Cultural studies Books

Book SynopsisThe third edition of the highly-acclaimed Contemporary British Society is the only textbook to provide comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the social structure of modern Britain. Completely revised and updated, this new edition employs the very latest statistical information and empirical studies, and examines all the new arguments and debates concerning modern British society. Separate chapters explore the major areas of modern life in Britain - economic organization, employment, patterns of inequality, class, gender, ethnicity, family and households, education, health, media, deviance and politics. New to this edition are chapters on globalization, associations, and leisure. The emphasis throughout the book is on an accessible, user-friendly, and non-technical approach. It is written in a jargon-free and approachable style; there is extensive cross-referencing and frequent and clear summarizing of arguments; and numerous photographs, diagrams, grapTrade Review'The combination of theoretical sophistication and up-to-date empirical evidence makes this new edition of this highly successful textbook valuable to students and their teachers alike.' Professor Rosemary Crompton, City University 'The first two editions have established this as clearly the outstanding textbook on contemporary Britain. The third edition consolidates and advances this reputation. This book is highly readable and comprehensive in its coverage, and it makes such wide reference to recent research that it will be of interest not only to students but also to lecturers, researchers, and even the general public. This is an exemplary textbook in every respect.' Professor Mike Savage, Department of Sociology, Manchester University 'This is an admirable introduction to sociology and the understanding of contemporary British society. The authors have maintained the clarity and incisiveness of earlier editions while substantially revising the content. It provides a comprehensive coverage of developments in sociology and society over the last decade.' Stephen Hill, Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics 'Now in its 3rd edition, Contemporary British Society is starting to take-on the appearance of a standard A-level textbook, with many of the major specification areas now covered. The focus, however, is less upon superficial coverage of numerous topics and more upon the comprehensive coverage of a range of significant aspects of each specification area, written by a specialist in each field ... the book contains a mass of illustrative material (tables, diagrams, box-outs) that lightens the text and provides potentially useful interpretive material for teachers.' Sociology Central 'As cogent and accessible an account of the social structure of a particular modern society as could be required.' Times Higher Education SupplementTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. How to Use this Book. Maps. List of Plates. 1. Introduction. 2. Globalization. 3. Economic Organization. 4. Employment. 5. Patterns of Inequality and Social Mobility. 6. Social Classes. 7. Gender. 8. Ethnicity and Racism. 9. Families and Households. 10. Associations. 11. Leisure. 12. The Media. 13. The State and Politics. 14. Education. 15. Health. 16. Deviance, Crime and Control. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisIn December 1945 Thomas Mann wrote a famous letter to Adorno in which he formulated the principle of montage adopted in his novel Doctor Faustus. The writer expressly invited the philosopher to ''consider, with me, how such a work - and I mean Leverkuhn''s work - could more or less be practically realized''. Their close collaboration on questions concerning the character of the fictional composer''s putatively late works (Adorno produced specific sketches which are included as an appendix to the present volume) effectively laid the basis for a further exchange of letters.The ensuing correspondence between the two men documents a rare encounter of creative tension between literary tradition and aesthetic modernism which would be sustained right up until the novelist''s death in 1955. In the letters, Thomas Mann openly acknowledged his ''fascinated reading'' of Adorno''s Minima Moralia and commented in detail on the ''Essay on Wagner'', which he was as eager to read as ''the Trade Review"These letters provide us with a unique overview of the period and offer interesting and enlightening perspectives on even mundane aspects of daily life, as well as bringing us closer to the characters in question by allowing us a special insight into thir peculiar foibles and eccentricities." Musical Times "Major composers who befriend major philosophers, and vice-versa, are hardly numerous in the history of Western culture. Alban Berg's relationship with Theodor W. Adorno as teacher and colleague ranks with that between Richard Wagner and Friedrich Nietzsche, with the difference that Berg's and Adorno's genuine affection for each other, and their magnificent insight into each other’s work, remained constant to the end. Their correspondence is one of the landmarks of the early twentieth century and its music – a beacon of light in desperate times." John Deathridge, King’s College London "Sensitively translated and skillfully edited, the Adorno-Berg Correspondence represents scholarship eminently worthy of this extraordinary collection of letters between two twentieth-century intellectual-artistic giants. Adorno's composition lessons with Berg lasted for only a few months, but the impact transformed his understanding of modern music in particular and aesthetics in general. Berg, in turn, respected his pupil’s abilities as a composer, just as he clearly benefited, both intellectually and emotionally, from young Adorno’s profound insight into his master’s music. Though separated in age by nearly two decades, the two men formed a relationship born of deep affection and still deeper shared respect that lasted until Berg's untimely and sudden death. The collected correspondence makes available for the first time in English a body of texts that will add significantly to our understanding of Adorno and Berg as well as their breathtaking accomplishments." Richard Leppert, University of MinnesotaTable of ContentsEditor's Note. Translator's Note. Correspondence 1943-1955. Appendix I: Letters from Adorno to Helene Berg 1935-1949. Appendix II: Other Correspondence. Bibliographical Listing. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a clear and concise introduction to the concept of consumption and to the wide--ranging debates about the nature and consequences of consumer society. Community and social class appear to be in irreversible decline.Trade Review"Written with unusual clarity and confidence, this small book packs a big intellectual punch. No one interested in new work in the sociology of consumption should be without it." Charles Lemert, Wesleyan University Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. 1. Consumption as a Key Concept. 2. Production and Consumption. 3. Consumer Society: Utopia or Dystopia?. 4. Living in Consumer Society. 5. McDonaldization and Disneyization. 6. Consumer Activism. References. Inndex.

