Cultural studies Books
Sourcebooks, Inc Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary
Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!"Secrets of the Sprakkar is a fascinating window into what a more gender-equal world could look like, and why it's worth striving for. Iceland is doing a lot to level the playing field: paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and broad support for gender equality as a core value. Reid takes us on an exploration not only around this fascinating island, but also through the triumphs and stumbles of a country as it journeys towards gender equality."-Hillary Rodham ClintonIceland is the best place on earth to be a woman-but why?For the past twelve years, the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report has ranked Iceland number one on its list of countries closing the gap in equality between men and women. What is it about Iceland that makes many women's experience there so positive? Why has their society made such meaningful progress in this ongoing battle, from electing the world's first female president to passing legislation specifically designed to help even the playing field at work and at home? And how can we learn from what Icelanders have already discovered about women's powerful place in society and how increased fairness benefits everyone?Eliza Reid, the First Lady of Iceland, examines her adopted homeland's attitude toward women-the deep-seated cultural sense of fairness, the influence of current and historical role models, and, crucially, the areas where Iceland still has room for improvement. Reid's own experience as an immigrant from small-town Canada who never expected to become a first lady is expertly interwoven with interviews with dozens of sprakkar ("extraordinary women") to form the backbone of an illuminating discussion of what it means to move through the world as a woman, and how the rules of society play more of a role in who we view as "equal" than we may understand. Secrets of the Sprakkar is a powerful and atmospheric portrait of a tiny country that could lead the way forward for us all.Trade Review"A warm and intimate exploration of what one small country can teach the world about gender equality. Eliza Reid charts her personal journey from a Canadian farm to Iceland's Presidential Residence and along the way proves to be the best possible guide to the historical, geographical and cultural factors that helped women thrive and built a vibrant modern society." - Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author"Reading Secrets of the Sprakkar is like sitting down with your favorite, smartest, warmest girlfriend and hearing all about the extraordinary women, history, and culture of her tiny adopted country. Reid celebrates Iceland and its attitudes toward women while also discussing where it has some room for improvement. By the time I finished this book, I felt I had traveled to Iceland and gotten to know its beauty and quirks and, most importantly, its sprakkar." - Ann Hood"Secrets of the Sprakkar is a fascinating window into what a more gender-equal world could look like, and why it's worth striving for. Iceland is doing a lot to level the playing field: paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and broad support for gender equality as a core value. Reid takes us on an exploration not only around this fascinating island, but also through the triumphs and stumbles of a country as it journeys towards gender equality."—Hillary Rodham Clinton"Iceland is full of extraordinary women, and in this delightful and engaging book Eliza Reid will introduce you to many of them. Prepare to be charmed and enlightened by the sprakkar, and their secrets for living meaningful and fulfilling lives. And don't be surprised if you find yourself booking a trip to visit." - Elizabeth Renzetti"What a fun read! Eliza Reid's love letter to Iceland is, by turn, quirky, charming, surprisingly honest, always eye-opening and highly entertaining. And though it deals with serious topics, it does so with a light touch and a wonderfully readable style. A perfect mix of memoir and current affairs. I can't recommend Secrets of the Sprakkar enough, especially to guys, to understand how equality and women's rights are in everyone's best interest. We're all in this together, after all." - Will Ferguson
£26.18
Sourcebooks The Danish Secret to Happy Kids
Book Synopsis
£17.09
International Polar Institute Press Rise Up
Book SynopsisRise Up is a novel about the inequalities that Greenlanders and Faroese experience in Denmark. It is a tribute to Greenlandic and Danish politicians who attempt to heal fractures and a rebuke to the part of the Danish population that still assists in perpetuating negative stereotypes.
£22.67
Pan Macmillan Australia The Inner Self: The joy of discovering who we
Book Synopsis
£18.72
Whitecap Books Ltd A Taste of Haida Gwaii
£34.94
Demeter Press Breastfeeding & Culture: Discourses and
Book SynopsisFor myriad reasons, breastfeeding is a fraught issue among mothers in the U.S. and other industrialized nations, and breastfeeding advocacy in particular remains a source of contention for feminist scholars and activists. Breastfeeding raises many important concerns surrounding gendered embodiment, reproductive rights and autonomy, essentializing discourses and the struggle against biology as destiny, and public policies that have the potential to support or undermine women, and mothers in particular, in the workplace. The essays in this collection engage with the varied and complicated ways in which cultural attitudes about mothering and female sexuality inform the way people understand, embrace, reject, and talk about breastfeeding, as well as with the promises and limitations of feminist breastfeeding advocacy. They attend to diffuse discourses about and cultural representations of infant feeding, all the while utilizing feminist methodologies to interrogate essentializing ideologies that suggest that women’s bodies are the “natural” choice for infant feeding. These interdisciplinary analyses, which include history, law, art history, literary studies, sociology, critical race studies, media studies, communication studies, and history, are meant to represent a broader conversation about how society understands infant feeding and maternal autonomy.
