Cultural studies Books

Book SynopsisDissecting the biggest medical myths and pseudoscience, Viral BS explores how misinformation can spread faster than microbes. Can your zip code predict when you will die? Should you space out childhood vaccines? Does talcum powder cause cancer? Why do some doctors recommend e-cigarettes while other doctors recommend you stay away from them? Health informationand misinformationis all around us, and it can be hard to separate the two. A long history of unethical medical experiments and medical mistakes, along with a host of celebrities spewing anti-science beliefs, has left many wary of science and the scientists who say they should be trusted. How do we stay sane while unraveling the knots of fact and fiction to find out what we should really be concerned about, and what we can laugh off? In Viral BS, journalist, doctor, professor, and CDC-trained disease detective Seema Yasmin, driven by a need to set the record straight, dissects some of the most widely circulating medical myths andTrade Review[Yasmin] analyzes the pseudoscience that becomes hard to shake and reviews related research that presents the truth. The antidote is easy to swallow, thanks to Yasmin's approach.—Science NewsTable of ContentsIntroduction1. Do the flat tummy detox teas touted by Instagram celebrities actually work?2. Should you eat your baby's placenta?3. Do vaccines cause autism?4. Can autism be cured?5. Are children being paralyzed by the common cold virus?6. Do we inherit trauma from our parents?7. Are genetically modified foods safe?8. How long can you eat leftovers?9. Is MSG addictive?10. Is drinking diet soda linked to Alzheimer's disease and stroke?11. Do mammograms cause more problems than they detect?12. Is it dangerous to be pregnant in America?13. The raging statin debate: Should you take a cholesterol-lowering drug?14. Does aspirin prevent cancer?15. Did the maker of aspirin test medicines in Nazi concentration camps?16. Does the birth control pill cause depression?17. Do vitamin D supplements protect against obesity, cancer, and pneumonia?18. Will fish oil supplements prevent heart disease or give you cancer?19. Are heartburn medicines linked to a serious gut infection?20. Were dietary supplements linked to a deadly outbreak of hepatitis?21. Can gay and bisexual men donate blood?22. Are e-cigarettes helpful or harmful?23. Is marijuana a performance-enhancing drug for athletes?24. Did a morning sickness pill for pregnant women cause birth defects in thousands of babies?25. Is there lead in your lipstick?26. Why do immigrants in America live longer than American-born people?27. Has the US government banned research about gun violence?28. The Frackademia Scandal: Did oil and gas companies pay academics to say fracking was safe?29. Does playing American football give players brain damage?30. Did the US government infect people with syphilis and gonorrhea?31. Does talcum powder cause ovarian cancer?32. Does infection with Ebola cause lifelong symptoms?33. Are older adults at higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections?34. Did genetically modified mosquitoes spread Zika, and does the virus cause birth defects?35. Can your cat's poop make you better at business?36. Is suicide contagious?37. Are suicide rates linked to the economy?38. Are there more suicides during the holiday season?39. Are you more likely to die from a medical mistake than from a car crash?40. Is it dangerous to go to the hospital in July?41. Do patients cared for by female doctors live longer?42. Can a pill make racists less racist?43. Are airplane condensation trails, aka chemtrails, bad for your health?44. Do bad teeth cause heart disease?45. Can your zip code predict when you will die?46. Does debunking a myth help it spread?Dr. Yasmin's Bullshit Detection KitAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisA multidisciplinary conversation on the state of the American DreamTrade Review"The diversity of contributions-from historians, political scientists, sociologists, and a pollster-distinguish The American Dream in the 21st Century from many other books on the topic. The multi-disciplinary focus is especially useful, as chapters provide cultural interpretations of Americans' attitudes toward the American Dream through the lenses of race, gender, religion and ethics." -Arne L. Kalleberg, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillTable of Contents1. Introduction: The Making of and Persistence of the American Dream, John Kenneth White and Sandra L. Hanson 2. Twilight's Gleaming: The American Dream and the Ends of Republics, Jim Cullen 3. The Politics of the American Dream, 1980 to 2008, Michael C. Kimmage 4. The Remaking of the American Dream, John Kenneth White 5. Dreaming in Black and White, James W. Loewen 6. Whose American Dream? Gender and the American Dream, Sandra L. Hanson 7. Want Meets Necessity in the New American Dream, John Zogby 8. Religion and the American Dream: A Catholic Reflection in a Generational Context, William V. D'Antonio 9. Conclusions: The American Dream: Where are we?, Sandra L. Hanson and John Kenneth White

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe time has come for a new in-depth encyclopedic collection of entries defining the current state of Deaf Studies at an international level using critical and intersectional lenses encompassing the field. The emergence of Deaf Studies programs at colleges and universities and the broadened knowledge of social sciences (including but not limited to Deaf History, Deaf Culture, Signed Languages, Deaf Bilingual Education, Deaf Art, and more) have served to expand the activities of research, teaching, analysis, and curriculum development. The field has experienced a major shift due to increasing awareness of Deaf Studies research since the mid-1960s. The field has been further influenced by the Deaf community's movement, resistance, activism and politics worldwide, as well as the impact of technological advances, such as in communications, with cell phones, computers, and other devices. This new Encyclopedia shifts focus away from the medical model that

Read more less

Book Synopsis In this inspiring and hilarious memoir, YouTube star Ricky Dillon gives you an exciting look into his personal life and reveals the ins and outs of being a young star online. A former member of the enormously popular YouTube group Our Second Life, alongside his good friend Connor Franta, Ricky Dillon has connected with millions of fans worldwide, with no less than the New York Times featuring him in an article about the new generation of social media influencers. Now, in his very first book, Ricky takes you into his day-to-day world and shows them what it’s like to be a young star with a number of different creative interests, from crafting weekly videos to collaborating with other YouTube personalities to honing his career as a pop musician. Ricky also takes you into the inner workings of his personal fitness regimen and how he maintains a programme of health and wellness in all areas of his life. In addition to all of this, Ricky cr

Read more less

Book SynopsisWritten by Dr Paul Seager, a social psychology specialist who teaches at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, ''Social Psychology: A Complete Introduction'' is designed to give you everything you need to succeed, all in one place. It covers key areas that students are expected to be confident in, outlining the basics in clear jargon-free English, and then provides added-value features like summaries of key studies, lists of questions to test your understanding of the concepts covered, and a ''Food for thought'' section at the end of each chapter which challenges you to put the academic theories to practical use.The book uses a structure that mirrors many university courses on social psychology - starting off by explaining what social psychology is and how it is researched, before exploring a wide variety of the fascinating areas social psychologists have looked at in both classic and lesser-known studies. Areas covered include: the self; attributions; social cogniti

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Times Book of the Year 2019''You should not deny yourself the pleasure of reading it'' Sunday Times''A remarkable work and an important addition to the extraordinary wartime history of literary London'' Literary ReviewWho were the Lost Girls? At least a dozen or so young women at large in Blitz-era London have a claim to this title. But Lost Girls concentrates on just four: Lys Lubbock, Sonia Brownell, Barbara Skelton and Janetta Parlade. Chic, glamorous and bohemian, as likely to be found living in a rat-haunted maisonette as dining at the Ritz, they cut a swathe through English literary and artistic life in the 1940s. Three of them had affairs with Lucian Freud. One of them married George Orwell. Another became the mistress of the King of Egypt and was flogged by him on the steps of the Royal Palace. And all of them were associated with the decade''s most celebrated literary magazine, Horizon,Trade ReviewDJ Taylor's new book is an exploratory and sometimes eye-popping slice of social history . . . Taylor is a strikingly versatile writer - novelist, critic, historian, author of the standard biography of Orwell, and the acerbic wit behind Private Eye's What You Didn't Miss column . . . If you have even a passing interest in human relationships and the imagination, you should not deny yourself the pleasure of reading it -- John Carey * Sunday Times *DJ Taylor, who has previously written about the bright young things of the interwar years, makes a convincing case for seeing Sonia and her peers as a racier, tougher and far more intelligent group than has previously been allowed * Guardian *Lively account of the chaotic way of life at the Horizon office . . . In Lost Girls, Taylor presents a colourful portrait of this fascinating, sophisticated and highly sexualised literary world . . . expertly narrated . . . excellent descriptions of the daily routine in the Horizon office . . . a remarkable work and an important addition to the extraordinary wartime history of literary London -- Selina Hastings * Literary Review *Entertaining, ever shrewd account * Spectator *Enjoyable . . . an often very funny chronicle of fiendishly complicated and rackety love lives . . . infectious . . . deliciously readable -- Lucy Lethbridge * Financial Times *Enticing . . . Like a private detective on an adultery case, Taylor eavesdrops in bedsits and furnished flats, lurks in Chelsea pubs and Soho dives, reporting in a style both elegant and deadpan. His text is crowded with throwaway gems -- Jane Thynne * The Tablet *Highly entertaining * Country Life *Immersive, intense and dense with detail, Taylor's latest work is a wonderfully niche and pointed take on lost girls from a lost era; a real-life wartime drama, on an intricate and intimate scale * Irish Times *Engaging and stylishly written . . . captures the edgy atmosphere of 1940s bohemian London * Times Literary Supplement *A lively, perceptive, and gossip-strewn inquiry into an overlooked aspect of an influential corner of London's literary life * The New Criterion *An empathetic group biography of four bright, beautiful, literary women in wartime London . . . highly entertaining account . . . insightful and empathetic group biography * Wall Street Journal *Thoughtful, witty writer . . . poignant * London Review of Books *Enthralling . . . because of D.J. Taylor's vivid and affecting group biography, the "lost girls" will never be lost again * The Washington Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisStarting from Deleuze's brief but influential work on control, the 11 essays in this book questions how contemporary control mechanisms influence, and are influenced by, cultural expression. They also collectively revaluate Foucault and Deleuze's theories of discipline and control in light of the continued development of biopolitics

