Cultural studies Books

Book Synopsis'A global guide to the myths, legends and science of twins ... spans sacred west African sculptures, mythology and 1920s flappers to present a community defined by both similarity and uniqueness' Financial Times 'Beautiful and definitive' Chris van Tulleken The first illustrated global exploration of the cultural significance of twins. The birth of twins is unusual. Throughout history they have been revered as gods and reviled as monsters; they have been adored as amusing music hall double acts and feared as duplicitous criminals; and they have been studied by anthropologists and scientists engaged in the nature vs nurture debate and genetic experiments. Their existence challenges the norm; they are seen by singletons as âotherâ and regarded with an equal measure of wonder and distrust. Do twins have special powers? Does a twin birth present a good or bad omen? Are they telepathic? Should we fear the appearance of the ghostly doppelganger? From the Aztec creation twins QuetzalcTrade Review'This clever “thematic collage” celebrates twindom in all its dyadic incarnations: from myth to medicine, from Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors to the Kray twins … Beautiful' - The Times'A handsomely produced anthology of twin representations' - New Yorker'A global guide to the myths, legends and science of twins ... spans sacred west African sculptures, mythology and 1920s flappers to present a community defined by both similarity and uniqueness' - Financial Times'A visually fascinating study featuring dazzling photographs and artwork' - Kirkus Reviews'Viney draws on a dizzying array of articles, anecdotes, and myths (including plenty of non-Western examples), and enriches the narrative with striking photos. It’s a meticulous inquiry into a subject of perennial fascination' - Publishers Weekly'Viney explores the representation of twins in art, photography, and film – from the works of Roger Ballen to the cinema of Stanley Kubrick – and delves into the darker meanings ascribed to twins across the millennia' - Arab News'The secret life of doubles is rich fodder for storytelling, as Viney’s compendium thoroughly demonstrates' - Hyperallergic'Beautiful and definitive' - Chris van Tulleken'A visual feast' - Wall Street Journal'[An] impeccably researched visual treat' - SpectatorTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Gods and Heroes 2. Evil Twins 3. Twin Spirits 4. Nature and Nurture 5. Crime and Forensics 6. Born and Made 7. Born Entertainers 8. Twins and the Paranormal 9. Twin Communities

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Book SynopsisThis book analyses modernity and tradition in China today and how they combine in striking ways in the Chinese school. Paul Willis – the leading ethnographer and author of Learning to Labour – shows how China has undergone an internal migration not only of masses of workers but also of a mental and ideological kind to new cultural landscapes of meaning, which include worship of the glorified city, devotion to consumerism, and fixation upon the smartphone and the internet. Massive educational expansion has been a precondition for explosive economic growth and technical development, but at the same time the school provides a cultural stage for personal and collective experience. In its closed walls and the inescapability of its ‘scores’, an astonishing drama plays out between the new and the old, with a tapestry of intricate human meanings woven of small tragedies and triumphs, secret promises and felt betrayals, helping to produce not only exam results but cultural orientations and occupational destinies. By exploring the cultural dimension of everyday experience as it is lived out in the school, this book sheds new light on the enormous transformations that have swept through China and created the kind of society that it is today: a society that is obsessed with the future and at the same time structured by and in continuous dialogue with its past.Trade Review‘Written in a lucid and witty style, Paul Willis’s book provides a uniquely penetrating lens to scrutinize the deeply held meanings and cultural nuances in China’s relentless pursuit of modernity. A landmark contribution to China studies as well as the sociology of education.’Yunxiang Yan, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, and author of The Individualization of Chinese Society ‘Paul Willis is a wonderful guide in surveying China’s jarring juxtapositions. His analysis of the ideological imbrication of communism, consumerism and Confucianism, and his close attention to the feelings of shame, stress and guilt experienced by the losers of China’s new rat race, are particularly insightful.’Shehzad Nadeem, City University of New York “definitely worth reading”Michael W. Apple, Beijing Normal University"Experimenting to break the boundary between academic and popular writing, Willis’ account of his China experience, with its poetic and forceful prose, is a great pleasure to read."China Review International"Willis has produced a work which deserves the wide readership that he was aiming for."Journal of International and Comparative Education"The book is riveting and bristles with profound insights about contemporary China that leaves the reader in awe of Willis’s brilliant scholarship."American Journal of SociologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface Introduction and Theoretical Groundings The Chinese Scene Part I Modernity’s Symbolic Order 1 Country Bad/City Good 2 Consuming Consumerism 3 The Internet as Deus Ex Machina Part II Education’s Symbolic Order 4 The GaoKao Regime 5 The Three Arrows and Experience 6 ‘People is the Fish’ Part III The View from the Saved 7 Passing GaoKao 8 Not Passing GaoKao Part IV Closing Portraits 9 ‘Chen’ 10 ‘My Own Song’ 11 A Country Trip Orders of Experience Notes

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Book SynopsisAt a time when tensions between Russia and “the West '' are increasing, this book is very timely, even though, its contents were first broadcast over fifty years ago. It offers a history of Russian culture and its particular trends and tendencies, which are shown to be frequently contradictory and even mutually exclusive. Schmemann argues for the supremacy of culture over political life in determining questions such as the apparent lack of political freedoms, law and order and civil rights in a Russian context.Table of ContentsForeword HTM Foreword by Maria Vasilyeva THE CULTURAL DEBATE IN THE USSR: A PROTEST THE DISPUTE OVER CULTURE IN THE SOVIET UNION “CULTURE” IN RUSSIAN SELF-IDENTITY PARADOXES OF RUSSIAN CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT 4. MAXIMALISM MINIMALISM UTOPIANISM THE “EXPLOSION” OF RUSSIAN CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY Talk 1 Talk 2 Talk 3 RENUNCIATION OF CULTURE IN THE NAME OF PRAGMATISM RENUNCIATION OF CULTURE IN THE NAME OF RELIGION RENUNCIATION OF CULTURE IN THE NAME OF SOCIAL UTOPIA TOLSTOY AND CULTURE DOSTOEVSKY AND RUSSIAN CULTURE CULTURAL IDENTITY AT “THE BEGINNING OF THE CENTURY” Talk 1 Talk 2 ABANDONMENT OF THE MORAL FOUNDATIONS OF CULTURE THE INITIAL REACTION TO THE REVOLUTION THE ENSLAVEMENT OF CULTURE CREATIVE RESISTANCE Talk 1 Talk 2 Talk 3 THE PAST AND TRADITION THE WEST TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE SOCIAL TOPICS RELIGIOUS THEMES AT A CROSSROADS ON THE PATH TO SYNTHESIS Talk 1 Talk 2 CONCLUSION Notes Index of Names

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a long overdue, extensive study of one of the most beloved television shows: Friends. Why has this sitcom become the seminal success that it is? And how does it continue to engage viewers around the world a quarter century after its first broadcast? Featuring original interviews with key creative personnel (including co-creator Marta Kauffman and executive producer Kevin S. Bright), the book provides answers by identifying a strategy of intimacy that informs Friends’ use of humour, performance, style and set design. The authors provide fascinating analyses of some of the most well-remembered scenes—the one where Ross can’t get his leather pants back on, and Ross and Rachel’s break-up, to name just a couple—and reflect on how and why A-list guest performances sometimes fell short of the standards set by the ensemble cast. Also considered are the iconic look of Monica’s apartment as well as the programme’s much discussed politics of representation and the critical backlash it has received in recent years. An exploration of Joey, the infamous spin-off, and several attempts to adapt Friends’ successful formula across the globe, round out the discussion, with insights into mistranslated jokes and much more. For students, scholars, creative industry practitioners and fans alike, this is a compelling read that lets us glimpse behind the scenes of what has become a cultural phenomenon and semi-permanent fixture in many of our homes.Trade Review“Simone Knox and Kai Schwind that in Friends: A Reading of the Sitcom they have produced an extremely comprehensive and markedly reflective exploration of the complexity, artistry and cultural import of a series … . Their book, through its careful, assiduous research and very evident personal engagement with the series … . Knox and Schwind’s work illuminates the talent, skill and professionalism that went into the creation of series … .” (Mary Irwin, Critical Studies in Television, Vol. 17 (3), 2022)Table of ContentsIntroduction.-The One with All the Laughing and the Hugging: Specificity of Humour and Comedic Types.-The One where They Tame the Three-headed Monster: Foregrounding Holistic Performance.-The One where They Look at Monica’s Apartment: Style, Space, Set Design.-The One with the Emblematic Problematic Fave: Friends and the Politics of Representation.-The One with the Orbit of Failure: The Joey Spin-off, other Adaptations and the Global Reception of Friends.-Conclusion: The One where They’ll Still Be There for You: Reflections on Friends’ Place in Television Culture for its 25th Anniversary