£23.95
Demeter Press RAPE CULTURE 101: Programming Change
Book SynopsisMany people have been victims of rape, but we are all victims of what has been called a “rape culture.” This topic deserves more attention towards education and prevention, and not just on the college campus. Rape culture is an idea that links rape and sexual violence to the culture of a society, and in which commonly-held beliefs, attitudes and practices normalize, excuse, tolerate, and even condone rape. This edited collection examines rape culture in the context of the current programming–attitudes, education, and awareness. Contributors explore changing the programming in terms of educational processes, practices and experiences associated with rape culture across diverse cultural, historical, and geographic locations. The complexity of rape culture is discussed from a variety of contexts and perspectives, as this volume contains interdisciplinary academic submissions from educators and students, as well as experiential accounts from members of various community settings who are doing work aimed at making a positive difference towards programming change.
£26.07
University of Regina Press Uncut
Book SynopsisUncut explores the significance of the foreskin in contemporary culture
£86.23
Reaktion Books Red The Art and Science of a Colour
£999.99
Intellect Books One Hundred Years of Futurism: Aesthetics,
Book SynopsisMore than one hundred years after Futurism exploded onto the European stage with its unique brand of art and literature, there is a need to reassess the whole movement, from its Italian roots to its international ramifications. In wide-ranging essays based on fresh research, the contributors to this collection examine both the original context and the cultural legacy of Futurism. Chapters touch on topics such as Futurism and Fascism, the geopolitics of Futurism, the Futurist woman, and translating Futurist texts. A large portion of the book is devoted to the practical aspects of performing Futurist theatrical ideas in the twenty-first century. Trade Review'As London reminds us in the Introduction, the aim of the volume is "to make sure that the century of Futurism is not forgotten". The imperative to remember stems from the call for disruption and renewal of Futurism and the historic Avant-Garde captured here in all its rich creative zest. Ultimately the volume is a fascinating and creative rereading of a historical Avant-Garde movement that will appeal to practitioners and scholars alike.' -- Modern Language Review'This attractive and well-edited volume will be of interest to serious scholars of Futurism in all of its many forms and iterations.' -- Symposium'This highly innovative assortment of studies by performers, scholars and makers moves futurism firmly away from a basic historical reading towards something more kinetic and immediate. It contains scripts such as a 2009 piece A Futurist Doll’s House, new versions of Marinetti’s words-in-freedom, descriptions of sound-singing, a recipe for a futurist dinner, and an analysis of what the legacy of futurism might mean for dancers. It concludes with a valuable, comprehensive bibliography, which includes a list of online futurist performances. This book is a revelation: an ambitious, embodied rereading of a historical avant-garde movement that will appeal to makers and scholars alike.' -- New Theatre Quarterly'The scholarly rigor of any work authored or coordinated by London is more than guaranteed. All of his collaborators are clearly experts and supply chapters of outstanding quality, albeit working from widely diverging perspectives. Just holding the volume in one’s hands is a pleasurable experience, given the quality of its paper, careful layout, and abundant illustrations.' -- Theatre SurveyTable of ContentsContents List of Illustrations Notes on the Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction: Futurism, Anti-Futurism, and the Forgotten Century John London Aesthetics and Politics Chapter 1: Geographies of Futurism: Mapping the First Avant-garde Andreas Kramer Chapter 2: Intersecting Planes: Futurism, Fascism, and Gramsci James Martin Chapter 3: Translating Futurism: Moving Possibilities John London Chapter 4: Twenty-First-Century Women Drivers – Futurism’s Unlikely Successors: Gender Constructions, B-Movies, and Futurism Ricarda Vidal Performance Forward is Forewarned: On Practitioners’ Perspectives John London Chapter 5: Staging Futurism: Time, Space, Place, Pace, and the Performance of Futurist Sintesi Gordon Ramsay Chapter 6: Writing Futurist Drama in 2009: A Futurist Doll’s House John London Chapter 7: The Possibilities for Dance: Words, Images, and Sounds in Freedom Rebecca Frecknall Chapter 8: W−I−F + V−I−F = EF Abi Weaver Chapter 9: Depero and the Puzzle of Colours Luke Allder Chapter 10: Sound-singing Carlo Carrà Lawrence Upton Chapter 11: Recipe for a Futurist Dinner Andrea Cusumano and Giuseppe Lomeo Bibliography Index
£999.99
O'Brien Press Ltd Symbols of Ireland
Book SynopsisThe harp, the shamrock,the Claddagh ring,St Patrick,Round towers, turf,Aran jumpers,The Giant's Causeway,Newgrange, Croke Park. An illustrated guide to the symbols,places, treasures, famous figures andmythical creatures of the Emerald Isle.
