Cultural studies Books

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Book SynopsisA rich introduction to, and whimsical history of, the popular Mexican folk-charms known as milagros (the spanish word for miracles).

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Book SynopsisSHAUN MOORES is Professor of Media and Communications at the University of Sunderland. He is the author or co-editor of six earlier books, including Media and Everyday Life in Modern Society (2000), Media/Theory (2005) and Connectivity, Networks and Flows (2008). Several of his publications have been translated into other languages.Trade Review"Moores rejects the thesis that the world is becoming 'placeless'. Engaging critically with a broad range of social theorists, communication researchers and geographers, he shows how media have been incorporated into the experience of place." Paul Adams, University of Texas at Austin "With its powerful advocacy of a 'non-media-centric' approach, this original and carefully argued book is to be welcomed as a significant intervention in the theoretical re-assessment of the field of media studies as a whole." John Tomlinson, Nottingham Trent UniversityTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements The Situational Geography of Social Life When Space Feels Thoroughly Familiar Forms of Dwelling in a World of Flux Conclusion: Non-Media Centric Media Studies Bibliography Index.

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Book SynopsisThis study examines France''s determination to remain aloof and unaffected as the world economy threatens the French way of doing business. Describing the difficulty in initiating change in French organizations, the author tells of the obstacles he encountered in attempting to modernize the working practices of a Paris firm. His observations are based upon customs and habits peculiar to the French, yet they apply equally to all foreign cultures. Management methods, attitudes to the outside world, and the historic roots of the French mentality are viewed and explained anecdotally, based on the author''s experience of living and working in France, and are accompanied by humorous illustrations.Table of ContentsPART I Learning to Love Hierarchy; Chapter 1 The Perils of Cultural Cross-Dressing; Chapter 2 Spotting Those Barriers to Change; Chapter 3 The Big Standoff in the Workplace; Chapter 4 The Missing Interface at the Top; PART II What Makes Them Tick; Chapter 5 Managing Uncontrolled Spontaneity; Chapter 6 Privacy: Don’t Ask Me Where I Live; Chapter 7 Considering ‘Foolish Consistency’; Chapter 8 Elitism at its Best and Worst; PART III Eating and Talking – What They Do Best; Chapter 9 How Quickly the Barriers Crumble; Chapter 10 Words: The Subtlest Weapon; Chapter 11 The Crooked Road Forward;

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Book Synopsis Examine the ways in which expertise, reason, and manners are continually under attack in our institutions, courts, political arenas, and social venues with this collection from the Pulitzer Prize-winning conservative columnist. George F. Will has been one of this country’s leading columnists since 1974. He won the Pulitzer Prize for it in 1977. The Wall Street Journal once called him “perhaps the most powerful journalist in America.” In new collection, he examines a remarkably unsettling thirteen years in our nation’s experience, from 2008 to 2020. Included are a number of columns about court cases, mostly from the Supreme Court, that illuminate why the composition of the federal judiciary has become such a contentious subject. Other topics addressed include the American Revolutionary War, historical figures from Frederick Douglass to JFK, as well as a scathing assessment of how State of the Union Addresses are delivered in the modern day. Mr. Will also offers his perspective on American socialists, anti-capitalist conservatives, drug policy, the criminal justice system, climatology, the Coronavirus, the First Amendment, parenting, meritocracy and education, China, fascism, authoritarianism, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, and the morality of enjoying football. American Happiness and Discontents: The Unruly Torrent, 2008-2020 is a collection packed with wisdom and leavened by humor from one the preeminent columnists and intellectuals of our time.

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Book SynopsisANDY BENNETT is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Surrey. He is author of Popular Music and Youth Culture (Palgrave, 2000) and co-editor of Guitar Cultures (Berg, 2001). He is Chair of the UK and Ireland branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) and co-convenor of the British Sociological Association Youth Study Group.KEITH KAHN- HARRIS received his doctorate from Goldsmith College on the global Extreme Metal music scene. He has been a Fellow at the Mandel School for Advanced Educational Leadership, Jerusalem and a visiting scholar at Monash University Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, Melbourne. He currently works as an Associate Lecturer for the Open University and as an independent research consultant, specialising in the field of Jewish communal and educational development.

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Book SynopsisIdentity matters, but it matters in different ways at different times. Identity is a buzz word that we often hear about in all sorts of contexts, ranging from the concern with the self expressed through therapy, to identity crises that operate on the global arena, especially post 9/11.Trade ReviewKath Woodward's interest in identity emerges here as a coherent survey of the many elements that have gone into making the concept so central in contemporary sociology. Her experience of writing for the Open University comes through in the accessibility of her explanations and examples. The introduction stands as an essay in its own right...Woodward's approach is a breath of fresh air...so valuable for undergraduate students. SociologyTable of ContentsIntroduction / Identity Stories; Securing Identity / Maps and Journeys / Representing Identities / Embodied Identities / Routes and Roots / Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisCashmore''s controversial study argues that black culture has been converted into a commodity, usually in the interests of white owned corporations. Using detailed studies of the marketing of Motown, Michael Jackson and the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, Cashmore suggests that inflating the significance of this commodified ''black culture'' may actually be counter-productive in the struggle for racial justice.Table of Contents1 CRACK IN THE WALL 2 ONCE PAIN AND HUNGER HAVE BEEN REMOVED 3 IRONY TO SOME, THEFT TO OTHERS 4 WHITE BOSS IN A BLACK INDUSTRY 5 ARMED TO THE TEETH 6 FURTHEST FROM THE MONEY 7 BACK TO THE HOLY WATERS 8 REJECTING IT, LIVING UP TO IT 9 INFANT ICON 10 YOUR NAME IS 11 BROTHERS AND OTHERS 12 AMERICA’S PARADOX

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