Read more less

Book SynopsisA collection of essays that rethinks what constitutes materiality. These efforts are encapsulated by a rewriting of the Derridean axiom, 'there is no outside text' as 'there is no outside nature'.

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A book as rich and complex as the extraordinary worlds of Turkish football it explores'' David Goldblatt''Captures the Turkish game with love, in all its beauty and darkness'' Simon KuperAsk a British football fan what they know about Turkish football, and they are unlikely to describe scenes of camaraderie, hospitality and humour. They are more likely to mention banners proclaiming ''Welcome to hell''. Or Leeds United supporters stabbed to death on an Istanbul street. Frustrated by the game''s distorted image back home, John McManus set out to show the Turkish football that he knew - the rich, funny, obsessive, fan culture that he had encountered on the terraces. But he hadn''t accounted for the politics. Travelling from the elite training facilities of Istanbul to dusty pitches on the Syrian border, taking in visits to far-flung clubs, encounters with characterful players and experiences at riotous matches along the way, Welcome to Hell?<Trade Review'McManus's triumph is to combine thorough research with readability. A fascinating history of Turkish football, and a model for other books of this type' -- Jonathan Wilson'A book as rich and complex as the extraordinary worlds of Turkish football it explores' -- David Goldblatt'John McManus is one of the very few writers in English who actually knows Turkey. This crucial but poorly understood country may be best interpreted through football - and he is perfectly placed to do it. McManus thinks like a good academic but writes like a good journalist. He captures the Turkish game with love, in all its beauty and darkness. For all the country's problems, in the midst of its current crisis, this book makes you want to get straight on a plane to catch a match there' -- Simon Kuper, author of Football Against the Enemy'I really enjoyed Welcome to Hell? By John McManus. A heartfelt look at Turkish football culture, which challenges some stereotypes about it, explains others, and smells a little bit of cordite . . . excellent' -- Rory Smith'Excellent' * Irish Sun *'McManus heads off in search of colour and character across the country. He serves up both in ample measure. Nationalist agitators, left-wing ultras, Kurdish fanatics and Syrian ex-professionals . . . all provide fascinating insight into the complex relationship between politics and football at all levels of the Turkish game' -- Rob Kemp * When Saturday Comes *'An engaging book about football and Turkish society' * Economist *'A perceptive and compelling account of how to understand football in Turkey through the eyes of someone who has lived there' * The Football Pink *'The book takes us on a tour of the beautiful game in Turkey, a window through which to examine society, history and contemporary politics. McManus is a sensitive and astute guide with an eye for the telling detail . . . Full of humor as well as insight . . . Welcome to Hell? is a terrific read' -- William Armstrong * Hurriyet Daily News *'Turkish football is a fascinating topic and generates very strong emotions, and this lively book from John McManus explains why' -- Andreas Beck, Besiktas, FC Stuttgart and German National Team player'McManus offers profound insight into modern Turkey through the vantage point of its football culture. Blending his deep knowledge of Turkish history, politics, sociology, and sports culture, McManus brings modern Turkey to life and does so with playfulness, great attention to detail, and a rare insiders' view' -- Soner Cagaptay, senior fellow at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn India, the practice of jugaad—finding workarounds or hacks to solve problems—emerged out of subaltern strategies of negotiating poverty, discrimination, and violence but is now celebrated in management literature as a disruptive innovation. In Jugaad Time Amit S. Rai explores how jugaad operates within contemporary Indian digital media cultures through the use of the mobile phone. Rai shows that despite being co-opted by capitalism to extract free creative labor from the workforce, jugaad is simultaneously a practice of everyday resistance, as workers and communities employ hacks to oppose corporate, caste, and gender power. Locating the tensions surrounding jugaad—as both premodern and postdigital, innovative and oppressive—Rai maps how jugaad can be used to undermine neoliberal capitalist media ecologies and nationalist politics.Trade Review"Jugaad Time will be of great interest to an array of scholars of South Asia who are committed to ethnographically and historically examining assemblages of affect, media technologies, and temporality. The book offers a novel and important opportunity for these scholars to examine how the Global South is implicated in and by innovation studies." -- Anisha Chadha * Visual Anthropology Review *"Researchers of waste, maintenance, and repair or of the Anthropocene will be interested in jugaad and jugaadus, and Rai’s offering is a welcome challenge to the innovation-dominated framings of consumer capitalist marketing. . . . Even as he emphasizes Indian experiences of jugaad, Rai shows us a way toward wider understandings of how information technologies interlock with contingent and individuated labor to produce the subjectivities of a digital neoliberalism." -- Juris Milestone * Exertions *Table of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xix Introduction. A Political Ecology of Jugaad 1 Fables of the Reinvention I. Toward a Universal History of Hacking 39 1. The Affect of Jugaad: "Frugal Innovation" and the Workaround Ecologies of Postcolonial Practice 45 2. Neoliberal Assemblages of Perception and Digital Media in India 68 Fables of the Reinvention II. New Desiring Machines 102 3. Jugaad Ecologies of Social Reproduction 106 4. Diagramming Affect: Smart Cities and Plasticity in India's Informal Economy 128 Fables of the Reinvention III. A Series of Minor Events 150 Conclusion. Jugaad Jugaading: Time, Language, Misogyny in Hacking Ecologies 153 Notes 167 References 175 Index 203