£9.59
Reaktion Books Landscape as Weapon: Cultures of Exhaustion and Refusal
Book SynopsisOnce the playgrounds and raw material for the avantgarde, abandoned places and things--decommissioned military sites, postindustrial spaces, contested and forgotten edgelands--are now just as likely to be seen as assets for entrepreneurs or connoisseurs of the authentically worn-out. This is the age of patina, where the material remains of times past--the fields and factories, test sites, back alleys, machines, and statues--are coveted, adored, mourned, and commemorated, as well as sometimes despised. Through an exploration of a wide range of recent film, photography, art, and writing about place, Landscape as Weapon argues that these abandoned sites are a critical arena for debate about the meaning of space and time under late capitalism.Trade Review"How landscapes and their histories are depicted matters profoundly and it matters politically. . . . In this wonderfully wide-ranging critique, Beck challenges the easy packaging of landscape and its history as tourist 'heritage' sites, film locations, edgy ruins, or icons of national identity. Exploring pastoral landscapes, industrial sprawl, abandoned ruins, bunkers, and much more, Landscape as Weapon is an essential reminder that how we think of places and their pasts is pivotal to how we live now. Essential reading."--Stephen Graham, author of Vertical: The City from Satellites to Bunkers "Beck's Landscape as Weapon is a tour de force of reflective writing that scrutinizes recent artistic, literary, and cultural negotiations with the infrastructural netherworlds and landscapes of late modernity. Developing his arguments with subtlety, criticality, and wit, Beck uses the claims made upon these spaces of contested memory and experience to skillfully build what amounts to a symptomatology of our contemporary historical imagination."--Mark Dorrian, professor and Forbes Chair in Architecture, University of Edinburgh
£999.99
Archaeopress How Pharaohs Became Media Stars: Ancient Egypt
Book Synopsis
£62.68
Verso Books The Revenge of the Real: Politics for a
Book SynopsisCOVID-19 exposed the pre-existing conditions of the current global crisis. Many Western states failed to protect their populations, while others were able to suppress the virus only with sweeping social restrictions. In contrast, many Asian countries were able to make much more precise interventions. Everywhere, lockdown transformed everyday life, introducing an epidemiological view of society based on sensing, modeling, and filtering. What lessons are to be learned? The Revenge of the Real envisions a new positive biopolitics that recognizes that governance is literally a matter of life and death. We are grappling with multiple interconnected dilemmas-climate change, pandemics, the tensions between the individual and society-all of which have to be addressed on a planetary scale. Even when separated, we are still enmeshed. Can the world govern itself differently? What models and philosophies are needed? Bratton argues that instead of thinking of biotechnologies as something imposed on society, we must see them as essential to a politics of infrastructure, knowledge, and direct intervention. In this way, we can build a society based on a new rationality of inclusion, care, and prevention.Trade ReviewBenjamin Bratton shows, with brilliant insight and imagination, what the world is coming to look like in an era of planetary-scale computing. He cuts through many received ideas about technology, globalization, and so forth and presents a fresh vision of the architecture of the world. -- McKenzie Wark, [on The Stack]Endlessly thought-provoking, this amazing book is both cognitive mapping and a projective geometry of the new dimensions of technological reality we live in -- Kim Stanley Robinson, [on The Stack]Imagines a design brief for the whole world while floating or falling through all the ever-efflorescent plasmas and atmospheres of digital information. -- Keller Easterling, [on The Stack]Breaks more new ground than a carpet bombing. The Stack itself may or may not exist, but it's left everything that came before it in a state of rubble. -- Bruce Sterling [on The Stack]A major achievement. It is more than just philosophy of technology, software studies, or design criticism; it analyzes and guides our thinking in a baffling Anthropocenic era when computation works at the planetary scale and constitutes governance -- Natalie Jeremijenko [on The Stack]If you've emerged from the past year disoriented, you may find it exactly the right time to read Bratton's book. From quarantine urbanism, to 5G conspiracy theorists and technological refusal, to incisive philosophical analysis of mask-rejecting Karens and the West's shambolic response to covid writ large, Bratton is a ruthless guide to what has unfolded. But this book is soundly concerned with the future, through and beyond post-pandemic politics. Its pressing questions - can the world govern itself differently? how do we direct emergent technological capacities towards competent planetary governance? - will continue to be more and more relevant as the ecological crises deepen. There will be manifold books on the "lessons" of