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Book SynopsisAt a time when women are more vocal than ever about our lives, there's one last taboo.We need to talk about porn.‘Briskly confronting...porn is an inescapable part of the environment we all share and should be talked about honestly… this book is an important start.’THE SUNDAY TIMES'Celebrates women's sexuality but also unflinchingly reveals the truth of how women are perceived - and used - in society by men.'A STYLIST best non-fiction pick for 2024When we think about porn today, we still mostly think about men. Men as the producers and the consumers. Women as the product. Most women aren't talking to each other about what they do and don't do with porn - not really. And when we do talk about it, we are divided into unhelpful binaries: for or against? Liberation or coercion? Too sexual or not sexual enough? But in a world where porn sites get more traffic than Netflix, Amazon plus Twitter combined, and one of the leading sites claims a third of its users are women, isn't it time to change that?In this book, interviews with 100 women result in an extraordinary and powerful conversation on pornography. How they first encountered it. How they consume it. How it has affected their sex lives. What they like and what they don't. And what it means for their relationships.Eye-opening, provocative and deeply moving, this book navigates the polarised public debates, to open an intimate window into porn and the sexual lives of women today.Trade Review‘Briskly confronting...porn is an inescapable part of the environment we all share and should be talked about honestly… this book is an important start.’ * Sunday Times *'Celebrates women's sexuality but also unflinchingly reveals the truth of how women are perceived - and used - in society by men.' * Stylist best non-fiction for 2024 *‘A sensitively written and generous piece of work’ * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisIn this radical and wide-ranging reassessment of Renaissance art, Jerry Brotton and Lisa Jardine examine the ways in which European culture came to define itself culturally and aesthetically in the years 1450 to 1550. Looking outwards for confirmation of who they were and of what defined them as civilized', Europeans encountered the returning gaze of what we now call the East, in particular the powerful Ottoman Empire of Mehmed the Conqueror and Suleyman the Magnificent. "Global Interests" explores these historical interactions by offering new and exciting accounts of three often neglected art objects: portrait medals, tapestries and equestrian art. The portability of medals and tapestries, and the transportability of, and esteem accorded to, pure-bred Eastern horses made them frequently exchanged objects, and, as such, highly revealing of the cultural currents flowing between Occident and Orient. The authors provide fascinating new responses to some of the most iconic paintings of the period, including the work of Pisanello, Leonardo, Durer, Holbein and Titian. "Global Interests" also offers a timely reassessment of the development of European imperialism, focusing on the Habsburg Empire of Charles V, and concludes with a consideration of the impact this history continues to have upon contemporary perceptions of European culture and ethnic identity.Trade Review'This fascinating book provided me with a whole new way of thinking about the European Renaissance ... While offereing a series of elegant interpretations of art objects exchanged between East and West... this is also an epic story of imperial rivalry exploring the ways in which courts jostled for supremacy through their display of magnificent art objects, many of which are beautifully reproduced here' - The Good Book Guide 'Books of the Year' 'Cultural history needs the wider perspective [the authors] enjoin, and, as their reflections suggest, it is a mistake to think one can satisfactorily explain anything about the European continent - its art, the growth of it science, its social, political or religious history - in ignorance of its close relations with its eastern and southern margins. Global Interests is a valuable corrective to the established tendency to disregard them' - Literary Review 'impressive ... the discussion is full of remarkable examples ... there is much that will stimulate thought and excite admiration' - Art Quarterly

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Book SynopsisAs a young girl in China Xinran heard a rumour about a soldier in Tibet who had been brutally fed to the vultures in a ritual known as a sky burial: the tale frightened and fascinated her. Several decades later Xinran met Shu Wan, a Chinese woman who had spent years searching for her missing husband who had been serving as a doctor in Tibet; her extraordinary life story would unravel the legend of the sky burial. For thirty years she was lost in the wild and alien landscape of Tibet, in the vast and silent plateaus and the magisterial mountain ranges, living with communities of nomads moving with the seasons and struggling to survive.In this haunting book, Xinran recreates Shu Wen''s remarkable journey in an epic story of love, loss, loyalty and survival. Moving, shocking and, ultimately, uplifting Sky Burial paints a unique portrait of a woman and a land, both at the mercy of fate and politics.Trade ReviewA romantic epic of loss and redemption, of stoic constancy in the face of the vagaries of fate * Financial Times *Part family story, part mystical adventure in an alien culture, it's like Wild Swans crossed with Seven Years in Tibet * Condé Nast Traveller *This little-known culture has been brought vividly to life through the incredible love story of Shu Wen. This story of an extraordinary woman written by an extraordinary woman will stay with you long after closing the book * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisIn this work, Karen Horney explores the basic structure of neuroses in the context of their cultural assumptions.

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Book SynopsisIn this cross-cultural study of manhood as an achieved status, the author finds that a culturally sanctioned stress on manliness - on toughness and aggressiveness, stoicism and sexuality - is almost universal, and deeply ingrained in the consciousness of men who otherwise have little in common.Trade Review"The news in this anthropological study is not that so many societies in which the men formerly hunted, fished, performed manual labor and warred have developed rigid codes of masculinity, in which aggression toward other males and possessiveness toward women are rewarded. Rather, it is that there are societies—on Tahiti and in Malaysia, for two—in which men are encouraged to be passive, to allow women easy 'eroticism,’ to eschew sporting competitions because they produce bad feelings. All of which, the author observes, causes consternation among Freudians (not to mention apostles of machismo), who have an investment in believing that fear of castration has engendered universal male anxiety over masculinity as something to be earned and steadfastly maintained."—Washington Post Book World"A scholarly overview suggesting that ’manhood’ in the form of toughness, aggression and stoicism is nearly universal."—Phil McCombs, Washington Post"Colourful and fascinating stuff, painstakingly researched and feelingly described. . . . An absorbing, well-argued, and finely written study."—Nicola Shulman, Sunday Times"Gilmore's subtle and illuminating inversion of ordinary understandings—his insight that male sterness, toughness, acquisitiveness, and aggressiveness serve, in circumstances of threat and scarcity, the same social ends as female tenderness and gentleness—has been suggested elsewhere, but never stated so completely nor in so unmistakably masculine a voice. . . . A signal service."—Beryl Lieff Benderly, New York Times Book Review"This is a superb and necessary text for clinicians and theorists interested in the psychological world of the male. . . . By reviewing the manner in which maleness is manifested around the world, [Gilmore] concludes that the vast majority of cultures perpetuate a male role with three main functions—to impregnate, provide, and protect. . . . With the rapid growth of a new male psychology, this book is essential reading for all psychiatrists and psychotherapists who work with men of any age."—Richard Martinez, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease"Very fascinating and significant, because it gives us a holistic image of what in means to be a man."—Maeda Toshiko, Asian Folklore Studies"Provocative and absorbing, this book is essential to both academic and general libraries."—Library Journal"A provocative, rewarding cross-cultural survey."—Publishers Weekly"The great virtue of this textbook is to demonstrate clearly that there is nothing natural or inevitable about gender polarity."—Robert Brain, Times Literary Supplement"While many of the recent discussions of men and masculinity have arisen out of the more-or-less direct challenges laid down by feminism, Gilmore’s book would seem to arise much more out of his anthropological fieldwork experiences in Andalusia. It is here that he begins his wide-ranging comparative study of the problems of being a proper man in a variety of different societies. . . . This lively and well-written book will prove to be an excellent source-book and overall survey which may help to overcome some of the ethnocentrism that limits many recent discussions of men and masculinities."—David H. J. Morgan, Journal of Gender Studies"A well-written, accessible, provocative study that raises a wide range of challenging issues and covers a rich variety of ethnographic cases."—Michael Herzfeld, Indiana University