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Book SynopsisConfronting Culture offers a clear and accessible discussion and analysis of the complex field of the sociology of culture, and how it compares with approaches developed within cultural studies. * An accessible guide to the complex field of the sociological study of culture.Trade Review"This is a most satisfying book! It covers so much, so well – the entire field of culture and its various interpretations. I do not know of any book quite like it." Charles Lemert, Wesleyan University "This original and admirable textbook fills an important gap in the literature. The “sociology of culture” has crucial implications for our understanding of the concept of culture itself, so the book should appeal not just to students of sociology, but also to that far wider constituency, the area of “cultural studies”. No other text, to my knowledge, fulfils this function and the authors have risen to the challenge of covering such a large compass of material very successfully." John Tomlinson, Nottingham Trent University "Confronting Culture is a truly excellent contribution to the enhancement of the sociology of culture. It combines beautifully a direct appreciation of the significance of culture with an acute analytical perspicuousness." Roland Robertson, University of Aberdeen "This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the sociology of culture. The authors argue that the sociological study of culture is crucial for understanding what goes on both within and between particular groups and societies, and more generally for understanding human social life. They provide a detailed definition of culture, and relate it to sociological approaches developed in Germany, France, Great Britain and the United States. In particular, attention is paid to the Frankfurt School, British and American mass cultural theorists, the work of Bourdieu, and poststructuralist and postmodernist thought. The impact of globalisation and reflexivity upon culture and its study is also addressed. The authors conclude that the sociology of culture will continue to make an important contribution to understanding fundamental aspects of the human condition." Sage Race RelationsTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction: Sociology and Culture. 1. Setting Up the Terrain: Classical Sociology and Culture. 2. High German Seriousness: The Frankfurt School on Culture. 3. An American Tragedy? Mass Culture in the USA. 4. Reading from Right to Left: Culturalism in England. 5. The Empire of Signs: The Semiotics of Culture. 6. Phantasmagoria: Postmodernism and Culture. 7. In the French Style: The Sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. 8. The Land of the Free? Production of Culture in America and Elsewhere. Conclusion: Globalization, Reflecivity and the Future. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisConfronting Culture offers a clear and accessible discussion and analysis of the complex field of the sociology of culture, and how it compares with approaches developed within cultural studies. * An accessible guide to the complex field of the sociological study of culture.Trade Review"This is a most satisfying book! It covers so much, so well – the entire field of culture and its various interpretations. I do not know of any book quite like it." Charles Lemert, Wesleyan University "This original and admirable textbook fills an important gap in the literature. The “sociology of culture” has crucial implications for our understanding of the concept of culture itself, so the book should appeal not just to students of sociology, but also to that far wider constituency, the area of “cultural studies”. No other text, to my knowledge, fulfils this function and the authors have risen to the challenge of covering such a large compass of material very successfully." John Tomlinson, Nottingham Trent University "Confronting Culture is a truly excellent contribution to the enhancement of the sociology of culture. It combines beautifully a direct appreciation of the significance of culture with an acute analytical perspicuousness." Roland Robertson, University of Aberdeen "This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the sociology of culture. The authors argue that the sociological study of culture is crucial for understanding what goes on both within and between particular groups and societies, and more generally for understanding human social life. They provide a detailed definition of culture, and relate it to sociological approaches developed in Germany, France, Great Britain and the United States. In particular, attention is paid to the Frankfurt School, British and American mass cultural theorists, the work of Bourdieu, and poststructuralist and postmodernist thought. The impact of globalisation and reflexivity upon culture and its study is also addressed. The authors conclude that the sociology of culture will continue to make an important contribution to understanding fundamental aspects of the human condition." Sage Race RelationsTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction: Sociology and Culture. 1. Setting Up the Terrain: Classical Sociology and Culture. 2. High German Seriousness: The Frankfurt School on Culture. 3. An American Tragedy? Mass Culture in the USA. 4. Reading from Right to Left: Culturalism in England. 5. The Empire of Signs: The Semiotics of Culture. 6. Phantasmagoria: Postmodernism and Culture. 7. In the French Style: The Sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. 8. The Land of the Free? Production of Culture in America and Elsewhere. Conclusion: Globalization, Reflecivity and the Future. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisWritten by Hans Joas, one of Europea s leading social theorists. Asks how contemporary social and political thought can come to terms with the ongoing proliferation of war and state violence. Draws on a wide range of material, from World War I and Vietnam to the Gulf War and the conflicts in the Balkans.Trade Review‘Though war remains central to society, it has been peripheral to recent sociological theory. Hans Joas helps remedy that with penetrating critiques of Marxian, realist and, especially, liberal views of war.’ Michael Mann, University of California “War and Modernity is a path-breaking book which explores in a very incisive way a subject which has not been systematically addressed in the social sciences, namely the relations between war and modernity. Contrary to the optimistic views which see war as a survival of “primitive” urges, Joas shows convincingly how war constitutes a basic component of modernity. The book is a distinct contribution.” S.N. Eisenstadt, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem "...International Relations scholars should find the analysis of some familiar issues from a different angle illuminating, and they will find some important discussions and reconstructions of social thought in the context of war...much of value to be found in this volume" Bryan Mabee "A valuable contribution to the reflection of sociology on war and violence." American Journal of SociologyTable of ContentsPreface vii Introduction: Wars and Values 1 Part I The Modernity of War 27 1 The Dream of a Modernity without Violence 29 2 The Modernity of War: Modernization Theory and the Problem of Violence 43 3 Ideologies of War: The First World War as Reflected in the Contemporary Social Sciences 55 Part II After War 83 4 After the War: Democracy and Anti-Communism in Berlin after 1945 85 5 After the Cold War: The Collapse of the German Democratic Republic (with Martin Kohli) 95 6 Sprayed and Betrayed: The Experience of Violence in the Vietnam War and its Consequences 111 Part III War and Violence in Social Theory 123 7 Between Power Politics and Pacifist Utopia: Peace and War in Sociology Theory 125 8 Is There a Militarist Tradition in Sociology? 141 9 Sociology after Auschwitz: Zygmunt Bauman’s Work and the Problems of German Self-Understanding 163 10 War the Risk Society? 180 11 War the Teacher? 180 12 Action Theory and the Dynamics of Violence 187 Notes 197 Bibliography 225 Name Index 242 Subject Index 246

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Book SynopsisThose who love and live by art, tell us that it is the most exalted expression of civilized life. In this provocative new book Jonathan Dollimore argues that, far from confirming humane values, literature more often than not violates them.Trade Review‘In his original and exciting new book, Jonathan Dollimore sets out to liberate art from contemporary conservative and radical agendas, both of which, as he brilliantly shows, weaken the power of art by their naive faith in its cultural and moral efficacy. Great literature, like the best psychoanalytic theory, argues for the inevitable conflict between humane values and human desire: if we could agree to trust art less we might begin to accord it the seriousness it deserves.' Leo Bersani, University of California at Berkeley ‘No one grasps more fully than Jonathan Dollimore the challenges, evasions and deceptions in the volatile theorizing of identity and desire, past and present. His brilliant, theoretical synthesis combines with graphic experiential and literary analysis to render Sex, Literature and Censorship never less than enthralling. Erudite, provocative and delightful to read, what more could he do for us?' Lynne Segal, author of Why Feminism? ‘Jonathan Dollimore's Sex, Literature and Censorship continues his remarkably resonant inquiry into the darker, defiant regions of the creative imagination. The ethical aim of critical thinking, Dollimore provocatively suggests, requires us to intervene in the corporate consensus of the culture industry, and to resist the pedagogical etiquette of academia. He argues that we must explore the daemonic power of those subjects and objects that offend our tastes and traditions. We applaud and oppose him, following the dialectical destiny of dissidence to which he has skilfully introduced us.' Homi K. Bhabha, Harvard University '[A] feverish, political polemic.' Steven Poole, The Guardian 'Dollimore speaks an important truth when he suggests that some of the most compelling literature, past and present, hinges on the tension between, if not the incompatibility of, "the ethical conscience and the creative imagination".' The Independent 'Looking at the contradictions of identity-based sexual politics movements, [Dollimore] examines the ethics of knowledge and practice that circulate around ideas of danger - dangers to the self, dangerous knowledge - connecting these with questions posed by art as a site of danger in itself.' Radical Philosophy 'Sex, Literature, and Censorship is a book worth reading; it says provocative things we will ponder long after setting it down' Times Literary Supplement 'Biographical and autobiographical anecdote are one of the chief amusements of this book. Dollimore tells us of his first gay affair, his subsequent relationship with a woman, his particular sexual preferences. It is calculated to shock, performing the dissidence it preaches. Indeed, if I have criticism of the book, it is that it has nothing to say about the tenderness of sexual desire, but that probably reveals precisely how unradical i am.' Times Higher Education SupplementTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Preface. Part I: Desire and Theory. Chapter 1: ' Too Hot For Yale'? The Challenge of Queer Theory. Chapter 2: The New Bisexuality. Chapter 3: Wishful Theory. Chapter 4: Sexual Disgust . Part II: Dangerous Knowledge. Chapter 5: Daemonic Desires. Chapter 6: Dangers Within. Part III: Desire and Art. Chapter 7: Those Who Love Art the Most Also Censor it the Most. Chapter 8: Critical Wars and Academic Censors. Chapter 9: Shakespeare at the Limits of Political Criticism. Chapter 10: The Aesthetic Attraction of Fascism. Chapter 11: Desire: Art Against Philosophy?. Conclusion. Notes. Bibliography. Name Index. Subject Index