the pandemic, but Bratton uniquely grasps what is at stake. -- Holly Jean Buck, author of After GeoengineeringBratton is one of our best global systems thinkers, adding to theory and philosophy a sophisticated understanding of infrastructures, design, AI, and governance: what this adds up to is a rare and valuable insight into civilization and its match, or mismatch, with Earth's biosphere. In the wake of the Covid pandemic he has given us a swift and propulsive reorientation to the situation we find ourselves in, a species in a single biosphere, ruled by an ad hoc nation-state system. What can we do now to help sort things out and dodge the mass extinction event we are initiating? Read on and learn. -- Kim Stanley Robinson, author of The Ministry of the FutureA provocative skewering of dogmatic Western political culture, Bratton's book is a crucial contribution to thinking through what planetary governance could and should look like post-pandemic. -- Nick Srnicek, co-author of Inventing the FutureThe pandemic has laid bare the frailties, failures, and fissures of the contemporary world. The Revenge of the Real offers a clarion call for organising ourselves differently. It is forceful, engaging, and thought provoking, and I expect it to prove immediately influential. -- Helen Hester, author of XenofeminismWhen anti-lockdown stances such as the one espoused by the philosopher Giorgio Agamben, QAnon's conspiracies, anti-vaxxer propaganda, and a return to an innocent relation between the humans and the planet are a match made in hell, the rise of crypto-fascism variants is the least of our concerns. We are indeed witnessing a fundamental erosion of the contemporary left's capacity to respond to planetary-scale emergencies. This inability to systematically think about and act upon the plights brought upon this planet is what Benjamin Bratton calls the lack of planetary competency. Bratton's The Revenge of the Real is a sober yet enthusiastic analysis of how and why some strains of the left continue to be appropriated by individualistic libertarianism if not by crypto-fascism. Yet Bratton's work is more than that, it sets a way out for the left by mapping the scale of planetary events and what it means to think and intervene at that scale. -- Reza Negarestani, author of Intelligence and SpiritBratton's is an incisive intervention: at once polemic and productive. A counter to the self-imposed ineffectuality of certain strands of theory, The Revenge of the Real provides buoyant and zesty rebuttal to the suspicious mode in philosophizing, all whilst in search of more pragmatic alternatives. -- Thomas Moynihan, author of X-RiskSharp as a tungsten needle, Bratton reveals the paradoxes of the pandemic at atomic resolution and etches a positive outline of how planetary biopolitics could be otherwise. Vital reading. -- Kate Crawford, author of Atlas of AIEvery moment has a theorist native to its strangeness, a singular voice that can uniquely navigate its impossible truths and unfathomable realities. At the end of the end of the world it is Benjamin Bratton's running commentary that cuts swathes, like a megastructure through mountains. -- Liam Young, architect and filmmaker[Bratton's] call for a global shift in priorities is galvanizing. * Publishers Weekly *Fascinating. -- Pat Kane * The National *Enjoyable, nourishing ... [Bratton's] views are often far-sighted, which helps make sense of some of the bewildering side effects of this pandemic. -- Alex Mair * On Magazine *
£14.27
Verso Books The Transgender Issue: Trans Justice is Justice
Book SynopsisIn this brilliant introduction to trans politics, journalist Shon Faye gives an incisive overview of systemic transphobia and argues that the struggle for trans rights is necessary to any struggle for social justice.So often, Faye argues, trans people are understood as a "side issue," the subjects of a toxic and increasingly polarized debate which generates reliable controversy for newspapers and talk shows. This media frenzy conceals a simple fact: that we are having the wrong conversation, a conversation in which trans people themselves are reduced to a talking point and denied a meaningful voice.With skill, rigor, and heart, Faye uncovers the reality of what it means to be trans in a transphobic society. In this compellingly readable study, she explores issues of class, family, housing, healthcare, sex work, the prison system, and trans participation in the LGBTQ+ and feminist communities. What she finds, ultimately, is that when we fight for trans liberation, we fight for a better world for us all.Trade ReviewA clear, intelligent, experience-based explanation of why the scapegoating of trans people must stop, while enthusiastically encouraging more trans people to join feminist, anti-racist movements for economic and social change. -- Sarah SchulmanShon Faye has written a book that models clarity in its writing and its moral vision... One learns here how to distinguish between arguments that merit a response and those which should be refused because they are either cruel or stupid. This is a monumental work and utterly convincing - crystal clear in its understanding of how the world should be. -- Judith ButlerA powerful new