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2022 FRENCH HERITAGE SOCIETY BOOK AWARD The profound emotion felt around the world upon seeing images of Notre-Dame in flames opens up a series of questions: Why was everyone so deeply moved? Why does Notre-Dame so clearly crystallise what our civilisation is about? What makes ‘Our Lady of Paris’ the soul of a nation and a symbol of human achievement? What is it that speaks so directly to us today? In answer, Agnès Poirier turns to the defining moments in Notre-Dame’s history. Beginning with the laying of the corner stone in 1163, she recounts the conversion of Henri IV to Catholicism, the coronation of Napoleon, Victor Hugo’s nineteenth-century campaign to preserve the cathedral, Baron Haussmann’s clearing of the streets in front of it, the Liberation in 1944, the 1950s film of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, starring Gina Lollobrigida and Anthony Quinn, and the state funeral of Charles de Gaulle, before returning to the present. The conflict over Notre-Dame’s reconstruction promises to be fierce. Nothing short of a cultural war is already brewing between the wise and the daring, the sincere and the opportunist, historians and militants, the devout and secularists. It is here that Poirier reveals the deep malaise – gilet jaunes and all – at the heart of the France.Trade Review‘Vivid and engrossing… the opening chapter repays the cover price: a breathless, exhaustively researched and utterly unputdownable account of the drama… elegant, witty and constantly informative.’ * Observer *‘Brisk and entertaining... there is much to be learned here.’ -- Literary Review‘I doubt that any book published this year will start with a more gripping opening chapter than hers…Poirier recounts these and many other stories with terrific élan and a wry eye for eccentric details.’ -- The Times'This is not so much a history of the 850-year-old cathedral as an act of thanksgiving for its unknown medieval builders and its modern restorers. Poirier has interviewed several of those involved in the salvage operations. Their emotional involvement with the cathedral and its relics is at the heart of this engaging book.’ -- Spectator'Notre-Dame is both the soul of France, and the beating heart of Paris. I haven’t been there in a long time. This book left me aching to return.' * Catholic Herald *'A passionately recounted history, a compelling story of destruction, restoration and the rebirth of hope.' -- Michèle Roberts'Concise and erudite.' -- New European‘An elegant and razor-sharp chronicle of Our Lady of Paris.’ -- France‘Unlocks the door to the past and illuminates Notre-Dame’s role in French culture.’ -- Herald

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER''A parable written for the age of technological disruption . . . brilliantly told'' Sunday TimesThe international bestselling author returns with an exploration of one of the grandest obsessions of the twentieth century''The Bomber Mafia is a case study in how dreams go awry. When some shiny new idea drops from the heavens, it does not land softly in our laps. It lands hard, on the ground, and shatters.''In the years before the Second World War, in a sleepy air force base in central Alabama, a small group of renegade pilots put forth a radical idea. What if we made bombing so accurate that wars could be fought entirely from the air? What if we could make the brutal clashes between armies on the ground a thing of the past?This book tells the story of what happened when that dream was put to the test. The Bomber Mafia follows the stories of a reclusive Dutch genius aTrade ReviewA parable written for the age of technological disruption . . . brilliantly told -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *Remarkable . . . a work of art . . . one puts this book down shaking one's head at the folly and human cost of it all -- Paul Kennedy * Wall Street Journal *Gripping . . . in Gladwell's deft hands, the Air Force generals of World War II come back to life as the stirring 20th-century equivalent of Adm. Horatio Nelson and his band of audacious captains from the age of fighting sail . . . Gladwell is a wonderful storyteller -- Thomas E. Ricks * The New York Times *Impassioned . . . engagingly written -- Saul David * Telegraph *Riveting . . .The Bomber Mafia looks at one of the greatest moral challenges of the Second World War -- Michael Lewis * author of The Fifth Risk *Told with the muscular, driving narrative and fizzingly charismatic (real-life) characters of a movie -- Ed Grenby * Radio Times *A thought-provoking, accessible account of how people respond to difficult choices in difficult times . . . Gladwell's easy conversational style works well . . . his portraits of individuals are compelling -- Diana Preston * Washington Post *Unexpected empathy . . . fabulistic energy * Esquire *Lively, engaging . . . a fascinating story -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *Important and characteristically readable . . . Gladwell is possibly the most confident storyteller in non-fiction. He always knows exactly where he is going, and he takes you with him in pleasure and comfort. -- Simon Kuper * New Statesman *Gladwell's eloquence and flair for lateral thinking make for a compelling read -- Simon Griffith * Mail on Sunday *

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'Often poetic ... highly-researched and thought-provoking' New Scientist'Gently and thoughtfully enquiring' The SpectatorCan you remember the first time you encountered true darkness? The kind that remains as black and inky whether your eyes are open or closed? Where you can't see your hand in front of your face?Jacqueline Yallop can. It was in an unfamiliar bedroom while holidaying in Yorkshire as a child, and ever since then she has been fascinated by the dark, by our efforts to capture or avoid it, by the meanings we give to it and the way our brains process it. Taking a journey into the dark secrets of place, body and mind, she documents a series of night-time walks, exploring both the physical realities of darkness and the psychological dark that helps shape our sense of self. Exploring our enduring love-hate relationship with states of darkness, she considers how we attempt to understand and contain the dark, and, as she comes to terms with her father's deteriorating Alzheimer's, she reflects on how our relationship with the dark can change with time and circumstance.Darkness captivates, baffles and appals us. It's a shifty thing of many textures and many moods. It can be an absence and a presence, a solace and a threat, a beginning and an end. Into the Dark is the story of the many darks that fascinate and assail us. It faces the darkness in all its guises and mysteries, celebrating it as a thing of beauty while peering into the void.

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Book SynopsisFrom breaking the law to breaking a promise, how do people lie and how can they be caught?Trade Review"[A] wealth of detailed, practical information about lying and lie detection and a penetrating analysis of the ethical implications." -- Jerome D. Frank, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

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Book SynopsisIn this collection of psychoanalytic essays on a wide range of relatively unexplored subjects, the author evolves his own distinctive version of psychoanalysis as part of a wider cultural conversation. The essays combine literary and philosophical commentary with clinical vignettes.