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Book SynopsisIn this new book, Slavoj i ek and Glyn Daly engage in a series of entertaining conversations which illustrate the originality of i ek's thinking on psychoanalysis, philosophy, multiculturalism, popular/cyber culture, totalitarianism, ethics and politics.Trade Review"Slavoj Žižek has put the Soul back into philosophy." TLS "Audacious and vertiginous, this book is everything one expects from him, a heady mix of psychoanalysis, politics, theology, philosophy, and cultural studies that will leave the reader both exhausted and exhilarated. For those wishing to gain a brief overview of his central thesis or his application of Lacan to cultural studies, this is an informal and opportune text, an excellent introduction to Žižek by Žižek." -Marcus Pound, Bristol University "I am very impressed by how Žižek continues book after book to clarify, revise and deepen his thinking. This volume-ideal for the beginner, but with plenty to offer the practiced reader of Žižek as well- is a superb snapshot of where this most restless, iconoclastic and essential of contemporary theorists stands at the moment." – Henry Staten, University of Washington, Seattle. "Glyn Daly succeeds here in punctuating the febrile forward rush of one of the most distinctive and influential voices of our time, making it curl a little more deliberately around questions many would want to ask Žižek responds with wily candour, offering up original and substantive theoretical speculation alongside bits of professional biography and new glosses on his favorite cultural examples. As invigorating and substantial a conversation as any one is likely to come upon. – Joan Copjec, author of Imagine There’s No WomanTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. Contexts and horizons: Opening the Space of Philosophy. 2. The Madness of Reason: Encounters of the Real Kind. 3. Subject of Modernity: Virtuality and the Fragility of the Real. 4. Tolerance and the Intolerable: Enjoyment, Ethics and Event. 5. Miracles do happen: Globalization(s) and Politics

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Book Synopsis''Baudrillard and the Media'' is the first in-depth critical study of Jean Baudrillard''s media theory. Rejecting the common positioning of Baudrillard within the discipline as a postmodernist it argues instead for the necessity of a fuller reading of his ideas and critical project. Merrin offers an overview and evaluation of his key arguments and themes, focusing especially upon the organising principle of his work: his theory of symbolic exchange and critique of the semiotic and of simulation. Upon this basis the book also resituates Baudrillard within media theory, developing an original, critical re-reading of his relationship with McLuhanism and arguing for the significance instead of hitherto neglected influences such as Boorstin. Emphasizing his critical value and contemporary relevance, ''Baudrillard and the Media'' also provides the most detailed exploration yet of Baudrillard''s theory of the non-event, considering its applicability throTrade Review‘Finally we have a book-length study of Baudrillard’s writing from the vantage point of media studies. Merrin is an excellent guide to what is arguably the central thread in the work of the theorist of simulations.’ – Mark Poster, University of California, Irvine ‘William Merrin has written a significant and original book that will transform conventional understandings of Jean Baudrillard’s alleged "postmodern" media theory. His radical Durkheimian interpretation, critique and conclusions will be seriously debated in media and communications studies and deserved so. Baudrillard and the Media is essential reading for anyone interested in Baudrillard or contemporary theories of media and simulation, symbolic exchange and semiotics.’ –John Armitage, Northumbria UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction: 'There is No Theory of the Media': Baudrillard and Media Studies 1. Television is Killing the Art of Symbolic Exchange: Baudrillard's Theory of Communication 2. To Play With Phantoms: The Evil Demon of the Simulacrum 3. Are Friends Electric?: Baudrillard's Critique of McLuhan 4. The Delirious Spectacle of the Non-Event 5. Shreds of War Rotting in the Desert 6. 'Total Screen': 9/11 and The Gulf War: Reloaded 7. 'The Matrix Has You': Virtuality and Social Control 8. 'The Saving Power': The 'Reflex Miracle' of Photography Conclusion: 'Speculation to the Death': Baudrillard's Theoretical Violence Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisHow adequate are our theories of globalisation for analysing the worlds we share with others? In this provocative new book, Henrietta Moore asks us to step back and re-examine in a fresh way the interconnections normally labeled 'globalisation'.Trade Review"A provocative analysis of globalization from an anthropological perspective, rich in ethnographic cases from Africa to Japan to the virtual world of the Second Life … This is a timely volume that will provide for valuable debates on epistemology in anthropology." Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute "This ambitious and wide-ranging work draws together diverse threads of contemporary social and cultural thought. Its generous readings of recent ethnography and social theory are noteworthy for their emphasis on inventiveness and hope, in contrast to the dark visions that mark many familiar accounts of globalization." Webb Keane, University of Michigan "A very rich book, both in its challenging ideas and in the vivid ethnographic examples that help to ground these ideas. Most welcome is the plea for a more forward-looking notion of culture and more interest in people's creativity as inspired by new technical and politico-economic developments. The book addresses some major new challenges for anthropology and social science in general. Its originality and its masterful handling of a broad range of theories and ethnographies make it a true source of inspiration." Peter Geschiere, University of Amsterdam Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. Chapter One: Thinking Again. Chapter Two: Still Life. Chapter Three: Slips of the Tongue. Chapter Four: Other Modes of Transport. Chapter Five: Second Nature. Chapter Six: Arts of the Possible. Chapter Seven: New Passions for Difference. Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisCrime in an Insecure World investigates the alarming trend across Western societies of treating every imaginable source of harm as a crime. It locates this trend in the 21st century obsession with insecurity fostered by neo-liberal governments.Trade Review"This book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of how nations exploit and negotiate risk. It also provides a powerful analysis of mass criminalisation across the globe and will therefore be a fascinating read for academics and for policymakers." —Simon Davies, Times Higher Education Supplement "As the title suggests, Richard Ericson’s Crime in an Insecure World captures the central developments facing late modern society, all of which contribute to the decline of criminal law. Ericson delivers a deep and compelling analysis of an unraveling civil society that produces not only a culture of control but also a culture of suspicion. Written in a straightforward style, the book helps us understand how structural realignments in a neo-liberal regime shape our perceptions of crime and disorder." —Michael Welch, London School of Economics and Political Science "Crime in an Insecure World demonstrates all the virtues of clarity and scholarship that we have come to expect in Ericson’s work. In this timely statement these are joined with a more urgent, morally engaged, even prophetic voice. Ericson urges us to see more clearly that our yearning for an impossible security may yet prove ruinous for our legal order, our civil society and indeed the very safety that we so crave. This powerful and cogent analysis deserves the widest possible audience." —Richard Sparks, University of EdinburghTable of ContentsList of Illustrations and Figures. Acknowledgments. 1 Crime in an Insecure World. 2 National Security. 3 Social Security. 4 Corporate Security. 5 Domestic Security. 6 Insecurity. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisWe spend more time shopping than doing anything else, after sleep and work. So why is it not taken more seriously? The answer: we take shopping for granted. Indeed, culture can only work by being taken for granted.Trade Review"Jenny Shaw demonstrates that shopping is far more than buying, having, or hoarding possessions. Read Shopping and you will see that shopping possesses us. Each chapter shows how shopping is deeply entwined with our passions and memories, our passage through life, and social class. It's a wonderful sociology of everyday life."Sharon Zukin, Brooklyn College and City University Graduate Center and author of Point of Purchase "A timely, informative and engaging account, highly readable and refreshingly free of jargon. This book stands out for its skilful and seamless integration of a wealth of detailed observation with a strongly theoretical approach. An invaluable tool in courses on culture, consumption and everyday life."Ekaterina Makarova, University of VirginiaTable of ContentsChapter 1 Shopping in the RainChapter 2 From Thrift to Spendthrift: How Buying Turned Into SpendingChapter 3 A la Recherche des Shops PerdusChapter 4 Signposts and Shopping Milestones: Too Old For Topshop?Chapter 5 Shopping: A Rough Guide to GenderChapter 6 Putting on a Posh VoiceChapter 7 Conclusion: Taking it all For GrantedBibliography