Read more less

Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.These days the bicycle often appears as an interloper in a world constructed for cars. An almost miraculous 19th-century contraption, the bicycle promises to transform our lives and the world we live in, yet its time seems always yet-to-come or long-gone-by. Jonathan Maskit takes us on an interdisciplinary ride to see what makes the bicycle a magical machine that could yet make the world a safer, greener, and more just place.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewIn his insightful contribution to the Object Lessons series, Jonathan Maskit dives deep into this great yet humble human invention and its role in transportation. After reading Bicycle, you’ll never think of cycling the same way again * Sanna Lehtinen, Research Fellow, School of Arts, Design, and Architecture, Aalto University, Finland *Table of ContentsList of Figures 1. A Tale of Two Cyborgs 2. A Brief History 3. The Magical Machine 4. The Death Machine 5. What Does It Mean to Share the Road? 6. Right of Way 7. Bicycle Diaries 8. Motorism and Motorists 9. The Visible and the Invisible 10. Ghost Bikes 11. Idaho Stop 12. Space 13. History Repeats Itself 15. Dark Clouds, Silver Linings Acknowledgements Bibliography Notes Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisRandy Malamud is Regents' Professor of English at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He is the author of ten books, including Reading Zoos (1998) and An Introduction to Animals and Visual Culture (2012). He has written for HuffPost, Salon, Film Quarterly, Chicago Sun-Times, and the Los Angeles Times and has appeared on CNN, BBC, and NPR.Trade ReviewThis involving and innovative volume's aggregation of ephemera will no doubt delight the social historian ... The snappy prose and keen engagement help pull together the text into an engaging and successful snapshot of collective experience. * Times Higher Education *In this slyly subversive little book, part rhapsody, part diatribe, Randy Malamud can’t leave e-mail alone. His exuberant rants and riffs give us a new perspective on our infernal electronic inboxes. A fast, funny, compulsive read. * Mikita Brottman, Professor of Humanistic Studies, Maryland Institute College of Art, USA, and author of An Unexplained Death: The True Story of a Body at the Belvedere (2018) and The Maximum Security Book Club: Reading Literature in a Men's Prison (2016) *Table of ContentsPre-mail Email Compose Subject Attachment Inbox Send Reply-All Delete Junk Out of Office: After Email Postscript: How to Write and Read an Email Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. The story of the compact disc is also the story of the end of physical media. It is the story of how the quest for perfection laid the grounds for the death of a great industry. For in the passage from analogue media, like records and tapes, to digital formats, like CDs, something changed in the nature of media and in the relationship we have with music. Music became code, a sequence of 1s and 0s, a flow of pure information. The material structure of the medium itself was always supposed to disappear. But the physical has proved to possess an uncanny knack for returning. Today the CD is a zombie medium, still popular amongst certain avant-garde record labels and Japanese consumers. Against all the odds, the spectre endures.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewThis thoughtful, elegantly written little book pays homage to that least loved of music formats, the compact disc. Filled with engaging anecdotes and philosophical observations, the book offers a concise cultural history of audio recording, describing the vicissitudes of the music industry and the dissolution of sonic objects into codes and clouds. * Christoph Cox, Professor of Philosophy, Hampshire College, USA, and author of Sonic Flux: Sound, Art, and Metaphysics (2018) *Robert Barry rekindles our wonder for the technology that ‘put a laser in your living room.’ Futuristic and confounding, the CD converted light into sound, philosophers into audio critics, and audio critics into philosophers. But this book is more than the story of a format whose perfection laid the groundwork for its own demise--it’s also an intercultural history of light, the quest for technological perfection, and the art of critiquing that quest through glitches, skips, and stutters. * Mack Hagood, Robert H. and Nancy J. Blayney Associate Professor of Comparative Media Studies, Miami University of Ohio, USA, and author of Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control (2019) *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 The Little Disc 2 The Faithful Disc 3 The Wounded Disc 4 The Undead Disc Postscript Acknowledgements Select Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe days of the Other are over in this age of excessive communication, information and consumption. What used to be the Other, be it as friend, as Eros or as hell, is now indistinguishable from the self in our narcissistic desire to assimilate everything and everyone until there are no boundaries left. The result is a 'terror of the Same', lives in which we no longer pursue knowledge, insight and experience but are instead reduced to the echo chambers and illusory encounters offered by social media. In extreme cases, this feeling of disorientation and senselessness is compensated through self-harm, or even harming others through acts of terrorism. Byung-Chul Han argues that our times are characterized not by external repression but by an internal depression, whereby the destructive pressure comes not from the Other but from the self. It is only by returning to a society of listeners and lovers, by acknowledging and desiring the Other, that we can seek to overcome the isolation and suffering caused by this crushing process of total assimilation.Trade Review"No other philosophical author today has gone further than Byung-Chul Han in the analysis of our global everyday existence under the challenges of electronically induced hyper-communication. His latest - and again eminently readable - book concentrates on the "Terror of Sameness", that is on a life without events and individual otherness, as an environment to which we react with depression. What makes the intellectual difference in this analysis of sameness is the mastery with which Han brings into play the classics of our philosophical tradition and, through them, historical worlds that provide us with horizons of existential otherness."Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Albert Guérard Professor in Literature, Stanford University"The new star of German philosophy."El País"The Expulsion of the Other has the classic Byung-Chul Han 'sound,' an evocative tone which powerfully draws the reader in. ... With imperturbable serenity he brings together instances from everyday life and great catastrophes."Süddeutsche Zeitung"Han's congenial mastery of thought opens up areas we had long believed to be lost."Die Tagespost“Accessible and stimulating analysis”MetapsychologyTable of ContentsThe Terror of the Same The Violence of the Global and Terrorism The Terror of Authenticity Anxiety Thresholds Alienation Counter-body Gaze Voice The Language of the Other The Thinking of the Other Listening Notes

Read more less

Book SynopsisA strong emotional attachment to the memory of empire runs deep in British culture. In recent years, that memory has become a battleground in a long-drawn ideological war, inflecting debates on race, class, gender, culture, the UK’s future and its place in the world. This provocative and passionate book surveys the scene of the imperial memory wars in contemporary Britain, exploring how the myths that structure our views of empire came to be, and how they inform the present. Taking in such diverse subjects as Rory Stewart and inter-war adventure fiction, man’s facial hair and Kipling, the Alt-right and the Red Wall, Imperial Nostalgia asks how our relationship with our national past has gone wrong, and how it might be improved.Trade ReviewOne of The Guardian's best books of 2021.'It can feel, at times, that the culture wars aimed at sowing division in Britain are going to tear us apart. Peter Mitchell's fantastic new book, however, provides grounds for optimism and teaches us that the answer is to be informed. And there is no better, no more elegant, and no more erudite guide than Mitchell. An essential book for these disconcerting times.'Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain'There are very few writers I can think of who combine Peter Mitchell's intelligence, moral clarity, and elegant prose. Every line in this book is rousing. You will not only learn something about our warped understanding of our past. You will also want to do something about it. 'Nesrine Malik, Guardian columnist and author of We Need New Stories: Challenging the Toxic Myths Behind Our Age of Discontent'This is a brilliant account of Britain’s ideological present where the national past is mythologized into simplistic fables that benefit retrograde political forces. With forensic insight and in lively prose, Mitchell shows us how nostalgic fantasies of imperial rightness and whiteness are at the heart of a multitude of concocted cultural battles that seek to prevent a necessarily difficult reckoning with real history.'Priyamvada Gopal, author of Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent'Mitchell writes with eloquence, unsparing contempt for reactionary charlatanism, and a commitment to historical rigor that the objects of his most incisive criticism could learn from (but won’t). All of which make this book one of the more perceptive and vital interventions that have emerged from an otherwise reductive and inadequate discourse surrounding Britain’s imperial past.' Jacobin 'Peter Mitchell takes this national fixation with an imagined past as a lens through which to understand some current political battles.'Gargi Bhattacharyya, Red Pepper'Mitchell's account of imperial nostalgia is deeply transnational. This is an important point, and it is not to be taken for granted: frequently, leftist critics of imperial nostalgia resort to a national exceptionalism of their own, lamenting the state of "normal island" and comparing it unfavourably to its European neighbours.'Meghan Tinsley, Ethnic and Racial Studies -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction1 Associative magic: nostalgic time and the revolt against mourning2 Inventing the tradition: how nostalgia made an empire3 Sovereign bodies: Britain’s imperial present4 ‘The best and most perfect virtue’: empire, race and free speech in the battle for the university5 The adventures of the Imperial Wonder Boy: Rory Stewart and the fantasy of innocence6 ‘Degraded underfoot perverse creatures’: empire and the languages of classConclusion: escaping the empireFurther readingBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book analyses how racism and anti-racism affects Black British middle-class cultural consumption. In doing so, it challenges the dominant understanding of British middle-class identity and culture as being ‘beyond race’.Paying attention to the relationship between cultural capital and cultural repertoires, Meghji argues that there are three modes of black middle-class identity: strategic assimilation, ethnoracial autonomous, and class-minded. Individuals within each of these identity modes use specific cultural repertoires to organise their cultural consumption. Those employing strategic assimilation draw on repertoires of code-switching and cultural equity, consuming traditional middle-class culture to maintain equality with the white middle-class in levels of cultural capital. Ethnoracial autonomous individuals draw on repertoires of ‘browning’ and Afro-centrism, self-selecting traditional middle-class cultural pursuits they decode as ‘Eurocentric’ while showing a preference for cultural forms that uplift black diasporic histories and cultures. Lastly, class-minded individuals draw on repertoires of post-racialism and de-racialisation, polarising between ‘Black’ and middle-class cultural forms. Black middle class Britannia examines how such individuals display an unequivocal preference for the latter, lambasting other black people who avoid middle-class culture as being culturally myopic or culturally uncultivated.Trade Review'A tour de force with original arguments, empirical richness and theoretical ambition, all presented in a beautifully crafted written narrative.' Les Back is a Professor of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London 'Black middle-class Britannia offers a fascinating portrait of race and class in contemporary London. Using the cultural world as a site to examine inequality, Ali Meghji shows how racial and class boundaries are both understood and navigated in varying ways depending on the identities of middle-class blacks. While some see the existence of middle class blacks as evidence that Britain is now color-blind, Black middle-class Britannia provides a timely and in depth counterpoint to this view.'Patricia A. Banks, Associate Professor of Sociology, Mount Holyoke College -- .Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1 Introduction: Taking off the colourblind goggles: Crafting a study on Britain’s Black middle class2 Towards a triangle of Black middle class identity3 White spaces: consuming traditional middle class Culture4 Constructing and using Black cultural capital5 Revisiting race and nation: double consciousness, Black Britishness, and cultural consumption6 Race, class, and culture in the British racialised social systemAppendix: Building a reflexive case study of the Black middle classReferences