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Book SynopsisJust after the iron curtain fell on Eastern Europe John Steinbeck and acclaimed war photographer, Robert Capa ventured into the Soviet Union to report for the New York Herald Tribune. This rare opportunity took the famous travellers not only to Moscow and Stalingrad - now Volgograd - but through the countryside of the Ukraine and the Caucasus. A RUSSIAN JOURNAL is the distillation of their journey and remains a remarkable memoir and unique historical document. Steinbeck and Capa recorded the grim realities of factory workers, government clerks, and peasants, as they emerged from the rubble of World War II. This is an intimate glimpse of two artists at the height of their powers, answering their need to document human struggle

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Book SynopsisIn Bodies That Matter, renowned theorist and philosopher Judith Butler argues that theories of gender need to return to the most material dimension of sex and sexuality: the body. Butler offers a brilliant reworking of the body, examining how the power of heterosexual hegemony forms the matter of bodies, sex, and gender. Butler argues that power operates to constrain sex from the start, delimiting what counts as a viable sex. She clarifies the notion of performativity introduced in Gender Trouble and via bold readings of Plato, Irigaray, Lacan, and Freud explores the meaning of a citational politics. She also draws on documentary and literature with compelling interpretations of the film Paris is Burning, Nella Larsen's Passing, and short stories by Willa Cather.Trade Review"As a philosopher of gender [Judith Butler] is unparalleled." – Village Voice"Butler gives us a new way to think about the materiality of the body in the discursive performity operative in the materialization of sex. Following a common move in postmodern feminism, Butler sets out to demolish the sex/gender distinction that has formed the mainstay of the de Beauvorian and radical feminism's notion that gender, as a cultural construction, could be critiqued and politicized against the givenness of the body's biological sex. . . .What is new in Bodies That Matter is Butler's attempt to write more directly about race." – Signs"Extending the brilliant style of interrogation that made her 1990 book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity a landmark of gender theory/queer theory, Butler here continues to refine our understandings of the complexly performative character of sexuality and gender and to trouble our assumptions about the inherent subversiveness of dissident sexualities. . . . indispensable reading across the wide range of concerns that queer theory is currently addressing." – Artforum"What the implications/limitations of 'sexing' are and how the process works comprise the content of this strikingly perceptive book. . . . Butler has written a most significant and provocative work that addresses issues of immediate social concern." – The Boston Book Review "A brilliant and original analysis." – Drucilla Cornell, Rutgers University, USA"...a classic." – Elizabeth GroszTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Part 1: 1. Bodies that Matter 2. The Lesbian Phallus and the Morphological Imaginary 3. Phantasmatic Identification and the Assumption of Sex 4. Gender is Burning: Questions of Appropriation and Subversion Part 2: 5. 'Dangerous Crossing': Willa Cather's Masculine Names 6. Queering, Passing: Nella Larsen Rewrites Psychoanalysis 7. Arguing with the Real 8. Critically Queer. Notes. Index

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Book SynopsisHow much have women''s lives really changed? In the West women still come up against the ''glass ceiling'' at work, most earning considerably less than their male counterparts. What are we to make of the now commonplace insistence that feminism deprives men of their rights and dignities? And how does one tackle the issue of female emancipation in different cultural and economic environments - in, for example, the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent, and Africa?This book provides an historical account of feminism, exploring its earliest roots as well as key issues including voting rights, the liberation of the sixties, and its relevance today. Margaret Walters touches on the difficulties and inequities that women still face more than forty years after the ''new wave'' of 1960s feminism, such as how successful women are at combining domesticity, motherhood, and work outside the house. She brings the subject completely up to date by providing an analysis of the current situation of womeTrade Review"An enjoyable read." * Rosie Blau, FT Magazine *Table of Contents1. Introduction: The rights and wrongs of women ; 2. Pioneers ; 3. Voting Rights ; 4. The Personal is the Political: Liberation in the Twentieth Century ; 5. In a New Century ; 6. Women Across the World

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Book SynopsisThorstein Bunde Veblen (1857-1929) was an American economist and sociologist. Educated at Carleton College, Johns Hopkins University and Yale University, his most famous work, The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), from which this selection is taken, is a satiric look at American society. He coined the widely used phrases "conspicuous consumption" and "pecuniary emulation".

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Book SynopsisIrishology is the ultimate warm, witty, and irreverent guide to all things Irish. Who else but the Irish can perform minor miracles with a prayer to St Anthony? Or truly appreciate the medicinal purposes of flat 7Up? Not to mention the front room, chipper chips, and the `bad pint.'' From things you''ll only hear and taste in Ireland to tips for surviving any social situation (an Irish wedding anyone?!).

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Book SynopsisThis book is the culmination of 15 years of research and travels that have taken the author completely around the world twice, as well as on other travels in the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and around the Pacific rim. Its purpose has been to try to understand the role of cultural differences within nations and between nations, today and over centuries of history, in shaping the economic and social fates of peoples and of whole civilizations. Focusing on four major cultural areas(that of the British, the Africans (including the African diaspora), the Slavs of Eastern Europe, and the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere, Conquests and Cultures reveals patterns that encompass not only these peoples but others and help explain the role of cultural evolution in economic, social, and political development.Table of Contents* Conquests and Cultures * The British * The Africans * The Slavs * Western Hemisphere Indians * An Overview

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Book SynopsisRare and unusual items from the iconic TV show. What can be said about what is probably âtheâ fantasy adventure series of the sixties?

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Book SynopsisChic, sophisticated, seductive and enigmatic, the Parisienne possesses a je ne sais quoi that makes her difficult to define. But who or what is the Parisienne, and how is she depicted in cinema? The first book-length study on the subject combines scholarship in the fields of art history, literature and fashion to enrich our understanding of this intriguing cinematic figure, simultaneously offering new perspectives on film. Accessible and wide-ranging, it will be of immediate interest to students and researchers working in film studies, French studies and the broader humanities, as well as cinephiles and Francophiles alike.Trade Review‘In this well-researched and insightful monograph, Felicity Chaplin presents the figure of the Parisienne in cinema “between art and life”, concentrating on 1950s and 1960s French and Hollywood film. She covers approximately four films per chapter, over six main sections, using “Parisienne” as both a noun and an adjective, and writing of what she terms the “Parisienne-ness” of her subjects… This book is a valuable addition to film studies, fashion studies and general cultural studies. The style is engaging, and the research is wide-ranging and thought provoking.’Dervila Cooke, Dublin City University, H-France Review Vol. 18, No. 92 (April 2018)‘"La Parisienne", as Chaplin explains, stands for an image of the city personified by a female figure. In the mid-nineteenth century, this became synonymous with the figure of an urban woman, an emblem of modernity whose mode of dress expressed her identity. She can be both artist and muse. Her class origins are not fixed: she might come from the demi-monde or the bourgeoiseie. In context, she can embody sexual openness and experimentation, or refined elegance and restraint. 'In her deft, dense, intriguing book, Chaplin has delineated an area of research; she has also created a space or set of possibilities for studies that can take her project further, deeper, into more specialised areas or specific forms of critical engagement.’ Philippa Hawker, Australian Book Review No. 42 (June-July 2018)‘Any study of as broad a corpus as is indicated by this book’s title is likely to have multiple aims, and Felicity Chaplin’s book seems to set itself not just the objective of adding cinema to the list of art forms in which La Parisienne frequently figures and has been studied (painting and drawing), but of using a typically art historical methodology (iconography) to do so… Approving of Alloway’s anti-evaluative and implicitly anti-auteurist idea of culture as a continuum, Chaplin introduces her corpus as one that ranges across this continuum… Chaplin’s book certainly does extensive impressive groundwork for further studies of the Parisienne figure in cinema…’Kate Ince, University of Birmingham, EuropeNow, Issue 22 (2018)'Hopefully, Chaplin’s detailed, comprehensive and persuasive study will set the stage for keeping the spotlight on the Parisienne into the twenty-first century.'Joe Hardwick, University of Queensland, Australian Journal of French Studies Vol. 55, No. 3 (2018)‘This book is an important analysis of the history of fashion, art, media, literature, and French culture. It is a tool for students and researchers with an interest in discussing the peculiar theme of the Parisienn e , but it also offers insights into a range of different subjects such as the intricate relationship between fashion and cinema, as well as further topics such as social mobility, cosmopolitanism, and self–fashioning.’The Journal of Dress History -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: ‘What’s she like?’1 Muse2 Cosmopolite3 Icon of fashion4 Femme fatale5 Courtesan6 StarConclusion: ‘Look, let’s start all over again. What’s she like?’Index