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Book SynopsisWe spend more time shopping than doing anything else, after sleep and work. So why is it not taken more seriously? The answer: we take shopping for granted. Indeed, culture can only work by being taken for granted.Trade Review"Jenny Shaw demonstrates that shopping is far more than buying, having, or hoarding possessions. Read Shopping and you will see that shopping possesses us. Each chapter shows how shopping is deeply entwined with our passions and memories, our passage through life, and social class. It's a wonderful sociology of everyday life."Sharon Zukin, Brooklyn College and City University Graduate Center and author of Point of Purchase "A timely, informative and engaging account, highly readable and refreshingly free of jargon. This book stands out for its skilful and seamless integration of a wealth of detailed observation with a strongly theoretical approach. An invaluable tool in courses on culture, consumption and everyday life."Ekaterina Makarova, University of VirginiaTable of ContentsChapter 1 Shopping in the RainChapter 2 From Thrift to Spendthrift: How Buying Turned Into SpendingChapter 3 A la Recherche des Shops PerdusChapter 4 Signposts and Shopping Milestones: Too Old For Topshop?Chapter 5 Shopping: A Rough Guide to GenderChapter 6 Putting on a Posh VoiceChapter 7 Conclusion: Taking it all For GrantedBibliography

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Book SynopsisThe Posthuman offers both an introduction and major contribution to contemporary debates on the posthuman. Digital 'second life', genetically modified food, advanced prosthetics, robotics and reproductive technologies are familiar facets of our globally linked and technologically mediated societies.Trade Review"The Posthuman makes a vital contribution to feminist scholarship across disciplines… Braidotti’s reading of contemporary issues is out of the box: challenging, encouraging and inspiring." Feminist Review "An important and generative step toward new theories and scholarship and a welcome addition to Braidotti’s already formidable canon." H+ Magazine "Shows remarkable clarity and concision even as it lays out highly technical, complexly theoretical, and deeply interdisciplinary concepts." Choice ''This is a rather startling work that requires heavy concentration on the part of the reader to follow the brilliant thinking of the author. Rosi Braidotti, a contemporary philosopher and feminist theoretician, `makes a case for an alternative view on subjectivity, ethics and emancipation and pitches diversity against the postmodernist risk of cultural relativism, while also standing against the tenets of liberal individualism.' Throughout her work, Braidotti asserts and demonstrates the importance of combining theoretical concerns with a serious commitment to producing socially and politically relevant scholarship that contributes to making a difference in the world.'' Grady Harp, Literary Aficionado "This is an exciting and important text, full of intellectual brilliance and insight. It will make a major mark." Henrietta L. Moore, University of Cambridge "Braidotti's exhilarating survey of the constellation of posthumanity is lucid, learned and provocative. It will be an essential point of reference in future debates about the central philosophical problem of our age." Paul Gilroy, King’s College London "Debates over humanism and post-humanism have been fought over from feminist philosophy to literary theory and post-colonial studies. This latest work by Rosi Braidotti presents us with a clear-headed glimpse of some of the hard choices we have before us. Braidotti knows the philosophy, cares about the politics, and empathizes with those who have been shoved aside in these brutal last hundred years. She shows us how feminism, technoscientific infrastructure and political strands cross, sometimes with sparks." Peter Galison, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments viIntroduction 1Chapter One: Post-humanism: Life beyond the Self 13Chapter Two: Post-anthropocentrism: Life beyond the Species 55Chapter Three: The Inhuman: Life beyond Death 105Chapter Four: Posthuman Humanities; Life beyond Theory 143Conclusion 186References 198Index 214

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Book Synopsis* One of the first volumes in Polity s new Theory and Media series. * Introduces cult hypermodern philosopher, Paul Virilio, specifically to students of media and cultural studies. * Presents an introduction to Virilio s important media related ideas, theories and concepts.Trade Review'Armitage has captured the essence of Virilio’s intellectual media related ideas in a user-friendly fashion.' M/C Reviews 'If Paul Virilio is the essential guide to understanding the digital future that is the 21st century, then John Amitage's brilliant account of Virilio and the Media explores the essence of Virilio's intellectual vision: its aesthetics, new media critique, political theory, cinematic analysis, and creative technological disturbance. Here, the writing of Paul Virilio becomes a vivid, haunting reminder of that which has been lost and gained with the disappearance of culture, society and politics into the language of new media.' Arthur Kroker, Canada Research Chair in Technology, Culture and Theory, University of Victoria, Canada 'Paul Virilio is a canary in the mine of contemporaneity. For him, new communications media have remade the world as speed, accident, ubiquitous militarisation and the loss of the dimension of the real. Armitage is uniquely positioned to articulate the richness and urgency of Virilio's media critique.' Sean Cubitt, University of Southampton 'John Armitage proves himself the leading English-language interpreter of Virilio's unique body of work. Focusing on Virilio's pioneering understanding of the transformative impact of media technologies, Armitage establishes a cogent and clear-sighted trajectory, and makes a powerful argument for both the strategic and ethical value of Virilio's thought.' Scott McQuire, University of MelbourneTable of ContentsAcknowledgments viii Introduction 1 1 The Aesthetics of Disappearance 24 2 Cinema, War, and the Logistics of Perception 47 3 New Media: Vision, Inertia, and the Mobile Phone 71 4 City of Panic: The Instrumental Image Loop of Television and Media Events 95 5 The Work of the Critic of the Art of Technology: The Museum of Accidents 117 Conclusion 140 Guide to Further Reading 150 Glossary 158 References 164 Index 172