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Parks...offers detailed cultural observation, witty yet eagle-eyed, of what makes Italians so Italian' The TimesHow does Italy really work?When Valeria travels from hot, dusty Basilicata to begin her studies in a northern university town, she has little idea of the kind of education she will find there. Italian Life is her story, and that of the students and professors around her: a story of power and corruption, influence and exclusion, and the workings of a society where your connections are everything.Written with flair and insight, Italian Life joins Tim Parks' bestselling books about his beloved and paradoxical adopted country. It is a gripping, entertaining, behind-the-scenes account of how Italy actually happens, and the ways it can surprise those who know it inside out. 'A satisfyingly truthful, entertaining and provocative comedy' Daily TelegraphTrade Review‘The best interpreter of Italian ways in Italy’ * Sunday Herald *‘Parks is more than just an effortless raconteur: he offers detailed cultural observation, witty yet eagle-eyed, of what makes Italians so Italian’ * The Times *‘All Italy is here, its history, its character, its flaws’ * Sunday Times *Refreshingly brilliant... Parks skilfully shows how the rules and the maneuverings within Italian university life mirrors those at work in Italian society... illuminating and entertaining. When Parks takes his reader behind the scenes and into a murky world of favouritism and nepotism, back-scratching and back-stabbing, collusion and exclusion, his narrative cracks up a gear and becomes gripping * Herald *A satisfyingly truthful, entertaining and provocative comedy that lays bare Italy's difference, as a nation and as a joyful, warm, ever changeable people, tractable by temperament, immovably stubborn in its traditions -- Julian Evans * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book addresses the social, political and economic turbulence in which the UK is embroiled. Drawing on Cultural Studies, it explores proliferating crises and conflicts, from the multiplying varieties of social dissent through the stagnation of rentier capitalism to the looming climate catastrophe. Examining arguments about Brexit, class and ‘race’, and the changing character of the state, the book is underpinned by a transnational and relational conception of the UK. It traces the entangled dynamics of time and space that have shaped the current conjuncture. Questioning whether increasingly anti-democratic and authoritarian strategies can provide a resolution to these troubles, it explores how the accumulating crises and conflicts have produced a deepening ‘crisis of authority’ that forms the terrain of the Battle for Britain.Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Battle for Britain and Conjunctural Thinking 1. Nations, Nationalisms and the Conjuncture 2. Turbulent Times: The Making of the Present Pause for Thought 1 3. Accounting for Brexit 4. Thinking Relationally: Class and Its Others 5. Building Blocs: Towards a Politics of Articulation Pause for Thought 2 6. An Accumulation of Crises 7. ‘The Best Country in the World’: Race, Culture, History 8. Holding It Together? The Coercive Turn and the Crises of Party and Bloc 9. Unstable Equilibria: The Life of the State 10. The Battle for Britain – and Beyond

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawing on the experiences of young adults after the 2008 economic crisis in Spain, Emotions in Crisis analyses the impact of structural changes in society on individual and collective emotions.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the age of Trump, our society is defined by fear. Indeed, three out of four Americans say they feel more fearful today than they did only a couple decades ago. But are we living in exceptionally perilous times? In his bestselling book The Culture of Fear, sociologist Barry Glassner demonstrates that it is our perception of danger that has increased, not the actual level of risk. Glassner exposes the people and organizations that manipulate our perceptions and profit from our fears: politicians who win elections by heightening concerns about crime and drug use even as rates for both are declining; advocacy groups that raise money by exaggerating the prevalence of particular diseases; TV shows that create a new scare every week to garner ratings. Glassner spells out the prices we pay for social panics: the huge sums of money that go to waste on unnecessary programs and products as well as time and energy spent worrying about our fears.All the while, we are distracted from the true threats, from climate change to worsening inequality. In this updated edition of a modern classic, Glassner examines the current panics over vaccination and "political correctness" and reveals why Donald Trump's fearmongering is so dangerously effective.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis Cultural Studies have been preoccupied with questions of national identity and cultural representations. At the same time, feminist studies have insisted upon the entanglement of gender with issues of nation, class, and ethnicity. Developments in the wake of German unification demand a reassessment of the nexus of gender, Germanness and nationhood. The contributors to this volume pursue these strands of the cultural debate in German history, literature, visual arts, and language over a period of three hundred years in sections devoted to History and the Canon, Visual Culture, Germany and Her "Others," and Language and Power. Contributors: L. Adelson, A. Taylor Allen, K. Bauer, R. Berman, B. Byg, M. Denman, E. Frederiksen, S. Friedrichsmeyer, E. Kaufmann, L. Koepnick, B. Kosta, S. Lefko, A. M.O'Sickey, B. Mennel, H. M. Müller, B. Peterson, L. Pusch, D. Sweet, H. Watt, S. Zantop.Trade Review "This fascinating and informative collection of twenty-two mostly original essays showcases feminist German Studies at its finest ... Decentering Germany in our own scholarly work will help us to further challenge the settled definitions of gender and Germanness which this volume so splendidly details." · Women in German Table of Contents Introduction: Looking for Germania PART I: EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURY Chapter 1. The Beautiful, the Ugly, and the German: Race, Gender and Nationality in Eighteenth-Century Anthropological Discourse Susanne Zantop Chapter 2. Sophie La Roche as a German Patriot Helga S. Watt Chapter 3. Romantic Nationalism: Achim von Arnim’s Gypsy Princess Isabella Sara Friedrichsmeyer Chapter 4. How to Think about Germany: Nationality, Gender, and Obsession in Heine’s “Night Thoughts” Russell A. Berman Chapter 5. The Fatherland’s Kiss of Death: Gender and Germany in Nineteenth-Century Historical Fiction Brent O. Peterson PART II: RETHINKING HISTORY AND CANONS Chapter 6. The Challenge of “Missing Contents” for Canon Formation in German Studies Elke Frederiksen Chapter 7. Feminism and Motherhood in Germany and in International Perspective 1800-1914 Ann Taylor Allen Chapter 8. “Truly Womanly” and “Truly German”: Women’s Rights and National Identity in Die Frau Stefana Lefko Chapter 9. The Ladies’ Auxiliary of German Literature: Nineteenth-Century Women Writers and the Quest for a National Literary History Patricia Herminghouse PART III: VISUAL CULTURE Chapter 10. En-Gendering Mass Culture: The Case of Zarah Leander Lutz P. Koepnick Chapter 11. Nazism as Femme Fatale: Recuperations of Cinematic Masculinity in Postwar Berlin Barton Byg Chapter 12. Visualizing the Nation: Madonnas and Mourning Mothers in Postwar Germany Mariatte C. Denman Chapter 13. Framing the Unheimlich: Heimatfilm and Bambi Ingeborg Majer O’Sickey Chapter 14. Rape, Nation, and Remembering History: Helke Sander’s Liberators Take Liberties Barbara Kosta PART IV: GERMANY AND HER “OTHERS” Chapter 15. “Germany is Full of Germans Now”: Germanness in Ama Ata Aidoo’s Our Sister Killjoy and Chantal Ackerman’s Meetings with Anna Barbara Mennel Chapter 16. Bodies for Germany, Bodies for Socialism: The German Democratic Republic Devises a Gay (Male) Body Denis Sweet Chapter 17. Patterns of Consciousness and Cycles of Self-Destruction: Nation, Ethnicity, and Gender in Herta Müller’s Prose Karin Bauer Chapter 18. Germania Displaced? Reflections on the Discourses of Female Asylum Seekers and Ethnic Germans Magda Mueller Chapter 19. GERMANIA – Just a Male Construction? Gender, Germanness, and Feminism in East German Women Writers Eva Kaufmann Chapter 20. The Price of Feminism: Of Women and Turks Leslie Adelson PART V: FATHERLAND AND MOTHER TONGUE Chapter 21. Language is Publicity for Men – but enough is enough! Luise Pusch Chapter 22. The New Duden: Out of Date Already? Luise Pusch Contributors Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisDiscover the culinary heart of Northern Portugal through the stories, food, and history of Bolhão. Bolhão Market’s century-old walls are crumbling as its vendors and visitors wait for the restoration that will return it to its former glory. Though the deteriorating conditions have forced many vendors to leave, there are fishwives still singing their seductive pregão, bakers still hawking crusty broa baked in wood burning ovens, and butchers still offering up favos de mel for the city’s signature tripe stew. Bolhão still pulses with knowledge earned over generations and the rich culinary heritage of the region. This book is about those vendors who remain, and their stories are for those who want to know what to do, see, and eat when they visit the North. Porto, nestled between the sea and the esteemed Douro Valley, is the heart of one of Europe’s premier—though often overlooked—food destinations. The people of Bolhão embody the spirit and tradition of this enchanting city. Your next culinary adventure starts here!Trade ReviewPraise for PORTO:“More culinary guide than cookbook, [Porto] . . . focuses on the edible history of the region, separated into chapters focusing on Portuguese staples: seafood, cured meats, produce and everything you’ll want to want to eat on your visit.” —The Globe and the Mail “This book is a visual and gustatory hymn to the honest, simple foods of Northern Portugal as well as a portrait of the proud and welcoming vendors of Bolhão Market who sell and cook it. Flipping through its pages, I felt a tremendous sense of saudades—an indescribable longing—for my adopted country.” —David Leite, author of The New Portuguese Table and Notes on a Banana “This book is a wonderful culinary journey through the history of Bolhão Market, the city of Porto, and the little-known wonderful recipes of Northern Portugal. An exploration and delicious education rolled into one, this book is a must have and deserves to be part of one’s Portuguese culinary library. It certainly will be part of mine.” —Ana Patuleia Ortins, author of Portuguese Homestyle Cooking and Authentic Portuguese CookingTable of ContentsForeword by José Avillez Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Bread Chapter 2: Fruits & Vegetables Chapter 3: Fish & Seafood Chapter 4: Poultry Chapter 5: Meat Chapter 6: Cured Meat Chapter 7: Pasteries and Coffee Conclusion Afterword by Rui Paula Acknowledgments Resources Index Recipes: Arroz de Pato á Antiga (Old-Fashioned Duck Rice) Arroz de Tamboril (Monkfish Rice) Cabrito Assado no Forno (Roasted Suckling Goat) Caldo de Nabos (Turnip Soup) Figados de Aves Salteados em Uvas e Porto (Sautéed Poultry Livers with Grapes and Port) Pêras Vale do Douro (Pears Douro Valley Style) Sapateira Recheada (Stuffed Stone Crab) Vitela Barrosã Assada no Forno (Roasted Barrosã Veal)