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Book Synopsis'This book is funny, clever and, at times, heartbreaking. In other words, Jewish' David Baddiel '[Baum is] intellectually luminous, psychologically penetrating, existentially anxious, and wonderfully funny' Zadie Smith 'Hilarious and thought-provoking' David Schneider The Jewish joke is as old as Abraham, and like the Jews themselves it has wandered over the world, learned countless new languages, worked with a range of different materials, been performed in front of some pretty hostile crowds, but still retained its own distinctive identity. So what is it that animates the Jewish joke? Why are Jews so often thought of as 'funny'? And how old can a joke get? The Jewish Joke is a brilliant - and very funny - riff on Jewish jokes, about what marks them apart from other jokes, why they are important to Jewish identity and how they work. Ranging from self-deprecation to anti-Semitism, politics to sex, it looks at the past of Jewish joking and asks whether the Jewish joke has a future. With jokes from Amy Schumer, Lena Dunham and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as Freud and Marx (Groucho mostly), this is both a compendium and a commentary, light-hearted and deeply insightful.Trade ReviewThis book is funny, clever and, at times, heartbreaking. In other words, Jewish -- David Baddiel[Baum is] intellectually luminous, psychologically penetrating, existentially anxious, and wonderfully funny -- Zadie SmithA Jew and a non-Jew read Devorah Baum's The Jewish Joke. They both found it hilarious and thought-provoking. Because it is -- David SchneiderHers is the book to turn to if you're looking to amuse your friends and has something in common with the joke books we used to pass around as kids ... [Shows] the sorrow that is the dark underside of laughter - sorrow that belongs to everyone -- Erica Wagner * New Statesman *A breezy, accessible meditation on how [Jewish] humour works, and why it is so integral to Jewish identity... There is much for the scholar to enjoy in Baum's erudite but lightly sketched analysis of how humour helps us to deal with ageing, dislocation, impossible families and sexual confusion. Alternatively, you could just read it for the gags -- Matthew Reisz * Times Higher Education *

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Book SynopsisSince 2008, financial firms have paid, in aggregate, in excess of $320 billion in fines related to misconduct. Nearly ten years later, while many large financial firms have increased their attention to bad behavior and cultural drivers, the degree of commitment and progress in these efforts has not been even across the industry. Serious or persistent misconduct continues in some firms. Many organizations have attempted to curb bad behavior through intrusive monitoring and enforcement actions which reflect a lack of trust in their employees. A different approach is needed, one that gets at the root causes of misconduct and attempts to rebuild culture from the bottom up, with the employee at the center. This is where tools from behavioral science can help senior risk officers, compliance and business heads better understand the mind-set of their employees and internal communities and create an environment where the link between ethical behavior and strong business results is promoted. If firms continue to fail in establishing stronger internal cultures, regulators may feel compelled to step in and dictate what they should do. This book emphasizes the need for a change in approach, looking at the increased incidence of misconduct and culture breakdown since the 2008 crisis, how regulators have responded, and includes a series of proposals to restore that trust and reform culture.Table of Contents1. 1. Introduction 2. 2. The Financial Crisis: The Culture Problem Emerges 3. 3. Culture and Organizational Size 4. 4. Global Regulators: Limits on What They Can Do 5. 5. Enforcing Culture: Criminally-based Compliance 6. 6. Behavioral Science: From Theory to Practice 7. 7. U.S. Regulators: Requiring Behavioral Risk Teams 8. 8. What is Finance For?

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Book SynopsisThe most important book of 2022.' Dr. Robert MaloneDesmet's work on mass formation theory was brought to the world's attention on The Joe Rogan Experience and in major alternative news outlets around the globe. Read this book to get beyond the sound bites!In The Psychology of Totalitarianism, world-renowned Professor of Clinical Psychology Mattias Desmet deconstructs the societal conditions that allow collective hypnosis to take hold. By analysing the global pandemic, he identifies the phenomenon of mass formation' and illustrates how humanity is being forcibly,unconsciously led into a reality of technocratic totalitarianism, which aggressively excludes alternative views and relies on destructive groupthink, vilifying non-conformist thought as dissident.'

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Book SynopsisMedical doctor turned food scientist and author of DK bestsellers The Science of Cooking (2017), The Science of Spice (2018) and The Science of Living (2020), "Dr Stu" is a science and medical writer, presenter and educator. He makes regular appearances on TV, radio, and at public events, and his writing appears in national and international publications. Stuart is also the founder and editor of online lifestyle-science magazine Guru.

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Book SynopsisIn You are Not a Gadget digital guru and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier reveals how the internet is deadening personal interaction, stifling genuine inventiveness and even changing us as people. Something went wrong around the start of the twenty-first century. The crowd was wise. Social networks replaced individual creativity. There were more places to express ourselves than ever before... yet no one really had anything to say. Does this have to be our future? Showing us the way to a future where individuals mean more than machines, this is a searing manifesto against mass mediocrity, a creative call to arms - and an impassioned defence of the human. ''A provocative and sure-to-be-controversial book ... Lucid, powerful and persuasive''  The New York Times ''There is hardly a page that does not contain some fascinating provocation''   Guardian ''Short and frighteniTrade ReviewFabulous - I couldn't put it down and shouted out Yes! Yes! on many pages . . . This is a landmark book that will have people talking and arguing for years into the future. * Lee Smolin *Lucid, powerful and persuasive . . . Necessary reading for anyone interested in how the Web and the software we use every day are reshaping culture and the marketplace * Michiko Kakutani, New York Times *There is hardly a page that does not contain some fascinating provocation * Guardian *Mind-bending, exuberant, brilliant * Washington Post *A pioneer in the development of virtual reality and a Silicon Valley veteran, Mr. Lanier is a digital-world insider concerned with the effect that online collectivism and the current enshrinement of "the wisdom of the crowd" is having on artists, intellectual property rights and the larger social and cultural landscape. In taking on such issues, he's written an illuminating book that is as provocative as it is impassioned. -- Michiko Kakutani's Top 10 Books of the Year 2010 * New York Times *In the world of technologists, Jaron Lanier is that rare combination: a pioneer and a skeptic. A legendary computer scientist, he did crucial early work in the field of virtual reality (the phrase is his). But he now recoils at the way Web 2.0 and social media sell us short as human beings, both in our relationships and in our sense of who we are. In purposeful, reasoned steps, always informed by a profound understanding of how software really works, he lays out his vision of where it all went wrong and champions the power of the human brain in an age of ever smarter machines. -- Lev Grossman * Time Magazine Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2010 *

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Book SynopsisEveryone loves a Christmas carol - in the end, even Scrooge. They have the power to summon up a special kind of midwinter mood, like the aroma of mince pies and mulled wine and the twinkle of lights on a tree. It's a kind of magic. But how did they get that magic? In Christmas Carols Andrew Gant tells the story of some twenty carols, each accompanied by lyrics and music, unravelling a captivating - and often surprising - tale of great musicians and thinkers, saints and pagans, shepherd boys, choirboys, monks and drunks. We delve into the history of such favourites as 'Good King Wenceslas', 'Away in a Manger' and 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', discovering along the way how 'Hark, the Herald angels sing' came to replace 'Hark, how all the welkin ring' and how Ralph Vaughan Williams bolted the tune of an English folk song about a dead ox to a poem by a nineteenth-century American pilgrim to make 'O little town of Bethlehem'. Christmas Carols brims with anecdote, expert knowledge and Christmas spirit. It is a fittingly joyous account of one of our best-loved musical traditions.Trade ReviewAndrew Gant provides us with a fluent but flinty digest of the modern scholarship concerning 22 of our favourite seasonal songs. -- Kathryn Hughes * The Guardian *Gant's detective-story accounts of 22 Christmas melodies is a delight -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *Scholarly but conversational in in tone and rich in picturesque detail. -- Kirsty McClusky * The Tablet *

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Book SynopsisThe world and its politics are becoming ever more polarised, leaving no room for the light and the shade. In The Half of It, Emma and Nicole explore race and identity through the lens of the mixed-race experience, creating a space for discussion and illuminating the true nuances of the mixed-race identity.