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Book Synopsis* One of the first volumes in Polity s new Theory and Media series. * Introduces cult hypermodern philosopher, Paul Virilio, specifically to students of media and cultural studies. * Presents an introduction to Virilio s important media related ideas, theories and concepts.Trade Review'Armitage has captured the essence of Virilio’s intellectual media related ideas in a user-friendly fashion.' M/C Reviews 'If Paul Virilio is the essential guide to understanding the digital future that is the 21st century, then John Amitage's brilliant account of Virilio and the Media explores the essence of Virilio's intellectual vision: its aesthetics, new media critique, political theory, cinematic analysis, and creative technological disturbance. Here, the writing of Paul Virilio becomes a vivid, haunting reminder of that which has been lost and gained with the disappearance of culture, society and politics into the language of new media.' Arthur Kroker, Canada Research Chair in Technology, Culture and Theory, University of Victoria, Canada 'Paul Virilio is a canary in the mine of contemporaneity. For him, new communications media have remade the world as speed, accident, ubiquitous militarisation and the loss of the dimension of the real. Armitage is uniquely positioned to articulate the richness and urgency of Virilio's media critique.' Sean Cubitt, University of Southampton 'John Armitage proves himself the leading English-language interpreter of Virilio's unique body of work. Focusing on Virilio's pioneering understanding of the transformative impact of media technologies, Armitage establishes a cogent and clear-sighted trajectory, and makes a powerful argument for both the strategic and ethical value of Virilio's thought.' Scott McQuire, University of MelbourneTable of ContentsAcknowledgments viii Introduction 1 1 The Aesthetics of Disappearance 24 2 Cinema, War, and the Logistics of Perception 47 3 New Media: Vision, Inertia, and the Mobile Phone 71 4 City of Panic: The Instrumental Image Loop of Television and Media Events 95 5 The Work of the Critic of the Art of Technology: The Museum of Accidents 117 Conclusion 140 Guide to Further Reading 150 Glossary 158 References 164 Index 172

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Book SynopsisLooks at changes in technology, policy, economy and society, and makes an argument for a future where, by necessity, the car system will be re-designed and re-engineered. This book suggests that there are some hugely bleak dilemmas facing the twenty first century. It lays out what the authors' consider to be possible 'post-car' future scenarios.Trade Review"Dennis and Urry show us how to do social science: how to move effortlessly between the macro and the micro,how to integrate problem spaces we once thought incommensurate, how to understand how we got to where we are and where we might be going."Journal of Sociology "Dennis and Urry exhibit a refreshing understanding of the sheer inefficiency and inconvenience of cars."Lynsey Hanley, The Guardian "One great aspect of this book is that it manages to build some possible and realistic view of the future without neglecting its unpredictability. After the Car is a very inspiring book that we would recommend to all people interested in the future of transportation systems – especially those convinced by the importance of carfree perspectives in building it."Carbusters "One of the toughest things to do is to anticipate discontinuity, to envisage a world - a life - beyond the car. The authors practice this art of the impossible in a fascinating way, opening up the social and sociological imagination for alternative paths of modernization."Ulrich Beck, University of Munich "A persuasive and readable summary of why motoring as we know it is doomed. The authors systematically chart the new technologies, oil shortages, environmental and other pressures changing the way we travel and the world we live in. If you want to know what the future might look like, this book is for you. Jeremy Clarkson is an endangered species!"Steven Joseph, Executive Director, Campaign for Better Transport "After the Car is a useful contribution to the debate about the role of the car which poses some interesting questions about its future."Tony Bosworth, Friends of the EarthTable of ContentsPreface vi 1 Changing Climates 1 2 The Century of the Car 27 3 Systems 47 4 Technologies 62 5 Organizations 93 6 Models 109 7 Scenarios 131 Notes 165 Index 203

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Book SynopsisThe world of the future will be a tighter and tighter struggle against the limits of our intelligence, announced Norbert Wiener... On top of such confinement, today we are faced not only with the greenhouse effect of global warming but also that of incarceration within the tighter and tighter limits of an accelerating sphere, a dromosphere, where depletion of the time distances involved in the geodiversity of the Globe rounds off the depletion of the substances produced by biodiversity. An unanticipated victim of this geophysical foreclosure is science - not only biology but also physics, the Big Science now confronted by the space-time contraction of the known world and of knowledge once acquired here below. Whence the threat, still unnoticed, of an accident in knowledge which will double the accident of polluted substances and put paid to this crisis of reason denounced by Husserl, with the extravagant quest for a substitute exoplanet, a new Promised Land to be colonised asTrade Review"Whether analyzing anthropology or philosophy, architecture, poetry, war, or geopolitics, Paul Virilio's The University of Disaster employs a razor-sharp intellect and remarkable scholarship. It reveals contemporary French critical cultural theory to be a startling yet insightful field for anybody concerned with the global debates on technoscience, subjectivity, reality, and temporality."—John Armitage, Northumbria University "Paul Virilio has long been one of the most fascinating and provocative thinkers of our contemporary moment. In The University of Disaster, Virilio advances his thinking on the crises of the present age, and continues developing his original thinking on time, space, speed, technology, politics and the human sciences mixed in with reflections on contemporary events and thought. Once again, Virilio reveals himself to be a major theorist of our era whose thought continues to develop novel positions and provocations in the new millennium."—Douglas Kellner, UCLATable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction I The Sublime and The Abject II Sade Pro and Contra Sade III Dark Enlightenment or Barbaric Science? IV The Auschwitz Confessions V The Perverse Society Bibliography

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Book Synopsis'The world of the future will be a tighter and tighter struggle against the limits of our intelligence', announced Norbert Wiener.Trade Review"Whether analyzing anthropology or philosophy, architecture, poetry, war, or geopolitics, Paul Virilio's The University of Disaster employs a razor-sharp intellect and remarkable scholarship. It reveals contemporary French critical cultural theory to be a startling yet insightful field for anybody concerned with the global debates on technoscience, subjectivity, reality, and temporality."—John Armitage, Northumbria University "Paul Virilio has long been one of the most fascinating and provocative thinkers of our contemporary moment. In The University of Disaster, Virilio advances his thinking on the crises of the present age, and continues developing his original thinking on time, space, speed, technology, politics and the human sciences mixed in with reflections on contemporary events and thought. Once again, Virilio reveals himself to be a major theorist of our era whose thought continues to develop novel positions and provocations in the new millennium."—Douglas Kellner, UCLATable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction I The Sublime and The Abject II Sade Pro and Contra Sade III Dark Enlightenment or Barbaric Science? IV The Auschwitz Confessions V The Perverse Society Bibliography