call for trans liberation. -- Amia Srinivasan * The New Yorker *A cold, hard, and, most importantly, convincing look into the facts surrounding trans rights both past and present, as well as a moving and impressively comprehensive overview of trans life... As well as being a manifesto of sorts, arguing for the benefits of trans liberation to society at large, The Transgender Issue is a vital resource for readers outside of the U.K. to understand just what is happening there in terms of trans rights-and how to bring about a long-overdue change to the conversation. * Vogue *An inspiring call for coalition ... Shon Faye shows with courage and clarity that the struggle of trans people is the struggle of us all. This book is a game-changer. -- Owen JonesFrom the very first words... it is clear the reader is in the hands of someone with absolute clarity about the world we live in, and the one we deserve. Shon refutes those who seek to turn trans people's lives into a subject of debate. Instead, she shows us that liberation for trans people is intimately tied to the struggle for workers' rights, an end to the violent systems of policing and prisons, and bodily autonomy through universal healthcare. Refusing to water down the radicalism and urgency of her demands, Shon's argument for justice is both a heartfelt outcry against injustice, and an utterly convincing vision for change rooted in analysis and research. -- Florence Welch * @BetweenTwoBooks *Shon Faye makes a compelling case that transgender issues are inexorably linked with other social justice causes. The result is a bold and pragmatic guide for challenging societal transphobia comprehensively and intersectionally. -- Julia Serano, author of Sexed UpMy god, this book couldn't be more timely here in the USA. I hope that all of my trans family come to understand from this book that no matter how hard others try to make us an issue, we are first and always people, individuals, and brave ones at that. -- Kate Bornstein, author of Gender OutlawWriting with astonishing patience, clarity, and ethical force, Shon Faye has gifted us an essential primer for our times. The Transgender Issue calls us into a much-needed solidarity, and makes the project of constructing and inhabiting a more free and just world for everyone feel urgent, possible, and exhilarating. -- Maggie Nelson, author of On FreedomFaye writes with admirable clarity, and, accordingly, her book is accessible to general readers....It sheds essential light on a subject that is widely misunderstood-driven, unfortunately, by too many people's ignorance, which, one hopes, this volume will help correct. * Booklist *
£19.96
Equinox Publishing Ltd Send in the Clones: A Cultural Study of the
Book SynopsisAlthough musical tributes play a significant role within contemporary culture and despite their relative longevity as a form of entertainment, little serious research has been published on the subject. This book makes an important contribution to the understanding of the phenomenon of the tribute band by linking it to other types of imitative entertainment such as 'ghost', cover and parody bands. It also demonstrates the impact of a changing cultural Zeitgeist on the evolution of popular music tributes, showing how music tributes can be related to other examples of retrospection. These influences are linked to the impact of new technology in making the art of paying tribute possible, showing how certain developments have created the musical equipment and apparatus for self-promotion, marketing and communication with fans. Whilst critical opinion on this type of entertainment remains divided, the author challenges negative responses through an interrogation of critiques of imitative cultural practices within a broader historical and cultural framework. The diversity of the homage industry is highlighted and the book avoids concentrating solely on well-known tributes, looking too, at the work of those operating in the 'alternative' tribute scene. The book explores the working life of musicians involved in the 'bargain basement' end of the live music industry, using interviews and first hand observations to show the trials and tribulations of paying homage. Finally, through an examination of the audience at tribute events, fandom and associated social and psychological aspects of participation are explored.Trade Review'Some say the past is a foreign country; Georgina Gregory offers a exhaustive guidebook to the musical outlands where rock's back catalogue becomes reanimated Her spirited and insightful examination of tribute bands celebrates these critically overlooked ensembles as much more than just stand-ins for the 'real thing.' The subtle typology she elaborates furthermore illustrates the diversity of goods in the semiotic supermarket: how a sound-like need not be a look-alike; and how a tribute group can cross not only genre but gender, too.' David Sanjek, Professor of Music, University of Salford 'Georgina Gregory has shone a spotlight on the little-studied world of tribute bands and their fans. Her brightly-written book serves up a heady and original interdisciplinary potion, a mix of cultural studies, (firmly grounded) contemporary history, ethnography and other