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Book SynopsisPanoramic history of Russian culture - making it fresh, intimate and immediate. 18,000 copies sold in hardback to date. "Written beautifully, with striking wit, joie de vivre and learning worn lightly...this superb, flamboyant and masterful touTable of ContentsEuropean Russia; children of 1812; Moscow! Moscow!; the peasant marriage; in search of the Russian soul; descendants of Genghiz Khan; Russia through the Soviet lens; Russia abroad.

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Book SynopsisThis Very Short Introduction to Classics links a haunting temple on a lonely mountainside to the glory of ancient Greece and the grandeur of Rome, and to Classics within modern culture-from Jefferson and Byron to Asterix and Ben-Hur. We are all Classicists - we come into touch with the Classics daily: in our culture, politics, medicine, architecture, language, and literature. What are the true roots of these influences, however, and how do our interpretations of these aspects of the Classics differ from their original reception? This introduction to the Classics begins with a visit to the British Museum to view the frieze which once decorated the Apollo Temple at Bassae. Through these sculptures, John Henderson and Mary Beard prompt us to consider the significance of Classics as a means of discovery and enquiry, its value in terms of literature, philposophy, and culture, and its importance as a source of imagery. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade Reviewthis short and brilliant book ... is now re-issued in an attractive pocket-sized format ... amazing range of reference ... very clear organisation. JT, Anglo-Hellenic Review, No.22, 2000.nobody could fail to be informed and entertained - and the accent of the book is provocative and stimulating. * TLS *Lively, and up-to-date...it shows classics as a living enterprise, not a warehouse of relics. * New Statesman and Society *Beard and Henderson have suceeded brilliantly in communicating the sheer breadth of Classics in this Very Short Introduction.... In language accessible to non-specialist and student alike, Beard and Henderson illustrate how Classic encompasses not just a study of the ancient world, but also of its traditions of scholarship and its influence on the culture of the western world...... This book does not fail to challenge and provoke. Nor does it ignore the problems and current issues that beset the subject and its teaching, but presents them even handedly and with humour, eschewing propaganda.... A stimulating addition to the school library. * JACT review *The authors show us that Classics is a 'modern' and sexy subject. They succeed brilliantly in this regard nobody could fail to be informed and entertained-and the accent of the book is provocative and stimulating. * John Goodwin, Times Literary Supplement *Statues and slavery, temples and tragedies, museum, marbles, and mythology-this provocative guide to the Classics demystifies its varied subject-matter while seducing the reader with the obvious enthusiasm and pleasure which mark its writing. * Edith Hall, author of Inventing the Barbarian *You could not find two better introducers to the Classics than Mary Beard and John Henderson. They are questioning, funny, bold, and widely read in many fields. They could not be dull if they tried. * Philip Howard, columnist for The Times *This little book should be in the hands of every studentm and every tourist to the lands of the ancient world - a splendid piece of work. * Peter Wiseman, author of Talking to Virgil *For those who think Classics is just the dry as dust learning of dead languages this arresting book will come as a rude shock. This is no potted history of Greece and Rome, but a brillian demonstration that the continual re-excavation of our classical past is vital if the modern world is to rise to the challenge inscribed on the temple of Apollo at Delphi to "Know yourself". * Robin Osborne, author of Demos: The Discovery of Classical Attica *Table of Contents1. THE VISIT 2. ON SITE 3. BEING THERE 4. A GUIDE IN HAND 5. BENEATH THE SURFACE 6. GRAND THEORIES 7. THE ART OF RECONSTRUCTION 8. THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH 9. IMAGINE THAT 10. 'ET IN ARCADIA EGO' OUTLINE OF BASSAE FRIEZE TIMELINES CITATIONS AND FURTHER READING INDEX

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Book SynopsisAlex Edmans is such a crisp, sharp salutary voice and a great guide to the bullsh*t of the modern world' Rory Stewart, author of Politics on the Edge ''A powerful and punchy explanation of why misinformation is a problem that affects us all'' Gillian Tett, Editor-at-Large, Financial TimesA ground-breaking book that reveals why our human biases affect the way we receive and interpret information, with practical suggestions for how to think more critically* One of Adam Grant's 8 New Idea Books to Start Spring** A Financial Times Book of the Month, April 2024** A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read Book for May 2024** A Wall Street Journal recommended summer read 2024*Our lives are minefields of misinformation. It ripples through our social media feeds, our daily headlines, and the pronouncements of politicians, business leaders, and best-selling authors. Stories, statistics, and studies are everywhere, allowing people to find evidence to support whatever position they want. Many of these sources are flawed, yet by playing on our emotions and preying on our biases, they can gain widespread acceptance, warp our views, and distort our decisions.In this eye-opening book, Alex Edmans, an economist and professor at London Business School, teaches us how to separate fact from fiction. Using colourful examples from a wellness guru's tragic but fabricated backstory, to the blunders that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and the diet that ensnared millions yet hastened its founder's death Edmans highlights the biases that cause us to mistake statements for facts, facts for data, data for evidence, and evidence for proof.Armed with the knowledge of what to guard against, he then provides a practical guide to combat this tide of misinformation. Going beyond simply checking the facts and explaining individual statistics, Edmans explores the relationships between statistics the science of cause and effect ultimately training us to think smarter, sharper, and more critically. May Contain Lies is an essential read for anyone who wants to make better sense of the world and take better decisions.''A passionate and dispassionate call to truth and how to achieve it - in a world of growing disinformation'' Will Hutton, The Guardian''Not only brilliantly researched and written but immensely practical'' Andy Haldane, former Chief Economist at the Bank of England''A timely book and, despite the nerdy statistical theories, is often quite funny'' Harry Wallop, The Time

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Book SynopsisA complete guide to the British Way of Life. If you''re British, you''ll love it. If you''re not, you''ll recognise it._______Born in Hungary, George Mikes spent more than forty years in the Britain observing behaviours and misbehaviours of local and foreign Brits. Queuing: An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one. How to plan a town: Street names should be painted clearly and distinctly on large boards. Then hide these boards carefully. Sex: Continental people have sex lives: the English have hot water bottles. With essential chapters such as How to Avoid Travelling, In Praise of Television, On Not Complaining and How to Panic Quietly, they'll get to know Britain like never before with this fun and informative gift!_______WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:''Got me in tears of laughter''''Hilarious and informative essays about the British way of life'' ''So many people have tried to describe the English mentality . . . This book is as near as you can get!''''Laugh-out-loud hilarious, witty and insightfulTrade ReviewIn all the miseries which plague mankind, there is hardly anything better than such radiant humour as is given to you. Everyone must laugh with you - even those who are hit with your little arrows. * Albert Einstein to George Mikes *An instant classic -- Francis Wheen on 'How to Be an Alien'Very funny * The Economist *Bill Bryson is George Mikes' love-child -- Jeremy PaxmanThis is the vital textbook for Brits, would-be Brits, and anyone who wonders what being a Brit really means. Pass me my hot water bottle, please -- Dame Esther RantzenWise and witty -- William Cook on 'How to Be an Alien' * Spectator *Brilliantly comical -- Pico Iyer on 'How to Be an Alien' * New York Times *Mikes is a master of the laconic yet slippery put-down: "The trouble with tea is that originally it was quite a good drink" -- Henry HitchingsI love it and read it cover to cover. Also has good tips for talking about the weather, not that we need them -- Rachel JohnsonFull of the very best advice that any would-be Brit should need (and for those of us who have forgotten exactly how it is to be ourselves) it's a jolly good read * The Telegraph *How to be an Alien inspired me ... Some of his observations remain remarkably fresh and relevant 70 years later, but it's his tone that impressed me -- Erin Moore, author of That's Not EnglishBrilliantly comical -- Pico Iyer on 'How to Be an Alien' * New York Times *I used to think that Mikes's world has gone, but it has returned to us in spades via the referendum. -- Nick Fraser * The Guardian *