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Book SynopsisWalter Benjamin (1892-1940), one of the most original and perceptive thinkers of the twentieth century, offered a unique insight into the profound impact of the media on modern society. Jaeho Kang s book offers a lucid introduction to Benjamin s theory of the media and its continuing relevance today.Trade Review"In Walter Benjamin and the Media Jaeho Kang strikes a near perfect balance between biographical narrative and theoretical analysis. In doing so, Benjamin�s media critique is fully contextualised removing any notion of obsolescence which may arise from a contemporary reading." LSE Review of Books For too long Walter Benjamin's lapidary texts have merely sparkled in the distance, unintegrated into everyday analyses of media and communications research. Jaeho Kang's fluent and energetic new reading of Benjamin's writings on radio, storytelling, media industries, and urban culture reinvigorates our connection with this great 20th century thinker of cultural change. Kang's beautifully organised book provides us with a welcome toolkit for grasping today's high-speed reconfiguration of our once familiar media landscapes. Nick Couldry, London School of Economics We know of Walter Benjamin in several guises: failed academic, brilliant journalist, messianic writer. But do we really know about Benjamin the media theorist, beyond �Work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction�? Jaeho Kang takes us across disciplines along the intensely original intellectual journey that led Benjamin to the media. Brilliant and grave, erudite and luminous, Kang�s book invites us to share Benjamin�s incandescent curiosity. Daniel Dayan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris "Kang's exploration of the relationship between Banjamin's media theorizing of McLuhan and Baudrillard renders Walter Benjamin and the Media a substantial achievement that is well worth a read."H-Net ReviewsTable of ContentsAbbreviations ix Acknowledgements xi 1 Introducing Dr Benjamin 1 There and Then, Here and Now 1 Figuring Benjamin 5 Configuring Benjamin 15 2 The Crisis of Communication and the Information Industry 24 Introduction 24 Storytelling and the Crisis of the Novel 26 The Newspaper and the Information Industry 38 The Intellectuals in the Age of Mass Media 50 Conclusion 62 3 Radio and Mediated Storytelling 65 Introduction 65 Towards a Critical Sociology of the Audience 68 Radio Model 74 Some Motifs for Media Pedagogy 85 Conclusion 97 4 Art and Politics in the Age of their Technological Reproducibility 100 Introduction 100 Photographic Reproducibility 102 The Media Culture of Distraction 117 Media and Democracy 129 Conclusion 147 5 The Media City: Reading The Arcades Project 150 Introduction 150 Phantasmagorias of Modernity 153 Media Spectacle and Urban Space 168 Tactility of Media Critic 193 Conclusion 198 6 Conclusion: The Actuality of Benjamin’s Media Critique 202 Notes 216 Further Reading 245 Index 251

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Book SynopsisWalter Benjamin (1892-1940), one of the most original and perceptive thinkers of the twentieth century, offered a unique insight into the profound impact of the media on modern society. Jaeho Kang s book offers a lucid introduction to Benjamin s theory of the media and its continuing relevance today.Trade Review"In Walter Benjamin and the Media Jaeho Kang strikes a near perfect balance between biographical narrative and theoretical analysis. In doing so, Benjamin�s media critique is fully contextualised removing any notion of obsolescence which may arise from a contemporary reading." LSE Review of Books For too long Walter Benjamin's lapidary texts have merely sparkled in the distance, unintegrated into everyday analyses of media and communications research. Jaeho Kang's fluent and energetic new reading of Benjamin's writings on radio, storytelling, media industries, and urban culture reinvigorates our connection with this great 20th century thinker of cultural change. Kang's beautifully organised book provides us with a welcome toolkit for grasping today's high-speed reconfiguration of our once familiar media landscapes. Nick Couldry, London School of Economics We know of Walter Benjamin in several guises: failed academic, brilliant journalist, messianic writer. But do we really know about Benjamin the media theorist, beyond �Work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction�? Jaeho Kang takes us across disciplines along the intensely original intellectual journey that led Benjamin to the media. Brilliant and grave, erudite and luminous, Kang�s book invites us to share Benjamin�s incandescent curiosity. Daniel Dayan, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris "Kang's exploration of the relationship between Banjamin's media theorizing of McLuhan and Baudrillard renders Walter Benjamin and the Media a substantial achievement that is well worth a read."H-Net ReviewsTable of ContentsAcknowledgements xi 1 Introducing Dr Benjamin 1 There and Then, Here and Now 1 Figuring Benjamin 5 Configuring Benjamin 15 2 The Crisis of Communication and the Information Industry 24 Introduction 24 Storytelling and the Crisis of the Novel 26 The Newspaper and the Information Industry 38 The Intellectuals in the Age of Mass Media 50 Conclusion 62 3 Radio and Mediated Storytelling 65 Introduction 65 Towards a Critical Sociology of the Audience 68 Radio Model 74 Some Motifs for Media Pedagogy 85 Conclusion 97 4 Art and Politics in the Age of their Technological Reproducibility 100 Introduction 100 Photographic Reproducibility 102 The Media Culture of Distraction 117 Media and Democracy 129 Conclusion 147 5 The Media City: Reading The Arcades Project 150 Introduction 150 Phantasmagorias of Modernity 153 Media Spectacle and Urban Space 168 Tactility of Media Critic 193 Conclusion 198 6 Conclusion: The Actuality of Benjamin’s Media Critique 202 Notes 216 Further Reading 245 Index 251

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Book SynopsisFrançois Jullien, the leading philosopher and specialist in Chinese thought, has always aimed at building on inter-cultural relations between China and the West. In this new book he focuses on the following questions: Do universal values exist? Is dialogue between cultures possible? To answer these questions, he retraces the history of the concept of the universal from its invention as an aspect of Roman citizenship, through its neutralization in the Christian idea of salvation, to its present day manifestations. This raises the question of whether the search for the universal is a uniquely Western preoccupation: do other cultures, like China, even have a notion of the universal, and if so, how does it differ from ours? Having considered the meaning of the concept in the East and West, Jullien argues that, if communication between cultures is to be meaningful, facile assumptions of universal values and complacent relativism need to be examined. It follows, therefore, thatTrade Review""A valuable contribution to the field. The controversies he identifies are only going to become more deep-set in our increasingly multi-polar world, and given the current geo-political climate we need more than ever to agree on the role that universal Human Rights may play in an increasingly globalised world." LSE Review of Books "François Jullien poses the question of dialogue between cultures in a way altogether different from the loose talk that tends to surround this topic, re-examining, in an insightful and rigorous fashion, the problem of the universal – an ambition hardly surprising in an author who is both a philosopher and a sinologist. If there is a problem, explains Jullien, it is because the universal – that emblematic category of Western civilization, the source of its vitality for centuries – continues to be challenged and to find itself in opposition to the rights linked to the irreducible singularity of cultures ... Here we find a rich and agile thought, harvesting new ideas from philosophical tradition, drawing on a detailed knowledge of cultures and clearly interrogating the founding ideological moments of European civilization." Etudes: Revue de culture contemporaineTable of ContentsForeword Itinerary I. On the Universal II. On the Uniform III. On the Common IV. From the advent of the State to the cosmo-political extension of the common V. The other level: the universal as a logical category of philosophy VI. First encounter of the universal and the common: Roman citizenship extended to the Empire VII. Paul and the matter of going beyond all communitarianism in Christian universalism VIII. Does the question of the universal arise in other cultures? IX. Are there universal notions? A cultural universal having ideal status X. On Human rights - the notion of universalising XI. If it is neither synthesis nor denominator nor foundation, from where does the common arise? XII. On ‘Cultures’: divergences of language - the resources of thought XIII. To construct the dialogue between cultures to counter the surrounding uniformisation; human self-reflection