ingredients. She makes the importance of the phenomenon abundantly clear, while providing engaging portrayals of its eccentricities and explaining the difficulties encountered in bringing it in from the margins of popular music studies. Insights into the relationships between notions of the artist and the craft worker, the textual and the performative, the original and the reproduction, the artiste and the fan, heritage and memory, are transferable to related areas of cultural history and its 'uses'. This splendid, enthusiastic, articulate book deserves to be widely read and discussed, within and beyond an extensive academic constituency.' John K. Walton, IKERBASQUE, Department of Contemporary History, University of the Basque Country, Leoia, Bilbao, SpainTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Tribute Bands in Context 3. From 'Ghost' and Cover Bands, to Pop Parody and Tributes 4. Establishing a Typology 5. Getting Established and Maintaining a Career 6. The Value of Paying Tribute: Critical Responses 7. Fandom and Collective Participation
£23.70
Equinox Publishing Ltd Send in the Clones: A Cultural Study of the
Book SynopsisAlthough musical tributes play a significant role within contemporary culture and despite their relative longevity as a form of entertainment, little serious research has been published on the subject. This book makes an important contribution to the understanding of the phenomenon of the tribute band by linking it to other types of imitative entertainment such as 'ghost', cover and parody bands. It also demonstrates the impact of a changing cultural Zeitgeist on the evolution of popular music tributes, showing how music tributes can be related to other examples of retrospection. These influences are linked to the impact of new technology in making the art of paying tribute possible, showing how certain developments have created the musical equipment and apparatus for self-promotion, marketing and communication with fans. Whilst critical opinion on this type of entertainment remains divided, the author challenges negative responses through an interrogation of critiques of imitative cultural practices within a broader historical and cultural framework. The diversity of the homage industry is highlighted and the book avoids concentrating solely on well-known tributes, looking too, at the work of those operating in the 'alternative' tribute scene. The book explores the working life of musicians involved in the 'bargain basement' end of the live music industry, using interviews and first hand observations to show the trials and tribulations of paying homage. Finally, through an examination of the audience at tribute events, fandom and associated social and psychological aspects of participation are explored.Trade Review'Some say the past is a foreign country; Georgina Gregory offers a exhaustive guidebook to the musical outlands where rock's back catalogue becomes reanimated Her spirited and insightful examination of tribute bands celebrates these critically overlooked ensembles as much more than just stand-ins for the 'real thing.' The subtle typology she elaborates furthermore illustrates the diversity of goods in the semiotic supermarket: how a sound-like need not be a look-alike; and how a tribute group can cross not only genre but gender, too.' David Sanjek, Professor of Music, University of Salford 'Georgina Gregory has shone a spotlight on the little-studied world of tribute bands and their fans. Her brightly-written book serves up a heady and original interdisciplinary potion, a mix of cultural studies, (firmly grounded) contemporary history, ethnography and other ingredients. She makes the importance of the phenomenon abundantly clear, while providing engaging portrayals of its eccentricities and explaining the difficulties encountered in bringing it in from the margins of popular music studies. Insights into the relationships between notions of the artist and the craft worker, the textual and the performative, the original and the reproduction, the artiste and the fan, heritage and memory, are transferable to related areas of cultural history and its 'uses'. This splendid, enthusiastic, articulate book deserves to be widely read and discussed, within and beyond an extensive academic constituency.' John K. Walton, IKERBASQUE, Department of Contemporary History, University of the Basque Country, Leoia, Bilbao, SpainTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Tribute Bands in Context 3. From 'Ghost' and Cover Bands, to Pop Parody and Tributes 4. Establishing a Typology 5. Getting Established and Maintaining a Career 6. The Value of Paying Tribute: Critical Responses 7. Fandom and Collective Participation
£52.50
Four Courts Press Ltd Irish Culture and Wartime Europe, 1938-48
Book Synopsis
£33.75
Four Courts Press Ltd Paris - Capital of Irish Culture: France, Ireland
Book Synopsis
£65.82
Carcanet Press Ltd The Critical Decade Culture in Crisis
Book SynopsisThis book holds that a revolution took place in literary criticism in the 1980s. The author examines this revolution and assesses its consequences. He analyzes deconstruction and post-structuralism and investigates the relations between literature, society and politics.