Read more less

Book SynopsisWritings that sparkle with the psychedelic revolution. The Politics of Ecstasy is Timothy Leary's most provocative and influential exploration of human consciousness, written during the period from his Harvard days to the Summer of Love. Includes his early pronouncements on the psychedelic movement and his views on social and political ramifications of psychedelic and mystical experience. Here is the outspoken Playboy interview revealing the sexual power of LSD-a statement that many believe played a key role in provoking Leary's incarceration by the authorities; an early outline of the neurological theory that became Leary's classic eight-circuit model of the human nervous system; an insightful exploration of the life and work of novelist Hermann Hesse; an effervescent dialogue with humorist Paul Krassner; and an impassioned defense of what Leary called "The Fifth Freedom"-the right to get high.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSacred Mushrooms and the Law is the only book covering the legal landscape underlying psychedelic mushrooms. All federal and state laws concerning mushrooms are covered, and charts outline potential punishments.

Read more less

Book Synopsis“Racism is like a Cadillac, they bring out a new model every year.”— Malcolm X (a former auto worker) Written in a lively, accessible fashion and drawing extensively on interviews with people who were formerly incarcerated, Cars and Jails examines how the costs of car ownership and use are deeply enmeshed with the U.S. prison system. American consumer lore has long held the automobile to be a “freedom machine,” consecrating the mobility of a free people. Yet, paradoxically, the car also functions at the cross-roads of two great systems of entrapment and immobility– the American debt economy and the carceral state. Cars and Jails investigates this paradox, showing how auto debt, traffic fines, over-policing, and automated surveillance systems work in tandem to entrap and criminalize poor people. The authors describe how racialization and poverty take their toll on populations with no alternative, in a country poorly served by public transport, to taking out loans for cars and exposing themselves to predatory and often racist policing. Looking skeptically at the frothy promises of the “mobility revolution,” Livingston and Ross close with thought-provoking ideas for a radical overhaul of transportation.Trade Review“An extraordinary example of how critical carceral studies can enlighten, complicate and inspire.”— Angela Y. Davis, activist, scholar and author"I’ve dreamed for years that somebody would write this book. It’s not only a brilliant intervention but a necessary one. Livingston and Ross explore the profound antisociality of automotive life in a society configured by racial hierarchy. They have thoughtfully illuminated the mutual articulation of automotivity and carcerality in provocative ways that have enormous practical value."— Paul Gilroy, award-winning theorist of race and racism and author of Postcolonial Melancholia

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe astonishing story of the project that launched Mass Observation In the late 1930s the Lancashire town of Bolton witnessed a ground-breaking social experiment. Over three years, a team of ninety observers recorded, in painstaking detail, the everyday lives of ordinary working people at work and play - in the pub, dance hall, factory and on holiday. Their aim was to create an 'anthropology of ourselves'. The first of its kind, it later grew into the Mass Observation movement that proved so crucial to our understanding of public opinion in future generations. The project attracted a cast of larger-than-life characters, not least its founders, the charismatic and unconventional anthropologist Tom Harrisson and the surrealist intellectuals Charles Madge and Humphrey Jennings. They were joined by a disparate band of men and women - students, artists, writers and photographers, unemployed workers and local volunteers - who worked tirelessly to turn the idle pleasure of people-watching into a science. Drawing on their vivid reports, photographs and first-hand sources, David Hall relates the extraordinary story of this eccentric, short-lived, but hugely influential project. Along the way, he creates a richly detailed, fascinating portrait of a lost chapter of British social history, and of the life of an industrial northern town before the world changed for ever. Published in partnership with the Mass Observation Archive at the University of Sussex, which holds the papers of the British social research organisation Mass Observation from 1937 to the early 1950s, as well as new material collected continuously since 1981 about everyday life in Britain. www.massobs.org.uk @MassObsArchiveTrade ReviewA great read -- Oscar Quine * THE INDEPENDENT *The book details how 90 observers (usually upper-class Oxbridge types), recorded minute details of everyday life, and how [Tom Harrisson's] experiment grew into the wider Mass Observation study. The social history is fascinating and class issues run throughout the book. A timely, readable reminder that while everything changes, everything also stays the same * GLASGOW HERALD *Hall's depiction of Harrisson's eccentricities is enthralling... there is much to enjoy - and plenty of contemporary resonance in an age when internet giants are collecting information about our tastes and habits -- Francis Wheen * THE MAIL ON SUNDAY *lively and accessible -- Peter Clarke * FINANCIAL TIMES *Drawing on vivid reports, photographs and first-hand sources (very little of which has ever been previously published) David Hall relates the extraordinary story of this eccentric and short lived but hugely influential project. He creates a detailed and fascinating portrait of a lost chapter of British social history and of the life of Bolton before the world would change forever. The photographs of Humphrey Spender are used in this fascinating book (these, of course are held by Bolton's Library and Museum Services) and they help to show how mass observation (from 1937 to the early 1950s as well as new material collected continuously since 1981) can tell us so much about our town and its people -- Gail McBain * THE BOLTON NEWS *Highly readable, anecdote-rich history -- Kevin Jackson * GUARDIAN *David Hall charts the first phase of the groundbreaking Mass-Observation project that examined working class life in Bolton... Including evocative photographs and stories from residents, the author takes us on a journey back to the 1930s and introduces us to life at street level. This fascinating and readable book throws light on the lives of many of our pre-WW2 relatives. -- Amanda Randall * FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE *