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Book SynopsisFrançois Jullien, the leading philosopher and specialist in Chinese thought, has always aimed at building on inter-cultural relations between China and the West. In this new book he focuses on the following questions: Do universal values exist? Is dialogue between cultures possible? To answer these questions, he retraces the history of the concept of the universal from its invention as an aspect of Roman citizenship, through its neutralization in the Christian idea of salvation, to its present day manifestations. This raises the question of whether the search for the universal is a uniquely Western preoccupation: do other cultures, like China, even have a notion of the universal, and if so, how does it differ from ours? Having considered the meaning of the concept in the East and West, Jullien argues that, if communication between cultures is to be meaningful, facile assumptions of universal values and complacent relativism need to be examined. It follows, therefore, thatTrade Review""A valuable contribution to the field. The controversies he identifies are only going to become more deep-set in our increasingly multi-polar world, and given the current geo-political climate we need more than ever to agree on the role that universal Human Rights may play in an increasingly globalised world." LSE Review of Books "François Jullien poses the question of dialogue between cultures in a way altogether different from the loose talk that tends to surround this topic, re-examining, in an insightful and rigorous fashion, the problem of the universal – an ambition hardly surprising in an author who is both a philosopher and a sinologist. If there is a problem, explains Jullien, it is because the universal – that emblematic category of Western civilization, the source of its vitality for centuries – continues to be challenged and to find itself in opposition to the rights linked to the irreducible singularity of cultures ... Here we find a rich and agile thought, harvesting new ideas from philosophical tradition, drawing on a detailed knowledge of cultures and clearly interrogating the founding ideological moments of European civilization." Etudes: Revue de culture contemporaineTable of ContentsForeword Itinerary I. On the Universal II. On the Uniform III. On the Common IV. From the advent of the State to the cosmo-political extension of the common V. The other level: the universal as a logical category of philosophy VI. First encounter of the universal and the common: Roman citizenship extended to the Empire VII. Paul and the matter of going beyond all communitarianism in Christian universalism VIII. Does the question of the universal arise in other cultures? IX. Are there universal notions? A cultural universal having ideal status X. On Human rights - the notion of universalising XI. If it is neither synthesis nor denominator nor foundation, from where does the common arise? XII. On ‘Cultures’: divergences of language - the resources of thought XIII. To construct the dialogue between cultures to counter the surrounding uniformisation; human self-reflection

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Book SynopsisWhy do citizens demand that their political systems be democratic, but tolerate autocratic rule within their organizations? Why do governments spend trillions to aid corporations in spite of intense opposition by the vast majority of their citizens? Why do most people accept cultural myths about economies and organizations in spite of contradictory evidence, while others resist them? This book argues that the answers lie in the power of organizational rhetoric--the strategic use of symbols to manipulate popular opinion and political power. Organizational Rhetoricmines the mythical systems that underlie corporate influence and explains how corporate rhetors use these mythologies to create and sustain preferential public policies and favorable images. Each chapter also examines resistance to these mythologies, and concludes with an illustrative case study. This accessible and engaging book asks readers to think carefully and critically about domination and resistance. MTrade Review"This book is smart, insightful, sometimes funny, sometimes alarming, and always engaging. Professor Conrad opens up space and offers useful guidelines for how to think more critically, carefully and responsibly about the rhetoric produced by and about organizations. The book is intellectually sophisticated yet accessible and Professor Conrad has chosen timely and compelling examples to help illustrate and clarify key ideas."Kathleen Krone, University of NebraskaTable of ContentsChapter 1: What is Rhetoric? What is Organizational Rhetoric? Why are they important? Chapter 2: Creating Topoi for Organizational Rhetoric Chapter 3: Constructing the Leadership Mythos Chapter 4: Organizational Rhetoric and Public Polity Making Chapter 5: Rhetoric and the Management of Organizational Identities, Images and Crises Bibiliography

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Book SynopsisWhy do citizens demand that their political systems be democratic, but tolerate autocratic rule within their organizations? Why do governments spend trillions to aid corporations in spite of intense opposition by the vast majority of their citizens? Why do most people accept cultural myths about economies and organizations in spite of contradictory evidence, while others resist them? This book argues that the answers lie in the power of organizational rhetoric--the strategic use of symbols to manipulate popular opinion and political power. Organizational Rhetoric examines the mythical systems that underlie corporate influence and explains how corporate rhetors use these mythologies to create and sustain preferential public policies and favorable images. Each chapter also examines resistance to these mythologies, and concludes with an illustrative case study. This accessible and engaging book asks readers to think carefully and critically about domination and resistancTrade Review"This book is smart, insightful, sometimes funny, sometimes alarming, and always engaging. Professor Conrad opens up space and offers useful guidelines for how to think more critically, carefully and responsibly about the rhetoric produced by and about organizations. The book is intellectually sophisticated yet accessible and Professor Conrad has chosen timely and compelling examples to help illustrate and clarify key ideas."Kathleen Krone, University of NebraskaTable of ContentsChapter 1: What is Rhetoric? What is Organizational Rhetoric? Why are they important?Chapter 2: Creating Topoi for Organizational RhetoricChapter 3: Constructing the Leadership MythosChapter 4: Organizational Rhetoric and Public Polity MakingChapter 5: Rhetoric and the Management of Organizational Identities, Images and CrisesBibiliography

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Book Synopsis* Develops an exciting new cultural approach to the study of markets that helps to explain some of the puzzles and oddities in the way markets work. * Reveals the important and implicit role that cultural dynamics play in the way markets are organized and the way people operate within them.Trade Review"Fred Wherry elegantly introduces students to the cultural approach in economic sociology. Wearing his theoretical sophistication lightly, Wherry provides dozens of pithy illustrations from cutting-edge empirical research. This classy essay is deceptively simple. It provides the first synthetic construction of the cultural-economic field."Jeffrey C. Alexander, Yale University "Engaging and insightful, Frederick Wherry's The Culture of Markets brings together two allegedly separate worlds: markets and culture. Ranging from studies of corporations and households to art markets and more, the book surprises and instructs. A must read not only for specialists but for anyone interested in learning how the economy really works."Viviana A. Zelizer, Princeton University "This is an excellent book by one of today's most creative economic sociologists, Frederick Wherry. The key argument is that culture affects markets in ways that economics simply cannot capture. Exactly how does this happen? For the answer - which is surprising! - you have to read the book. Perfect for use as a textbook at the undergraduate level, but also of much interest to the general reader and graduate students."Richard Swedberg, Cornell UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction: Culture, Markets, and Economic LifeChapter 1: The Cultural Roots of Market DemandChapter 2: The Cultural Dimensions of Market SupplyChapter 3: The Culture of Money and PricesChapter 4: How to Conduct Cultural Analyses of MarketsConclusion: Towards a Cultural Sociology of Markets