£36.00
Reaktion Books Tortoise
Book SynopsisTortoise is the first cultural and natural history of these long-lived and intriguing creatures, which have existed for more than 200 million years. The book covers tortoises worldwide, in evolution, myth and reality, ranging across palaeontology, natural history, myth, folklore, art forms, literature, veterinary medicine and trade regulations. The tortoise has been seen as an Atlas-like creature supporting the world, as the origin of music and as a philosophical paradox. Peter Young examines the tortoise in all these guises, as well as a military tactical formation, its exploitation by mariners and others for food, as ornament (in tortoiseshell), as a motif in art, and in space research. He looks at the movement away from exploitation to conservation and even the uses of the tortoise in advertising. As well as examples of species, illustrations from around the world include monuments, sculptures, coins, stamps, objets d'art, drawings, cartoons, advertisements and X-rays. The book will appeal not only to tortoise lovers but also to readers of cultural histories around the world.Trade ReviewPeter Young's Tortoise ... can be warmly recommended. -- Jonathan Bate The Times Peter Young is clearly a tortoise lover, and writes knowledgeably about the growing efforts to conserve these animals, both in and ex situ. But really, his whole book does its bit towards tortoise conservation, by raising the reader's awareness of the major part which tortoises have always played in human life. And Tortoise is not merely a fascinating and informative read - its a visual delight as well, with illustrations showing the use the artists of three millennia have made of tortoises to produce images as curious, comical or beautiful as the animals themselves International Zoo News
£999.99
Reaktion Books Peacock Animal Series
Book SynopsisPeople in most countries are familiar with the blue peacock. This book brings together all the facets of the peacock including natural and social history, its role in religions and mythology in the East and West, and its place in the history of art and artefacts.
£999.99
Reaktion Books Salmon Animal Series
Book SynopsisPart of the "Animal" series, this book relates the natural and cultural history of the salmon, a symbol of fortitude, fecundity, self-sacrifice, loyalty to place, and unwavering pursuit of destiny. Introducing the reader to the 'king of fish', it encompasses the salmon's evolutionary, ecological and human stories.
£999.99
Reaktion Books Digital Culture
Book SynopsisFrom our bank accounts to supermarket checkouts to the movies we watch, strings of ones and zeroes suffuse our world. Digital technology has defined modern society in numerous ways, and the vibrant digital culture that has now resulted is the subject of Charlie Gere's engaging volume. In this revised and expanded second edition, taking account of new developments such as Facebook and the iPhone, Charlie Gere charts in detail the history of digital culture, as marked by responses to digital technology in art, music, design, film, literature and other areas. After tracing the historical development of digital culture, Gere argues that it is actually neither radically new nor technologically driven: digital culture has its roots in the eighteenth century and the digital mediascape we swim in today was originally inspired by informational needs arising from industrial capitalism, contemporary warfare and counter-cultural experimentation, among other social changes. A timely and cutting-edge investigation of our contemporary social infrastructures, "Digital Culture" is essential reading for all those concerned about the ever-changing future of our Digital Age.Trade ReviewPraise for the First Edition: 'There are lots of illustrations of early technological advances, which always look endearingly quaint. But the outstanding characteristic, in a field where pretentious obfuscation often seems obligatory, is that Gere can not only string a sentence together, but also uses those sentences to produce cogent and interesting arguments. He concludes that our digital culture has been built from elements including: Cold War defence technologies; avant-garde art practice; counter-cultural techno-utopianism; Post-Modernist critical theory; new wave subcultural style ... Architect's Journal This is an excellent book. It gives an almost complete overview of the main trends and views of what is generally called digital culture through the whole post-war period as well as a thorough exposition of the history of the computer and its predecessors and the origins of the modern division of labour. Journal of Visual Culture
£999.99
Reaktion Books Photography and Italy Exposures
Book SynopsisPhotography and Italy is a beautifully illustrated photographic history, from its beginnings in the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Maria Antonella Pelizzari examines a wide range of images, from early tourist shots, through images of political struggle and armed conflict, to the photographic collages of Bruno Munari.
£999.99
John Murray Press Understanding Cultural Differences Germans French
Book SynopsisEdward T. and Mildred Reed Hall contribute to this effort by explaining the cultural context in which corporations in Germany, France, and the United States operate and how this contributes to misunderstandings between business personnel from each country.