Read more less

Book SynopsisConfrontations with naked human bodies can provoke powerful, and often contradictory, impressions and feelings. Just as they might either thrill or revolt, they can signal innocence or sexiness, frankness or madness, a oneness with nature or a separation from society. Advertisers and the media are very aware of the complex and highly subjective associations that most of us have towards nakedness, and use images incessantly to compete for our attention. Yet mystics have embraced nudity to get closer to God or to some other remote power, while political activists have discovered that baring all is one of the most effective ways to gain publicity for a cause. In "A Brief History of Nakedness", Philip Carr-Gomm traces our preoccupation with nudity in three distinct areas of human endeavour: religion, politics and popular culture. Rather than study the history of the fine-art nude, or detail the ways in which the naked body has been denigrated or imprisoned, this book explores new territory - revealing the ways in which religious teachers, politicians, protestors and cultural icons have used nudity to enlighten or empower themselves, or simply to entertain us. From the naked sages of India and St Francis of Assisi to modern-day druids and Christian nudists, from "The Full Monty" and "Calendar Girls" to Lady Godiva and Lady Gaga, "A Brief History of Nakedness" surveys the touching, sometimes tragic, and often bizarre story of our relationship with our own and with others' naked bodies.Trade Review'Philip Carr-Gomm has an idea: Stop reading and take off your clothes' - Chronicle of Higher Education 'Being naked in public can be fun, or naughty, or provocative, or health-giving, or political. It is almost always illegal. And, as anyone who has visited a nudist resort can testify, it is rarely, if ever, sexy. But, as Philip Carr-Gomm reveals in his academic romp through two millenniums of public exhibitionism from the ancient Greeks to animal-rights activists, you can be naked anywhere. You are only nude if someone is watching. Nakedness on its own is straightforward - it's the context and the audience of nudity that make it interesting ... wonderful illustrations' - Sunday Times 'Once you've finished this thought-provoking book, go back to the mirror. Slip off the bathrobe and have another look. Unless you were reading it in the waiting room of a plastic surgeon, nothing much will have changed. Yet something seems different. If it weren't anatomically impossible, you'd swear your whole body was smiling.' - Daily Telegraph

Read more less

Book SynopsisLandscape has been central to definitions of Englishness for centuries. David Matless argues that landscape has been the site where English visions of the past, present and future have met in debates over questions of national identity, disputes over history and modernity, and ideals of citizenship and the body. Landscape and Englishness is extensively illustrated and draws on a wide range of material - topographical guides, health manuals, paintings, poetry, architectural polemic, photography, nature guides and novels. The author first examines the inter-war period, showing how a vision of Englishness and landscape as both modern and traditional, urban and rural, progressive and preservationist, took shape around debates over building in the countryside, the replanning of cities, and the cultures of leisure and citizenship. He concludes by tracing out the story of landscape and Englishness down to the present day, showing how the familiar terms of debate regarding landscape and heritage are a product of the immediate post-war era, and asking how current arguments over care for the environment or expressions of the nation resonate with earlier histories and geographies.Trade Review' - cultural history at its best, subtle, multi-layered and full of new ideas and insights - this book is a "must".' - Contemporary British History ' - creates a convincing portrait of the changing meanings of the English landscape in the twentieth century.' - The Times Literary Supplement

Read more less

Book SynopsisLizards stimulate the human imagination, despite generally being small, soundless and hidden from sight in burrows, treetops or crevices. They can blend into a vast range of environments, from rocky coasts to deserts and rainforests. Their fluid motion can make us think of water, while their curvilinear forms suggest vegetation. Their stillness appears deathlike, while their sudden arousal is like resurrection. Lizards are at once overhyped and underappreciated. Our storybooks are full of lizards, but we usually call them something else - dragons, serpents or monsters. Our tales vastly increase their size, bestow wings upon them, make them exhale flame and endow them with magical powers. This illuminating book demonstrates how the story of lizards is interwoven with the history of the human imagination. Boria Sax describes the diversity of lizards and traces their representation in many cultures, including those of pre-conquest Australia, the Quiche Maya, Mughal India, China, Central Africa, Europe and America. Filled with beguiling images, Lizard is essential reading for natural history enthusiasts, students of animal studies and the many thousands of people who keep lizards as pets.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWoodpeckers are among the most remarkable birds in the avian world, having evolved a unique anatomy that enables them to peck and bore into solid timber both to find food and to create nesting cavities. They have been considered symbols of fertility, security, strength, power, prophecy, magic, rhythm, medicine and carpentry, and have been esteemed as the guardians of woodlands, tree surgeons, fire-bringers, weather forecasters and boat-builders. Highly regarded woodpecker expert Gerard Gorman delves into the natural and cultural history of woodpeckers, presenting their natural, social and cultural history. He explores their origins and where they are found, and how they have fascinated humankind throughout history, from ancient Babylon, Greece and Rome, via the tribes of North America and the jungles of Amazonia and Borneo, to the modern cartoon rascal Woody Woodpecker. He describes how they feature in folk tales, myths and legends wherever they occur, and how their fluctuating relationship with humans has developed. Featuring many stunning photographs and illustrations from both nature and culture, Woodpecker will appeal to anyone who is interested in these extraordinary birds.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf Noam Chomsky and Gore Vidal have a Greek analogue, it is Nikos Dimou, one of the most fertile minds of his generation. This book is a series of 193 mostly brief, often cutting and at times satirical aphorisms about Greece and Greeks. In the postscript, Dimou writes: I have tried, simply, to articulate my observations in such a way so that serious people will find them to be serious, while less serious ones will find them less serious. I am now tortured by the possibility that the exact opposite will occur. First published in 1975, this book has been translated into French, German, Turkish and Bulgarian, and is published in Germany and France in 2012. The English translation was done by esteemed Greek-English translator, David Connoly. This book has also earned Dimou the label anti-Hellene, and he came to be known as a gadfly at best and a traitor at worst. While he is at times viciously blunt, and while many of his observations are clearly debatable, Dimou always exudes a love for Greece in his text, a love more pure, many readers have observed, than that of the most ardent (self-proclaimed) patriots.

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Delightfully overwhelming in the amount of music to investigate . . . a late-night voice if I ever heard one'. Gideon Coe, Late Night Book Club, BBC 6Music If there's a cultural artefact capable of withstanding the vagaries and fickleness of the digital age as well as the printed book, it's the vinyl record . . . In Listening to the Wind, Ian Preece sets out on an international road trip to capture the essence of life for independent record labels operating in the twenty-first century. Despite it all - from algorithms and streaming to the death of the high street and the gutting of the music press - releasing a record to serve its 'own beautiful purpose', as 4AD's Ivo Watts Russell once said, is a flame that still burns through these pages. With countless labels, albums and artists to be discovered, this book is for those who share that inextinguishable love for music. **Features extensive, original interviews with the likes of Analog Africa, Light in the Attic, Thrill Jockey, International Anthem, Dust-to-Digital, Pressure Sounds, Heavenly, Touch, Mississippi, Sublime Frequencies and more!**Trade Review'Essential reading for anyone mad enough to start a label. Casual nerdy observers will be gripped too.' Record Collector 'Comfort food for the heart and mind. Moving onto the next chapter soon becomes a time-consuming pleasure' Shindig! 'Thick as a brick -- we're talking more than 700pp . . . like a true music head, Preece explores, leading the reader deeper and deeper into varied worlds of sound, highlighting not only those who conjure it up, but those who seek to preserve it.' Aquarium Drunkard