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Book Synopsis''Simply Brilliant'' THE SECRET BARRISTER''Passionate and brilliantly argued'' DAVID OLUSOGA''An admirably personal guide'' MARINA HYDE''Smart, analytical, self-aware and important'' ALASTAIR CAMPBELLTHE INTIMATE, REVEALING NEW BOOK FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING, PRIZE-WINNING HOW TO BE RIGHT There''s no point having a mind if you''re not willing to change it James O''Brien has built well over a million loyal listeners to his radio show by dissecting the opinions of callers live on air, every day. But winning the argument doesn''t necessarily mean you''re right. In this deeply personal book, James turns the mirror on himself to reveal what he has changed his mind about and why, and explores how examining and changing our own views is our new civic duty in a world of outrage, disagreement and echo chambers. He writes candidly about the stiff upper lip attitudes and toxic masculinity that coloured his childhood, and the therapy and personal growth that have led him question his assumptions and explore new perspectives. Laying open his personal views on everything from racial prejudice to emotional vulnerability, from fat-shaming to tattoos, he then delves into the real reasons -- often irrational or unconscious -- he holds them. Unflinchingly honest, revealing and funny, How Not to Be Wrong is a tonic for a world more divided than ever and a personal manifesto for a better way of thinking and living. Because after all, if we can''t change our own minds we''ll never really be able to change anyone else''s.Trade ReviewA model of lucidity, humour and humanity - we should be thankful that we have him * Times Literary Supplement *Simply brilliant ... Its calm but brutal honesty makes for compelling reading. This book is needed now more than ever -- The Secret BarristerJames is more right than ever -- particularly in our entrenched, binary thinking culture -- about the importance of being able to admit to being wrong -- David BaddielAn admirably personal guide to the lost art of changing your mind. James showed me how often a change of mind is really a change of heart -- Marina HydeThe conscience of liberal Britain * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author of 50 People Who Buggered Up Britain, Quentin Letts, comes his blistering new book on how Britain''s out-of-touch, illiberal elite fills its boots.''HILARIOUS'' Daily Mail''With its vicious takedowns, Quentin Letts'' laugh-out-loud Patronising Bastards will have the lefty-elite running scared'' The SunNot since Marie Antoinette said ''Let them eat cake'' have the peasants been so revolting. Western capitalism''s elites are bemused: Brexit, Trump, and maybe more eruptions to follow. But their rulers were so good to them! Hillary Clinton called the ingrates ''a basket of deplorables'', Bob Geldof flicked them a V sign, Tony Blair thought voters too thick to understand the question. Wigged judges stared down their legalistic noses at a surging, pongy populous.These people who know best, these snooterati with their faux-liberal ways, are the ''Patronising BastTrade ReviewExcellent . . . funny, enjoyable and timely * Choice *Hilarious * Daily Mail *An important social text . . . beautifully written - but do not be fooled by its humorous tone. Patronising Bastards makes some serious political points -- Peter Oborne * Daily Mail *The political columnist at his lacerating best -- Allison Pearson * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisIn 1909, US courts set out to decide whether a Turkish citizen shall be naturalised as a white person. Turkish elites had already undertaken to portray the Turks as the historic source of Western civilization, white racial stock, and human language. Examining this interaction between global racial discourses and local responses, Ergin recentres Turkish modernisation on imaginings of race.Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1: WHY THIS BOOK SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN Race and the Turkish Case Why Care About the Turkish Case? The West = Theory; The Rest = “Mere” Case Cases and National Boundaries CHAPTER 2: THE REPUBLICAN CONVERSION NARRATIVE Rewriting History CHAPTER 3: ENCOUNTERS WITH THE “WEST” Becoming White The Ghosts of the Past: Ottoman Modernization and Encounters with the West The Ottoman Interest in Race Ziya Gökalp: The Official Ideologue of the Republic? The Formation of the “Terrible Turk”: Western Perceptions The Problem of Periodization CHAPTER 4: RACE IN EARLY REPUBLICAN TURKEY Racial Vocabularies Mermaids, Fish, Humans: The Taxonomic Discourse Biometric Mobilization to Protect and Improve the Race Anthropometric Mobilization to “Discover” the Turkish Race CHAPTER 5: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS AND RACIAL DISCOURSES Intellectual Exchange and Historical Contingency The University Reform and Émigré Scholars Conflicting Loyalties: Expertise in the Service of Local and Universal Agendas Afet Inan and Eugène Pittard: Personal Interaction in Search of Anthropometric Essences CHAPTER 6: RACE IN CONTEMPORARY TURKEY Race, and Ethnicity, and Nation Race in Contemporary Turkey CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