£28.50
Wordwell Marriage and the Irish: a miscellany
Book Synopsis
£25.00
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£51.29
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£33.99
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£51.29
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£33.99
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£51.29
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£33.99
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£51.29
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£33.99
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£51.29
ATF Press Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics
Book Synopsis
£51.29
George F. Thompson Views from the Reservation: An Updated Edition
Book SynopsisPhotographer John Willis has long been aware of the exploitation that can occur when photographers enter communities as outsiders. So, in 1992, when he first visited the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, he assured elders of the Oglala Lakota nation that he would not exhibit any of his images. Over time, however, Willis earned the respect and trust of the community, and the elders urged him to show his work and create this book so that others might better understand Lakota land and life. Willis has returned to the reservation every year since 1992, and he has come to grasp and interpret this place as few others have. Views from the Reservation, first published to widespread acclaim in 2010 and now presented in an updated and expanded edition, remains a gift—a wopila—that is meant to open the minds, eyes, and hearts of outsiders to the life, culture, and conditions of the Oglala Lakota people. Along with his insightful and accomplished images, Willis has enlisted other voices to offer a more complete story: Lakota elders and high school students from the Pine Ridge Reservation offer powerful poems; writer Kent Nerburn contributes an original essay; Emil Her Many Horses, a curator at the National Museum of the American Indian, tells his story of growing up on the rez; Kevin Gover, Director of the National Museum of the American Indian, apologizes for the government’s abuse of native people; Oglala Lakota artist Dwayne Wilcox shares his provocative ledger drawings; and members of the Reddest family present their amazing photo collection. Views from the Reservation is a masterful book that has been praised by the Lakota people for its honesty, spirit, and depth. It offers the chance for native peoples and outsiders alike to appreciate and respect the Pine Ridge Reservation from contemporary and historical points of view, with art and storytelling leading the way.
£30.00
Oro Editions Be Seated
Book SynopsisLaurie Olin shares his insights into seemingly ordinary elements of these places, and how they intersect with our individual lives and experiences. An expert treatise on a niche topic, Olin's analysis of the importance of public seating goes beyond their aesthetic or comfort value. He explores how public seating influences our social conduct, our role as citizens, and our establishment of place and community.
£26.95
University of Nevada Press The Genesis of Reno: The History of the Riverside
Book SynopsisOver 157 years ago—before there was a Reno, Nevada; before there was a state of Nevada; and even before there was a Nevada Territory—there was a bridge over the Truckee River at a narrow, deeply rutted cattle and wagon trail that would one day become Virginia Street. There was also a small rustic inn and tavern occupying a plot of ground at the southern end of the log-and-timber bridge, catering to thirsty cowboys, drovers, and miners. The inn and the bridge were the first two structures in what would one day be a bustling metropolitan area, and to this day they still form the nucleus of the city. The Genesis of Reno, traces their history up to the present day. The 111-year-old concrete bridge that was replaced in 2016 by a magnificent new structure was honored for its longevity and unique character with placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
£999.99
University of Nevada Press Because the Light Will Not Forgive Me: Essays
Book SynopsisThis is a book of essays about the American West, ranging from what it means to be a poet/artist, to social justice and environmental concerns, to memory, place, and landscape. It's about looking beyond our borders for reconciliation and lessons about how we might address similar issues at home.
£999.99
The University Press of Kentucky Drowned Town
Book Synopsis"They had been told their sacrifice was for the public good. They were never told how much they would miss it, or for how long."Drowned Town explores the multigenerational impact caused by the loss of home and illuminates the joys and sorrows of a group of people bound by western Kentucky's Land Between the Lakes and the lakes that lie on either side of it. The linked stories are rooted in a landscape forever altered by the impoundment of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers and the taking of property under the power of eminent domain to create the national recreation area on a narrow strip of land running between the lakes. The massive federal land and water projects that came in quick succession were designed to serve the public interest by providing hydroelectric power, flood control, and economic progress for the region, but at great sacrifice for those who gave up their homes, livelihoods, towns and history in the process.The narrative follows two women characters whose lives are shaped by their friendship and connection to the place, and goes back and forth in time to show how the creation of the lakes both healed and hurt the people connected to them. In the process, the stories focus on the importance of sisterhood and family, both blood and created, and how we cannot separate ourselves from our places in the world.Table of ContentsDry Ground View From Within Weekend Visitor For What It's Worth Wedding Chapel Drift Drowned Town Unmoored Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music Across the Creek Signs Refresher Course Thanksgiving Remodel Watershed Mint Springs
£43.90
Classiques Garnier Traduction Et Culture: France - Iles Britanniques
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Classiques Garnier Le Format Court: Recits d'Aujourd'hui
Book Synopsis
£60.00
Classiques Garnier Le Format Court: Recits d'Aujourd'hui
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Classiques Garnier de la Strategie Culturelle Francaise Au Xxie
Book Synopsis
£50.00
Brepols N.V. Midsummer
Book Synopsis
£44.51
Brepols N.V. Resonances: Historical Essays on Continuity and
Book Synopsis
£48.81