Read more less

Book SynopsisA NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF 2022'Well-researched and readable' - Financial Times'An absorbing, pacy read' - New Statesman'The story of lycra-clad feminism' Stylist'Canny and informative' - The New YorkerThe untold history of women's exercise culture, from jogging and Jazzercise to Jane Fonda.Author of The Cut's viral article shared thousands of times unearthing the little-known origins of barre workouts, Danielle Friedman explores the history of women's exercise, and how physical strength has been converted into other forms of power.Only in the 60s, thanks to a few forward-thinking fitness pioneers, did women begin to move en masse. In doing so, they were pursuing not only physical strength, but personal autonomy.Exploring barre, jogging, aerobics, weight training and yoga, Danielle Friedman tells the story of how, with the rise of late-20th century feminism, women discovered the joy of physical competence - and how, going forward, we can work to transform fitness from a privilege into a right.Trade ReviewA well-researched and readable account of how female pioneers broke the taboos that stopped most women exercising until at least the 1960s. Friedman, a journalist, emphasises that fitness has remained accessible primarily to white women with time and resources. Now some pioneers are trying to break those exclusionary barriers too. * Financial Times, best summer books of 2022 *An absorbing, pacy read - and her enthusiasm for exercise is contagious. * New Statesman *Fact-packed but bouncy ... Most enjoyable is when Friedman shines light on less hallowed figures, like Judi Sheppard Missett, the relentlessly upbeat founder of Jazzercise, whose classes "changed the rhythm of women's days"; and Bonnie Prudden, "the lady in the leotite" and a descendant of Davy Crockett...[Friedman's] book is very much "pro" exercise, but for the right reasons: not slimming down but mood management, community, spirituality in the corporal. * The New York Times *Astute and entertaining ... With an emphasis on barrier breakers, business dynamos, and exceptional athletes, Friedman explores how physical training can be a means of personal liberation ... This zippy history is bursting with energy. * Publishers Weekly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the words of Cornel West, Raymond Williams was 'the last of the great European male revolutionary socialist intellectuals'. A figure of international importance in the fields of cultural criticism and social theory, Williams was also preoccupied throughout his life with the meaning and significance of his Welsh identity. Who Speaks for Wales? was the first collection of Raymond Williams's writings on Welsh culture, literature, history and politics. Published in 2003, it appeared in the early years of Welsh political devolution and offered a historical and theoretical basis for thinking across the divisions of nationalism and socialism in Welsh thought. This edition, appearing in the centenary of Williams's birth, appears at a very different moment in which - after the Brexit referendum of 2016 - Raymond Williams's 'Welsh-European' vision seems to have been soundly rejected and is now a reminder of what might have been. This new edition includes material that was not included in the first edition, with a new afterword in which the editor argues that Williams continues to speak to our moment. Daniel G. Williams's new edition further underlines the ways in which Raymond Williams's engagement with Welsh issues makes a significant contribution to contemporary international debates on nationalism, class and ethnicity. Who Speaks for Wales? remains essential reading for everyone interested in questions of nationhood and identity in Britain and beyond.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Introduction: The Return of the Native CULTURE 1. Who Speaks for Wales? 2. Welsh Culture 3. The Arts in Wales 4. Wales and England 5. Community 6. West of Offa's Dyke HISTORY 1. The Social Significance of 1926 2. Boyhood 3. On Gwyn A. Williams: Three Reviews The Black Domain Putting the Welsh in their Place The Shadow of the Dragon 4. Remaking Welsh History 5. For Britain, see Wales 6. Black Mountains LITERATURE 1. Dylan Thomas's Play for Voices 2. Marxism, Poetry, Wales 3. The Welsh Industrial Novel 4. The Welsh Trilogy and The Volunteers 5. Freedom and a Lack of Confidence 6. The Tenses of Imagination 7. Region and Class in the Novel 8. Working-Class, Proletarian, Socialist: Problems in Some Welsh Novels 9. A Welsh Companion 10. All Things Betray Thee 11. People of the Black Mountains POLITICS 1. The Importance of Community 2. Are We Becoming More Divided? 3. The Culture of Nations 4. Decentralism and the Politics of Place 5. The Practice of Possibility Afterword to the Centenary Edition Index

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA critical appraisal of the latest round of platform intermediation, centred on MusicTech, social media platforms and user-generated content, live streaming, crowdfunding and gamification, that is reshaping the contemporary music industry.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a thoroughly revised, updated and expanded edition of a practical introduction to intercultural education for teachers of English as a second language. It provides a concise summary of the intellectual and pedagogical traditions that have shaped intercultural language education, from ethnography to critical pedagogy and cultural studies. The book offers clear illustrations of the practical impact of these traditions on curriculum design, classroom activities and assessment. As well as addressing developments in the field since the publication of the 1st edition, this new edition also reflects on the impact of online resources for English language education. The book continues to make a powerful case for developing intercultural as well as linguistic competences and will remain invaluable reading for English language teachers across the world.Trade ReviewThe intercultural approach serves to develop language learners’ intercultural communicative competence which is more relevant than ever before in the globally interconnected world. Drawing on current research, the book provides a systematic discussion on the viable ways to apply intercultural approach to English teaching. It contributes much to the field. * Xiaodong Dai, Shanghai Normal University, China *Wide-ranging, multifaceted and interactive, this ground-breaking and engaging work has now been extensively revised and updated. Professor Corbett’s new edition will ensure that this remains the go-to book for ELT teachers and researchers seeking an authoritative overview of the intersections between English language and intercultural communication for many years to come. * Malcolm N. MacDonald, University of Warwick, UK *This is a superb revision of the already splendid 2003 edition. The book has been completely updated by adding new material, redistributing the contents and incorporating recent debates and developments in the field of interculturality in relation to English language teaching. It makes a pleasant and engaging read for a wide audience of both language teachers and scholars. * María José Coperías-Aguilar, University of Valencia, Spain *The book successfully describes the intellectual context and practical means of implementing an intercultural approach to ELT, demonstrating both theoretical and practical significance. For its theoretical significance, it broadens our knowledge of different disciplines [...] One of the most prominent features of this book is its open-mindedness. After each section, there are some reflective questions to guide the understanding of the following section. They prompt readers to reflect on their own educational practices and to interject creativity into the understanding of culture in ELT. -- Yufei Ren, Tsinghua University, China * LINGUIST List 33.2870 *The book provides a comprehensive overview of intercultural language education, covering various aspects such as theoretical foundations, pedagogical approaches, cultural awareness, assessment and future developments. It offers a well-rounded understanding of the field, making it a valuable resource for educators and researchers. In addition, the book is written in clear and accessible language, making complex concepts and theories understandable to a wide range of readers. This approach ensures that the book will benefit both novice and experienced educators in the field of language teaching. * Mostafa Morady Moghaddam, Shahrood University of Technology, Iran, International Review of Education (2023) 69 *Table of ContentsForeword Preface to the Second Edition and Acknowledgements Image Credits Chapter 1. Linguistic and Ethnographic Perspectives on Culture Chapter 2. From Intercultural Communication to Literary, Media and Cultural Studies Chapter 3. Defining Intercultural Communicative Competence Chapter 4. Implementing an Intercultural Approach to ELT Chapter 5. Culture and Conversation Chapter 6. Developing an Ethnographic Frame of Mind Chapter 7. Interviewing Skills for the Intercultural Learner Chapter 8. Virtual Ethnographies: Intercultural Telecollaboration Chapter 9. Developing Visual Literacy Chapter 10. Using Literary, Media and Cultural Studies Chapter 11. Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence Chapter 12. Further Prospects for Intercultural Language Education Appendix: Checklist of questions to promote visual literacy References

Read more less

Book SynopsisRipe, sensuous, irresistible: the cherry tree and its stunning blossoms conjure up many literal, metaphorical and visceral sensations. We enjoy cherry-picking, a cherry on top, and even, on occasion, to lose one's cherry. Cherries have been consumed since prehistoric times, reaching great popularity among the ancient Romans. They have come to symbolize such divergent concepts as fertility, innocence and seductiveness, inspiring Dutch still-life paintings, Freudian theory, contemporary pop artists, and one of the first food emojis. In Japan and other Asian cultures, the short-lived but beautiful cherry blossoms are important elements throughout art and literature. In this intriguing natural and cultural history, Mary Newman and Constance L. Kirker recount the origins, legends, celebrations, production and health benefits of this beloved tree.Trade Review "A charming read from beginning to end. Beautifully illustrated, it reveals the history, culinary and medicinal uses, symbolic meanings, and artistic representation of the cherry tree. . . . The more than 100 color photos and illustrations add a great deal to the book, as does the representation of global cherry recipes. Included in the appendix is a historical timeline of cherry references starting in 5,000 BCE, as well as a list of worldwide cherry-related associations and websites. Kirker and Newman have written a delightful, informative book that explores all the nuances of the beloved cherry tree." * Digestible Bits and Bites *

