4438-1132-3,44.99,"Both religion and anarchism have been increasingly politically active of late. This edited volume presents twelve chapters of fresh scholarship on diverse facets of the area where they meet: religious anarchism. The book is structured along three themes: • early Christian anarchist “pioneers,” including Pelagius, Coppe, Hungarian Nazarenes, and Dutch Christian anarchists; • Christian anarchist reflections on specific topics such as Kierkegaardian indifference, Romans 13, Dalit religious practice, and resistance to race and nation; • religious anarchism in other traditions, ranging from Wu Nengzi’s Daoism and Rexroth’s Zen Buddhism to various currents of Islam, including an original Anarca-Islamic “clinic.” This unique book therefore furthers scholarship on anarchism, on millenarian and revolutionary thinkers and movements, and on religion and politics. It is also of value to members of the wider public interested in radical politics and in the political implications of religion. And of course, it is relevant to those interested in any of the specific themes and thinkers focused on within individual chapters. In short, this book presents a range of innovative perspectives on a web of topics that, while held together by the common thread of religious anarchism, also speaks to numerous broader themes which have been increasingly prominent in the twenty-first century. ","""I am delighted to have been invited to write a letter of recommendation for Alexandre Christoyannopoulos’ edited collection Religious Anarchism: New Perspectives? Bringing together the work of international writers, both new and established scholars and practitioners, this book fills an important gap in the existing literature. Some anarchists will be familiar with the work of Leo Tolstoy and the concept of Christian anarchism, with which Tolstoy is often associated, but few will have probed this relationship or considered more broadly anarchism’s relationship to religion. In ranging beyond this more familiar territory to consider anarchism’s links to Buddhist, Daoist and Muslim thought Dr. Christoyannopoulos’s book genuinely breaks new ground. The book has a number of strengths. One is that it avoids strong preconceptions: whilst the authors challenge those who view anarchism as a necessarily secular ideology, they do not attempt to delimit anarchism’s relationship to religion. Indeed, in considering the possibilities of this relationship and the permeability of its boundaries, the authors encourage readers to reconsider their own preconceptions about both anarchism and religion and offer some new reflections on important perennial problems. Another important strength is that the authors work in variety of disciplinary fields and are thus able to bring insights from history, philosophy and political theory as well as anarchist studies, to bear on the subject. Together the essays collected here provide an outline history of some of the leading currents of religious anarchist thought and develop fresh perspectives on issues central to anarchism including resistance, struggle and counter-cultural experimentation; political detachment, ethnocentrism and community-building. In addition, by testing the intersections of anarchist and religious thought, the authors examine a range of ethical questions about the legitimate boundaries of the state and the limits of authority, the duty of obedience and the primacy of conscience in political action. In summary, this is a bold and important collection which many readers will find provocative and it deserves to get a wide readership."" - Ruth Kinna, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Loughborough University; editor of Anarchist Studies ""This work is a striking and highly original study of connections between anarchism and religion. The book springs from the same spirit that inspired Norman Cohn’s ground breaking work, The Pursuit of the Millennium: it presents a wide range of little known and unexpected sources, inspiring a fresh look at contemporary approaches to change. Each of the collected essays expands on some particular paradigm, which is proper to the specific fields of the authors, some of whom are widely recognized scholars in their discipline. The approaches are varied, being rooted in anarchist thought, theology or philosophy. Each article explores new issues in areas as diverse as Pelagian studies, Hungarian history and Islamic political theology. This collection will be of interest to activists, historians, theologians, philosophers, political scientists, sociologists, students of rhetoric and literature, and those who wish to give serious consideration to their religious beliefs. In sum, this thought-provoking book calls for a wide audience and confronts some of the burning questions of our time."" - Ronald Creagh ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-08-01,Arthur Keaveney and Louise Earnshaw-Brown,The Italians on the Land: Changing Perspectives on Republican Italy Then and Now,Hardback,978-1-4438-1129-3,34.99,"Proceedings of a conference held at the University of Kent, 11th and 12th October 2008 There has been, in recent years, a quickening of interest in the condition of Italy and state of those who lived there during the Roman republic. The diverse nature of the evidence, both historical and archaeological, has stimulated scholarly debate. New techniques and ideas are being brought to bear on old questions with interesting results. The papers in this volume, by both historians and archaeologists, are a contribution to the debate. They look at Italy and Rome from an Italian as well as from a Roman perspective. Dogmatism has been avoided in order to present different viewpoints and individual perspectives. Out of such diversity there eventually comes progress in understanding. A wide range of topics will be found scrutinised and discussed here. Issues covered include villas, the ager publicus and agriculture, Italian participation in Roman politics, Roman agricultural writers and some of the methodological problems our evidence poses. ","""It is a remarkable achievement that the book has appeared so quickly. Often conference proceedings take several years to see the light of day, thereby losing their immediacy. This volume has a particular focus on agrarian reform and law, and will be of greatest use to those interested in such matters."" Edward Herring, NUI Galway in Classics in Ireland 16, 2009. ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-08-01,Zouheir Jamoussi,The Snare in the Constitution: Defoe and Swift on Liberty,Hardback,978-1-4438-1010-4,49.99,"This comparative study of Defoe’s and Swift’s treatments of liberty embraces what seemed the most significant parts of their vast, multifaceted oeuvres, both non-fictional and fictional. Defoe’s and Swift’s positions with regard to the English constitution and liberties are assessed here through a close examination of their views on contemporary religious and political issues. Moreover, their involvement in the debates on the liberties and constitutions of Scotland and Ireland, respectively, could not be left out of this comparative approach to their treatments of liberty in the broader sense. Also of primary concern is the liberty of expression and of the press underlined (though ambiguously) by both authors as an essential precondition for any debate, political or otherwise. The antithetic relationship between “snare” and “liberty” is examined in the context of the analogy between the political constitution (the body politic) and the human constitution (the natural body) commonly drawn in early 18th century political writings, including Defoe’s and Swift’s. This analogy provides appropriate means of identifying important links within, as well as between, the two authors’ works, since both focused on “snares” in the political and human constitutions. The part of the study devoted to the “snare” in human nature mainly considers the fictional works. Much attention has been given in this regard to the contrasting ways in which both authors have dealt with those “snares” and the interaction between the human and the political constitutions. ","“Professor Jamoussi's study has many outstanding merits, not least (a rare feat) that of offering a parallel view of two among the greatest literay geniuses of the early eighteenth century centered on the theme of liberty—especially at a time when liberty was an issue at the heart of the political debate. Throughout, Zouheir Jamoussi offers a juxtaposition of Swift's and Defoe's opinions, making them ‘respond to each other’.” —Serge Soupel, Prof. (Emeritus), Sorbonne, Paris "". . . is in keeping with Jalmoussi's approach, which is to provide an inclusive and generously documented survey of his subject, reviewing interperative points from recent scholarship, rather than to impose a closely argued thesis of his own. One reads his book therefore as a well-informed and well-documented commentary which opens up ideas for further consideration, rather than a conclusive account."" Brian Tippett, Literature and History, Third series, 20/1 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-08-01,Ramdas Rupavath,Tribal Land Alienation and Political Movements: Socio-Economic Patterns from South India,Hardback,978-1-4438-1110-1,34.99,"The study focuses upon the process of land alienation going on since the colonial period, the skewed patterns of socio-economic development in the tribal area after independence and the resulting political movements in Andhra Pradesh, South India. The existing literature shows that majority of the studies on tribes in Andhra Pradesh, South India have focused upon the sociological or anthropological aspects of tribal life, their exploitation or upon the leadership, strategy and tactics of the Naxalite movements, while ignoring the basic underlying causes. The processes of land alienation, due to the entry of non-tribals, commoditization of land, introduction of cash crops etc., which began under the feudal and oppressive Nizam State in Andhra Pradesh, South India. Further, our book tries to look at the policies of the colonial state that has been examined in detail and provide a background to the post colonial situation. It also shows that after independence, the land transfer regulation act, and the various developmental programmes introduced into the tribal area, has not yielded significant results. A detailed survey reveals that landlessness, unemployment, poverty and increasing social alienation from hostility towards non-tribals is increasing in these regions. It is these factors that underlie them often violent political movement in the pre and post independence movement which have been described in detail in our book. The study concludes that unless tribal lands and economy are protected, and a pattern of development better suited to their way of life is introduced, tribal oppression and movements keep on arises further in any backward regions. Our book hopes to fill this gap by establishing inter-linkages in socio-economic conditions of the tribal population of Andhra Pradesh, South India. Our book is interdisciplinary in nature and shall be useful to scholars and students of Political Economy, Political Science, Rural Development, Public Administration, Anthropology, Sociology, Gender Studies and Development. It is widely applicable to all sections of the marginalized socially, economically, culturally, academically, politically and other wise. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-09-01,Ulrike Brisson and Bernard Schweizer,Not So Innocent Abroad: The Politics of Travel and Travel Writing,Hardback,978-1-4438-1297-9,39.99,"With its specific focus on the connections between politics, travel, and travel writing, Not So Innocent Abroad offers a fresh approach to the study of travel literature. The authors make clear that travel and travel writing are never an “innocent” enterprise; rather, journeying always occurs within political systems, and travel writing either reflects the traveler’s political stance, includes political aspects of foreign cultures, or directly or indirectly influences political decisions. In contrast to most scholarly publications that primarily focus on travel literature of former colonial nations, this volume includes a broader range of travelogues depicting cultures worldwide, spanning from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. It thus offers with its comparative approach not only a geographically wide selection but also an historical dimension to the political aspects of travel writing. Although most travel literature generally has followed the Horatian principle to instruct and delight the armchair traveler, the authors of this volume clearly address the broader political implications of travel and travel writing within networks of “naked” politics, such as international or interior conflicts, emigration laws, or national propaganda. They also reveal how insidiously political messages are dissimulated through travel writing. ","""Overall, the volume suggests a scholarly fascination with the fact that women travel authors did indeed discuss politics, and to a greater degree and depth than expected. The eight individual chapters are well written and thought provoking and may be useful for students, scholars and instructors alike. Beth Anne Muellener, College of Wooster, Women In German ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-09-01,Amanda Phillips and Refqa Abu-Remaileh,"The Meeting Place of British Middle East Studies: Emerging Scholars, Emergent Research & Approaches",Hardback,978-1-4438-1251-1,44.99,"The young scholars working in Middle East Studies in Great Britain are as diverse as the field itself. This volume brings together ten of these young men and women, all researchers at the cutting edge of their respective fields, which range from medieval literature to contemporary immigration policy. Each work has been selected not only for its empirical contribution but also for its methodology and for its relevance for general readers as well as academics. The history and practice of Middle East Studies as a whole is placed in perspective by the introduction, which also unites the overarching themes found in these chapters. It also looks at the formation, crises, and reforms in Area Studies, which directly impact the circumstances in which all of these scholars are working today. The particular, and peculiar, history of each field is highlighted by the authors, who carefully place their own respective research in larger contexts. Each introduction at once reveals the forces that have shaped the discipline—whether the study of politics, history, law, literature, art or theology—in the 20th century and considers these forces in terms of the larger trends and ideas that have formed, and continue to form, Middle East Studies as a whole. This book, as timely as it is topical, will prove an indispensable source for readers of all backgrounds. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-10-01,"Othon Anastasakis, Dimitar Bechev and Nicholas Vrousalis","Greece in the Balkans: Memory, Conflict and Exchange",Hardback,978-1-4438-1315-0,39.99,"This volume brings together young researchers in an interdisciplinary study of Greek interaction with other Balkan states over the past two hundred years. The thirteen chapters of the volume reflect the diversity of a long and complex relationship between Greece and its Balkan neighbours. They thus shed refreshing light on its persistent attributes of opportunity and risk, attraction and enmity, exchange and exclusion, through exploration of historical, anthropological, literary, political and economic perspectives. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-10-01,"Hurriyet Babacan, Narayan Gopalkrishnan and Alperhan Babacan","Situating Racism: The Local, National and the Global",Hardback,978-1-4438-1324-2,34.99,"This book explores the global development of contemporary racism and uncovers the complex manifestations and causes of racism. It critically draws upon and analyses the global economic and the legislative frameworks relating to racism. The boundaries of racism continue to shift and the authors critically analyse new developments in racism and unpack the points of intersection between the new and the old racisms. The impacts of factors such as fear, politics, the use of the “race card”, and nationalism are also explored. The book examines the changing dynamics of racism, manifesting itself in different spatial, economic and social situations but demonstrating similarities and differences in a globalized world. In light of these complexities, the book examines the challenges of theorizing, identifying, and challenging racism, as well as the challenges of developing an anti-racist future. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-10-01,Rudolf Schlögl ,"Urban Elections and Decision-Making in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1800",Hardback,978-1-4438-1327-3,44.99,"Everyday political business in early modern cities took place under many different sources of tension. De facto establishment of the oligarchy in the government collided with the urban community’s expectations of participation and with the responsibility for common welfare which was supposed to be the guideline for policies in the municipal boards. Urban Elections and Decision-Making in Early Modern Europe offers new interpretations of the governmental techniques applied by urban elites to cope with these tensions. Written by leading historians of urban history and based on a broad foundation of previously unpublished research the volume explores the procedures of decision-making in early modern cities from an international and micrological point of view. It examines the attempts of delegating and stabilising power through elections, asks for the different ways of developing and demonstrating consent or dissent within the cities’ walls—urban revolts included—and offers a new theoretical framework to describe and understand these phenomena adequately. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-11-01,Savina Ammassari,Migration and Development: Factoring Return into the Equation,Hardback,978-1-4438-1352-5,44.99,"This book focuses on international migration and return of highly-skilled Ghanaians and Ivorians and presents empirical research findings that demonstrate that, under certain circumstances, return migrants can act as key development agents in their home country. It investigates the influence of a number of factors that condition their motivation to return and their capacity to stimulate change in their countries of origin. The aim of the study is the assessment of policy implications related to élite returnees’ development impact in evolving socio-economic contexts. The comparative and multi-method research strategy adopted revealed that migrants tend to return home with considerable savings (financial capital), new knowledge, skills and ideas (human capital), as well as with valuable contacts (social capital). Besides their level of education, work profile, and particular life experience, whether these migrants have worked abroad for a significant period, proved the most critical factor influencing their acquisition of different kinds of capital. However, there seems to be an ‘optimum’ work duration abroad – approximately five years – after which the benefits deriving from human and financial capital acquisition tend to stabilise. At the micro level, back home skilled migrants attained their goals, improving their relative income levels, expressing satisfaction with their work conditions and, more generally, enjoying a higher quality of life. At the meso level, they provided support to others in line with expectations and pressures they faced. They also introduced many kinds of new knowledge, skills and ideas in their workplace. At the macro level, return migrants promoted economic and political transformations through, among others, the creation of new businesses and various community development initiatives. The role of return migrants is influenced by many factors linked also to their situation back home. Reintegration into their home context proved challenging, especially for women, and returning migrants need time to overcome initial hurdles and get settled before they can start to make any meaningful contribution. That is one of the reasons why there is a need to facilitate their reintegration and create a conducive environment which can also foster return migration of the highly-skilled élite. More importantly, however, evidence is produced in favour of arguments and ideas about ‘brain circulation’, a strategy that can help in maximising the positive effects stemming from migration and return. ","""Previous research on return migration has tended to come up with disappointing results - returning labour migrants, with relatively low human capital, are not agents of home-country development. This new study, by focusing on highly-skilled returnees, and based on rigorous survey and interview research in Europe and West Africa, yields more optimistic results, especially in the economic and political realms. The book provides both a model of excellent, multi-method research, and highly policy-relevant lessons."" - Professor Russell King, University of Sussex, Co-Director of the Sussex Centre for Migration Research ""This book makes a valuable contribution to the debate on ‘brain drain’, ‘brain re-gain’ and ‘brain circulation’. Empirical evidence of this kind is needed to devise concrete policy measures aimed at maximising the benefits arising from highly skilled return migration. The book is very timely in providing sound research findings and recommendations to inform migration policies and programmes at a time where the topic of migration ranks higher than ever on domestic and international development agendas."" - Dr. Piyasiri Wickramasekara, Senior Migration Specialist, International Migration Programme, International Labour Organization ""This interesting book provides a fascinating insight into the process of return of 'elite' migrants to Africa. It is based on extensive interviews in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, and provides a multi-faceted analysis of how and why people return, and what influences whether this works to the broader benefit of home societies. It should be recommended reading for anyone with an interest in contemporary return movements."" - Professor Richard Black, Professor of Human Geography, Director, Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty University of Sussex ""Research on return migration is still lacking and thus this study fills an important gap. The study is innovative because it adopts a cross-country and multi-level analytical approach to investigate the impact of returning migrants in their country of origin. Rarely is migration policy research designed with policy-makers’ needs in mind. This research constitutes a valuable exception. Its findings are conclusive and provide ready-made answers to those wanting to devise policies and programmes aimed at facilitating return migration of the highly skilled and at enhancing their role as agents of change. "" - Dr. Frank Laczko, Head of the Research Division, International Organization for Migration (IOM) ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-12-01,Johanna Pink,"Muslim Societies in the Age of Mass Consumption: Politics, Culture and Identity between the Local and the Global",Hardback,978-1-4438-1405-8,44.99,"In the course of the 20th century, hardly a region in the world has escaped the triumph of global consumerism. Muslim societies are no exception. Globalized brands are pervasive, and the landscapes of consumption are changing at a breathtaking pace. Yet Muslim consumers are not passive victims of the homogenizing forces of globalization. They actively appropriate and adapt the new commodities and spaces of consumption to their own needs and integrate them into their culture. Simultaneously, this culture is reshaped and reinvented to comply with the mechanisms of conspicuous consumption. It is these processes that this volume seeks to address from an interdisciplinary perspective. The papers in this anthology present innovative approaches to a wide range of issues that have, so far, barely received scholarly attention. The topics range from the changing spaces of consumption to Islamic branding, from the marketing of religious music to the consumption patterns of Muslim minority groups. This anthology uses consumption as a prism through which to view, and better understand, the enormous transformations that Muslim societies—Middle Eastern, South-East Asian, as well as diasporic ones—have undergone in the past few decades. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-12-01,"Bronisław Sitek, Jakub J. Szczerbowski, Aleksander W. Bauknecht and Anna Kaczyńska",Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Human Rights: The Rights to Knowledge and Information in a Heterogenic Society,Hardback,978-1-4438-1390-7,64.99,"The material contained in this publication is the outcome of the 8th International Conference on Human Rights ""Right to Knowledge and Information in Heterogenic Society"", organized by the Faculty of Law and Administration in the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (Poland), in cooperation with the Faculty of Law in the University of Bari (Italy), which took place on 30-31 May 2008 in Olsztyn. The selection of issues in no respect can be called accidental. The summit of the European Council in Lisbon in March 2000 created foundations for creating society based on knowledge that is conscious in gaining information and equal access to knowledge. Individual actions of countries should aim at creating a human-friendly ""information society"" which allows creation of new working places and developing information and telecommunication technologies. This broad spectrum of problems which were the subject of the conference, interests not only Polish researchers but also scientists from countries like Italy, Spain, Ukraine, the United States of America, United Kingdom, and South Korea. They represent various cultures, which implies differences of opinion on many issues related to human rights. Publications included in this collective work are the reflection of freedom to express thoughts on difficult topics, which are important for all though. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-12-01,María Amelia Viteri and Aaron Tobler,Shifting Positionalities: The Local and International Geo-Politics of Surveillance and Policing,Paperback,978-1-4438-1441-6,19.99,"The local-level and international contributions to Shifting Positionalities encompass particular common themes through in-depth social science research, in an effort to understand the meanings of the reformulation of state discourses and practices in this, post-9/11, era. Current conjunctions between sexual, racial and ethnic identities—and the surveillance practices of those identities—calls for a thorough examination of the multiple and usually unexpected meaning-making practices adapted by individuals. Far from being predictable, the latter speak to the possibility of individuals and communities utilizing techniques of actively resisting—as opposed to passively embracing—the policing of their daily lives. Shifting Positionalities: The Local and International Geo-Politics of Surveillance and Policing addresses surveillance and policing as practices and sites that speak to the various ways in which bio-power, displacement and resistance converge to constitute particular subjectivities across borders. ","""Thank you very much for the opportunity to read and comment on your terrific book. Below you will find my reactions. The book is a terrific achievement and a wonderful contribution to resisting the dangerous expansion of surveillance and policing in all our lives. In the post-September 11, 2001 world, surveillance and policing have become pervasive, and yet mostly unexamined, parts of our lives—from ubiquitous security cameras and exhaustive airport searches to unprecedented levels of government wiretapping and surveillance of phone and web communications to the monitoring of library and financial records to the expansion of corporate surveillance of individual internet usage to the targeting of ethnic and religious minorities by police forces for observation, disappearance, and detention. Shifting Positionalities makes a critical contribution to documenting and understanding how these and other forms of surveillance and policing are shaping and damaging our lives and our society. Beyond the more obvious restriction of freedoms and rights, Viteri and Tobler’s diverse collection of essays insightfully shows how practices of surveillance and policing are subtly influencing our thoughts about ourselves and others, reshaping ethnic, racial, gender, sexual, and national identities, deepening state and corporate control over our bodies, and contributing to the further marginalization and demonization of Muslims, Arabs, and others deemed to be “terrorist” threats. Encouragingly, Shifting Positionalities also reveals how the expansion of surveillance and policing has led to the invention of surprising forms of resistance to these forms of dangerous social control. Given the threat that surveillance and policing pose to basic democratic and human rights, Shifting Positionalities strikes an important blow against a new and increasingly insidious Big Brother."" - David Vine, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, American University, Washington, DC Author of the book ""Island of Shame: The secret history of the US Military Base on Diego Garcia"" by Princeton. ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2009-12-01,Eugene Broderick,"Waterford’s Anglicans: Religion and Politics, 1819-1872",Hardback,978-1-4438-1399-0,44.99,"This book explores the religious, political and social fortunes of Waterford’s minority Church of Ireland community during a turbulent period in Irish history. In the decades under consideration, an emerging and strident Catholic democracy eroded the power and social position of a once powerful ruling class. Waterford’s fearful and confused Anglicans took refuge and found consolation in a community which defined itself increasingly in denominational terms. This denominationalism came to be characterised by its Protestant evangelicalism and loyalty to the union with Britain. A unique insight is given into provincial Anglicanism, with a detailed examination of the character of its religious life and practice. There is a particular focus on one of the most controversial figures in the nineteenth century Anglican Church, Robert Daly, Bishop of Waterford, 1843-1872. Described by a contemporary as ‘a Protestant Pope’, this cleric inspired admiration and loathing, as he strove to resist the advances of an increasingly confident and vibrant Catholic Church. Studies of bishops of the nineteenth century Protestant Church have been largely conspicuous by their absence, but this book makes a valuable and original contribution to a glaring hole in this area of historiography. This study of Waterford’s Anglicans adds significantly to our understanding of the nature of Irish Protestantism at a time of crisis and decline. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-01-01,"Daniel Antonius, Adam D. Brown, Tali K. Walters, J. Martin Ramirez and Samuel Justin Sinclair",Interdisciplinary Analyses of Terrorism and Political Aggression,Hardback,978-1-4438-1640-3,44.99,"Over the past decade, academics spanning the professional spectrum have begun to unpack the complexity of factors that underlie terrorism and political violence with increased vigor. The resulting field has begun to yield valuable empirical and theoretical insights into these dynamics, which are now shaping both immediate frameworks for responding to terrorism as well as the broader policy implications for managing this problem in the near and far-term. Interdisciplinary Analyses of Terrorism and Political Aggression seeks to advance the understanding of terrorism and political violence by disseminating research representing a wide array of professional disciplines from scholars across the globe. This volume aims to encourage academic discourse and debate, and provide a more complex understanding of the myriad of factors that contribute to terrorism as well as the way in which groups respond to terrorism. Interdisciplinary Analyses of Terrorism and Political Aggression brings together prominent scholars from the US, the UK, Iran, Australia, Canada, Scotland, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain, representing a variety of academic disciplines including criminology, psychology, psychiatry, police science, physics, sociology, biology and international relations. The authors approach the topic of terrorism from various perspectives, and provide the reader with a more nuanced view on issues of terrorism and political violence. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-01-01,Didier Chabanet and Frédéric Royall,Mobilising against Marginalisation in Europe,Hardback,978-1-4438-1674-8,39.99,"This book brings together twelve scholars from various universities and research centres in Europe and Canada. All look at developments in the collective action of marginalised and/or disadvantaged people such as Gypsies, migrants, cleaners, or unemployed people in contemporary West European societies. The authors analyse how these people organise and mobilise within or across countries such as Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, or Italy. They note that although the collective actions of marginalised and/or disadvantaged people are not necessarily unusual, all these nationally based or cross-national mobilisations have in common the fact that many of these people seek to overcome various cultural, social, and political obstacles, act collectively, and intervene in the public space. The various contributors in this book observe that the mobilisations of the marginalised and/or disadvantaged are often linked to new patterns and forms of social and political marginalisation and inequality. The contributors analyse, therefore, these emerging patterns and they investigate the extent to which marginalised and/or disadvantaged people are of political significance in many of today’s West European societies. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-01-01,"Neil Davidson, Patricia McCafferty and David Miller",NeoLiberal Scotland: Class and Society in a Stateless Nation,Paperback,978-1-4438-1675-5,24.99,"Neoliberal Scotland argues that far from passing Scotland by, as is so often claimed, neoliberalism has in fact become institutionalised there. As the mainstream political parties converge on market-friendly policies and business interests are equated with the public good, the Scottish population has become more and more distanced from the democratic process, to the extent that an increasing number now fail to vote in elections. This book details for the first time these negative effects of neoliberal policies on Scottish society and takes to task those academics and others who either defend the neoliberal order or refuse to recognise that it exists. Neoliberal Scotland represents both an intervention in contemporary debates about the condition of Scotland and a case study, of more general interest, of how neoliberalism has affected one of the “stateless nations” of the advanced West. Chapter One takes an overview of the origin and rise of neoliberalism in the developed world, arguing that it repudiates rather than continues the thought of Adam Smith and the Scottish Enlightenment. Part One addresses the fundamental issue of social class in Scotland over three chapters. Chapter Two attempts to locate the ruling class both internally and externally. Chapter Three explores the changing nature of working class membership and its collective experience. Chapter Four follows the working class into the workplace where heightened tensions in the state sector have provoked an increasingly militant response from trade unionists. Part Two engages with the broader impact of neoliberalism on Scottish society through a diverse series of studies. Chapter Five assesses claims by successive Scottish governments that they have been pursuing environmental justice. Chapter Six examines how Glasgow has been reconfigured as a classic example of the “neoliberal city”. Chapter Seven looks at another aspect of Glasgow, in this case as the main destination of Eastern European migrants who have arrived in Scotland through the international impact of neoliberal globalisation. Chapter Eight investigates the economic intrusion of private capital into the custodial network and the ideological emphasis on punishment as the main objective in sentencing. Chapter Nine is concerned with the Scottish manifestations of “the happiness industry”, showing how market-fundamentalist notions of individual responsibility now structure even the most seemingly innocuous attempts to resolve supposed attitudinal problems. Finally, Chapter Ten demonstrates that the limited extent to which devolved Scottish governments, particularly the present SNP administration, have been able to go beyond the boundaries of neoliberal orthodoxy has been a function of the peculiarities of party competition in Holyrood, rather than representing a fundamental disavowal of the existing order. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-01-01,Christina Schäffner and Susan Bassnett ,"Political Discourse, Media and Translation",Hardback,978-1-4438-1677-9,39.99,"This volume addresses the role played by translation in international political communication and news reporting and brings to light the usually invisible link between politics, media, and translation. The contributors explore the interrelationship between media in the widest sense and translation, with a focus on political texts, institutional contexts, and translation policies. These topics are explored from a Translation Studies perspective, thus bringing a new disciplinary view to the investigation of political discourse and the language of the media. The first part of the volume focuses on textual analysis, investigating transformations that occur in translation processes, and the second part examines institutional contexts and policies, and their effects on translation production and reception. ","“Since the cultural turn in translation studies, which occurred during the early 1990s, scholars have focused closely upon issues of politics and power in their analysis of translated texts. Yet the corpora studied tended toward the literary, business, science, and technology; surprisingly few studies focused on political texts in the narrow sense of the word. This book fills that gap. Here we have a political analysis of political texts found in journalism and the mass media, politics squared, the exponential insights of which are profound. This book should appeal to students of translation, European languages and language policy, political science, communication, journalism, and cultural and media studies.” —Professor Edwin Gentzler, Translation Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst “At the core of this volume on translation in the media are fundamental issues such as the complexity, invisibility and actual scope of 'translation': what is it, who does it, and why? Translation is contextualised in terms of its key role in the (re)presentation and (re)context-ualisation of institutional and personal discourses, covering both print and new media. By focusing on the practice of translation in this dynamic context, the book offers an important contribution to an under-researched field and in so doing, broadens and challenges current views on translation. Using a series of case studies the book demonstrates how translation helps to mediate, reframe and re-contextualise news items, public and governmental communications, and political speeches in a range of European and North American countries. Issues concerning the nature and scope of translation and its agents are addressed, preparing the way for future studies and possible answers to the important questions which the book raises.” —Professor Margaret Rogers, Centre for Translation Studies, Department of Languages and Translation Studies, University of Surrey ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-01-04,Matthew C. Bronson and Tina R. Fields,So What? Now What? The Anthropology of Consciousness Responds to a World in Crisis,Paperback,978-1-4438-1939-8,29.99,"“The greatest crisis of our times in a failure of the human imagination.” -Editors The world is currently undergoing a period of unprecedented crises on virtually every front: economic, ecological, and humanitarian. It is starkly apparent that a shift is needed in our dominant structural systems – and that by addressing the collective thinking that has created and maintained these systems, scholars can do their part to catalyze such a shift. The interdisciplinary field known as the Anthropology of Consciousness offers important insights for enacting this necessary shift. This book draws on the work of a group of diverse scholars to explore what the intersection of anthropology and consciousness studies can contribute to the “public turn” within anthropology and the academy in general. Its twelve chapters span disparate geographies and disciplinary frameworks, yet cohere in their focus on common themes such as imagination, empathy, agency, dialogue, and ethics. The answers to the question “So What? Now What?” differ for a linguistic anthropologist in the South Pacific, an environmental educator in Hawai‘i, a grant-writing anthropologist serving a refugee agency in Portland, Oregon and the founder of a girls’ school in Brazil. Nevertheless, they are united in the desire to reframe the anthropology of consciousness as an “anthropology of conscience,” and this pioneering volume is the result. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-02-01,"J. Ronald Engel, Laura Westra and Klaus Bosselmann","Democracy, Ecological Integrity and International Law",Hardback,978-1-4438-1767-7,54.99,"Democracy, Ecological Integrity and International Law is the latest product of research by the Global Ecological Integrity Group (www.globalecointegrity.net), an organisation that has been meeting annually since 1992 to discuss scientific, philosophical, political and legal aspects of ecological integrity. This collection examines various aspects of governance from the standpoint of integrity: from democracy, to forms of Native governance, from globalization and neocolonialism to specific human rights to food, water and climate. ","“The Global Ecological Integrity Group has gathered leading scholars of science, ethics, law and other disciplines to consider some of the most challenging environmental issues we face. These thought-provoking essays underscore the complexity of the ethical and policy imperatives of achieving ecological integrity. In particular, they guide us on the conceptual and institutional changes needed to promote democratic governance, a crucial basis for a just and sustainable future.” —Professor Benjamin J. Richardson, Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto “This book enters the vastly contested contemporary and international conversation on the meaning of democracy. It addresses two essential ingredients which are often missing: the capacity of democracy, actually existing, and normatively considered, to preserve the ecological integrity of the biosphere, and the complicated but vital relationship between democracy and international law. The editors and contributors to this amazingly rich volume are united in the understanding that the meaning and institutions of actually existing ‘democracy’ must be transformed if this term is to indicate a form of governance which is adequate to the challenges which stand before 21st century global civilization.” —Stephen Rowe, Professor of Philosophy and Liberal Studies, Grand Valley State University “There is perhaps no issue that is more neglected yet more critical for the flourishing of Earth's community than the intersection of democracy, ecology, and law. This book is ground breaking and dialogue changing. It stands alone as an important contribution, not simply because of the high quality of the essays but because of the pressing concerns they share.” —Mary Evelyn Tucker, Forum on Religion and Ecology, Yale University ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-02-01,John O’Brien,"Discrimination in Northern Ireland, 1920-1939: Myth or Reality?",Paperback,978-1-4438-1744-8,19.99,"Throughout the period of devolved government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972, allegations of discrimination by the Ulster Unionist government against the Catholic and nationalist minority have been constant. These accusations of discrimination were regularly made concerning education, employment, public housing and representation. This book aims to examine these nationalist allegations and assess whether or not discrimination did occur and if so, the extent to which the minority became disadvantaged as a result. This volume focuses on the inter-war period, 1920-39, and evaluates the policies and practices of successive Unionist governments. In essence, it attempts to ascertain whether or not the charges of overt discrimination levelled against the government were warranted. Previous literature on the topic has tended to be biased in favour of one side of the political divide, be it Ulster unionism or Irish nationalism. Drawing from a wide range of primary and secondary sources, this book has found that the need for mutual understanding is paramount. The Stormont administration’s need to concentrate all power in its own hands was most likely born out of a longing for security and self-preservation and motivated by siege mentality and internal threat. Is there a state in the world where there would not exist a bias, justified or unjustified, against those who refused to be loyal to or even recognise that state? Discriminatory practices, engaged in as a means to an end, may have become a way of life for some Protestants and unionists. It definitely came to be seen as such by the Catholic and nationalist minority, whether justified or not. ","“Discrimination” or prejudice based on ethnic or religious lines has proved a dark stain on Northern Ireland’s recent history. In this volume historian John O’Brien has approached a very emotive subject with honesty and a careful eye. His analysis demonstrates that the categories of anti-Catholic/Nationalist and anti-Loyalist/Protestant can never be defined in simple terms or confined within neat categories. As with the tragedy that has defined the island known as Ireland, this history is a complex one and has been subject to a range of competing interests and pressure groups. Through a close and careful analysis of the Stormont parliamentary debates O’Brien demonstrates that the history of prejudice almost always encompasses a range of totalising discourses and concepts, each of which proves a site of contestation and conflict. This important study makes clear that what happened in the past can always be “constructed” in accordance with a number of different yet seemingly plausible narrative accounts. O’Brien’s set himself an ambitious task in this book and succeeded admirably. His research is essential to those seeking a clearer understanding of what has defined Irishness and Britishness, both North and South. - Dr. Mícheál Ó hAodha, Lecturer, Department of History, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-02-01,Fiona Williamson,"Locating Agency: Space, Power and Popular Politics",Hardback,978-1-4438-1448-5,39.99,"In the latter half of the twentieth century, historians came to consider “politics” to mean more than simply the formal institutions and apparatus of government, run by a small minority of wealthy, educated elite men. The word has been adopted by historians of different genres as synonymous with power, or agency, and the scope for “political” activity has been widened to incorporate a variety of everyday events and ordinary people. These collected essays explore the quotidian experience of politics in the form of popular politics, religion and popular culture. The contributors consider, for example: the politics of the alehouse, the politics of Methodism, the interrelationship between plebeian agency, custom and memory, the politics of economics, dramatic agency and the politics of the spiritual parish. Collectively they suggest that political activity was embedded in almost every aspect of life. In addition they draw on interdisciplinary theory, in particular the “spatial turn” and how it can be used to better understand popular agency. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-03-01,Tilo Grätz,"Mobility, Transnationalism and Contemporary African Societies",Hardback,978-1-4438-1853-7,34.99,"The book is meant to shed new light on migratory processes pertinent to Sub-Saharan Africa. It starts out from the position that contemporary migratory movements can only be assessed by employing an appropriate theoretical framework which helps with conceptualising both localised strategies of migrants, i.e. their modes of adaptation, economic and social integration into host societies and the way they maintain relationships back home, across places and nations, i.e. translocal aspects of their mobility in terms of networking, communication or economic as well as cultural transfers. It this respect, the book contributes to the current debate on processes and effects of worldwide mobility, addressing causes and effects and the various aspects of a “culture of migration” relevant for the African continent. Additionally, the book tries to go beyond the usual structural discussions and reflections on mobility and migration by looking at actual migrant practices, their social creativity, the employment of flexible responses to often restrictive governmental policies. Finally, the volume also discusses the often neglected issue of (involuntary) immobility, as well as the significance of borders, in both limiting mobility and in creating new “borderline” strategies, to employ a notion by Ines Kohl with regard to migrants’ transnational strategies. The book addresses a wide readership in Human Sciences; especially from African Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Geography, and Political Sciences. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-03-01,"Heather M. Morgan, Jernej Letnar Černič and Lindsay Milligan",Perspectives on Power: An Inter-Disciplinary Approach,Hardback,978-1-4438-1849-0,49.99,"Although ‘power’ can appear a vague term, the dichotomy between haves and have-nots, the desire to gain autonomy, and the dire consequences of subjugation, are three issues that resound across the arts and social sciences. In this book, postgraduate students from the constituent disciplines use the freedom of their positions as early-career researchers to boldly explore power relations. From a legal perspective, papers are included geared towards human rights issues and violations. Further, the applied perspectives from business and education researchers consider how access to wealth and education, and to equal education, can and must be achieved. Then, interpreted through the perspectives of anthropological, sociological, and historical approaches, power has become a resonant issue among the creations of culture and human interaction(s). Finally, within the ‘soft’ sciences, the very same preoccupations, as they appear in creative expression, are examined within literature and music. Indeed, through the twenty-one articles chosen for inclusion in this collection, distinct in their disciplinary origins, approaches and foci, together the authors are emphasising the many similarities that exist among the arts and social sciences subjects. ‘Perspectives on Power: An Interdisciplinary Approach’ was conceived as a result of the quality and reception of papers presented at the 2008 Moving Forward Postgraduate Conference, held at the University of Aberdeen. The volume comprises twenty-one articles on the theme of ‘power’, carefully chosen by the editorial team from in excess of eighty presentations. These represent and tender a wide range of scholarly approaches to and within the arts and social sciences; the remit of Moving Forward. The collection is aimed at scholars and scholarly institutions within the United Kingdom in particular, but contains contributions from scholars across the globe. The collection should especially appeal to and inspire delegates visiting the Moving Forward Postgraduate Conference in the years to come. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-03-01,Chiara Valentini and Giorgia Nesti,"Public Communication in the European Union: History, Perspectives and Challenges",Hardback,978-1-4438-1846-9,49.99,"This book is a collection of essays that analyse and discuss EU information and communication policies and activities towards, with, by different publics developed both by the EU institutions at the European, national and local levels and by public organizations and civil society actors. Throughout six thematic parts, the authors examine from different theoretical perspectives (political communication, journalism, public relations and public diplomacy, political science, and cultural studies) and reflect on what it means for the European Union to communicate in multi-national and multi-cultural settings. The originality and strength of this book stand on the capacity to discuss EU communication policies, strategies and actions in their diverse features and, at the same time, to have a clear general picture of the role and function that communication has within the European Union’s governance. The combination of different theoretical frameworks with the latest empirical research findings makes this book a fresh and fascinated collection of insights of what the European Union can achieve with strategic communications. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-04-01,Caroline Fleay,Australia and Human Rights: Situating the Howard Government,Hardback,978-1-4438-1942-8,39.99,"The Howard government's term in office in Australia from 1996 to 2007 is often portrayed as one where Australia retreated from its international human rights obligations. Throughout this era a range of government policies attracted much criticism for downplaying or ignoring human rights. Less attention has been given to the human rights policies of previous Australian governments and the heritage they provided for the Howard government. Situating the policies of the Howard government within those of previous Australian governments provides a greater understanding of human rights in Australia. This book examines human rights policies in Australia in three key areas: human rights in Australia-China relations; responses to asylum seekers and refugees; and engagement with human rights at the United Nations. These areas highlight where the Howard government clearly deviated from some of the more positive human rights policies of its predecessors. The book also challenges the perception that Australia has a proud history of human rights policy by revealing where the Howard government continued or revived policies of earlier Australian governments that were not consistent with international human rights standards. Such an understanding of human rights in Australian policy is imperative for informed analysis and debate on current and future policy trends. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-04-01,Susana Rivera-Mills and Juan Antonio Trujillo,Building Communities and Making Connections,Hardback,978-1-4438-1957-2,39.99,"Building Communities and Making Connections explores areas of academic and community engagement, through various studies that include community service learning, and the development and implementation of university programs that contain a community dimension. Academic endeavors have long been seen as separate from the realities of local and regional communities. This book closes the gap by looking at ways in which both academia and the communities its serves can collaborate to create authentic and applied learning environments. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-04-01,Jephias Mapuva,Citizen Participation and Local Governance: Case Study of the Combined Harare Residents Association (Zimbabwe),Paperback,978-1-4438-1954-1,14.99,"The book attempts to bring out the propensity with which civil society can influence citizens’ behaviour towards issues that affect their lives. The author argues that local authorities should strive to serve their constituencies they do not have the prerogative to make arbitrary decision of issues that affect their localities but should endeavour to incorporate contributions from the very people who they are supposed to serve. Through the formation of community-based institutions, like residents’ association, citizens can be able to speak with one voice, thereby buttressing their propensity to engage the local authority. Accordingly, in this book, the author makes attempts to highlight how a Resident Association has engaged the Harare City Council to provide improved service delivery and at the same time exhorting the local authority to incorporate input from ratepayers on how best services could be improved within the City of Harare and to allow citizens to have their destiny into their own hands. The book would be of interest to students of local governance, those in the civics, politicians as well as general practitioners and the casual reader. The author intends to make this book part of a series of editions on the intensification of Local Governance and how best citizens can participate in local authority decision-making processes. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-04-01,Francis McCollum Feeley,"Comparative Patriarchy and American Institutions: The Language, Culture, and Politics of Liberalism",Hardback,978-1-4438-1936-7,44.99,"As Claude Lévi-Strauss wrote in his book, La pensée sauvage (Paris,1960): “biographical and anecdotal history … is low-powered history, which is not intelligible in itself, and only becomes so when it is transferred en bloc to a form of history of a higher power than itself … The historian’s relative choice … is always confined to the choice between history which teaches more and explains less and history which explains more and teaches less.” This book oscillates between analysis, which tries to explain what man is, and anecdote, which tries to teach what he is capable of becoming. What better approach to understanding patriarchy, beyond learning the formal dictionary definitions of this term, than by examining the richly diverse descriptions of gender relationships found in the following chapters? It is the hope of these authors that the recognition of national differences and gender differences will provide new vantage points from which we may gain wider perspectives on our own prejudices and thereby find fulfillment of our aspirations to become more fully human. ","""The essays in this book explore numerous aspects of the male/female relationship in the United States of America - from the formation of male/female identities in society at the time of the so-called Founding Fathers, to the little known relationship of the U.S. military with the banal terrorism in contemporary family life; from gender relationships specific to the early American slave system, to the universe of the American female prison population. The third part and final part of this anthology, entitled Women against Reality, offers an analysis of the rich variety of women's struggles for equality in the sphere of political rights and ideological conventions."" - Marc Ollivier, Economist at the CNRS, author, and editor of the recent book, Avec les paysans du monde. Researcher in social sciences at the prestigious French research institute, the CNRS. He has worked in North Africa (Morocco and Algeria) from years 1957 to 1972. Dr. Ollivier has published many articles on the topics of development strategies, especially in the field of agrarian reform. He is a member of the ISMEA (Institut Des Sciences Mathématiques et Economiques Appliquées) and a co-editor of the review ""Informations et commentaires, le développement en questions"". His most recent publication is Avec les paysans du monde (Paris, 2008). ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-04-01,"Roland Faber, Henry Krips and Daniel Pettus","Event and Decision: Ontology and Politics in Badiou, Deleuze, and Whitehead",Hardback,978-1-4438-1926-8,44.99,"This book addresses the philosophies of Alain Badiou, Gilles Deleuze, and Alfred North Whitehead in relation to the concepts of event, ontology and politics. For Whitehead, the event is the realization of becoming, the actualization of the “groundless ontological ground” of creativity, the process of self-decision on possibilities yet undecided, the aesthetic and ethical impulse of existence. For Deleuze it is the expression of life without possession, bodies without organs, the virtual or actual reality of singularity and novelty. For Badiou, the event breaks from the situation, in which we always count (reality) as one and multiplicity as united. For all three thinkers, the event necessitates a radical politics that critiques traditional ontologies of social bodies, cultures, and art. The perspective that emerges from the book is of humanity constituted by, but also constituting a multiplicious event cycle: each person and thing bringing their own personal event into their experience of an event outside of themselves. The convergence of this multiplicity creates our complex world—a complexity not defined as aporia or impossibility, but rather infinity—that is always already still creating. Event and Decision offers the reader a live experience of this evental theory, an experience that mirrors the event of three philosophers themselves. And if the mirror you peer into shows you something foreign, something different than what you know as yourself, then this difference makes reading the book easy. The only impossibility is to lose your way. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-04-01,Muna Ndulo and Margaret Grieco,Failed and Failing States: The Challenges to African Reconstruction,Hardback,978-1-4438-1866-7,34.99,"State collapse is one of the major threats to peace, stability, and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa today. In a collapsed state the regime finally wears out its ability to satisfy the demands of the various groups in society; it fails to govern or to keep the state together. The collapse is marked by the loss of control over political and economic space. A collapsed state can no longer perform its basic security and development functions and has no effective control over its territory and borders. Efforts to avoid drawing other nations into a wider conflict created by the collapse of a state—and creating favorable conditions for reconciliation and reconstruction of a failed state after it has collapsed—present major challenges. In April, 2008 the Cornell Institute for African Development called a symposium on ‘Failed and Failing States in Africa: Lessons from Darfur and Beyond’ to address these critical issues. Key contributions to the symposium are brought together in this volume. Taken together these essays represent a significant discussion on the challenges presented by the presence of failing states within Africa. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-04-01,David A. Valone and David T. Ives,Nuclear Proliferation and the Dilemma of Peace in the Twenty-First Century,Hardback,978-1-4438-1917-6,34.99,"On September 27, 2007, Quinnipiac University and the Albert Schweitzer Institute hosted former US President Jimmy Carter and several internationally-known experts at a forum to discuss nuclear disarmament. This book includes papers and transcripts of talks delivered at that conference. It contains the transcript of President Carter’s keynote address, in which he discusses his experiences in the White House when he and Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev tangled over the size of their respective nuclear arsenals. Carter relates, “I knew the entire time I was president, that 26 minutes after we detected the launching of an intercontinental ballistic missile, that that missile would strike Washington DC or New York or any other target that the Soviets had chosen.” This imminent nuclear threat, Carter notes, strengthened his commitment to peace after he left the White House; the very first conference he scheduled at the Carter Center in Atlanta was on nuclear disarmament. Other papers include talks by Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, who discusses the collective denial that the world seems to have toward nuclear weapons; Ira Helfand, who describes the physical, medical and biological impacts of a massive nuclear explosion should such a disaster occur in or near an urban center; Hirotami Yamada offers a heart-wrenching account of how, as a boy, he survived the atomic bomb blast in his hometown of Nagasaki in August 1945 while the rest of his family perished; Dr. Neil Araya, of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, discusses the connection between public health and nuclear weapons. Other papers consider historical, philosophical, linguistic and educational issues related to nuclear weapons and the ongoing struggle for peace. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-04-01,Lemi Baruh and Ji Hoon Park,Reel Politics: Reality Television as a Platform for Political Discourse,Hardback,978-1-4438-1915-2,49.99,"In the mid-1980s, Neil Postman claimed that television made entertainment the natural format for the representation of all experience. While Postman’s argument still is pertinent to a description of contemporary television shows, it also seems increasingly more accurate to argue that “reality-based” entertainment is quickly becoming the referential format for televisual representations of our experience in the 21st century. Chapters in this edited volume explore reality television’s place within contemporary media landscape in terms of its potential for political engagement. The authors engage with a variety of issues such as politics of authenticity and performance, audience reception of political issues, ethics and media regulation, politics of self-presentation, modernity, and collective identity. The diversity of perspectives and issues presented in this book cautions readers both against quickly dismissing reality television’s potential as a platform for political discourse and against subscribing to the celebratory rhetoric regarding the democratic potential of reality television. Reel Politics: Reality Television as a Platform for Political Discourse furthers our understanding of the semiotic openness of the reality text and the variations in social, cultural and political contexts across which the reality television genre formulas migrate. ","“This book delivers even more than it promises. In accomplishing its mission—to analyze the international eruption of Reality TV and to debate its pros and cons—this book confronts fundamental questions of media research. It asks, for example, how television genres evolve; whether their content relates to the zeitgeist; what gratifications they provide; whether they contribute to (or undermine) deliberative democracy; and how they cause new and old media to ‘converge.’” —Professor Elihu Katz, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-04-01,Dualta Roughneen,The Right to Roam: Travellers and Human Rights in the Modern Nation-State,Hardback,978-1-4438-1871-1,34.99,"Nomadic groups and sedentary society have been in conflict throughout the ages and the conflict continues to this day. For the most part it is nomadic groups who have been the losers in these conflicts. The idea of human rights has traveled around the world in response to some of the great conflicts of our time. ‘The Right to Roam- Travellers in the Modern Nation State’ examines the right of nomadic groups to maintain a way of life that is contrary to the drive toward sedentarisation and modernisation. If human rights are to exist, one approach to the derivation of rights is that they are to exist as protectors of the autonomy of individuals. When the autonomy of individuals is threatened by restrictions on their liberty then the protection of human rights is required. For Travellers in Ireland, restrictions on the freedom to maintain a Travelling lifestyle have consequences for members of the Travelling community. “The Right to Roam- Travellers in the Nation State’ explores the impact of recent legislation such as the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 2002 on Travellers in modern Ireland and whether progress driven be sedentary society should be required to include the needs of nomadic groups. ","""A quick glance at Irish social and cultural history from the Gaelic period onwards points to nomadism as an accepted and valued mode of living within society, a fact which was true until well into the twentieth century. The advent of the modern nation-state changed all of this this, however, and as poet WB Yeats so eloquently put it – “A terrible beauty was born”. There is no small irony in the fact that Ireland, a country where a wide range of Travellers and peripatetic groups were once an accepted part of the social fabric, now has some of the most restrictive legislation in the world with respect to nomadism. Dualta Roughneen has written an excellent book. With consummate skill, he has traced the process whereby human rights are nomadic minorities have been subordinated and deemed inferior to policies and provisions deemed appropriate for the development of a modern European nation-state. "" - Dr. Mícheál Ó hAodha, Department of History, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-05-01,David Perusek,"Between Jihad and McWorld: Voices of Social Justice, Papers presented at a Conference with Benjamin Barber",Hardback,978-1-4438-1968-8,39.99,"This volume is the outgrowth of a conference aimed at situating questions of social justice within the broad social-historical context of our times as outlined by Benjamin Barber in the international bestseller Jihad vs. McWorld. In it, 15 contributors from across the academic spectrum grapple with questions of inequality, culture, communication, education, language, representation, democracy, poverty and power in a variety of local, global, and cross-cultural contexts that extend from North America to Japan, the Middle Ages to Post-Modernity. They are joined by Benjamin Barber whose wide-ranging and insightful contribution focuses on democracy and terrorism, celebrates civil society and includes what he enumerates as “6 rules for democracy.” Written at a time, 5 years out from 9/11, when the Patriot Act and color-coded terror alerts loomed large across the American Landscape; when “water boarding,” “rendering,” “Blackwater,” and “Gitmo” had become household words in much of the world; when globalization and de-industrialization were penetrating and re-shaping societies and lives North and South as the world’s rich grew richer and its poor poorer and wars without end in sight continued in the Middle East and elsewhere, these essays are artifacts of those times—our times. This book should be of interest to many. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-05-01,"Niklas Swanström, Sofia Ledberg and Alec Forss",Conflict Prevention and Management in Northeast Asia: The Korean Peninsula and Taiwan Strait in Comparison,Hardback,978-1-4438-2064-6,39.99,"Two of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints, this edited volume with contributions by leading scholars offers a comprehensive evaluation and comparison of approaches to conflict management and prevention on the Korean Peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait. The consequences of any escalation of these two conflicts and the difficulties in resolving them necessitate a fresh look at designing new strategies to prevent and contain conflict as well as highlighting the limitations of existing measures. Presenting both a theoretical and practical examination of conflict prevention and management, the volume provides a comparative analysis of the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait-identifying lessons that could be transferred between the two cases but also the obstacles to this. The experiences of other regions and the role of third parties are also examined. This is a valuable addition to the literature for students of peace and conflict studies as well as policy-makers with an interest in Northeast Asia. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-05-01,E. Ike Udogu,Confronting the Challenges and Prospects in the Creation of a Union of African States in the 21st Century,Hardback,978-1-4438-1978-7,39.99,"Confronting the Challenges and Prospects in the Creation of a Union of African States in the 21st Century frames the discourse around the important issue of African unification, against the backdrop of the region’s political and economic marginalization. Arguably the richest continent in the world, in terms of its abundant untapped natural resources and human capital, it still lags behind the other regions of the world developmentally. Undeniably, Africa is at the crossroads in this millennium, within the context of the powerful events and effects of the “New Globalization.” One of the central issues that academics and political actors, interested in African development, must tackle immediately is how to make the region politically and economically relevant in global affairs. These objectives could be attained through continental amalgamation. Accordingly, this book debates and suggests, inter alia, strategies that might advance Africa’s unification effort in order to provide the politico-economic clout needed to spur continental development. Further, it argues that such a Union of African States is critical for promoting the “good political life” for all Africans. ","“Confronting the Challenges and Prospects in the Creation of a Union of African States in the 21st Century contextualizes the discourse around the urgent call for African unity that engaged the works of great pan-Africanists such as Du Bois, Garvey, Nkrumah, Kenyatta, Nyerere, Cabral, and a host of others in the twentieth century. This quest for African unity achieved its first historic triumph with the formation of the Organization of African Unity following the attainment of political independence by African states in the 1960s. The establishment of the African Union extended this quest for African unity, even as African states confronted the travails of globalization at the turn-of-the twenty first century. If we expect significant improvement in the conditions of Africans, and hope for the growth of Africa’s influence in world affairs, then this timely book contends that progressive African leaders must mobilize their people into action, insisting on a path to Africa’s unification during this century. This laudable objective, the author, E. Ike Udogu, a distinguished pan-Africanist intellectual persuasively contends, requires the deep commitment of progressive African leaders, activists, and intellectuals. This is a provocative, incisive, and bold volume. It ought to be read by African administrators, policy makers, diplomats, and students—as well as intelligent lay people who believe in African unity. The book is lucid and analytical. Keeping faith with a great continent, and in indefatigable style, Udogu once again deploys his excellent scholarship in the service of Africa’s vibrant societies.” —Olufemi Vaughan, DPhil (Oxford), Geoffrey Canada Professor of Africana Studies & History, Director, Africana Studies Program, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-05-01,May Telmissany and Stephanie Tara Schwartz,Counterpoints: Edward Said’s Legacy,Hardback,978-1-4438-2066-0,39.99,"Revolving around the theme of “counterpoint” extensively used by Edward Said as the interplay of diverse ideas and discrepant experiences, this book aims to explore Said’s contribution to the fields of comparative literature, literary criticism, postcolonial theory, exilic and transnational studies, and socio-political thought among many others. Overshadowed by his legitimate political positions in support to the Palestinian cause and at odds with Islamophobic hostilities, Said’s intellectual achievements in the fields of humanities and philosophical thinking should equally be acknowledged and celebrated. Said articulates his notion of counterpoints through a vivid description of the composition of Western classical music. In the counterpoint of Western classical music, various themes play off one another, with only a provisional privilege being given to any particular one; yet in the resulting polyphony there is concert and order, an organized interplay that derives from the themes, not from a rigorous melodic or formal principle outside the work. This book pays tribute to Said’s contrapuntal methodology as well as to his academic and humanistic legacy. ","“Edward Said stood on the shoulders of many giants and looked beyond, and now former students, scholars and admirers are doing the same, taking intellectual risks and building on what he has given us. That is exactly what he would have wished.” —Mariam Said “Written at the intersection of diverse forms of what Said himself called ‘adversarial scholarship,’ Said’s work further consolidated what came to be the burgeoning fields of multicultural and postcolonial studies.” —Ella Shohat, New York University “The difference between Said and Foucault always lay in Said’s concern with worldliness. The rejection of Enlightenment humanism ran counter to Said’s concern for the human world and to his desire to generate a theory of community. It is in communities that individuals gain their most resonant material existence; it is within communities that political life is generated and it is in communities that ways to change societies and power structures are developed.” —Bill Ashcroft, University of New South Wales ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-05-01,Aruna Kumar Monditoka,"Decentralised Governance in Tribal India: Negotiating Space between the State, Community and Civil Society",Hardback,978-1-4438-2065-3,39.99,"The potential of civil society in interfacing with the government for ensuring good governance has gained currency in academic and policy debates in the recent times. This becomes particularly relevant in an old democracy like India where the State has not been able to meet the need for basic things. However, the State provides space and freedom for people to engage in collective action, to critically evaluate the State’s policies and demand a revision in policy for effective implementation of the laws that are elaborately codified in the Constitution and also to improve the functioning of its institutions. This book studies the level of participation of tribal communities in the new Panchayat Raj dispensation introduced in Andhra Pradesh since the PESA Act. It specifically analyses how much the community has achieved or benefited after the introduction of Panchayat Raj. The objective is to determine how the power structures of tribal communities have been influenced by the socio-political changes and institutional innovations, like the extension of representative democracy at the grassroots level; what kind of changes have taken place in the study area with the institutionalization of Panchayats; and the politicization of the tribal people by the different parties. This book also throws light on the role of civil society actors in influencing governance positively as well as the limitations that have inhibited the impact of their influence. The empirical research highlights that the institution of Gram Sabha has been instrumental in bringing transparency and accountability in the working of local bodies. The author has rightly emphasized the need for an attitudinal change both in the political and administrative machinery at State, district and village level. The inter-relationship of the three Ds, i.e. Democracy, Decentralisation and Development, has been brought out beautifully with the support of field study. While the 73rd amendment and PESA Act of the Constitution has mandated the democratization of local self-governments, the process of decentralisation is yet to take concrete shape through real devolution from Lok Sabha to Gram Sabha. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-06-01,Sam Binkley and Jorge Capetillo,"A Foucault for the 21st Century: Governmentality, Biopolitics and Discipline in the New Millennium",Paperback,978-1-4438-2078-3,29.99,"How relevant is Foucault’s social thought to the world we inhabit today? While Foucault is best remembered for his historical inquiries into the origins of “disciplinary” society, some question whether his ideas are relevant to contemporary conditions defined by global (post) modernity and consumer capitalism. Yet as the works comprising this volume suggest, Foucault’s thoughts are far from exhausted. Within this volume, novel interpretations and thematic developments of key Foucauldian concepts are presented in the works of 24 authors. Prominent among them are new forms of neoliberal economic conduct framed by distinct governmentalities; new critical concepts of biological life reflected in Foucault’s analysis of biopower; and new theoretical treatments of the effects of subjectivation. Also included are empirical studies of religion and spiritual practice, consumerism, race and racism, the discourse of genetics and the life sciences, surveillance and incarceration, and new social movements. This volume both expands our understanding of Foucault’s central theoretical legacy, and brings his ideas to a range of contemporary empirical phenomena. ","""...the editors have provided a broad cross-section of essays that take Foucault's ideas in interesting directions"" P. Taylor Trussell, Independent Scholar in Foucault Studies, No. 8 Feb 2010 ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-06-01,"Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani, Rie Nakamura and Shamsuddin L. Taya",Dynamic of Ethnic Relations in Southeast Asia,Hardback,978-1-4438-2115-5,39.99,"Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, said in the Far Eastern Economic Review, 28 October 1996: “The threat is from inside ... So we have to be armed, so to speak. Not with guns, but with the necessary laws to make sure the country remains stable.” He implied that ethnic conflict and political instability are inevitable in a multi-ethnic society unless protected by certain laws. Ethnic conflict is like a time bomb. The misuse of human rights for political ends and to exploit ethnic sentiments can spark ethnic conflict. In theory, the modern nation-state must achieve pluralism in its project of nation building. There are few nations in the world which consist of a single ethnic group. Yet, multi-ethnicity also seems to be a serious challenge to any system of government, especially in Southeast Asia, as it adds possibly deep-running cleavages to societies. Some groups are marginalized in the course of nation-building as a result of the nature of the relationship between nation and state. Arjun Appadurai stated that “the nation and the state have become one another’s project”: groups try to capture states and their power while states try to “monopolize about the nationhood.” There is always tension between the centre and the margin. The centre often consists of one ethnic group and marginalised minority groups are denied their right to equality. Sometimes horrible wars with thousands of victims commence as a consequence of such processes of ethnically-framed nation-building. Therefore, a democratic setting should be functionally superior; that is, in a better position to moderate the escalatory tendencies inherent in a multi-ethnic setting, thereby achieving less violence-prone conflict management, and its eventual resolution in Southeast Asia. This book is intended for anyone interested in the subject of ethnic relations and conflicts, especially politicians, policy makers, civil society activists, academia, and students of ethnic/race studies and Southeast Asian politics. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-06-01,Adam Luedtke,Migrants and Minorities: The European Response,Hardback,978-1-4438-2111-7,49.99,"Europe stands on the brink of a new era of diversity and immigration. Although many Europeans would prefer to ignore this fact, the signs are everywhere. Societies and politics are being irrevocably changed by their encounters with migrants, both recent and settled. This book pinpoints the specific trends and emerging patterns that allow us to understand what these changes mean for the future of Europe. On the ground level, institutions like schools and local governments have charted unique courses for dealing with diversity. And from above, the institutions of Brussels become ever more important for regulating the big picture. The passage of the Lisbon Treaty means that common EU rules on immigration will now be easier to achieve (and more likely). But what exact role is played by the institutions of the EU in Brussels, and how does this vary across policy areas? How are Europeans on all levels dealing with the sensitive questions raised by Islam, and how are migrants and minorities dealing with the hostility and xenophobia they routinely encounter? And finally, how have the experiences of different European countries in integrating their immigrants and minorities changed our comparative understanding of race, ethnicity and citizenship? These three sets of issues—EU-level regulations, Islam and Xenophobia, and comparative integration policy—are the topics that motivate and structure this book. Noted experts on each topic offer the latest research findings, which collectively advance our understanding of how Europe will deal with diversity in the 21st Century. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-06-01,Alperhan Babacan and Supriya Singh,"Migration, Belonging and the Nation State",Hardback,978-1-4438-2081-3,34.99,"The book questions how modern migration and globalisation have impacted upon notions of belonging and identity within nation-states across the world. This book provides theoretical and empirical accounts of the relationship between identity, rights nationalism, race and ethnicity. The authors cover the complexity of the topic as identification has become much more multifaceted. The authors cover difficult and cutting edge issues relating to citizenship, nation formation, identity, remittances, transnational families, migration and asylum in the context of Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. These critical issues inform and shape key policy and program responses of many governments and are subject of topic in international relations forums between nation states. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-06-01,Chandana Chakrabarti and Sandra Jane Fairbanks,"Politics, Pluralism and Religion",Hardback,978-1-4438-2106-3,39.99,"The chapters in this volume discuss the many facets of pluralism in a liberal democracy, as well as the interplay between religion and politics. Religion is a central theme in this book for two reasons. First, religions often claim to possess truths about the nature of God and the proper path to lead in order to achieve eternal life in heaven, or enlightenment or spiritual liberation. Unfortunately, different religions offer different sets of truths on these issues, which create an obvious competition and rivalry between religions. Historically, religious differences have produced countless wars, violent clashes, human rights violations and various forms of religious persecutions. Our record of coexisting peacefully in a religiously pluralistic world has been abysmal at best. Some chapters in this book discuss religious pluralism, the clash between science and religion and the role religious reasons should play in a public dialogue about public policy and law. The second reason why religion is a prominent theme is that, since religion is constitutive of the identities of so many individuals, its influence on politics, for better or for worse, is extremely significant. Many chapters explore the various ways in which religion can affect politics: From the dangers of theocracy, to Jihadist terrorism, to a Hindu approach to addressing terrorism, to a Unitarian Universalist perspective on ethical eating and to the Christian virtue of forgiveness applied to political dispute resolution. All in all, the chapters in this book represent a variety of approaches to understanding the interrelated problems associated with religion and politics in a pluralistic world. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-06-01,Elaine Pereira Rocha,Racism in Novels: A Comparative Study of Brazilian and South African Cultural History,Hardback,978-1-4438-2137-7,34.99,"During the first half of the twentieth century, both countries witnessed the advance of capitalism, translated into an aggressive police of development, with the exploitation of minerals, construction of railways and roads, urbanization and industrialization. Along with the economic development, Brazilian and South African society tried to take control of their society, meaning to control the population in order to maintain the status quo. For that end, racial definitions, classifications, theories and policies were fundamental. As the features of South African politics and policies of racial segregation emerged with new colors for the world after the end of the Apartheid regime, given the testimonies, the released documents and the new analysis, Brazilians have been pushed to face the problem of racial exclusion, unmasking its image as a “racial paradise” under the lights of new studies as well. Elaine Rocha uses novels published in both countries between 1912 and 1953 as a window from were one could see how cultural perceptions, policies and of racial differentiation were reflected in the everyday life. The analysis of the literary content, plus the authors’ biographies, political ideologies and the problems they were facing and interacting, together with their intentions of affecting the lives of the readers with the tragedy they illustrated in their novels claiming for a change in the real world. ","“This work is an important and highly innovative contribution to the comparative history of racism in South Africa and Brazil. Using key works of literature to explore attitudes to race in both countries during the first half of the twentieth century, Rocha offers some acute observations about such attitudes, and reveals some telling points of comparison and contrast. Her discussion on attitudes to miscegenation in South Africa and Brazil, for example, illustrates a common preoccupation with sexuality and race in both societies, but profoundly differing views on its social, cultural and political implications in each case. This work is highly recommended for students and scholars with an interest in the cultural history of South Africa or Brazil, as well as all those with an interest in the comparative history of racism.” —Alan Cobley, Professor of History, University of The West Indies ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-06-01,Gerrit Gong and Victor Teo,"Reconceptualising the Divide: Identity, Memory, and Nationalism in Sino-Japanese Relations",Hardback,978-1-4438-2119-3,39.99,"Relations between the People’s Republic of China and Japan are still subject to abrupt and periodic diplomatic confrontations and subtle political antagonisms. Though China and Japan have signed four political instruments, including the 1978 Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Co-operation, and maintain vibrant economic relations, Beijing and Tokyo too-frequently appear to have difficulty getting along. In this new volume, edited by Gerrit Gong and Victor Teo, a leading group of international scholars delineate underlying causes that strain bilateral Sino-Japanese relations and shape the 21st century international system. This book focuses on the “ideational” aspects of the Sino-Japanese relations—an area contemporary policy-makers and diplomats often neglect. Beyond visible interests and political gains, ideational forces including memories, identities, norms synthesize with nationalism and domestic politics to shape the tone and direction of Sino-Japanese relations and, for better or worse, set the trajectories for these two political and economic giants in the future. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-06-01,Peter Baofu,The Future of Post-Human War and Peace: A Preface to a New Theory of Aggression and Pacificity,Hardback,978-1-4438-2107-0,49.99,"Is peace really so precious that it is popularly viewed in irenology (peace studies) of our time as “natural” and “a prime force in human behavior”—whereas war, its opposite, is instead condemned as “sinful” and “not” natural? In fact, there is even the prestigious Nobel “peace” prize to be awarded to those who contribute to world peace but not an equivalent Nobel “war” prize to those who do the contrary. This euphoric view of peace is by no means a constant conventional wisdom in human history, as it can be sharply contrasted with an equally seductive view of war in polemology (war studies). For instance, only several decades ago, the well-known writer Thomas Mann once approvingly asked about war: “Is not peace an element of civil corruption and war a purification, a liberation, an enormous hope?” (WK 2009a) This fickleness of conventional wisdom on war and peace has blinded us from the dark sides of both war and peace, with the consequence of impoverishing our understanding of the human condition and its future. Contrary to the two opposing sides of this conventional wisdom in its fickle history, war and peace are neither possible nor desirable to the extent that their respective ideologues would like us to believe. In addition, war and peace cannot exist with each other. Of course, this is not to suggest that irenology (peace studies) and polemology (war studies) are worthless, or that other fields of study (related to war studies and peace studies) like “political science, economics, psychology, sociology, international relations, history, anthropology, religious studies,…gender studies, as well as a variety of others” should be ignored. (WK 2009) Needless to say, neither of these two extreme views is reasonable either. Instead, this book accepts the challenging task to provide an alternative (better) way to understand the nature of war and peace, especially in relation to aggression and pacificity—while learning from different approaches in the literature but without favoring any one of them (nor integrating them, since they are not necessarily compatible with each other). Thus, this book offers a new theory to transcend the existing approaches in the literature on war and peace in a way not conceived before. If successful, this seminal project is to fundamentally change the way that we think about war and peace, from the combined perspectives of the mind, nature, society, and culture, with enormous implications for the human future and what I originally called its “post-human” fate. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-07-01,Bahram Navazeni,Iran and the World: Some Contemporary Developments,Hardback,978-1-4438-2221-3,34.99,"Both Iran and the World had witnessed changes which have had profound effects in their past, as well as current events. Despite its long history, rich oil and gas resources, and the strategic position in the Persian Gulf, Iran has enjoyed stability in its blend of religion and politics of social affairs in the face of profound change. Contemporary international relations, known for its dominating principles of equal sovereignty and self-determination, are also undergoing change, the most obvious ones being the Soviet collapse, the “new world order,” and globalization, all of which have affected Iran. This book aims to emphasize recent developments in Iran and the world, study their interaction, thus attracting the attention of think tanks in international relations, political science, and other experts in various scientific fields. Subjects covered are the developments in mystical vision of the Islamic Revolution in the discourse of Martyr Mortaza Motahhari, legal and ethical issues of the human right to democracy, nation-state system and Islam, Iran's religio-constitutional institutions in the 20th century, Iran's addmision policy of international students, Obama and the policy of changing relations with Iran, Arab-Israeli conflict, development strategies in Iran and Algeria, Shanghais Cooperation Organization. ","The chapter entitled 'Development Strategies in Iran and Algeria: A Comparative Study,' begins from the assumptions that the state, which plays a major economic and social developmental role in both countries, as well as both countries’ reliance upon the petrochemical sector to generate growth and development, would lead one to assume that the results of these strategies would be similar in terms of economic and social development. Using the new comparative economics approach (NCE), Nouibat revealed that the similarities and differences in the two countries’ development strategies and their results can be explained by the state’s management of economic and social affairs and/or the similarity in their resources endowments, as well as by the changes in their development strategies along with the type and seriousness of internal and external economic and political constraints and pressures. -Abdelkader Nouibat’s, University of M’Sila, Algeria The chapter on 'Different Paradigms: The Nation-State System and Islam,' asserted that intensified globalization has weakened the Westphalian notion of the nation-state system as a universal political unit. Actually, this has never been true in the non-western world. In the wake of the cold war and Huntington’s infamous 'clash of civilizations' thesis, the Muslim world emerged as the West’s 'other' because both civilizations have different political, economic, and cultural paradigms. Ataman stressed that since the concepts of nation and nationalism are alien to Islam and Muslims, their expansion within the Muslim world has caused an identity crisis. Nationalism caused cultural insecurity and has been one of the main bases of Islamic revivalist movements against the West. Therefore, a conceptual evaluation of the nation-state system, ethnicity, and the Islamic approach to politics is required to understand relations between the West and the Muslim world. -Muhittin Ataman’s (Abant Izzet Baysal University, Turkey) Conventional wisdom states that human history is no more than the succession of human and social conflicts punctuated by wars and other forms of violence. In his case study of the six decade long Arab-Israeli conflict, which remains a stumbling block to the Middle East peace process, he maintains that in many respects it has become even more complex and intricate. Asghar traced the historical roots of Arab-Israeli conflict, examined the fundamental thorny issues bedeviling the disputants’ relations, analyzed the development of several dimensions of conflict (keeping in view the implications of great power influence), and discussed the various peace and other initiatives. He also mentioned how the recent eruption of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza demonstrates the importance of finding an immediate and durable solution to this ongoing problem taking the region’s unfolding demographic situation into consideration, he highlighted the significance of the two-state solution. -Nauman Asghar (Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-07-01,"Billy Frank, Craig Horner and David Stewart",The British Labour Movement and Imperialism,Hardback,978-1-4438-2220-6,39.99,"With Foreword by Tony Benn. This edited collection explores the British labour movement's relationship with imperialism in the period 1800–1982 through nine inter-connected articles. Labour historians have tended to neglect the labour movement's interaction with imperialism, preferring to concentrate on industrial relations, internal factionalism, the Labour Party-trade union alliance, and economic policymaking. In order to redress the balance, this book takes a broad chronological overview of the subject and engages with key themes, ranging from trade union interaction with empire, and the influence of popular imperial culture, to post-war colonial development, and responses to post-colonialism. Taking stock both of the labour movement in a broader context and of new approaches to the history of British imperialism, the collection combines the work of leading authorities on labour history with recent scholarly research. By blending this combination of economic, social, political and cultural analyses, it makes a substantial contribution to the debates surrounding the legacy of imperialism and the evolution of the British labour movement. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers, teachers and students of modern British political, social, economic and cultural history. It will also appeal to Labour Party members and labour movement activists. ","""This book takes the study of the relationship between the labour movement and empire in new and innovative directions. In the past, works have tended to examine the approach of the organized labour movement, particularly the Labour Party, to imperialism. But here we have a range of studies that consider 'labour' in its widest sense, as labouring people, even in the period before organized labour parties emerged. Thus we have studies of soldiers, of the working class and the 'New Imperialism' of the late nineteenth century, of the relationship between Australia and Britain viewed through a transnational and comparative consideration of the labour movement, and of Gandhi's relationship with Lancashire cotton workers. In addition, there are richly thoughtful articles on post-Second World War and post-colonial issues. Like all good books, these chapters raise many intriguing questions and indicate fresh directions in which such studies should be taken. It is an indispensable addition to the literature on labour, and Labour and the empire."" —John M. MacKenzie, Professor Emeritus, Lancaster University; Honorary Professor, University of St. Andrews ""The word 'pathbreaking' is often used too easily, but this collection is truly pathbreaking in the strict sense. It shows clearly that the history of the British working class can only be written as a transcontinental history, and that the British labour movement both shaped and was shaped by imperial and Great Power politics. The present essays overcome the insularity that has been typical for much of the older labour history and help to prepare the ground for a globalized labour history."" —Marcel van der Linden, Professor of Social Movement History, Amsterdam University; Research Director, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-08-01,Jovan Babić and Petar Bojanić,"World Governance: Do We Need It, Is It Possible, What Could It (All) Mean?",Hardback,978-1-4438-2264-0,44.99,"In the age of globalization and with increased interdependence in the world today, there is a question we may have to raise: Do we need, and could we attain, a world government capable of ensuring peace and facilitating worldwide well-being in a just and efficient way? There are obvious and strong arguments in favour of viable and sustainable world governance, even for a unified world state. Two of them seem to be especially strong: security, which is becoming more and more a matter of joint concern; and sustainability, which is increasingly visible in issues such as climate change, requiring unified and far-reaching action. One of the main objections raised against world governance is not that it is impractical, but that it is unnecessary and even undesirable. There is a fear that world government would be or become tyrannical. German philosopher Immanuel Kant devised a project of “perpetual peace,” but he was against a world state, advocating instead a kind of confederation of the states in the world. Finally, if a world government is indeed formed, how far should the instruments and tools of such a body reach? These and other issues have been explored in this book. Covering a wide range of disciplines—from philosophy to jurisprudence, ethics, and social science—the book explores how theorists have reflected upon the necessary components of an effective global order. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-09-01,Jeff Shantz,A Creative Passion: Anarchism and Culture,Hardback,978-1-4438-2334-0,34.99,"The specter of anarchism is haunting statist and capitalist culture and politics in the 21st century. Anarchism—the idea that people can organize their lives on the basis of justice and equality free from political and economic rulers—has provided inspiration for a variety of contemporary social movements. Yet anarchism remains a misunderstood and misrepresented philosophy. A Creative Passion, edited by a longtime anarchist activist and scholar, offers important insights into anarchist cultural practices and worldviews. The classical anarchist Mikhail Bakunin famously proclaimed that the passion for destruction is also a creative passion. Anarchists over the decades have sought to destroy the tyrannical, authoritarian, exploitative, and oppressive aspects of statist and capitalist societies and culture, while creating alternatives based on solidarity, justice, care, and mutual aid. This innovative work provides exciting perspectives on current movements and ideas that seek a world free from authoritarian domination. It will be a welcome resource for students, faculty, artists, and community organizers alike. Chapters examine anarchism and dada, drama and anarchy, eco-anarchism and critiques of capitalist civilization, DIY and anarcho-punk assaults on corporate culture industries, and Wole Soyinka’s anarchism. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-09-01,Kai Gregor and Sergueï Spetschinsky,Concerning Peace: New Perspectives on Utopia,Hardback,978-1-4438-2324-1,39.99,"How is peace to be understood? Does it make any sense to believe in its utopian realisation? Or is its failure necessary, its attempt always transforming into dystopia? Is there something to be saved in the ideal of utopian peace? Can one affirm that peace is in fact a pantopia—an omnipresent reality? The collection of essays, Concerning Peace: New Perspectives on Utopia, investigates these questions. Its method resides in both a philosophical understanding of peace, and its exemplification into concrete reality. Through the analysis of concrete examples of peace belonging to the diverse fields of metaphysics, politics, history and culture, the essays bring the idea of peace within our reach. Going from the particular to the general, from life to philosophy, the authors of the collected essays offer us more than an understanding of peace; they produce it before our eyes. If this book may interest peace and philosophy scholars, it was first intended for any citizen caring about the way the world must be, refusing to simply accept it as it is—for anyone willing to believe in the reality of utopia. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-09-01,Richard J. Gelm,"How American Politics Works: Philosophy, Pragmatism, Personality and Profit",Paperback,978-1-4438-2281-7,19.99,"American politics is criticized and belittled by media critics and the public, yet the system is held out as a model for the world. The paradox of this simultaneous cynicism and adulation is rooted in the conflict between the human motives that drive politics. Crisply and clearly written with numerous historical examples, How American Politics Works explains the complex and sometimes confusing American political system in a vibrant and accessible light. Documented with recent and historical scholarship presented clearly in laymen’s terms, How American Politics Works explores the multiple dimensions of politics and the source of Americans’ disillusionment with their government through the “four Ps”: Philosophy, Pragmatism, Personality and Profit. Philosophical and moral principles underpin the key political institutions in America, but values are challenged in the quest to achieve workable political solutions. Policy is rarely made to conform to lofty principles alone. It often results from short-term incremental compromise, driven by people in pursuit of the public good and their own personal self-interest and profit. How American Politics Works explains the inner workings of the American political system, including the power of ideas, political compromise, powerful personalities and the preeminent position of money. While Americans’ high ideals are often illusive in the rough and tumble of political battles, and the public’s trust is bruised with every political scandal, balancing idealism and individual virtue with ambition and self-interest is the dynamic and safeguard of American politics. How American Politics Works offers a comprehensive presentation of the realities, challenges and possibilities of the American political system to bring an understanding, fascination and dedication to the wider public. ","“This is a splendid book and one that should be fully utilized by everyone with an interest in politics and our governing system.” —Former United States Senator George McGovern, Ph.D. in History, Northwestern University ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-09-01,Nicola Seu,Israel Diary: The Jewish State through the eyes of a Goy,Hardback,978-1-4438-2274-9,29.99,"The author’s travel starts with university books. After an intense student career, he realizes it is time to gain first-hand knowledge of that controversial Land, walk in its streets, talk its language so distant and unfamiliar to Nicola's background. What is a country that still has not delineated his own borders like? How can people live among tensions and violent contrasts? Questions like these pushed the author to leave his beloved Mitteleuropa, without a clearly defined project. The discovery begins with Tel-Aviv, where East does not seem to be present, and West seems to dominate people’s life. In Jerusalem, Kippot and orthodox Jews pullulate reminding that Reality in this part of the world is always so variegated. Black, brown, blonde girls, different faces and colours are all here to testify the complexity and multi-ethnicity of a world which, with the help of his friend and guide David, the author tries to run from north to south in order to understand it and to report on it. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-09-01,Paul Tabar and Jennifer Skulte-Ouaiss,"Politics, Culture and the Lebanese Diaspora",Hardback,978-1-4438-2329-6,44.99,"This book is a collection of essays that were originally presented at a conference at the Lebanese American University in late May 2007, entitled “Politics, Culture and the Lebanese Diaspora.” It looks at various facets of the Lebanese Diaspora and examines the politics and culture of Lebanese migrants and their descendants in different parts of the world while detailing the communal, national and transnational elements of these practices and exploring the changing characteristics of politics and culture in respect to migration, Diaspora and globalization. The essays raise questions about the (in)compatible and interpenetrating relationships between these dynamics, and analyze processes of identity formation as cultural manifestations of migratory politics. The book is divided into three main sections. The first section deals with issues of identity and multiculturalism among Lebanese emigrants, concluding that identities are continuously molded and negotiated in the diaspora. It examines the formation of identities among second and third-generation migrants, and the changing conceptions of the meaning of roots and homelands. The second section deals with politics and activism in the Diaspora. It looks at how diasporas relate to the political processes in their homelands during post-conflict resolution and explores the role of Lebanese migrants abroad in the process of peace-building back home. The third part deals with the Diaspora in literature and media through the assessment of key writings on the explorations of self of the Lebanese abroad, drawing on how symbols of identification and conventions of representation become sites of conflict over time. The wide variety of perspectives presented in these papers invite us to challenge the notion of a fixed, bounded, and rigid homeland and identity, and move towards one that is more nomadic and fluid. They call us to pay attention to the symbols used in the cultural construction of both homelands and identities in the country of immigration and to think of the complex ways in which transnational politics affect the homeland and are in turn affected by it. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-09-01,"Jay Spaulding, Stephanie Beswick, Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban and Richard A. Lobban, Jr.",Sudan’s Wars and Peace Agreements,Hardback,978-1-4438-2321-0,39.99,"Originating from the 2008 27th annual conference of the Sudan Studies Association (SSA) of the same title, these essays document and analyze Sudan’s chronic history of conflict since independence in 1956 as well as its own and international efforts to bring an end to these conflicts. As the country moves toward what some see as the inevitable separation of South Sudan in 2011 honoring the principle of self-determination long fought for by southerners, the lessons of six decades of a history of war and peace agreements is both telling and compelling. This analysis is offered by the real experts on Sudan rather than the usual story offered by journalists and pundits. In addition to an Introduction by the editors, all founders or current or past presidents of the SSA, the essays by Sudanese and non-Sudanese explore the often bitter history of North-South relations and loss of life leading to the consideration of a range of options from a continuation of national unity under revised terms, to federation or redivision, to full separation of the South and the constitution of a new African state. The role of the Khartoum government’s pursuit of policies of Islamization and Islamism for a quarter of a century across multiple regimes is also treated. The central question of constructing a sustainable peace, irrespective of the outcome in 2011, is detailed along with the essential consideration of women and gender perspectives to sustain any peace negotiated. This book is must reading in advance of, or in response to, the crucial events as they unfold in Sudan in 2011 and beyond. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-10-01,David Berry and Constance Bantman,"New Perspectives on Anarchism, Labour and Syndicalism: The Individual, the National and the Transnational",Hardback,978-1-4438-2393-7,39.99,"This collection presents exciting new research on the history of anarchist movements and their relation to organised labour, notably revolutionary syndicalism. Bringing together internationally acknowledged authorities as well as younger researchers, all specialists in their field, it ranges across Europe and from the late nineteenth century to the beginnings of the Cold War. National histories are revisited through transnational perspectives—on Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Poland or Europe as a whole—evidencing a great wealth of cross-border interactions and reciprocal influences between regions and countries. Emphasis is also placed on individual activist itineraries—whether of renowned figures such as Errico Malatesta or of lesser-known yet equally fascinating characters, whose trajectories offer fresh perspectives on the complex interplay of regional and national political cultures, evolving political ideologies, activist networks and the individual. The volume will be of interest to specialists working on the history of anarchism and/or trade unionism as well as the political or social history of the countries concerned; but it will also be useful to students and the general reader looking for discussion of the most recent thinking on the historiography of labour and anarchist movements or those wanting a comprehensive overview of the history of syndicalism. ","“This promises to become a very significant contribution to the ongoing debate. The book clearly breaks new ground by considering revolutionary syndicalism as a group of different movements (indeed, a ‘family’) and by discussing not only West European, but also East European experiences. All in all, this is an excellent collection.” —Marcel van der Linden, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam “This book is both a timely and authoritative reappraisal of anarchism and syndicalism in Europe, breaking new ground in its analysis of these movements from a transnational and comparative perspective. Through its focus on international networks and personal connections, it represents a major contribution to our understanding of labour history. New Perspectives on Anarchism, Labour and Syndicalism will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the history of working-class internationalism.” —Jeremy Jennings, Professor of Political Theory, Queen Mary, University of London ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-10-01,Gary D. Badcock and Darren C. Marks,"War, Human Dignity and Nation Building: Theological Perspectives on Canada’s Role in Afghanistan",Hardback,978-1-4438-2381-4,39.99,"Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan is the longest martial conflict in its history precipitated literally overnight by a world changing event in the 2001 9/11 attack in New York City. In 2010, the Afghan “Mission” remains front page news for Canadians, even threatening to undermine the Federal Government due to the so-called “Detainee Scandal.” The human cost (Canadian and Afghan), financial burdens and impact on the self-perception of Canadians as a peace keeping “Middle-Power” are immense and likely will form a watershed in Canadian history. And yet, the “Mission” remains little scrutinized by faith communities, and further, left as a non-conversation for many and the domain of a nebulous foreign policy and largely toothless Manley Report. This volume is the first such major attempt by the Centre for Public Theology to bring together theologians, philosophers, faith leaders, NGOs, politicians and other academics from sociology, politics and peace-keeping in order to dialogue about the impact of the Afghan “Mission.” These papers form much of the conversation of a conference held in May 2009 at the Centre for Public Theology. The papers offer reflections on the Manley Report, investigations on the theological and philosophical issues at play in Canada’s response, interaction with Canada’s shift from “peace-keeping” to “war-fighting” and the new NATO mandate, thoughts on the role of Islamic nations and analysis of the role of the Abrahamic faith communities in this wider Canadian conversation. The Centre for Public Theology is a federally funded research centre housed at Huron University College whose mandate is to bring into conversation academics, NGOs, media, Government and the public on issues of public policy and life with a particular attention to the role of religion in Canadian life. Its founding motto is “intelligence, not advocacy.” It is not an advocacy or lobbying centre, instead seeking only to facilitate dialogue across boundaries. Its webpage can be found at www.publictheology.org. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-11-01,Lori Maguire,Domestic Policy Discourse in the US and the UK in the 'New World Order',Hardback,978-1-4438-2429-3,39.99,"With the end of the Cold War, many commentators expected a renewed emphasis on domestic policy as a result of this major change in foreign policy. Until the attacks of 11 September 2001, this is exactly what happened. The “new world order” in domestic terms, celebrated the triumph of capitalism and free markets. At this time, Milton Friedman’s economic ideas were all the rage and Keynes completely out of fashion. The economic problems of the 1970s, in combination with the manifest failure of communist economies, had largely discredited the traditional notion of the Left and party rhetoric reflected this. Both the Democrats and Labour had begun in the 1980s (faced with the success of Reagan and Thatcher) a process of redefinition: people talked of “New Democrats” and “New Labour”. During the campaign of 1992, Clinton insisted on the need for a “modern, mainstream agenda” and used key terms often associated with conservatism like “expansion of opportunity”, “choice”, “responsibility” and “reinventing government”. Labour, especially after Tony Blair became leader in 1994, followed the same path. Both the Conservatives and the Republicans had pushed to the right in the late 1970s and continued this trend in the following years. Although their electoral fortunes varied, they increasingly found themselves divided between moderate and more rightwing members. In Britain this division focused on Europe while, in the US, it usually concerned social and ethical questions. By 2010, the Conservatives had attained some cohesion under David Cameron but, the Republicans were openly feuding. This book’s originality lies in its scope, in its comparative aspect, and its inclusion of first person accounts as well as scholarly studies. In particular, the book includes one of the first major analyses of the health care debate from Clinton’s failed attempt to the conclusion of Obama’s successful one. Highly up to date and topical, it also discusses discourse related to the recent economic crisis, the so-called “Climategate” scandal, the UK elections of 2010, the gay rights debates in the US, “Islamophobia”, and the Arizona immigration law. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-11-01,Thomas Acton and Micheal O'Haodha,From Russia with Love: Alex Smith and Life on the British Fairgrounds,Paperback,978-1-4438-2504-7,29.99,,,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-11-01,Katalin Miklóssy and Pekka Korhonen,The East and the Idea of Europe,Hardback,978-1-4438-2502-3,34.99,"In this volume, the authors examine the mutual relationship of the East and Europe within the Eurasian geopolitical space. They investigate how people to the East of Europe understand themselves vis-à-vis Europe, how they have processed European influences, and how states in the East compete with the West. The East is a strong rhetorical metaphor efficiently colouring something as non-European, or not-essentially-European. Studies in this volume examine the linguistic techniques that are used in erecting social and political boundaries, and how they are eventually demolished. The main focus is on turning points of time and transitional periods where the stability of status quo and maintenance of traditional values have been questioned, both in history and at present. All analysis is strictly based on original language sources, which are interpreted with thorough social, cultural and historical expertise. The main conceptual tool used for analysis is the binarity of boundaries. Binarity, or the use of boundary creating dichotomies, is constantly used in public discussion and political strategies to structure geopolitical space, create imperial power plays, and competing centre-periphery formations. The empirically strong social and cultural expertise of the authors, and their multidisciplinary use of geopolitical theory in conjunction with new linguistically inspired analytical tools create a highly original perspective on the Eurasian political space. The book is a significant contribution to studies on Europe and its neighbourhood. ","“The authors have succeeded in presenting the history of the East with Europe as an interesting succession of skillful political moves and rhetorical reinterpretations. Their approach of linguistically inspired new geopolitical research is original and certainly path-breaking in international studies. Recommended for serious scholars interested in European politics, as well as for European and international relations courses.” —Kari Palonen, Academy of Finland Professor, Leader of the Centre of Excellence Political Thought and Conceptual Change “The contributors have weaved their multidisciplinary approach into a coherent whole. With extensive knowledge of languages and cultures, their analysis is deep and illuminating. The text is lucid and informative, with advanced theoretical and methodological argumentation intertwining with historical and empirical observations. Recommended reading for scholars of social sciences and history, both in Asia and in Europe.” —Emiko Ochiai, Professor of Sociology, Kyoto University, Leader of the Centre of Excellence Reconstruction of the Intimate and Public Spheres in 21st Century Asia “This edited volume offers fresh and critical ideas about the meaning of ‘the West’ and ‘Europe’ as seen from peoples and countries on the ‘periphery’ or outside the ‘West,’ like Finland, Hungary, Japan, and Russia. Its six chapters highlight important aspects of the linguistic and political construction of borders referring to binary orders which are used to structure geopolitical landscapes. The East and the Idea of Europe constitutes a significant contribution to such various discourses as those on globalization, the meanings of European and Western identities, geopolitical conflicts, and migration.” —Dr Árpád von Klimó, DAAD Visiting Professor, Department of History, University of Pittsburgh “How do nations and states construct their own ‘placing’ –and each other’s -- in a world signed by the forced juxtaposition of ‘East’ and ‘West?’” “How are these ‘placings’ negotiated and reshaped at especially critical cultural and political junctures?” To shed light on these questions, editors Katalin Miklóssy and Pekka Korhonen have engaged a uniquely distinguished and uniquely diverse group of authors. That they have been able to create a fruitful dialogue between them without straight-jacketing them into methodological conformity is one of the great strengths of this book. Our own conceptualizations of what is ‘East’ and ‘West,’ and of the shifting role of ‘in-between’ states, as Minna Rasku’s contribution on “Placing Greece on the Boundary of Europe” reminds us, is culturally and politically contextualized, fuzzy, and changing. The essays in this book go beyond mechanistic understandings of ‘Orientalism’ and ‘Westernism’ to paint a nuanced and multi-hued picture of the many elements—from the power of naming to economic policies and trade reorientation to views of geopolitical order— that go into the ‘placing’ and self-placing of nations, states, empires and boundaries themselves. This book makes an important contribution to our understanding of both cultural representations of East and West, and of borders, their meaning and their cultural shifting.” —Margarita M. Balmaceda, PhD, Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University “The book ""The East and the Idea of Europe"" brings an important contribution to the field of mental mapping and discursive construction of collective identities. It combines well-thought methodological approaches with huge empirical material from different countries. Studying how the East understood itself vis-à-vis the West it focuses on critical periods where the stability of status quo have been questioned. The book contributed for better understanding geopolitical frames of references that determine both contemporary world politics and everyday thinking.” —Professor Olga Malinova, leading research fellow of the Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-12-01,"Bo Bengtsson, Per Strömblad and Ann-Helén Bay","Diversity, Inclusion and Citizenship in Scandinavia",Hardback,978-1-4438-2574-0,44.99,"Diversity, inclusion and citizenship are highly contested concepts. This book sheds light on how the traditionally homogeneous welfare-states of Scandinavia struggle to develop as democratic societies in the globalisation era. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden, migration from all parts of the world continues to challenge the idea of social citizenship—highly endorsed in the Scandinavian tradition. The volume brings new perspectives on immigration and integration strategies employed by the three countries, and their consequences for social and political relations. Presenting in-depth analyses, based on up-to-date empirical data, the 19 authors scrutinise a number of dilemmas related to diversity and inclusion in multicultural societies. Exploring tensions in terms of rights and obligations, participation and identity, the chapters provide new insights into the complexity of majority-minority interaction, political traditions and democratic legitimacy. Drawing on case studies as well as comparative analyses, the authors present new and original empirical findings, and they also offer important theoretical contributions to general social science discourses. Taken together the chapters provide an indispensable source, not only for those seeking to understand the current trends in Scandinavian integration policies, but also for those who are generally interested in issues of diversity, inclusion and citizenship. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-12-01,Piotr Cap,Legitimisation in Political Discourse: A Cross- Disciplinary Perspective on the Modern US War Rhetoric Second Edition,Hardback,978-1-4438-2569-6,34.99,"How did the G. W. Bush administration manage to persuade Americans to go to war in Iraq in March 2003? How was this intervention, and the global campaign named as “war-on-terror,” legitimised linguistically? This book shows that the best legitimisation effects in political discourse are accomplished through the use of “proximization”—a cognitive-rhetorical strategy that draws on the speaker’s ability to present events as directly and increasingly affecting the addressee, usually in a negative or threatening way. There are three aspects of proximization: spatial, temporal and axiological. The spatial aspect involves the construal of events in the discourse as physically endangering the addressee. The temporal aspect involves presenting the events as increasingly momentous and historic and hence of central significance to both the addressee and the speaker. The axiological aspect consists in a growing clash between the system of values adhered to by the speaker and the addressee, and the values characterizing a third party whose actions, ideologically negative, are made “proximate” and thus threatening. Although the tripartite model of proximization proposed in the book is complex at the level of its linguistic realisation, the working assumption is intriguingly basic: addressees of political discourse are more likely to legitimise pre-emptive actions aimed at neutralizing the proximate “threat” if they construe the threat as personally consequential. The book shows how language of the war-on-terror, and especially the rhetoric of the Iraq war, respond to this precondition. This second revised edition features an extended preface and a new closing chapter. ","“Piotr Cap’s book takes great theoretical strides in critical discourse analysis, exploring the dimensions of space, time and value, and applying his model to decisive texts in the contemporary world.” —Paul Chilton “This fascinating book provides readers with new theoretical insights into issues of legitimisation (and representation). More specifically, the US rhetoric of war is critically analysed and explained in innovative pragmatic-linguistic ways—a methodology which could be applied to many other salient problems in our complex world.” —Ruth Wodak ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-12-01,"Ronald Eric Matthews, Jr. and Michele A. Gilbert",Obamagelicals: How the Right Turned Left,Hardback,978-1-4438-2550-4,34.99,"Obamagelicals: How the Right Turned Left demonstrates how rhetorical strategies normalized, marginalized, and/or anaesthetized the traditional views of the white Protestant evangelical voter and gave younger white Protestant evangelicals, whose self-identify as being centrists or modernists, a voice that had otherwise been drowned out by the traditional old guard of the Protestant evangelical religious right. Obamagelicals argues President Obama capitalized on this completely different set of value issues that resonated with white Protestant evangelical centrists and modernists in ways never dreamed possible. Obamagelicals is a unique contribution to the current, interdisciplinary conversation about the role of white Protestant evangelicals in the democratic process and the victorious presidential election. It is unique because it treats Protestant evangelicalism not as a monolith but as a mosaic—comprised of numerous denominations and belief patterns. Through this creation of space on the theological continuum of Protestant evangelicalism, believers draw attention to themselves by creating distinction and attention. This book examines how the shift in theological interpretations of the Scriptures lead to shift in cultural and political issues that went undetected by Republican candidate Senator John McCain but embraced by President Obama. Obamagelicals provides a consistent methodological approach that is easy to understand for those interested in religion and politics. Using data analysis and cross-tabulations, each topic or theme employs simple, easy to understand variables thereby allowing for a cross-comparison. Obamagelicals allows us the opportunity to begin to examine the connections between religiosity and political participation on such key policy issues as the economy, war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and same-sex marriages, within the mosaic of Protestant evangelicalism in the shadow of the 2008 election. ","""This book asks all the right questions and should be required reading for anyone interested in the intersection of religion and politics. Support for public policies that address the economy and poverty have never come from such a diverse electorate. This important research traces the roots of how religion matters in public policy, using the critical case of electing President Obama to tell the story. Their analysis provides a rich narrative to how the deep recession, with very real economic consequences, can shift political alignment in the most critical of cases. Few would have guessed that Christian evangelicals would align with an African American president, running on several progressive social and economic positions. This became the new swing vote, the new “soccer mom” of 2008. What’s remarkable about this analysis is how it enables us to understand voting behavior and ideology across a myriad of demographics. This shift facilities an intriguing policy feedback loop between voters and policymakers. Only time will tell how permanent this shift will be. But to understand the real “why” questions of religion and politics, start with this book! "" - David Rothstein, Policy Analyst, Policy Matters Ohio, USA ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010-12-01,Neil Ferguson,Post-Conflict Reconstruction,Hardback,978-1-4438-2578-8,39.99,"Violence and conflict are two of the greatest challenges the world will face in this millennium. Indeed, since the turn of the century, it is estimated that approximately four million people have died as a result of armed conflict. Ending these seemingly intractable conflicts is a priority for global stability. However, the signing of the peace accord or the ending of formal hostilities does not automatically bring a return to normality in these fractured societies. In practice, it is more likely that these fractured societies will face a period in the twilight between war and peace, a time when the world turns its attention to new problems and seemingly more pressing matters, leaving the country to struggle towards peace and a new social order. The book’s contributors deal with the challenges faced in creating the foundations for the development of a positive peace from a variety of multi-disciplinary perspectives, such as development studies, politics, psychoanalysis, psychology, sports studies and neuroscience. This breadth of perspectives offers innovative insights into the grey space between war and peace, which is home to millions of people across the globe and explores interventions which aim to create the conditions for positive post-conflict reconstruction. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-01-01,Gerald MacLean,Britain and the Muslim World: Historical Perspectives,Hardback,978-1-4438-2590-0,44.99,"Based on papers presented at an international three-day conference, sponsored by the British Academy and held at the Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter in April 2009, this collection of essays provides a comprehensive and accessible synthesis of the most advanced specialist and scholarly knowledge to date concerning historical perspectives on relations between Britain and the Muslim World. Ranging from the early-modern period to the present day, the essays collected here represent work by leading writers and scholars from relevant fields—history, international relations, economics, religion, law, art history and design, film studies, and sociology, as well as literary and cultural studies. These essays explore the historical impacts of cross-cultural encounters between Islam and Britain by variously addressing the question of how relations between Britain and the Muslim world in the past have brought us to our current situation and, in some cases, by proposing directions for necessary further consideration and research. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-01-01,"Maija Jäppinen, Meri Kulmala and Aino Saarinen","Gazing at Welfare, Gender and Agency in Post-socialist Countries",Hardback,978-1-4438-2581-8,44.99,"The volume presents a new and unique view of welfare in Russia and Eastern European countries from an intersectional perspective of welfare, gender and agency. Since the collapse of socialism, the welfare structures of the post-socialist states have experienced large and rapid changes. The discussions on the reforming welfare models serve as the integrating theme for the volume. The authors discuss past and current developments and make comparisons in time and space–between the early 1990s and late 2000s and between post-socialist and transitional countries. Welfare and political democratization are analyzed on the one hand as structures and processes and on the other hand as cultural meanings and through agency, which all are strongly gendered. Macro-level analyses and in-depth case studies by scholars from different countries and disciplines provide a wide and multilayered picture of welfare developments and gendered practices of social services, caregiving and civic activism, among others. Special attention is given to research methodologies, particularly on fieldwork and micro-level understanding of the related topics. The contributors come from social and political sciences and from both former socialist and “Western” countries – from Russia and Slovenia as well as the US, the UK, Germany and Finland. In their studies, the authors examine various regions of Russia and other post-socialist countries, such as the Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova and Slovenia. ","“In this work, a truly international array of outstanding scholars uncover the role of society in the European post-communist transitions. The collection constitutes a great advance in our understanding of this complicated subject, illustrating how social groups have negotiated a changing economic and political environment. Diverse methodologies, local case studies, and intensive field work provide a solid empirical foundation for each of the contributions in the volume. Together, the authors uncover the reciprocal relationships between state social welfare reforms and citizens’ strategies to provide for themselves and each other. This work will be an invaluable resource for readers interested in European studies, comparative social welfare, and gender studies.” —Professor Andrea Chandler, Department of Political Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada “How do the poor, sick, disabled and elderly cope in ‘post-socialist’ societies? How do state, civic initiatives, informal networks and market actors intersect in the diverse welfare regimes that once had been pretty similar? Why are welfare practices still feminized so much? These urgent questions are approached by authors from different countries looking at such different societies as the Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Slovenia and Russia. The anthology presents a new and unique view of welfare in contemporary Russia and Central and South-Eastern European countries from an intersectional perspective of welfare, gender and agency. The book combines a macro-level approach on welfare, with a deep and rich analysis of concrete cases (with difficult access). Focus on the small sites of welfare—villages, municipal regions, organizations, networks— helps the reader to [comprehend] viewpoints of various vulnerable groups as well as everyday practices of agents engaged in providing the services.” —Elena Zdravomyslova, Professor of Sociology and Political Science, European University, St. Petersburg, Russia ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-01-01,Karen Fog Olwig and Karsten Paerregaard,"The Question of Integration: Immigration, Exclusion and the Danish Welfare State",Paperback,978-1-4438-2635-8,19.99,"The question of integration has become an important concern as many societies are experiencing a growing influx of people from abroad. But what does integration really mean? What does it take for a person to be integrated in a society? Through a number of ethnographic case studies, this book explores varying meanings and practices of integration in Denmark. This welfare society, characterized by a liberal life style and strong notions of social equality, is experiencing an upsurge of nationalist sentiment. The authors show that integration is not just a neutral term referring to the incorporation of newcomers into society. It is, more fundamentally, an ideologically loaded concept revolving around the redefining of notions of community and welfare in a society undergoing rapid social and economic changes in the face of globalization. The ethnographic analyses are authored by anthropologists who wish to engage, as scholars and citizens living and working in Denmark, in one of the most contentious issues of our time. The Danish perspectives on integration are discussed from a broader international perspective in three epilogues by non-Danish anthropologists. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-01-01,Karen Fog Olwig and Karsten Paerregaard,"The Question of Integration: Immigration, Exclusion and the Danish Welfare State",Hardback,978-1-4438-2634-1,39.99,"The question of integration has become an important concern as many societies are experiencing a growing influx of people from abroad. But what does integration really mean? What does it take for a person to be integrated in a society? Through a number of ethnographic case studies, this book explores varying meanings and practices of integration in Denmark. This welfare society, characterized by a liberal life style and strong notions of social equality, is experiencing an upsurge of nationalist sentiment. The authors show that integration is not just a neutral term referring to the incorporation of newcomers into society. It is, more fundamentally, an ideologically loaded concept revolving around the redefining of notions of community and welfare in a society undergoing rapid social and economic changes in the face of globalization. The ethnographic analyses are authored by anthropologists who wish to engage, as scholars and citizens living and working in Denmark, in one of the most contentious issues of our time. The Danish perspectives on integration are discussed from a broader international perspective in three epilogues by non-Danish anthropologists. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-02-01,Päivi Hoikkala and Dorothy D. Wills,Dimensions of International Migration,Hardback,978-1-4438-2665-5,39.99,"International Dimensions of Migration follows migrants from challenging situations in their homelands into even more challenging new worlds. Spanning historical periods from the aftermath of the American Civil War to the Third Reich to the modern era, the essays in this book use post-colonial literature, ethnographic research, primary sources, interviews, and a variety of other approaches to reveal the experiences of immigrants and their hosts. The critical method and broad, cross-cultural context of the volume provide a fresh perspective on the immigration issues we are encountering today. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-02-01,Anastasios G. Karasavvoglou,The Economies of the Balkan and Eastern Europe Countries in the Changed World,Hardback,978-1-4438-2689-1,49.99,"The rapid changes in the economic and political climate of the Balkan and the Black Sea countries demand continuous adjustments in the mixture of the implemented economic policy in the area. Under this framework, there is a special interest to investigate the impact of the global economic reality in these economies, the importance of their integration in the European Union, as well as the foundation of various regional organizations that host many countries of the specific area. Taking into consideration the current developments within the European Union, the economic crisis that strikes the peripheral EU countries and the dispute over the credibility of the euro currency, economists need to enhance the effectiveness of regional development, to underline the value of FDI and entrepreneurship of the countries of the Balkan and the Black Sea, to assist the bank sector in order to support the level of productivity, to control the financial flows with the help of auditing structures and to exploit human recourses in order to achieve economical reforms in these countries. The current volume approaches, among others, the above matters and aspires to contribute to the further investigation of the possibilities and the perspectives of the economies of the region. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-03-01,Diogo Pires Aurélio and João Tiago Proença,"Terrorism: Politics, Religion, Literature",Hardback,978-1-4438-2708-9,34.99,"This volume offers a collection of essays useful for analyzing and comparing terrorist movements, especially in relation to Islamic terrorism. But its scope goes well beyond that, offering theoretical insights into the concept of terrorism, debating the puzzling phenomenon from various traditions of thought, including analyses of writings by Jürgen Habermas, Michael Walzer and Eric Weil. It examines the uses of violence by terrorism: the “who,” the “how” and the “when.” Present day terrorism is a modern phenomenon to be distinguished from classical insurgency, revolution, guerrilla warfare, or coups d’état; it is mainly directed at modern societies, whether from a religious-fundamentalist point of view, or from radical social and ecological movements. In short, terrorism uses largely fabricated ways of thought for political-polemological ends. In Terrorism: Politics, Religion, Literature, the reader will find plenty of food for thought, as the chapters span a wide range of approaches, including manifestos, film and literature. It will be of particular interest to observers, scholars, students, military personnel, journalists, and government analysts. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-03-01,"Cathy Covell Waegner, Page R. Laws and Geoffroy de Laforcade",Transculturality and Perceptions of the Immigrant Other: “From-Heres” and “Come-Heres” in Virginia and North Rhine-Westphalia,Hardback,978-1-4438-2695-2,39.99,"No other issue in our times of globalization has aroused such passionate debate as the increasingly complex transborder movements of people of all ethnicities, with the self-perceived “from-heres” often struggling to maintain the illusion of separateness from intruding “come-heres.” The paradigm of transculturality offers prospects to rethink, demystify and represent cultural unity and difference, assimilation and alterity, in a manner that acknowledges the fissures and the fictions in traditional cultural dichotomies such as the melodramatically instrumentalized “national” vs. “foreign.” The interdisciplinary essays compiled in Transculturality and Perceptions of the Immigrant Other focus on the ways in which new diasporic and migrational patterns arouse ill will and conflict, but also negotiation and transcultural impulses, resulting in transformed meso-structures in media, schooling, and business. Investigating regional immigrant groups in the states of Virginia and North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the discourses and images in public media, films, literature, and cultural events, the studies both document the contest for geographical, work, and community space and place it in larger theoretical and specific historical contexts. Arising from an international project undertaken by senior and junior scholars from the fields of cultural studies, history, and sociology at Norfolk State University in Virginia and University of Siegen in Germany, these essays suggest that cultural citizenship can embody dynamic expressions of belonging and strategies of empowerment which shape political and economic communities, engendering in the process innovative forms of constantly negotiated, hybrid identity and transmigratory affiliation. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-04-01,Bezen Balamir Coskun,Analysing Desecuritisation: The Case of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Education and Water Management,Hardback,978-1-4438-2731-7,39.99,"This book applies securitisation theory to the present Israeli-Palestinian situation with a particular focus on the potential for a desecuritisation process arising from Israeli-Palestinian cooperation/coexistence efforts in peace education and water management. Stemming from the application of securitisation theory to the Israeli-Palestinian case, the book aims to explore the limits and prospects of this theory as a theoretical framework. Within this context, the book reconsiders the concepts, arguments and assumptions introduced by the Copenhagen School’s securitisation theory. Furthermore, through an analytical framework based on the notion of desecuritisation, it aims to contribute to the development of desecuritisation as a framework for analysing conflict resolution and peace. The book adds to debates over the problems and prospects of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Thoroughout the book, the prospects for reconciliation in the Israeli-Palestinian case are explored through analysing both desecuritising and securitising processes. Within this context, the book sheds light on the ways in which antagonistic relationships can be changed over time. ","“Bezen Balamir Coskun's book is a research monograph, thoroughly researched, and very well-written. The book applies securitisation theory to the Israeli-Palestinian case with a particular focus on the potential for desecuritisation process arising from various cooperation/ coexistence efforts in peace education and water management. This is an important book which reconsiders the key concepts, arguments and assumptions introduced by the Copenhagen School's securitisation theory. Dr Coskun's thoughtful argument makes a significant scholarly contribution.” —Prof Dr Bulent Gokay, Professor of International Relations, School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, Keele University, Staffs ""Securitization theory is a growing and increasingly influential sub-field of International Relations. Its full scholalrly potential, however, is yet to be realised. This volume goes some considerable way to making good that gap. Bezen Coskun provides a sophisticated and sure-footed account of the Arab-Israeli conflict that is both theoretically-informed and empirically rich. Her examination of the dynamics of antagonism is not a counsel of despair; securitisation can be avoided and reconciliation remains a possibility. The long-cycle of conflict may appear totally intractable but this is a book from which important lessons can be drawn in how to de-escalate violence, correct misperceptions and overcome political stalemate."" —Prof. Mark Webber, Professor of International Politics Head, School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-04-01,Pauline Schnapper,British Political Parties and National Identity: A Changing Discourse 1997-2010,Hardback,978-1-4438-2727-0,34.99,"This study is about party political discourses on national identity in Britain under the New Labour governments (1997–2010). Britishness has become a major theme in the British political debate since the end of the second world war, and even more so since the early 1990s, either directly or through discussions of specific issues like immigration, Europe or devolution to Scotland and Wales. Numerous political leaders have publicly worried about the weakness of the common citizenship in the UK and the threat to the survival of Britishness, which has been the only common thread in competing discourses between and within parties. The book examines the four issues which have embodied the different aspects of the debate about national identity in the UK, namely devolution, multiculturalism, European integration and globalisation. It shows that the polarised discourses (especially between the Conservatives and Labour) of the 1990s have given way to a relative rapprochement on these issues, with the notable exception of the European Union, where a real cleavage, in rethoric if not in policy, remains between and sometimes within British political parties. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-04-01,Nicola Seu,Israel Diary: The Jewish State through the eyes of a Goy,Paperback,978-1-4438-2740-9,14.99,"The author’s travel starts with university books. After an intense student career, he realizes it is time to gain first-hand knowledge of that controversial Land, walk in its streets, talk its language so distant and unfamiliar to Nicola's background. What is a country that still has not delineated his own borders like? How can people live among tensions and violent contrasts? Questions like these pushed the author to leave his beloved Mitteleuropa, without a clearly defined project. The discovery begins with Tel-Aviv, where East does not seem to be present, and West seems to dominate people’s life. In Jerusalem, Kippot and orthodox Jews pullulate reminding that Reality in this part of the world is always so variegated. Black, brown, blonde girls, different faces and colours are all here to testify the complexity and multi-ethnicity of a world which, with the help of his friend and guide David, the author tries to run from north to south in order to understand it and to report on it. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-04-01,"Martyn Barrett, Chris Flood and John Eade","Nationalism, Ethnicity, Citizenship: Multidisciplinary Perspectives",Hardback,978-1-4438-2841-3,39.99,"Nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship lie at the heart of many of the societal changes that are currently transforming countries across the world. Global migration has undermined old certainties provided by the established framework of nation-states, with inward migration, cultural diversity and transnational affiliations having become established facts of life in many countries. These phenomena raise significant challenges for traditional conceptions of citizenship. This book provides a detailed examination, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, of contemporary issues relating to nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship. The book aims to take stock of current understandings in this area, and to establish whether there are connections between the understandings that are being articulated within different social science disciplines. The contributors, who are all senior international figures in their respective fields, are drawn from a range of disciplines, including Politics, Sociology, Communication/Media, Geography, Psychology and Education. Collectively, they address the following specific questions: • To what extent do multiculturalism and transnationalism undermine nationalism or, on the contrary, provoke its reassertion? • How do the multiple identities and multiple levels of belonging experienced today interact with traditional nationalist ideology? • Within multicultural societies, how far do representations of ‘cultural others’ still play a role in nationalist constructions of ‘the nation’? • How successfully have the welfare systems of nation-states responded to the influx of migrants? • How have national politicians responded to the cultural diversity of their own countries and have they moved beyond the traditional logic of nationalism within their thinking? • Why are extreme right-wing parties gaining increased levels of support? • What social and psychological resources do citizens require in order to function effectively at the political level within multicultural democratic societies? • How can the educational systems of states, which have traditionally been used for nationalist purposes, be harnessed to enhance the competences needed by their citizens for successful living in multicultural societies? • What changes need to be made to educational policies in order to ensure the effective integration of minority citizens? Despite the fact that they have been written from different disciplinary perspectives, the various chapters in this book paint a consistent picture. They offer a view of a world in which nationalism is still very much a dominant ideology which configures the discourse and thinking of citizens and politicians alike about nation-states, ethnic diversity, multiculturalism and citizenship. The crucial role of education is also highlighted, with school systems being uniquely positioned to equip citizens with the psychological resources and intercultural competences that are needed to function effectively within multicultural societies. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-05-01,Anil Kumar Vaddiraju and Satyanarayana Sangita,"Decentralised Governance and Planning in Karnataka, India",Hardback,978-1-4438-2866-6,34.99,"The Indian Constitution provides local institutions with the status of local self-governments. The Constitutional status means that the local governments are on par with the Central and State governments. In that status they can plan for their economic and human development. This fact, however, is undermined in practice at the state/province level. The provision provided in the 74th Amendment Act of the Constitution for creating and activating District Planning Committees (DPCs) is the responsibility of the state governments. This often is also in contradiction with the interests of the realpolitik of the state level. Often DPCs are not constituted, and if constituted, they are dysfunctional. The creation of the institutions for local level independent planning and budgeting itself is a political process. This is the story not only in the backward states of India but also in states such as Karnataka that have historically been more progressive than other states with respect to local self-government. This book is a study of the Tumkur district in rural Karnataka. Karnataka is traditionally known as a state which championed the decentralisation process. The state is also known for the ‘Karnataka Model’ of development, wherein rural decentralisation combined with the advanced information and biotechnology led economic development process is supposed to constitute such a model. In that context this book examines the devolution process to local governments, the process of the integration of plans—rural with urban plans and different sectors with each other—and the implementation of district level plans. The book is a product of primary research in Karnataka, India and brings to light various aspects of decentralised planning in Karnataka that are instructive for the other Indian states as well as many developing countries where currently decentralised planning is implemented. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-05-01,Onek C. Adyanga,"Modes of British Imperial Control of Africa: A Case Study of Uganda, c.1890-1990",Hardback,978-1-4438-2882-6,39.99,"This book examines how Great Britain, as a colonial power in Africa, organized and exercised control at the international and domestic level to advance British interests in Uganda and beyond. While this book is by no means an exhaustive study of the various modes of control that took hold in Uganda since its inception as a territorial state up to the period of juridical independence, it is hoped that its historiographical contributions to the post-colonial dispensation of Uganda will be threefold. First, it systematically sheds light on the combined influence of racist ideology, class, and politics in perpetuating informal imperial control in Uganda. Second, it demonstrates that consolidating informal imperial control has required externalizing the legitimacy of the Ugandan state. This suggests that African leaders not supported by external powers may be externally delegitimized and their position made untenable. Third, it demonstrates that the informal control imposed upon Africans by external powers, by removing incentives for internal legitimacy, encouraged violations of human rights as African leaders did not need to obtain the consent of their own people in order to remain in power. Furthermore, it advances the argument that democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights can be achieved in Africa if leaders enjoy internal legitimacy derived from the people. The various modes of control imposed by former masters over colonial and post-colonial states were not meant to protect African, but imperial interests. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-05-01,Sandy Hobbs and Willie Thompson,Out of the Burning House: Political Socialization in the Age of Affluence,Hardback,978-1-4438-2858-1,34.99,"This unique collaboration, between a Marxist historian and behaviourist psychologist, is a vivid picture of the cultural milieu they experienced at Aberdeen University, and of social forces often overlooked in histories of the time: Scientific Humanism, The New Left, and precursors of the Women’s Liberation Movement. As students together in the MacMillan Era, they shared an attachment to socialist, secular and scientific values. Like Brecht, they saw those unwilling to commit to revolutionary socialism as like people in a burning house asking if it is raining outside before they agree to escape. They followed different paths in their subsequent lives: one became an historian and long-time member of the Communist Party; the other, although a radical behaviourist, unusually focussed on contemporary folklore and child labour. ","“This book is a very welcome addition to the as yet small number of insider studies and reflections on the political and personal genesis of the generation of political activists born between roughly 1935 and 1945. It is the group too young to serve in the Second World War and the first to benefit from universal state education, a free health service and full employment. The authors are well aware of their location at a particular historical moment and they explore with exceptional deftness the relationship between their own intellectual and emotional growth and the relative uncertainties of available political choices. A further strength is its regional character. Willie Thompson’s account of childhood and youth in the Shetlands is beautifully drawn. You couldn’t get further away from metropolitan all knowingness. Only a little further south both authors’ contribute to a portrait of Aberdeen in the fifties which is simultaneously chilly and affectionate. The result is a fascinating pair of inter-related autobiographies informative in detail and, though coloured by the passage of time, both stories seem rooted in contemporary contexts drawn from both diaries and youthful essays and articles. It is very clearly written and highly recommended.” - Dr John Charlton, Currently Director of the Lottery-funded project cataloguing archives of popular protest in North East England, and author of Don’t you hear the H-Bomb’s thunder?: Youth and politics on Tyneside in the late ‘fifties and early ‘sixties. (2009). “What happened politically when a Marxist historian (Willie Thompson) meets a Behaviourist psychologist (Sandy Hobbs) at Aberdeen University in the later 1950s? This compelling study, part memoir part case study in political socialisation, answers this question in a manner shedding light on an age, its ideas and its morality. It is also a very welcome addition to Dominick Sandbrook London-centric account of the period, Never Had It So Good. It is not only Aberdeen and its University that present a new angle on the generation coming of age in the 1950s and early 1960s; so too do the authors’ reflections on the nascent social movements of the time – left-wing activism, including the choice of Marxism and the British Communist Party as well as its more commonly known post-1956 rejection of it; feminism before the official arrival of the ‘second wave’; and secular humanism before the return of the irrational in Christian and Islamic fundamentalism today. These two autobiographical-styled reflections are woven together to shed light on the ‘broad picture’, as they term it. Looking back on how they arrived in 2011, the authors’ concede how much could not be foreseen – with only capitalism and its exploitative modus operandi remaining a constant. On a human level, it also shows the enduring friendship of two academics whose left-wing politics could diverge without leaving each other behind.” - Dr Norman LaPorte, Head of Research Unit, History, University of Glamorgan ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-05-01,Eashvaraiah Pulluru,Workers Cooperatives: Exploring New Perspectives in Socialism,Hardback,978-1-4438-2902-1,39.99,"The present book is an outcome of a seminar which focused on finding out the possibilities of rethinking socialism in terms of workers’ socialism vs. state socialism (or more broadly, workers’ and peasants’ socialism vs. state managed socialism) which has been so well analysed by many scholars such as David Lane and Evan Luard. Scholars like Peter Bins, Tony Cliff, and Chris Harman have gone further and shown how the revolution was lost by the workers to state capitalism. However, there have been many instances and cases which have occurred simultaneously all over the world in non-socialist countries wherein workers have shown extraordinary zeal and commitment in forming workers’ cooperatives free of state support and intervention. Scholars like Robert Oakeshott and Sharit Bhowmik have written and documented this phenomenon extensively. The collapse of the state socialist regimes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the socialist federation of the USSR stand as a testimony to, and logically confirm the above accounts. The wave of failures of socialist patterns in states like India and welfare states in Western Europe and the USA have illustrated that even their public sector enterprises with loose state control have not succeeded. Hence, the retreat of the state and the moves towards privatization and re-privatization, have been embedded in the liberal paradigm. It is interesting to note that a different kind of phenomenon of production of goods and services by different groups, with reduced control of the state and with the initiative of the workers and peasants and other groups, has been in existence parallel to the above two phenomena. This phenomenon can broadly be called ‘workers’ cooperatives,’ meaning worker-owned and worker-controlled cooperatives. Naturally, one looks to such phenomena and examines the possibilities of developing it as an alternative to capitalism on the one hand, and state socialism of varied types on the other. The main intention here is to see whether these phenomena of workers’ cooperatives can be developed into socialist formations with a redefined socialism by reinterpreting and unravelling the broad Marxist, socialist assumptions like self-activity and the self-organisation of workers. It is clear from the different authors of this book that the theoretical framework and empirical experiments suggest an alternative to state-controlled cooperatives and state socialism. This volume extensively covers the conceptual and empirical aspects of workers’ cooperatives across the globe with explorations of the possibilities of linking workers’ cooperatives with socialist politics. The book is a fitting contribution to the debates currently going on in search of alternatives to capitalist liberalization and globalization on the one hand, and the failure of different kinds of existing socialisms in the former Soviet Union and different parts of Eastern Europe on the other hand. The book is interdisciplinary in nature and will be useful to scholars, academics, practitioners, and students of political science, governance, development studies, economics, and other trade union and civil society activists. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-06-01,Jephias Mapuva,Civil Society and the Trials and Tribulations of Zimbabwe’s Post-colonial Period: Is Citizen Participation Under Threat?,Hardback,978-1-4438-2938-0,39.99,"The book is a patchwork of both published articles and other pieces of literary works drawn from similar-minded proactive Zimbabweans. The book would be of interest to students of public administration as well as researchers within the fringes of political science and public policy studies. Human Rights and Civil Society as well as youth activists would benefit from the deliberations in the book as the book seeks to divulge the events and developments that have created the current state of affairs in Zimbabwe. Readers from other countries sharing similar history and even geopolitical positions as Zimbabwe can draw interest from the occurrences as they are divulged in the book. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-06-01,Douglas Mark Ponton,For Arguments’ Sake: Speaker Evaluation in Modern Political Discourse,Hardback,978-1-4438-2937-3,39.99,"The topic of this book is persuasive rhetoric in political discourse. It asks a familiar, though as yet only partially answered question—how is it that human beings can be persuaded to do things through language? Why do we find certain speakers, certain arguments convincing, while we reject others almost without a second thought? Is there any connection between the substance of an argument and its persuasive force; or do we acquiesce to propositions on largely subconscious grounds? Douglas Ponton’s answer to these ambitious questions follows a discourse semantics approach, in the footsteps of Martin and White, who have demonstrated the application of their theories to political rhetoric (e.g. 2005: 171–209). Evaluative language, the author suggests, plays a crucial role in attempts to persuade listeners. The book explores the notion that the persuasive force of evaluative language derives from its use within an argumentative structure (Aristotle’s logos), to explore which Ponton uses the well-known model proposed by Toulmin (1958). In the first part of the book, the author explores issues relating to the methodology used; the second part is taken up by actual analyses carried out on six speeches by modern rhetors celebrated for their oratorical skills: Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama, Winston Churchill, Tony Benn and William Hague. The author has tried to select speakers, and speeches, of great intrinsic interest as well as historical importance, though his main criterion has been the suitability of the speech for analysis in the terms of the study. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-06-01,Valerio Volpi,Why Europe Will Not Run the 21st Century: Reflections on the Need for a New European Federation,Hardback,978-1-4438-2912-0,39.99,"What future awaits Europe? One of irrelevance, where the emerging powers will crush the Old Continent, or perhaps not? Why Europe Will Not Run the 21st Century focuses on the necessity of radical and dramatic institutional reforms at the EU level, not only to streamline a decision-making process fragmented into a thousand trickles and naturally prone to the influence of powerful interest groups, but also to involve the citizenry, whose convinced support is necessary to the success of the project. The EU is a distant entity whose democraticity is highly disputable. The press ignores it, and citizens know very little about it, as the EU does things they do not really care about or cannot comprehend at all. Citizens’ unawareness and lack of participation and involvement means the impossibility to create a real, close-knit European civil society and public opinion. Why Europe Will Not Run the 21st Century revives the idea that only a federal Europe made up, at least initially, of a limited circle of ‘pioneer states’ and characterised by a common Constitution, central government and real European political parties will manage to work out the constitutional, political, economic and ethnic discrepancies inherent in so large a Union of states, thus overcoming the EU’s inability to face domestic as well as external threats and allowing Europe to halt its apparently inexorable decline. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-07-01,Antonio Medina-Rivera and Lee Wilberschied,"In, Out and Beyond: Studies on Border Confrontations, Resolutions and Encounters",Hardback,978-1-4438-2959-5,39.99,"The essays presented in this volume are a peer-reviewed selection of some of the best papers presented during the 3rd Crossing Over Symposium at Cleveland State University from October 9–11, 2009. Scholars from the United States, Canada, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, India, Israel, and the United Kingdom came together to examine border experiences from different points of view. Originally the organizers called upon a diversity of borderland possibilities for this conference: cultural, political, educational, religious, international, intranational, linguistic, gender, ideological, age, tribal, social class/caste, identity, and neighborhoods. The definition of borderland was not limited to territorial spaces, but rather was open to any kind of confrontation/encounter affecting different situations of our lives. The call for this conference was interdisciplinary in nature, and its intent was to open a discussion between the humanities and the social sciences on the dynamic issue of borders. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-07-01,Jakub Isański and Piotr Luczys,Selling One’s Favourite Piano to Emigrate: Mobility Patterns in Central Europe at the Beginning of the 21st Century,Hardback,978-1-4438-2969-4,39.99,"International migration is a common phenomenon of the contemporary world; however, not all the aspects of migration are adequately investigated. In this book, migration is described by academics from various European countries who see it not only as an economic, but mainly as a social process. Thirteen texts, written by authors from seven countries, consider migration from various perspectives regarding its social consequences for migrants, their families and entire societies. Although the majority of the texts pertain to the Polish context (connected with Poles as migrants, but not necessarily Poland as a country), in general, the book can be qualified as an illustration of current migration from the less developed parts of the unified Europe, which impacts on the economies and societies of the European continent. A few years ago, one had to sell their favourite belonging, a piano, to collect money for the journey. These days it is much more accessible, but not less complex, and various examples from this book offer a unique insight into the variety of human flows in the contemporary world. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-07-01,Farhat Taj,Taliban and Anti-Taliban,Hardback,978-1-4438-2960-1,39.99,"Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan has been in the spotlight since 9/11. This tiny piece of land is crucial to all: a determinant of the military outcome in Afghanistan for international community; a strategic space for its hostile ally, Pakistan, for its ambitions in Afghanistan and beyond; a home to al-Qaeda, a special place in its mythology. Prospects of international and regional peace hinge on the situation in FATA; understanding its people and their ground reality has, thus, been more important than ever. Based on extensive ground research in FATA, Taliban and Anti-Taliban reveals the indigenous tribal people’s blood-soaked relationships with the Taliban, Al-Qaida and the Pakistani military establishment and its intelligence apparatus. The book uncovers the heroic armed and non-violent struggle of the local population against the Taliban and Al-Qaida. It also documents the tribesmen’s feedback on some of the high profile literature authored in relation to FATA since 9/11 and exposes serious drawbacks in the writings of some of the famous FATA “experts” in the world. Tribal resistance to the Taliban and Al-Qaida has been widely ignored in international academic and policy discourse, and in media reporting on the war on terror. Knowledge and understanding of this resistance is immensely important for people in the wider world to determine friends and foes in the global war on terror. Taliban and Anti-Taliban fills the void for the first time since 9/11. This book is a must read for anyone and everyone interested in knowing what is going on inside FATA, the region dubbed as “the most dangerous place in the world” by the US. ","“Another bombshell will have to be endured by the national Taliban narrative with Taliban and Anti-Taliban by Farhat Taj (Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011), a Research Fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Research, University of Oslo, Norway; MPhil in Gender and Development from the University of Bergen, Norway. The book demolishes some of the basic assumptions about terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and challenges several authors on their earlier findings. Her information has depth because of her outreach. For instance, she is able to say who among the Taliban commanders are given to pederasty (batcha-bazi). Her account of the Adeyzai anti-Taliban lashkar from near Peshawar is touching and brings out the anti-Taliban instinct among the pakhtun.” —Khaled Ahmed The Friday Times Journal ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-07-01,Sunkari Satyam,"Women Leadership and Panchayat Raj Institutions: A Study in Srirampoor and Chittapur Villages of Nizambaol District, Andhra Pradesh",Hardback,978-1-4438-2963-2,29.99,"The focus of this book is on grass root politics and women empowerment with special reference to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in selected study locations of India. At the grass root level, PRIs are supposed to play an important role in the welfare of marginalized sections of society such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women. As an effective tool of public policy for proper implementation of PRIs, the 73rd constitutional amendment act came into force as a revolutionary step towards decentralization of power and governance. The introduction of the Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 marks a new era in India’s democratic set up and provides constitutional status to the PRIs. The present study aims at understanding the nature and impact of women leadership in the midst of traditionally dominant settings of rural leadership in the selected study villages. This book is useful for the planners, funding agencies, academicians, NGO activists, research scholars, students and development professionals working in the areas of rural development, PRIs, governance at grass roots and women empowerment in a broad context of public policy. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-08-01,Peter G. Johansen and Andrew M. Bauer,The Archaeology of Politics: The Materiality of Political Practice and Action in the Past,Hardback,978-1-4438-3004-1,44.99,"The Archaeology of Politics is a collection of essays that examines political action and practice in the past through studies and analyses of material culture from the perspective of anthropological archaeology. Contributors to this volume explore a variety of multi-scalar relationships between past peoples, places, objects and environments. At stake in this volume is what it is that constitutes politics, its social and cultural location, fields of analysis, its materiality and sociology and especially its position and possibilities as a conceptual and analytical category in archaeological investigations of past socio-cultural worlds. Our primary goals are twofold: the problematization and re-conceptualization of politics from its understanding as a reified essence or structure of political forms (e.g., a State) to a fluid, dynamic and culturally inflected set of practices; and, second, to consider politics’ entanglement with the materiality of socio-cultural worlds at multiple-scales through the demonstration of innovative analytical approaches to the material record. The volume is a tightly integrated group of essays exploring an assortment of case studies that offer new theoretical insight to archaeological and historical analyses of politics. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-08-01,"Serpil Oppermann, Ufuk Özdağ, Nevin Özkan and Scott Slovic",The Future of Ecocriticism: New Horizons,Hardback,978-1-4438-2983-0,54.99,"As we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, environmental concerns dominate the media headlines, from rampant poverty in the developing world to nuclear accidents in industrialized nations. How did human civilization arrive at its current predicaments, and what can we do to temper our habits of mind and mitigate society’s environmentally (and socially) destructive behaviors? The field of ecocriticism (also sometimes called “environmental criticism”) attempts to grapple with such issues. A branch of literary and cultural studies that essentially began in North America in the 1970s, ecocriticism is currently one of the most quickly developing areas of environmental research and teaching. The Future of Ecocriticism: New Horizons brings together thirty-two of the latest articles in the field, including work by some of the leading scholars from around the world. Although ecocriticism has been particularly active in North America, Western Europe, and East Asia, important studies of traditional environmental thought, environmental communication strategies, and environmental aesthetics have begun to emerge in every region of this world. This new book, co-edited by three prominent Turkish scholars and a leading American ecocritic, offers a special cluster of Turkish ecocriticism, with a focus on environmental stories and ideas in this culture that bridges Europe and Asia. Another unique feature of The Future of Ecocriticism: New Horizons is the concluding dialogue among the four editors about the current state of the field. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-09-01,Banu Baybars-Hawks and Lemi Baruh,"If It Was Not For Terrorism: Crisis, Compromise, and Elite Discourse in the Age of “War on Terror”",Hardback,978-1-4438-3162-8,39.99,"If It Was Not for Terrorism: Crisis, Compromise, and Elite Discourse in the Age of “War on Terror” aims to investigate questions regarding the hegemonic power that is exercised by elites (and mass media) through the discourse of “War on Terror.” The chapters in the volume provide case studies from a wide variety of geographies to debate questions regarding the construction of the meaning of “terrorism,” communication of collective identities and otherness, and media frames regarding the “War on Terror,” civil liberties, and government restrictions. In bringing this collection together, it was the editors’ intention to provide a venue for discussion of expressions and diverse concerns around the themes of media and terrorism from international and interdisciplinary perspectives. The edited volume is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on elite discourse about the definition of “terrorism” and discursive strategies involved in construction of “us” vs. “others.” The second part of the volume investigates issues related to media framing of the compromises that are deemed necessary for success in the “War on Terror.” At the same time, several chapters of this part also identify opportunities for resistance to hegemonic discourse. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-09-01,Alexandre J. M. E. Christoyannopoulos,Religious Anarchism: New Perspectives,Paperback,978-1-4438-3189-5,24.99,"Both religion and anarchism have been increasingly politically active of late. This edited volume presents twelve chapters of fresh scholarship on diverse facets of the area where they meet: religious anarchism. The book is structured along three themes: • early Christian anarchist “pioneers,” including Pelagius, Coppe, Hungarian Nazarenes, and Dutch Christian anarchists; • Christian anarchist reflections on specific topics such as Kierkegaardian indifference, Romans 13, Dalit religious practice, and resistance to race and nation; • religious anarchism in other traditions, ranging from Wu Nengzi’s Daoism and Rexroth’s Zen Buddhism to various currents of Islam, including an original Anarca-Islamic “clinic.” This unique book therefore furthers scholarship on anarchism, on millenarian and revolutionary thinkers and movements, and on religion and politics. It is also of value to members of the wider public interested in radical politics and in the political implications of religion. And of course, it is relevant to those interested in any of the specific themes and thinkers focused on within individual chapters. In short, this book presents a range of innovative perspectives on a web of topics that, while held together by the common thread of religious anarchism, also speaks to numerous broader themes which have been increasingly prominent in the twenty-first century. ","""I am delighted to have been invited to write a letter of recommendation for Alexandre Christoyannopoulos’ edited collection Religious Anarchism: New Perspectives? Bringing together the work of international writers, both new and established scholars and practitioners, this book fills an important gap in the existing literature. Some anarchists will be familiar with the work of Leo Tolstoy and the concept of Christian anarchism, with which Tolstoy is often associated, but few will have probed this relationship or considered more broadly anarchism’s relationship to religion. In ranging beyond this more familiar territory to consider anarchism’s links to Buddhist, Daoist and Muslim thought Dr. Christoyannopoulos’s book genuinely breaks new ground. The book has a number of strengths. One is that it avoids strong preconceptions: whilst the authors challenge those who view anarchism as a necessarily secular ideology, they do not attempt to delimit anarchism’s relationship to religion. Indeed, in considering the possibilities of this relationship and the permeability of its boundaries, the authors encourage readers to reconsider their own preconceptions about both anarchism and religion and offer some new reflections on important perennial problems. Another important strength is that the authors work in variety of disciplinary fields and are thus able to bring insights from history, philosophy and political theory as well as anarchist studies, to bear on the subject. Together the essays collected here provide an outline history of some of the leading currents of religious anarchist thought and develop fresh perspectives on issues central to anarchism including resistance, struggle and counter-cultural experimentation; political detachment, ethnocentrism and community-building. In addition, by testing the intersections of anarchist and religious thought, the authors examine a range of ethical questions about the legitimate boundaries of the state and the limits of authority, the duty of obedience and the primacy of conscience in political action. In summary, this is a bold and important collection which many readers will find provocative and it deserves to get a wide readership."" - Ruth Kinna, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Loughborough University; editor of Anarchist Studies ""This work is a striking and highly original study of connections between anarchism and religion. The book springs from the same spirit that inspired Norman Cohn’s ground breaking work, The Pursuit of the Millennium: it presents a wide range of little known and unexpected sources, inspiring a fresh look at contemporary approaches to change. Each of the collected essays expands on some particular paradigm, which is proper to the specific fields of the authors, some of whom are widely recognized scholars in their discipline. The approaches are varied, being rooted in anarchist thought, theology or philosophy. Each article explores new issues in areas as diverse as Pelagian studies, Hungarian history and Islamic political theology. This collection will be of interest to activists, historians, theologians, philosophers, political scientists, sociologists, students of rhetoric and literature, and those who wish to give serious consideration to their religious beliefs. In sum, this thought-provoking book calls for a wide audience and confronts some of the burning questions of our time."" - Ronald Creagh ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-10-01,Brendan Sturgeon,Anti-Social Behaviour in Northern Ireland,Hardback,978-1-4438-3215-1,34.99,"Anti-social behaviour has rapidly emerged as one of the most pressing concerns facing the UK. There are frequent media reports on the issue. Many academics and policy makers have also attempted to define the term and analyze why such disorder happens. The research has been extremely valuable, but few studies have specifically analyzed the issue of anti-social behaviour in Northern Ireland. This book seeks to fill this gap in knowledge. This study considers whether certain aspects of the Troubles in Northern Ireland could be considered as anti-social behaviour in retrospect. It also analyzes the role paramilitary groups played in dealing with incidents of disorder during this period of time. In addition, the book evaluates what impact political settlement has had on the perceptions of anti-social behaviour in the country. The study also explains some of the theoretical problems associated with the term in order to facilitate the specific evaluation of the issue in Northern Ireland. The analysis of what the term represents, the causes and the impact, offers a constructive insight into how best to respond to the problem of anti-social behaviour in the future. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-10-01,Francis O’ Donnell,Corporate Social Responsibility and Shell in Ireland: A Thin Veneer,Hardback,978-1-4438-3221-2,39.99,"Francis O’ Donnell is an ecologist and business graduate from the Republic of Ireland. His current area of interest is the development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He considers culture a serious impediment to CSR’s potential to reduce social and environmental conflict in an Irish context. He is acutely aware that Multinational Corporations and national Governments often overlook stakeholder inclusiveness due to self interest. However, he argues that CSR offers those with business interests, social interests and environmental interests a space to come together and adopt better models to reduce conflict. His first book, Corporate Social Responsibility and Shell in Ireland: A Thin Veneer evaluates Shell’s stated commitments to society and the environment in Ireland. It also explores how weak regulation and political facilitation may have influenced Shell to act as poor corporate citizens there. He believes that the absence of proper frameworks to robustly evaluate an organisations commitment to wider society may result in some organisations adopting an à la carte attitude to CSR in general. He points to the lack of NGO’s in Ireland to monitor political processes and regulation. If the status quo remains, he believes that a platform currently exists whereby Multi National Corporations, especially those in the petrochemical industry, may perceive Ireland as a soft option to exploit business interests at the expense of key stakeholder groups and wider society as a whole. This book is useful in provoking discussion on these issues at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive levels. It can be used in courses on leadership, corporate responsibility, ethics, public policy, business and organizational behaviour. It is particularly suitable to classes which cover leadership, ethical decision-making, stakeholder engagement and change management. Key themes that emerge throughout the book include community engagement, the meaning of consultation with a community, the nature of leadership, the importance of planning, and ultimately the meaning of responsible behaviour in both a corporate and government context. The book deals with issues of relative power and accountability, and explores the boundaries of a company’s responsibilities to a community fractured by its presence. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-10-01,Jason Zorbas,Diefenbaker and Latin America: The Pursuit of Canadian Autonomy,Hardback,978-1-4438-3276-2,34.99,"John Diefenbaker’s Latin American policy was based on his vision of Canada’s national interest, which placed a strong emphasis on the achievement of greater autonomy in foreign policy for Canada vis-à-vis the US and the expansion of Canadian exports to the region. Though Diefenbaker was often accused of being driven by anti-Americanism, instead his Latin American policy was based on his vision of Canada’s national interest. For Diefenbaker, an enhanced relationship with Latin America had the potential to lessen Canada’s dependency on the US, while giving Latin American countries an outlet for their trade, commercial and financial relations other than the US. This new approach implied that Canada would formulate and implement policy that focused more on Canadian political interests and goals. It was not a matter of charting a totally independent policy from the US in Latin America – true policy independence was impossible to achieve. Nor was it the case that Canada would necessarily set itself in opposition to the US when it disagreed with its policies. For Diefenbaker the goal was to pursue a foreign policy that was aligned with, but not subservient to, the US. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-11-01,Syed Najiullah,Muslim Minorities and The National Commission for Minorities in India,Hardback,978-1-4438-3344-8,34.99,"Plural societies all over the world are facing the challenge of integrating the minorities into mainstream polity and society. India is a land of many languages, cultures and religions. It is an ideal place where one can see the minorities in their different dimensions. It is the home to the second largest Muslim population in the world, and their integration into mainstream politics has remained a challenge to the secular polity of India. The present work ‘Muslim Minorities and the National Commission for Minorities in India’, deals with the Muslim situation in India and the institutional response of the state towards them. It locates the problem of Muslim minorities in the larger context of minority rights and discusses the efficacy of the redress mechanisms, like National Commission for Minorities, in forging the community within larger society. The study highlights that the institutionalization of minority rights and the safeguards, like the monitoring mechanisms, are not just enough, and should also be supported by strong appreciation for the principle of pluralism for the integration of minority communities in the plural societies. The book will be useful to academicians, researchers, students and general public interested in the study of political science, public policy, sociology, plural societies, and minority rights. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-11-01,Doğancan Özsel,Reflections on Conservatism,Hardback,978-1-4438-3355-4,44.99,"In comparison to other political doctrines, conservatism is an understudied subject and there are few books that bring together works of scholars studying conservatism from different perspectives. Reflections on Conservatism is among these few pieces and is written for those who are interested in conservative thinking and conservative movements in different countries. In Reflections on Conservatism, readers will find 13 articles covering a wide range of aspects on conservatism. Six of these articles offer analyses of certain theoretical aspects of conservatism and focus on issues such as the definition of conservatism, the theme of inequality in conservative thinking and the applicability of conservative principals to postcolonial politics. Following these, there are seven articles that focus on conservative movements or thinkers from different countries. Here, readers will find detailed discussions on the contemporary state of British and US conservatisms as well as Sarkozy’s UMP. There are also other articles that present the portrayal of post-war cultural conservatism in Denmark, Antall’s conservatism in Hungary and radical conservative trends in Turkey. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-12-01,Tor Halvorsen and Atle Nyhagen,Academic Identities—Academic Challenges? American and European Experience of the Transformation of Higher Education and Research,Hardback,978-1-4438-3439-1,49.99,"The university in Europe – as a central institution of society – is presently met with many new expectations challenging established practices and self-understandings of academics across Europe. In the European Union, the higher education and research system has become a foremost tool of change. Current reforms across national higher education systems are seen as a potential for creating a European Higher Education Area, as well as an opportunity to introduce EU policies and ideas addressing how reforms can contribute to promote this as an EU dimension. An argument that only reforms of the higher education institution – in particular the research university, as a European institution – can make Europe regain its competitive force and economic growth-potential has gained currency in the last decade with reference to the US. The university system of the US, particularly its highly regarded elite universities, is also held forth as a model for the developments in the EU, and thus for the reforms of the different countries of EU. In this book, however, it is demonstrated that much of the political rhetoric about the construction of the future knowledge economy of Europe and the promotion of a European Higher Education Area may contradict basic values that give Europe its identity as a cultural region. Promoting the US university as an ideal model does not do justice to the kind of problems the US is facing in their own reform efforts, nor does it reflect properly the social costs of copying such an elite system. The book raises a number of issues relating to elitism and democracy, internationalisation and regionalisation, and new forms of governance in higher education and research which current EU policies seem to neglect. ","“This book is a valuable contribution to our understanding of how current transformations of higher education and research play out in European and US settings. With contributions from a number of well known scholars with different disciplinary backgrounds, it offers an inspiring variety of perspectives through which these processes may be understood. This book will be an illuminating guide to current scholarly debates on the internationalization of higher education and research in the early 21st century.” – Ivar Bleiklie, Department of Administration and Organization Theory, University of Bergen; Project Leader of TRUE (“Transforming Universities in Europe”) “This book offers a welcome wealth of perspectives on how to understand the changing politics of knowledge, and the impact on traditional academic understandings of the role of universities in Europe and the US. A lively addition to the literature for seeking explanations in historical and political analyses at European and institutional level as well as the familiar neo-liberal variants of globalisation, competition, and corporate forms of academic leadership.” – Anne Corbett, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-12-01,Fidelis Allen,Implementation of Oil Related Environmental Policies in Nigeria: Government Inertia and Conflict in the Niger Delta,Hardback,978-1-4438-3442-1,39.99,"Fidelis Allen situates violent conflict in the Niger Delta in the context of failure by government to effectively implement relevant oil-related environmental policies intended to achieve sustainable development, arguing that oil and environment-related conflicts in the region are reflections of this failure. This failure is premised on the notion that the goal of sustainable development as clearly outlined in Nigeria’s National Environmental Policy and implied in various other policies can be pursued through the activities of government, individuals and business organisations that are capable of engendering economic and social progress for communities that depend on the environment for their survival. In fact, available evidence shows that government and oil company activities (or failures to act) actually contribute to the despoliation of the environment in the Niger Delta. Despite existing environmental legislations and guidelines, unsafe waste disposal, flaring of gas and oil spillage remain key features of oil industry operations in the Niger Delta. Not surprisingly, the book shows a lack of synergy between government and oil company activities and the attainment of sustainable development as a key goal of the environmental policy of the government. In other words, the activities of the government and oil companies do not sufficiently promote sustainable development. The net consequence is reflected in the frustrations of local justice and environmental movement groups about the political processes which deter (rather than enable) their agitation for improvements in local living conditions and development in the Niger Delta. Over time, those frustrations begin to manifest at different levels including aggressive and violent behaviours against oil companies and government security agencies for their contributory roles. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-12-01,Aaron M. Kahn,On Wolves and Sheep: Exploring the Expression of Political Thought in Golden Age Spain,Hardback,978-1-4438-3370-7,39.99,"With the rise of nationalism, and with it the nation-state in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, so arose new polemical issues. As the Spanish Empire expanded in the sixteenth century, theologians, jurists, artists and politicians commented on the morality and legitimacy of the imperial enterprise. With the increase in power of successive Spanish sovereigns from the Catholic Monarchs to Philip II (1556–98), followed by the decadence of the state through the reign of Charles II (1665–1700), political participants and observers alike put their thoughts on paper for mass dissemination. The study of epic poetry, poetry, drama, novels, rhetoric, imperial administrative documents and religion, reveals a plethora of means by which these people conveyed thoughts and opinions, often negatively critical, concerning Spain’s monarchs, their imperial policies, the Catholic Church, the role of the nobility in government, and societal limitations. Providing innovative literary interpretations and revealing newly-discovered archival material, experts from US and UK universities have contributed original scholarly studies to this volume which delve deeper than academia has thus far into the operations of imperial Spain and the reactions of the people of the time. Studying works by the likes of Alonso de Ercilla, Juan de la Cueva, Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Francisco de Quevedo, and Calderón de la Barca, among others, On Wolves and Sheep explores the various methods used in the Spanish Golden Age to voice political opinions and ideas. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011-12-01,Vladimir I. Yakunin,Problems of Contemporary World Futurology,Hardback,978-1-4438-3376-9,44.99,"Humankind has always striven to catch a glimpse of the future. Egyptian priests, Babylonian astrologers, Greek oracles and medieval magicians stared at the sky and tried to foresee the coming catastrophes, relying on certain distributions of the stars. Contemporary fantasists construct models of the future through the pages of their novels and astonish readers with unbelievable pictures of a technocratic society where the very human personality has transformed under the influence of technological advance. However, most of all the previous attempts to foresee the future has remained in the framework of banal superstition or ordinary creative writing. At the same time, the principal question does not cease to be of current interest. Is scientific forecasting of the near and distant future possible? The authors of this book are convinced that it is. On the basis of rigorous methodology, mathematicians, physicians, philosophers and historians demonstrate how the world will look in coming decades and centuries and try to find out if the future can be determined. Along with general philosophical analysis, mathematical modeling is used in order to give the reader a clear and objective vision of the future. The book will be useful for everyone who takes care of his own destiny and the destiny of the next generations. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-01-01,Maria Załęska,Rhetoric and Politics: Central/Eastern European Perspectives,Hardback,978-1-4438-3460-5,39.99,"Paradoxically, the term ‘rhetoric’ functions nowadays both as a name of an antique, even obsolete framework of research and as a fashionable buzzword that entails virtually any form of persuasive communication. Reflecting a growing scholarly interest in political discourses, this volume offers systematic, theoretically grounded insights into the flow of persuasion that constitutes politics today. Authors combine the interest in rhetoric within politics with different disciplinary orientations, such as linguistics, discourse analysis, argumentation research, political science, sociology, and history. Dealing with an extensive variety of topics, the case studies presented in the single chapters provide an empirically rich account of politics as an interactional and persuasive achievement. The volume provides a repertoire of research methodologies within the broadly defined discipline of rhetoric, as well as in-depth analyses of political discourses sensible to cultural differences. The reflexive stance adopted by the authors underlies the complexities and tensions inherent in the enactment of rhetoric within the political discourse rooted in various cultures. The book is thus a valuable resource for anyone interested in constructing a coherent research agenda to explore the rhetoric of political discourse. To scholars of rhetoric, discourse analysis, political science and social sciences the book may serve as a point of reference for their own academic activities, both scholarly and didactic. Due to the pervasiveness of the political persuasion in the citizens’ life, the topics covered in the volume are of social relevance, therefore they may also be of interest to critical readers at large. ","“The volume constitutes an important step in the analysis of political rhetoric. The fascinating yet scarcely known Eastern political discourse is explored here not from an external perspective, but from the internal one, by scholars who experienced directly its peculiarities. Yet, the scope of the research embraces also other rhetorical traditions of political discourse. The rich array of applied methods, from rhetoric through pragmadialectics to discourse analysis, combined with a choice of scarcely known sources, offer the reader the insight into cultural differences, modeled by histories and goals. The volume is a welcome contribution to a better understanding of local patterns within globalizing politics.” —Prof. Christian Plantin, CNRS - University of Lyon (France) “I am pleased to recommend the publication of Rhetoric and Politics: Central/Eastern Europe Perspectives, edited by Maria Zaleska. In a context in which rhetoric is enjoying a renaissance among many scholars, the book makes a significant contribution to the theoretical discussion of key rhetorical notions at the same time that it broadens the scope of this discussion, incorporating mainly central and eastern European perspectives and examples. The discussion the book promotes will nourish the development of a more encompassing rhetorical theory which will be a key component of ‘argumentation theory’ – a new cross disciplinary field which is emerging as a study of formal and informal argument which incorporates insights from philosophy, logic (formal and informal), rhetoric, dialectics, discourse analysis and related subjects. The selection of essays is timely, sophisticated and illuminating.” —Leo Groarke, University of Windsor (Canada) ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-02-01,Peter Marks,Literature and Politics: Pushing the World in Certain Directions,Hardback,978-1-4438-3574-9,39.99,"George Orwell argued that one of the four great motives for a prose writer was the desire ‘to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other people’s idea of the kind of society that they should strive after’. This book contains exciting new work by established and emerging scholars that explores political literature over the last century and a half. It shows how, from The Communist Manifesto to the dystopian future of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, writers have attempted to alter people’s ideas, not always successfully. Eighteen chapters deal with a global array of writers and topics, from 1890s Australian bohemians and the anti-Peronism of Argentina’s Julio Cortázar to Aris Alexandrou’s Greek utopia and the harsh modern Zimbabwe of Yvonne Vera’s The Stone Virgins. Other contributors critically examine the sexual politics of nineteenth century aestheticism, Theodor Adorno and Cultural Studies, Paul Auster and the altermodern, Yeats’s poetry, Celan and the Holocaust, the postmodernism of former-Yugoslavia’s Dubravka Ugrešić, or the socialism of Australian Jean Devanny. Whether through informed studies of poetry and politics in Heidegger, Richard Marsh's gothic novel The Beetle, how Thomas Pynchon and Don DeLillo deal with 9/11, the cultural politics of child abuse in Christos Tsiolkas's The Slap, or how the German politician Joschka Fischer lost weight, readers will be stimulated by a collection that shows political literature’s continuing ability to inform, enrage and engage readers from around the world. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-02-01,Mickey Abel,Open Access: Contextualizing the Archivolted Portals of Northern Spain and Western France within the Theology and Politics of Entry,Hardback,978-1-4438-3564-0,39.99,"Open Access: Contextualizing the Archivolted Portals of Northern Spain and Western France within the Theology and Politics of Entry explores the history, development, and accrued connotations of a distinctive entry configuration comprised of a set of concentrically stepped archivolts surrounding a deliberate tympanum-free portal opening. These “archivolted” portals adorned many of the small, rural ecclesiastical structures dotting the countryside of western France and northern Spain in the twelfth century. Seeking to re-contextualize this configuration within monastic meditational practices, this book argues that the ornamented archivolts were likely composed following medieval prescriptions for the rhetorical ornamentation of poetry and employed the techniques of mnemonic recollection and imaginative visualization. Read in this light, it becomes clear that the architectural form underlying these semi-circular configurations served to open the possibilities for meaning by making the sculptural imagery physically and philosophically accessible to both the monastic community and the lay parishioner. Pointing to an Iberian heritage in which both light and space had long been manipulated in the conveyance of theological and political ideologies, Abel suggests that the portal’s architectural form grew out of a physical and social matrix characterized by pilgrimage, crusade, and processions, where the elements of motion integral to the Quadrivium sciences of Math, Geometry, Astronomy, and Music were enhanced by a proximity to and cultural interaction with the Islamic courts of Spain. It was, however, within the politics of the Peace of God movement, with its emphasis on relic processions that often encompassed all the parishes of the monastic domain, that the “archivolted” portal, with its elevated porch-like space, are shown to be the most effective. ","“With Open Access, Mickey Abel establishes a paradigm-shift in our understanding of hundreds of small, rural church façades of eleventh- and twelfth-century western France and northern Spain. The portals of these façades have concentrically-stepped archivolts surrounding a deliberately tympanum-free portal opening, and previously have been dismissed as merely decorative. Abel contextualizes and unlocks the complexities of these compositions and convincingly elucidates the profound meanings of these façade designs, distinguishing them from the narrative ‘Grand Tympanum’ portals traditionally valued as the ultimate in Romanesque architectural sculpture. Chapters reveal and build understanding through the application of medieval prescriptions for the rhetorical ornamentation of poetry, analyses of liturgical practice – especially micro-pilgrimage processions – and the presentation of sculpture as visual text. Abel reveals how these archivolted portals articulate non-corporal concepts through time/space/action; she demonstrates the activation of architecture through human movement, from regional landscape through the doorway to the altar and the divine presence; and she provides fresh insight into contemporaneous philosophical, political, and social organization. Through her incremental explanation of physical elements and their theoretical foundations, these church portals are made accessible and comprehensible for readers not only with words but also through extensive and detailed photographs.” – Janet Snyder, PhD, School of Art and Design, College of Creative Arts, West Virginia University “In this perceptive, interdisciplinary study, Dr Abel focuses her scholarly analysis on a ubiquitous but often neglected group of medieval artworks: the archivolted portals of Romanesque churches in southern France and northern Spain. Their lack of tympana has caused scholars to label them as merely decorative without any narrative focus. Dr Abel masterfully demonstrates how that perceived lack, the void at the center of the doors and their physical openness, opened them in turn to a variety of different interpretations and receptions. In this rich, reception-based analysis, Dr Abel focuses on the cognitive skills a medieval viewer would bring to his or her experience of these church entrances, highlighting the spatial and temporal dimensions of a viewer’s experience, and the kinetic, dynamic reception of portal sculpture that changed over time. She also effectively demonstrates the archivolted portal’s multivalence, weaving together in a skillful synthesis the various roles these portals might have played as memory devices, locations of micro-pilgrimage and religious contemplation, and statements of territorial possession and corporate affiliation. The emptiness of the door’s space provided a blank page on which medieval viewers could inscribe a variety of religious, mnemonic, judicial, political, and economic associations. This comprehensive and well-structured study shows, then, that the Romanesque archivolted portal required no master key to unlock its iconographic significance; rather, the medieval viewer activated the meanings for the door in an ongoing and dynamic process that addressed contemporary needs, interests, and realities.” – Karen Rose Mathews, PhD, Department of Art and Art History, Miami University ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-02-01,Sharleene May Bibbings,The Politics of Mainstreaming in Critical Perspective,Hardback,978-1-4438-3512-1,34.99,"Gender mainstreaming (GM) has been identified in academic literature as a crucial topic for both public attention and academic research. This is because GM is currently considered an essential strategy for achieving the highly sought-after outcome of gender equality in public organisations. However, an exhaustive degree of academic, practitioner and advocate attention has been paid to challenges observed in the GM process. Specifically, concerns have crystallised on the following twin “puzzles”: (i) conceptual confusion and (ii) the challenges of operationalising the process. The central purpose of this book has been to make a contribution in relation to both of these academic and practice-based issues at a time when questions appertaining to gender equality are reaching critical mass. Moreover, we are simply not there yet in terms of our aspirations for gender equality in public organisations and new insights on strategies used to move us forward need to be brought to the foreground to engender progress. To address the aims of the book, the author uses three novel argumentative-turns to interrogate the politics of mainstreaming from a critical perspective. First is the challenge related to conceptual confusion. It is important to clarify that this book does not intend to investigate and define the issue of gender inequality in organisations per se, something that is beyond the scope of this book and deserves attention in its own right. Instead, this work focuses on the specific processes of change (mainstreaming) rather than the content of change (gender). Secondly, the practice element was also approached in a inimitable way by concentrating on local government in the UK which has had a long history with GM, despite the dearth of books on the issue, and thus an opportunity to analyse instructive and empirically rich cases. Finally, through a longitudinal view of local government history, this has included previously excluded evidence for consideration. Using these argumentative-turns, the book has met its three aims by mapping out: (i) the core conceptual features of mainstreaming across a range of organisational settings; (ii) developed an evaluation framework for understanding the outcomes of GM through a national level review and primary research; and (iii) interrogated the findings through a productive theory–practice dialogue using the work of social learning theory. This book should be of interest to a wide-ranging audience. As the study at the broadest level is essentially a study into the politics of change over time, students and academics may wish to utilise the books findings as they point to some of the challenges and difficulties associated with analysis of change within organisations. Feminists should also find the theoretical and methodological approach of interest in the sense that it challenges conventional wisdom and provides novel argumentative turns. Historical specialist may also find this book of interest for those concerned with process tracing methods and diachronic analysis. Finally, practitioners involved in different forms of mainstreaming/organisational change and development should be interested in the experiences encountered by the local government officers in adopting and implementing GM in the case studies. These include, but are and not limited, to Program Management Specialists, Development Officers, Policy Experts, Equality Practitioners and Gender Experts in a variety of organisational contexts from the local to the supranational levels, private, public and mixed economy sectors. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-03-01,Melvin B. Rahming,"Critical Essays on Barack Obama: Re-affirming the Hope, Re-vitalizing the Dream",Hardback,978-1-4438-3621-0,44.99,"This collection of critical essays explores the life and writings of President Barack Obama. The individual essays, written by a diverse body of scholars, examine specific facets of Obama’s career – from personal, communal, national and international reactions to his presidential election; to his controversial contributions to the global conversation about race; his impact on popular culture and race relations; his literary, political and philosophical visions; his attitude toward the American constitution; his enactment of new legislation; to the manner in which he attempts to influence American public policy; and to the implications his presidency holds for Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. Ranging far beyond the presentation of personal opinions about the Obama Administration, these essays offer scholarly perspectives on Obama’s two books, and on his multidimensional efforts to remove the obstacles to equality of opportunity in the United States. They also explore Obama’s potential for re-shaping the American social and cultural terrain and, by extension, for re-vitalizing the American Dream. This book should be of interest to scholars of political science, literature, history, philosophy, religion and psycho-culture as well as to the general reading public. "," “The driving impulse behind the book is the desire to document and interrogate the topography of the Obama energy as it ignites the imagination of the world across race, class and generations to force into creative being a political paradigm which celebrates the beauty of the human spirit and signals the possibility of the birth of a post-racial ethos. This is an excellent collection of responses to a momentous and game-changing historical event. The book tackles issues such as the interconnectedness of Obama’s artistic and political visions, the nature of his personal, ancestral and collective narratives as he crafts his distinctive yet representational prosthetic memory; the expectation of Obama as a trigger for post-racial America where race would cease to be the normative definition of individuals and groups; and the systemic and cultural structures which must be addressed before a re-engineered post-racial America can become a reality. Some of the essays are erudite, some polemical, some reflective or data-driven and almost all witty, humorous and elegantly written. While a good number of the essays are ecstatic about the Obama victory, however, what emerges as a dominant impulse is the fact that, on the balance, he is an omen of, more than a trigger for, change.” – Funso Aiyejina, PhD, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Education, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago “In this collection of essays, the authors do not shrink from the central issue of race that underlies Obama’s presidency, nor do they shrink, as the editor correctly argues, from the implicit or explicit spiritual significance that it contains. In a series of provocative chapters the diverse authors map, each in his own fashion, the outlines of certain essential issues evoked by Obama’s unexpected election. Many of the essays ably illustrate the conflicts between the widely recognized thesis of race as a social construction versus it’s social reality; the cruel realities of creating a personal identity in a world still dominated by an essentializing discourse on race; and the crucial role of Obama as a unique paradigm in American politics – a theme, as the editor recognizes, that cannot be reduced to a purely materialist analysis. Detailed readings of historical influences such as the griot tradition in African cultures or the vatic tendencies of slave narratives help one to understand the historical, ideological and ultimately spiritual baggage that Obama brings to his historically novel role. Others are particularly useful in describing the sociological scope of the extremely complex concatenation of historical and political realities that resulted in Obama’s victory. On the whole the collection’s broad range of methodological strategies provides a welcome antidote to the mass of more narrowly pragmatic political analyses of the subject and fills in an underdeveloped area in Obama Studies Trajectory.” – Dr Robert Tomlinson, Professor Emeritus, Emory University, Georgia, USA, Former Acting Director of African and African American Studies ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-03-01,Henrik Lindberg and Nils Karlson,"Labour Markets at a Crossroads: Causes of Change, Challenges and Need to Reform",Hardback,978-1-4438-3610-4,39.99,"The European labour market models are at a crossroads. Almost all Western European countries have experienced a lack of job creation, productivity and growth for an extended period of time. There is a problem of unemployment overall, but most urgently for the young, for immigrants and for the disabled. There is a clear need for reform. This volume, Labour Markets at a Crossroads: Causes of Change, Challenges and Need to Reform, investigates a number of vital aspects of the European labour markets and the challenges they face. The chapters give new perspectives on how the different labour market models in Europe work, and what consequences they have. The contributing authors are academic scholars in economics, political science, sociology and economic history from a variety of European countries. The book is structured around three main themes: Flexicurity and Labour Market Dynamics Trade Unions and Industrial Action Wages and Bargaining A central conclusion made by the editors is that one of the main causes of the shortcomings of the European labour markets is the existence of what they call “corporative cartels.” Moreover, there are clear options for policy choice, both for legislators and the social partners themselves. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-04-01,Marja Vuorinen,Enemy Images in War Propaganda,Hardback,978-1-4438-3641-8,34.99,"In the post 9/11 world the emotionally charged concepts of identity and ideology, enmity and political aggression have once again become household words. Contrary to the serene assumptions of the early 1990s, the history did not end. Civilisations are busy clashing against one another, and the self-proclaimed pacified humanity is showing its barbaric roots. Religion mixes with politics to produce governments that abuse even their own citizens, and victorious insurgents too often fail to carry out the promised reforms. Terrorists blow up unsuspecting pedestrians and allegedly democratic nations threaten to bomb allegedly less democratic ones back to the Stone Age. Mass demonstrations materialise like flash mobs out of nowhere, usually prepared to hold their ground until the bitter end. Where does all this passionate intensity come from? To better understand how ideological enmity of today is moulded, spread and managed, this book investigates the propaganda operations of the past. Its topics range from the ruthless portrayal of female enemy soldiers in an early 20th century civil war setting to the multiple enemy images cherished by Adolf Hitler, and onwards to the WW II Soviet Russians as a subtype of a more ancient notion of the Eastern Hordes. Of the more recent events the book covers the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and the still ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The closing chapter on cyber warfare introduces the reader to the invisible enemies of the future ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-04-01,Massimiliano Trentin in collaboration with Matteo Gerlini,The Middle East and the Cold War: Between Security and Development,Hardback,978-1-4438-3715-6,34.99,"There have been quite a lot of attempts to find out exactly what the impact of the Cold War on the Middle East was, and this from different disciplinary perspectives. This volumes tries to integrate the historical debate with new fresh insights thanks to the works of young scholars who are currently engaged in archival and field research. Algeria, Sudan, Jordan as well as Syria, Israel and Iran during the embattled 1950s and 1960s are the objects of this volume, which draws a much more complicated picture than one might expect. As a matter of fact, both the Cold War superpowers and their European allies proved constrained in their interventions to shape the political and economic dynamics of the region according to their own plans: on the contrary, Middle Eastern rulers enjoyed remarkable autonomy to achieve their goals, and fully exploited, in rhetorics and practice, the competition and rivalry which divided the industrial countries during the Cold War. The process of decolonization and the related construction of new patterns of national sovereignty and development were major issues at stake for both the Cold War camps and their postcolonial partners in the Middle East. Though peculiar, the region proved to be no exception to global trends. The so called “liberal” Fifties as well as the “radical” Sixties of the XXth century were times of great conflict and change, setting much of the institutions and patterns of development which lasted for three decades, at least, but also providing fresh opportunities for new social and politics groups to emerge and consolidate in power. In light of the current events in North Africa and the Middle East at large, this volume is a highly valuable contribution to the deeper and wider understanding of the region in itself as well as the patterns of its integration within the wider, global world ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-05-01,Cheryl Lynn Duckworth and Consuelo Doria Kelley,Conflict Resolution and the Scholarship of Engagement: Partnerships Transforming Conflict,Hardback,978-1-4438-3766-8,39.99,"As the field of conflict analysis and resolution continues to grow, scholars and practitioners increasingly recognize that we can learn from one another. Theory must be informed by practice and practice must draw on sound theory. Above and beyond this lies a further recognition: without at least attempting to actually engage and transform entrenched conflicts, our field cannot hope to achieve its potential. We will merely remain in a more diverse, multi-disciplinary ivory tower. This edition breaks new ground in explicitly connecting the Scholarship of Engagement to the work of conflict resolution professionals including those in the academy, those in the field, and those who refuse to choose between the two. The text explores a wide variety of examples of, and thinking on, the Scholarship of Engagement from participatory action research to peace education, and from genocide prevention to community mediation and transitional justice. ","“[Conflict Resolution and the Scholarship of Engagement] provides us with insightful examples of town-gown relationships at the local as well as global level that benefit both the community and the university. [It] shows us how research projects can be used to build sustainable bridges and working partnerships through the Scholarship of Engagement.” – Dr Linda M. Johnston, Executive Director, Siegel Institute for Leadership, Ethics and Character, Kennesaw State University ",Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-05-01,Hanna Orsolya Vincze,The Politics of Translation and Transmission: Basilikon Doron in Hungarian Political Thought,Hardback,978-1-4438-3772-9,39.99,"This book is a study on the beginnings of Hungarian political thought, as set out by two 17th century mirrors of princes, the first attempts at political theorising in the Hungarian vernacular. The unlikely source text for these treatises was an advice book by King James the VIth and Ist to his son, Basilikon Doron. As an analysis of the translation and re-reading of a widely circulated text by the king of England and Scotland, the book is also a study in early modern cross-cultural dialogue, situated in the context of recent discussions on transculturalism, and more specifically on the intellectual connections between Britain and the world. The various contemporary translations of King James’s book to diverse contexts and languages enlisted it to different agendas, making it difficult to cast the process of translation and transmission as a story of a reception of an idea. They rather call attention to the importance of the local stakes involved in translation. How ideas originally formulated in a Scottish context came to be re-articulated in a Central European one is a particularly interesting story that provides us with a possibility to paint a picture of the various political languages in use at the time, from divine right arguments to elements of civic humanism, neostoicism, political Calvinism in its magisterial version, Old Testament biblicism and millenarianism. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-06-01,Teresa Fernández Ulloa,"Ideology, Politics and Demands in Spanish Language, Literature and Film",Hardback,978-1-4438-3795-8,44.99,"This book is formed by various chapters where we will see a variety of topics related to the manner in which ideological and epistemological changes of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries shaped the Spanish language, literature, and film, among other forms of expression, in both Spain and Latin America, and how these media served to the purpose of spreading some ideas or demands. There are articles on ideological representations of linguistic difference and sameness, linguistic change associated to loan words and the ideas those bring modifying our communicative landscape, and the role of Catholic religion on the construction of our dictionary; analysis of some political discourses, ideologies and social imaginaries; even new visions of old literature (a return to the parody in the Middle Ages to analyze its modernnes), and postmodern narrative; discussions on contemporary Spanish poetry and contemporary Central American literature; a new return to the liberation philosophy by analyzing Ellacuría´s work; and several studies about concepts such as capitalism, patriarchy, identity, masculinity, homosexuality, globalization, and the Resistence in several forms of expression. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-06-01,"Murray Leith, Iain McPhee and Tim Laxton",Scottish Devolution and Social Policy: Evidence from the First Decade,Hardback,978-1-4438-3790-3,39.99,"Through the analysis of specific policy areas in Scotland and a consideration of key social issues, this work examines devolved policy in a number of specific areas, and the changes wrought by the first decade and more of devolution in those areas. Each chapter considers specific aspects of social policy in Scotland, and then the final chapter addresses whether the founding principles of Scottish devolution have transferred from principles to policy. The various ideas and themes all relate to the core ideas that underpinned devolution and the creation of the Scottish Parliament. While policy areas are directly addressed within most chapters, others consider class, equality, and the removal of the democratic deficit. This work judges whether these larger issues, as well as individual areas of social policy, have been better addressed within contemporary Scottish society since devolution took place. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-07-01,Edythe Weeks,"Outer Space Development, International Relations and Space Law: A Method for Elucidating Seeds",Hardback,978-1-4438-3965-5,39.99,"It is the eve of outer space development, but few people are aware of this. In the absence of awareness, people cannot prepare for the opportunities that will arise; and so the vast wealth likely to flow to Earth from outer space will cause ever-greater inequality and instability in our already unequal and unstable world. This book is a call to educators to factor equality and diversity into the process of outer space development by creating a widespread movement to teach outer space development studies to all students, especially those who study social and behavioral sciences. In calling for this, I am also putting out a call to visionary thinkers to increase public awareness that outer space is already in the process of being developed. My objective is to provide a pedagogical approach aimed at mending the knowledge gap. If we fail in this objective, we are more likely than ever before to witness ever-widening gaps of social and financial inequality. The first question that will arise as we embark on this process, of course, will be: Why Outer Space Development? People often ask where the money will come from to develop outer space. Platinum-group metals such as iridium and osmium, and various other valuable untapped natural resources, have been discovered in abundant quantities and are likely to be mined by companies. The discovery of natural resources has sparked development projects in the past. These historical patterns of human behavior are occurring again today, as companies speed up the process of private spaceship development. A myriad of space laws and policies are already in place to support space commercialization. Recently, the 2010 NASA Authorization Act and various other laws and policies initiated by the U.S. government have placed on the agenda plans to build advanced space transportation systems; to privatize spacecraft development; to create commercial space habitats, space stations, and space settlements; to initiate commercial space mining; to investigate spacecraft trajectory optimization for landing on near-Earth asteroids; to engage in commercial spaceport construction and interstellar-interplanetary-international telecommunications; and to launch space exploration missions to near-Earth asteroids, the Moon, Mars, and Mars’s moons. U.S. initiatives have in the past been mirrored by the international community, and we can expect to see similar patterns arising on a global scale—indeed, as this book will demonstrate, they already are. The global community is experiencing economic recession, natural disasters, lack of opportunity, employment anxiety, failing K-12 programs, widening inequality gaps, uprisings, revolutions, revolts, unmet educational goals, and a general failure to uplift, inspire, and provide meaningful opportunities for significant portions of our population. In the United States of America, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan failed to jumpstart the economy; the Dow Jones failed; Wall Street failed; millions of working people lost their houses to foreclosure; tent communities and homeless populations are on the increase; many people are experiencing depression, anxiety, career anxiety; we see alarming rates of people dropping out of high school and college; and there is a general lack of opportunities, along with high rates of job loss. People need something that will allow them to focus anew their talents, energies, abilities, and gifts, and use use this bleak climate as an opportunity for positive change. Outer space development is emerging as an answer to this state of crisis. The question is: To whom will the benefits accrue? Many strategic decisions have already been taken regarding space development of which the global general public is unaware. Once legal rights to space resources are granted, only those with the capital to take advantage of new laws and policies will be in a position to profit from the new space industries. Only those who are in a position to “know” about outer space development will be in position to take advantage of the opportunities. It is important to remember that the global general public has for several decades being paying the start-up costs for space exploration research, science, and technology. It’s not too late to factor in equality before an infrastructure of inequality is forever with us as we venture to establish the final frontier. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-07-01,Sybille Reinke de Buitrago,"Portraying the Other in International Relations: Cases of Othering, Their Dynamics and the Potential for Transformation",Hardback,978-1-4438-3903-7,34.99,"Portraying the other in international relations significantly shapes interaction among actors in the international field, consequently colouring views of the other and legitimating behaviour toward the other. This edited volume presents current analyses by international scholars on othering processes and self-other constructions within international relations, attempting to fill a gap in the debate on this fascinating topic and its socio-political implications. Othering is illustrated in three thematic sections: I) Othering in interstate and interregional relations, II) Othering in the policy field of terrorism and counterterrorism, and III) Possible transformations of othering. Contributions discuss othering from diverse angles and with different conceptual approaches, illustrating the multiple forms othering can take. They show how othering can be studied and its dynamics and consequences critically analysed and more comprehensively understood, but also the limits to these attempts. Various motivations for engaging in othering are elaborated. The images, ways of representations and stylistic means that are applied are exposed and their internal logic as well as effects on thinking and behaviour in the international arena examined. Furthermore, possibilities for modifying othering processes, that is, how negative self-other constructions may be transformed, with the goal of enabling the peaceful existence of different groups, are presented ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-08-01,Joanne Paul,"Governing Diversities: Democracy, Diversity and Human Nature",Hardback,978-1-4438-3985-3,39.99,,,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-08-01,Borhan Uddin Khan and Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman,"Protection of Minorities: Regimes, Norms and Issues in South Asia",Hardback,978-1-4438-3992-1,39.99,"We live in a world that not only sets standards for but also professes its commitment to promote and protect ‘rights’. Since ours is an age of heightened public interest in auditing the actual realisation of such standards and commitment, the first major focus of this book is a critical account of international standards aimed at protection of minorities. To that end, it concentrates on four key dimensions. First, it addresses the issue on identification of minorities as understood by international law. Second, it outlines a brief history on development of international law towards a better protection of minorities. Third, it gives an overview of international instruments and mechanisms on minorities. Finally, it analyses the rights of minorities under international standards. All these dimensions point to the fact that international minority rights lag behind the development of other branches of rights. The second major focus of this book is to relate international standards on minority protection to South Asian regimes. Concentrating on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, and Afghanistan, an endeavor is made to examine the state of minorities and their protection under the domestic regimes. It emerges that the normative commitments of these states are less or more compatible with international standards. Nevertheless, majority-minority syndrome persistently remains as one of the causes behind multidimensional deprivation and victimization of South Asian minorities. The present book also assesses the extent to which regional cooperation in South Asia has so far contributed to extending protection to minorities. This ends with an argument that SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) has potentials to play far greater role in this regard. ",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012-08-01,J. Jeremy Wisnewski,"Review Journal of Political Philosophy Volume 9.1, Issue 1",Hardback,978-1-4438-3995-2,39.99,,,Cambridge Scholars Publishing