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Book SynopsisEvery year we celebrate a cycle of seasonal holidays. The ancient Greeks called this cycle “The Dance of the Horae,” after the mythical divinities who represented the seasons. What myths sit at the foundation of our own holiday celebrations? This interdisciplinary book explores the myths and symbols that underlie our major seasonal holidays and give them their meaning. Arthur George also shows how America’s own mythmaking has shaped some holidays. This mythological approach reveals how and why holidays arose in the first place, how and why they have changed over the centuries, why they have remained important, and finally how we can celebrate them today in a more meaningful manner that can enrich our lives and better our society. George devotes particular attention to the depth psychological aspects of holidays and their corresponding myths, as well as to the insights of modern biblical scholarship for key holidays such as Easter and Christmas.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Why We Have Holidays The Nature of Things Holy, Including Days The Sociology and Psychology of Holidays Archetypal Ritual Traditions in Holidays The Development of Holidays in Pre-Literate Societies The Inevitable Fate of Holidays and their Rituals The Structure of the Course of the Seasons and this Book 2. New Year’s Day: Creation Renewed and Re-lived How Do We Decide When Is the New Year? A Holiday of Recreation, Beginnings and Endings, and Transformations Archetypal Patterns in New Year’s Rituals New Year’s Festivals in the Ancient World Babylon Egypt Israel Greece Rome New Year’s in Post-Roman Europe Celtic New Year’s The Effect of Christianization New Year’s in the British Isles Our New Year’s 3. Groundhog Day: Prophecy, Rebirth, and Renewal Why We Celebrate February 2nd The Original Meaning of the Holiday, and How it Came to Involve a Groundhog Mythology in the Film Groundhog Day 4. Valentine’s Day: How a Saint Became Eros Eros in Ancient Greece Saint Valentine Myth and Valentine’s Day Traditions 5. Unmasking Carnival Holidays of Dissolution and Reversal Ancient Greek Origins of Carnival Roman Origins of Carnival The Origins of Carnival Time in the Roman Calendar The Late-February Roman Festivals Carnival in Europe and America 6. Easter and Our Resurrection Myth and the Holiday’s Name Myth and the Original Eastertime Events Myth and the Passion of Christ Myth and the Resurrection of Christ The Evolution of Easter in Europe Easter Symbols Easter Eggs The Easter Bunny Easter Lamb New Clothes and Easter Bonnets Easter Lilies The Modern Mytho-Psychological Meaning of the Resurrection The Evolution of the God Image Christ as a Symbol of the Self, and the Meaning of the Incarnation Christ’s Suffering The Meaning of the Resurrection 7. May Day: Beltane Fires and the May Queen-Goddess The Goddess Mythology Behind May Day The Bonfire Rituals of May Eve May Day Maypole and Related Rituals The Return of the Goddess of May Day 8. National Myth: The Goddess Behind America’s Independence Day The Goddess Liberty in Ancient Times Mythical Women and Goddesses as Allegorical Personifications of Nations The Female Personification of America 9. Halloween: Eve of Transformation Greek and Roman Precedents The Anthesteria in Athens Roman Festivals of the Dead Enter Christianity All Saints’ Day All Souls’ Day The Celtic Mythical Background: Samhain The Otherworld and its Inhabitants Samhain Myths and Rituals The Transformational Communal Bonfire Feasting on Transformational Food Intoxication on Transformational Drink Divination Recitations of Poems and Reenactments of Myths No Apparent Focus on Dead Ancestors The Emergence of Halloween in Europe Halloween in North America Halloween and Transformation 10. Thanksgiving: Our American Mythmaking in Action The Nature of the “First Thanksgiving” The Development of Thanksgiving Before 1841 Thanksgiving after the Rediscovery of the “First Thanksgiving” Thanksgiving and Historical Myth 11. Christmas: New Beginnings and the Birth of the Divine Child-Hero Is the Christmas Story a Myth? Why Were the Infancy Myths Created? The Underlying Archetypal Mythology of the Christmas Story Jesus and the “Birth of the Hero” Motif The Nature and Role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’s Birth The Virginal Conception The Star The Magi, the Massacre of the Innocents, and the Flight to Egypt The Shepherds and Angelic Choir in Luke The Ending of Luke’s Infancy Story Why Did Christians Decide to Celebrate Jesus’s Birth with a Holiday, and to Hold it on December 25? How Christmas Mythology and Ritual Evolved to What We Have Today The Mythmaking behind St. Nicholas and Santa Claus The Evolution of Christmas Myth and Ritual in Europe and the United States Psychological and Modern Spiritual Aspects of the Christmas Myth The Holy Spirit and the Incarnation The Birth of Jesus and the Divine Child Motif

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Book SynopsisIn the modern information age, our brain's coping mechanisms have been overloaded, and our irrationality turned up to eleven. Amanda Montell blends cultural criticism and personal narrative to explore our modern cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages and highlights of magical overthinking.Magical thinking can be broadly defined as the belief that one''s internal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world. Whether that''s manifesting their way out of poverty, staving off cancer with positive vibes, or transforming an unhealthy relationship to a glorious one through loyalty alone.In a series of razor sharp and introspective chapters, Montell delves into cognitive biases that run rampant in our brains, from how the halo effect cultivates worship (and hatred) of larger-than-life celebrities, to how the sunk cost fallacy can keep us in detrimental relationships long after they no longer serve us.Told with her signature brilliance and wit, Montell''s prevailing message is one of hope and forgiveness for our anxiety riddled human self. If you have all but lost faith in our ability to reason through the noise of information overload, this book aims to make sense of the senseless. To crack open a window in our minds and let the fresh air in. To help quiet the cacophony for a while, and maybe, even hear a melody in it.

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Book SynopsisSUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLERThe most important book of the year' Daily MailThe brilliant and provocative new book from one of the world's foremost political writersThe anti-Western revisionists have been out in force in recent years. It is high time that we revise them in turn'In The War on the West, international bestselling author Douglas Murray asks: if the history of humankind is one of slavery, conquest, prejudice, genocide and exploitation, why are only Western nations taking the blame for it? It's become perfectly acceptable to celebrate the contributions of non-Western cultures, but discussing their flaws and crimes is called hate speech. What's more it has become acceptable to discuss the flaws and crimes of Western culture, but celebrating their contributions is also called hate speech. Some of this is a much-needed reckoning; however, some is part of a larger international attack on reason, democracy, science, progress and the citizens of the West by dishonest scholars, hatemongers, hostile nations and human-rights abusers hoping to distract from their ongoing villainy.In The War on the West, Douglas Murray shows the ways in which many well-meaning people have been lured into polarisation by lies, and shows how far the world's most crucial political debates have been hijacked across Europe and America. Propelled by an incisive deconstruction of inconsistent arguments and hypocritical activism, The War on the West is an essential and urgent polemic that cements Murray's status as one of the world's foremost political writers.Trade Review‘Murray shows not just how every aspect of western society has come under the iconoclasts’ gaze – from mathematics to music, Kew Gardens to Jane Austen – but how flimsy their case often is.’ – The Sunday Times ‘Murray writes with wonderful lucidity about the many fronts on which the West is waging war against itself. And he writes with a sense of urgency.’ – Real Clear Politics ‘Well executed… a spirited defence against the Left's assault on the Western tradition.’ – The Daily Telegraph ‘The War on the West is a monumental book leading to several pivotal realisations.’ – Lotus Eaters ‘Meticulous, measured… The War on the West is Douglas Murray’s latest blast against loony left wokery.’ – The Spectator Praise for Douglas Murray and The Madness of Crowds ‘Whether one agrees with him or not, Douglas Murray is one of the most important public intellectuals today.’ – Bernard-Henry Levy ‘This is an author who specialises in expressing what everyone sort of knows already and is afraid to say…Well argued, well supported, and well observed.’ – Lionel Shriver ‘Simply brilliant. Reading it to the end, I felt as though I’d just drawn my first full breath in years. At a moment of collective madness, there is nothing more refreshing – or indeed, provocative – than sanity.’ – Sam Harris ‘His latest book is beyond brilliant and should be read, must be read, by everyone. He mercilessly exposes the hypocrisy and embarrassingly blatant contradictions that run rife through the current ‘woke’ vouge.’ – Richard Dawkins ‘Douglas Murray fights the good fight for freedom of speech… A truthful look at today’s most divisive issues.’ – Jordan B. Peterson ‘Extraordinary. Magnificent. Searing. Necessary. I salute il miglior fabbro. ‘And whether they listen or fail to listen… they will know that the prophet has been among them’ (Ezekiel 2:5)’ – Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

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Book SynopsisThe Gothic is wildly diverse. It can refer to ecclesiastical architecture, supernatural fiction, cult horror films, and a distinctive style of rock music. It has influenced political theorists and social reformers, as well as Victorian home décor and contemporary fashion. Nick Groom shows how the Gothic has come to encompass so many meanings by telling the story of the Gothic from the ancient tribe who sacked Rome to the alternative subculture of the present day.This unique Very Short Introduction reveals that the Gothic has predominantly been a way of understanding and responding to the past. Time after time, the Gothic has been invoked in order to reveal what lies behind conventional history. It is a way of disclosing secrets, whether in the constitutional politics of seventeenth-century England or the racial politics of the United States. While contexts change, the Gothic perpetually regards the past with fascination, both yearning and horrified. It reminds us that neither societies nor individuals can escape the consequences of their actions.The anatomy of the Gothic is richly complex and perversely contradictory, and so the thirteen chapters here range deliberately widely. This is the first time that the entire story of the Gothic has been written as a continuous history: from the historians of late antiquity to the gardens of Georgian England, from the mediaeval cult of the macabre to German Expressionist cinema, from Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy to American consumer society, from folk ballads to vampires, from the past to the present. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION: A HISTORY OF THE GOTHIC IN THIRTEEN CHAPTERS; FURTHER READING

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