Read more less

Book Synopsis In an era of rapidly increasing technological advances and international exchange, how did young people come to understand the world beyond their doorsteps? Focusing on Germany through the lens of the history of knowledge, this collection explores various media for children—from textbooks, adventure stories, and other literature to board games, museums, and cultural events—to probe what they aimed to teach young people about different cultures and world regions. These multifaceted contributions from specialists in historical, literary, and cultural studies delve into the ways that children absorbed, combined, and adapted notions of the world.Trade Review “This collection of essays provides rich, varied, and well-contextualized examples of the disparate forms of media through which knowledge about the world reached German children and adolescents in the nineteenth century. I found it stimulating, original, and engaging.” • Katharine Kennedy, Agnes Scott College “The World of Children is a superb book, much needed by German historiography, and contains fascinating essays with original scholarship and research. It is a pleasure to read and has much to teach us about children’s culture in the long nineteenth century.” • Carolyn Kay, Trent UniversityTable of Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction: Children, the Nation, and the World Simone Lässig and Andreas Weiß PART I: OFFICIAL KNOWLEDGE Chapter 1. New Words and the New World: Language and the Transnational Legacy of Joachim Heinrich Campe’s Robinson der Jüngere Kirsten Belgum Chapter 2. Images of Land and Sea: Experiencing the World as Adventure through Theodor Dielitz’s Travel Anthologies for Young Readers, 1841–1862 Matthew O. Anderson Chapter 3. World Knowledge in Textbooks for French Language Teaching in the Nineteenth Century in Germany Regina Schleicher Chapter 4. The World at War in German Textbooks: Knowledge of the World Conveyed in Representations of War Andreas Weiß Chapter 5. When Nippon Became Prussian: The German Image of Japan in Nineteenth-Century Textbooks Maik Fiedler PART II: LITERARY KNOWLEDGE Chapter 6. Thrilling Hearts and Winning Minds: The Representation of Monarchy, Navy, and Empire in Nineteenth-Century Juvenile Adventure Fiction Miriam Magdalena Schneider Chapter 7. Knowing Others as Selves: German Children and American Indians H. Glenn Penny Chapter 8. “Don’t you take pity on your little brothers and sisters in China?” Missionary Literature for Children and the Distribution of Relational Knowledge in Imperial Germany Katharina Stornig PART III: KNOWLEDGE IN ENTERTAINMENT Chapter 9. Around the World in a Jiffy: Humorous Treatments of Around-the-World Travel in German Children’s Books and Games Emer O’Sullivan Chapter 10. The Rise of the Trading Card: Collecting the World before World War I Judith Blume Chapter 11. A World Made for Exploration: Germans and Their Toys, 1890–1914 David Hamlin Conclusion: Kaleidoscope and Lens: Re-envisioning the Past through the History of Knowledge Simone Lässig Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisRevisioning French Culture brings together a remarkable group of leading intellectuals and scholars to explore new avenues of research in French and Francophone Studies. Covering the medieval period through the twenty-first century, this volume presents investigations into a vast array of subjects. Revisioning French Culture grapples with topics vital to the contemporary cultural landscape, including universalism, globalization, the idea of Francophonie, and religious and secular identity. This essay collection furthermore transcends and illuminates the contemporary by delving into matters that have long resonated in the humanities and letters, such as death, war, trauma, power and politics, notions of the truth, conceptions of the self, and modes of reading and writing. With contributions by a number of figures known across the humanities and the social sciences, Revisioning French Culture provides cultural, political, and historical context for the crisis facing democracy and liberalism around the world today. These essays were assembled in honor of Lawrence D. Kritzman, whose writing and editorial work in French studies inspired the wide-ranging themes examined here.Table of ContentsAndrew Sobanet, IntroductionI. France in Perspective: The Hexagon, Francophonie, EuropePierre Nora, The MetamorphosisMaurice Samuels, Historicizing French Universalism: The Case of Jewish EmancipationFrançoise Lionnet, Universalisms and FrancophoniesJulia Kristeva, A European Culture ExistsII. Visions of the World Wars, or L’Histoire avec sa grande hachePeter Brooks, Death Drives: Freud and ProustSusan Rubin Suleiman, Foreigners and Strangers: Jews in French Society and Literature between the Two World WarsGerald Prince, Bernard Frank and Patrick Modiano: Jewish WritersBarbara Will, Beckett’s French ResistanceIII. Refractions and ReflectionsNelly Furman, Between Acceptance and Betrayal: Sarah Kofman’s Rue Ordener, rue LabatRoxana Verona, In the Shadow of the Iron Curtain: The Photo Album and the Francophone (Dis)connectionHélène Cixous, Osnabrück Station to JerusalemIV. French Literature, RevisionedR. Howard Bloch, Mallarmé MédiévalStephen G. Nichols, What’s in a Word?: Language, Philosophy and Satire in Troubadour PoetryPierre Saint-Amand, Rousseau’s Late Botany: Living to the EndAlbert Sonnenfeld, Mallarmé's Gardens of Culinary DelightsWarren Motte, The Book, Inside and OutV. The Subject in FocusGeorges Vigarello, Internal Senses and the History of the Western SubjectFrançois Noudelmann, The Author's Afterlife: What is a Posthumous Truth?J. Hillis Miller, What Happens When I ReadVI. Philosophical LensesSouleymane Bachir Diagne, ‘African Philosophy’: The History of an ExpressionFrançois Hartog, Making History or Preventing the World from Destroying ItselfEtienne Balibar, Philosophy and Contemporary Reality: Beyond the Event?Brian J. Reilly, Jacques Derrida’s Pedagogical Imperative for the SciencesVII. CodaPierre NoraJulia Kristeva

Read more less

Book SynopsisMadeira, Port, Sherry: The Equinox Companion to Fortified Wines fills a niche for all those seeking to understand the fortified wine industry as a whole: its history, producers, winemaking methods, and practical aspects of enjoying these unique wines, numbered among the world's most long-lived beverages. This book constitutes an educational compendium representing organised cutting-edge knowledge on the three classic fortified wines, brought to us by the Iberian culture. The reference work enables an appreciation of the histories of madeira, port and sherry against the background of world-changing events. Extensive terminological research has distilled years of professional knowledge into a reliable compendium, taking the reader on unique educational journeys through winemaking activities, from selection of grapes to bottle ageing. The companion offers comprehensive terminological coverage, including classifications and serving temperatures, as well as the intricacies of flavour compounds, responsible for various notes identified in wine bouquets, such as those of an old blended madeira, a vintage port, or a palo cortado sherry. Guidelines on wine and food pairing have been included to ensure the companion's suitability for a wide audience of readers: from wine experts to connoisseurs, from gourmet restaurant chefs to home cooks.Table of ContentsAuthor’s Preface Note to the Reader PART ONE: Madeira Wines I. Short Introduction II. Graphic Map of Terms III. Alphabetic Display IV. Wine and Food Pairing V. Chronology of Events PART TWO: Port Wines VI. Short Introduction VII. Graphic Map of Terms VIII. Alphabetic Display IX. Wine and Food Pairing X. Chronology of Events PART THREE: Sherry wines XI. Short Introduction XII. Graphic Map of Terms XIII. Alphabetic Display XIV. Wine and Food Pairing XV. Chronology of Events Online References Literature on Fortified Wines Appendix: To Inquisitive Readers

Read more less

Book SynopsisResearch has established that men are unlikely to report being victimised by sexual assault, often out of feelings of embarrassment, shame, fear, and emasculation. Critically examining how the rape of men and boys is represented in television and film, Male Rape Victimisation on Screen argues how presentations of male sexual assault in popular culture have reinforced rape myths associated with male victimisation, as well as the barriers of toxic masculinity that seethe beneath its surface. Employing a feminist and popular criminology framework, Victoria M. Nagy conducts a comprehensive analysis of a range of both adult and child television programmes and films from the past several decades to reveal how rape myths have pervaded popular culture. Turning to reality and the broader implications this has for men who are and are not victims of sexual violence, Nagy explores how knowledge gained from this research can feed into sexual violence prevention efforts and inform a necessary shift in our cultural mindset. Focusing on the under-researched area of male sexual assault, this book broaches cultural, criminology, gender, film, and media studies to reveal how seemingly harmless humour can infiltrate how we think about violent and victimising behaviours.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. Prison, Rape and Just Deserts Chapter 2. “Not Paddington!” Rape Humour in Children’s Television and Film Chapter 3. Children as Victims in Animation Chapter 4. Women Behaving Badly: Female Sexual Offending Against Boys and Men Chapter 5. Sexual Assault and Rape by Women Chapter 6. “I’ma get Medieval on your Ass”: Men Being Raped by Men and Getting Justice Chapter 7. Representing Pain: The Aftermath Chapter 8. Reflections and Thinking about Bodies and Disclosures

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe 21st century has witnessed some of the largest human migrations in history. Europe in particular has seen a major influx of refugees, redefining notions of borders and national identity. This interdisciplinary volume brings together leading international scholars of migration from perspectives as varied as literature, linguistics, area and cultural studies, media and communication, visual arts, and film studies. Together, they offer innovative interpretations of migrants and contemporary migration to Europe, enriching today's political and media landscape, and engaging with the ongoing debate on forced mobility and rights of both extra-European migrants and European citizens.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fascinating insight into Japanese life and society from an author who knows the country extraordinarily well. An understanding of that most elusive of concepts: Japanese-ness. The author brings a detachment, from being an outsider, to explore the country's society and culture.

Read more less