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Book SynopsisThe idea that respect for cultural diversity conflicts with gender equality is now a staple of both public and academic debate. Yet discussion of these tensions is marred by exaggerated talk of cultural difference, leading to ethnic reductionism, cultural stereotyping, and a hierarchy of traditional and modern.Trade Review"[Phillips] draws attention to a whole new set of questions about the relationship between gender and culture and provides directions for future research in this area." Political Studies Review "Anne Phillips's work demonstrates the exhilaration and importance of sustained critique. This insightful work is the latest contribution in her deft and decisive critiques of multiculturalism. It lays out the moral, philosophical and practical grounds at stake in tackling the intractable Gordian knot of gender and culture. It raises all our hopes and forces us to rethink the most settled of positions." Henrietta Moore, London School of EconomicsTable of ContentsAcknowledgements vi 1 Introduction 1 2 Multiculturalism, universalism and the claims of democracy 16 3 Dilemmas of gender and culture: the judge, the democrat and the political activist 38 4 What is ‘culture’? 57 5 What’s wrong with essentialism? 69 6 When culture means gender: issues of cultural defence in the English courts 83 7 Free to decide for oneself 107 8 Consent, autonomy and coercion: forced marriage, public policy and the courts 124 Notes 142 Bibliography 157 Index 165

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Book SynopsisMax Weber famously argued that the rise of capitalism in early modern Europe was premised on the emergence of a distinctive set of attitudes - including the pursuit of profit for its own sake - which he called the spirit of capitalism'. Today, when capitalism has spread across the globe, the spirit of capitalism would appear to reign supreme. In this important book Bernard Stiegler takes a very different view: what we are witnessing today is not the triumph of the spirit of capitalism but rather its demise, as our contemporary hyper-industrial' societies become increasingly uncontrollable, profoundly irrational and incapable of inspiring hope. Disenchantment and despair have become the everyday lived experiences of countless individuals. Far from being a moment of liberation, May ''68 was just the first symptom of our increasing disenchantment and ''spiritual misery''. The libidinal energy that originally underpinned capitalism has become an unbound force, unleashing drivTrade Review''Capitalism has lost its spirit, not to mention its mind: destroying the desire it claims to channel, incapable of establishing any value beyond narrow calculation, it now needs saving from itself. Revisiting (and revising) Freud and Marcuse, proposing a ‘libidinal ecology’ to help us avoid the disaster ahead, Stiegler might just be the man for the job.'' Martin Crowley, Queens’ College, University of Cambridge "Stiegler asks not how hyperindustrial capital can be reissted today but whether capitalism can be saved from itself and the Pandora's box of dead-end futures that it now generates, from zombie cultures of mass consumerism to the devastation of the biosphere. His bold response is to call for and lay out a new 'libidinal ecology', a project that will become a key reference point for anyone concerned with the central transformative questions of our time." Tom Cohen, State University of New York at AlbanyTable of ContentsIntroduction I. Sociopathology of 1968 1. The paradox of the super-ego in the transformations of capitalism 2. The question of spirit is that of the we 3. Knowledge and the super-ego: towards a new spirit of capitalism 4. Technicity, hostility to civilization, and the intermittency of noetic action 5. The crisis of capitalism as ‘ideological disarray’ and as crisis of spirit after May 1968 6. ‘Artistic critique’ and ‘social critique’, or the jargon of authenticity 7. The recuperation of the ‘ideas of ’68’ by French capitalism and the establishment of control society 8. Digression on the meteorological predictions of the Alaskan Eskimo 9. False problems concerning action 10. Authenticity and singularity: fantasy and the forgetting of what does not exist 11. Supports and relations of production II. The automatization of the super-ego and the passage of desire as original diversion of libidinal energy 12. The historicity of psychoanalytic categories and the illusion of desire as a natural state 13. From psychopathology to sociopathology 14. Contradictions between Marcuse’s Marxism and his Freudianism in relation to struggle (eris) against the risk of decomposition. Moving beyond guilt 15. Technics, super-ego and desublimation 16. Processes of adoption and diversions of libido: Marcuse and the tendency of libidinal energy to fall 17. ‘Liberation of instincts’, technesis and the passage of desire Ð the thrust of the knife 18. The murder of the father, the opening of time and guilt, and ‘the instant of my death henceforth always pending’ 19. Diversions and decompositions 20. The automatization of the super-ego 21. The opposition of Narcissus and Prometheus 22. Ontology and the reality principle 23. Libidinal ecology Conclusion 24. Intoxications, prohibitions, cares 25. The struggle for the life of the spirit 26. Consistence of the health and authority of public power: the freedom of the spirit

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Book Synopsis* This is a new study of the relationship between performance and power from one of the world s leading social theorists * In this volume, Jeffrey Alexander develops a cultural pragmatics that shifts cultural sociology from texts to gestural meanings and examines the elements of social performance.Trade Review"This books shatters the ossified categories of all prior comparative studies of culture and power. Alexander reinvents the centerpiece of contemporary critical theories: performativity as the locus of power. Neither the modern state nor secularism but transformation in dramaturgy itself froms the axis of his new global history of civilizations. Accessible artistry." Richard Biernacki, University of California, San Diego "That so much of politics is symbolic - terrorism as much as presidential campaigning - is the first surprise of this wide-ranging and wonderfully provocative book. The second surprise, though, is what makes the book so compelling: success in symbolic politics, Alexander argues, depends on performances that fuse speaker, audience, props, and script - a fusion that is increasingly rare in modern societies, and is simultaneously longed for and distrusted. With his customary brio and command of literatures ranging from ancient dramaturgy to contemporary terrorism, Alexander offers a provocative theory of modern politics." Francesca Polletta, University of California, Irvine "In this boundary-shifting and provocative book, Alexander brings performance studies into conversation with sociology in ways that challenge both. This is essential reading for anyone interested in these fields as well as for those who wonder how performance endows social actors with such persuasive power." Diana Taylor, New York UniversityTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements. Introduction. A Cultural Theory of Social Performance. Chapter 1 The Cultural Pragmatics of Symbolic Action (with Jason Mast). Chapter 2 Social Performance between Ritual and Strategy Political Power and Performance. Chapter 3 Performance and the Challenge of Power. Chapter 4 Social, Political, Cultural, and Performative. Chapter 5 Democratic Power and Political Performance: Obama v. McCain. Chapter 6 A Presidential Performance, Panned, or Obama as the Last Enlightenment Man. Chapter 7 Performing Counter-Power: The Civil Rights Movement. Chapter 8 Performing Terror on September 11th. Chapter 9 War and Performance: Afghanistan and Iraq. Cultural Power and Performance. Chapter 10 Intellectuals and Public Performance. Chapter 11 Iconic Power and Performativity: The Role of the Critic. Notes. Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThe creative industries are the subject of growing attention among policy-makers, academics, activists, artists and development specialists worldwide.Trade Review"Flew's sober and penetrating analysis of the increasingly global character of the creative industries sheds a bright light on a field too often characterized more by heat. Both scholarly and accessible, it should be of great use to academics, policy experts, and media professionals alike."Thomas Streeter, author of The Net Effect: Romanticism, Capitalism, and the Internet"This volume provides an admirable and far-ranging study, which provides real insight into what is happening to creative industries around the world from a variety of perspectives including consumption, policy and markets. This is one of those rare books which academics, students and media professionals will find useful and illuminating."Jeanette Steemers, University of Westminster"Global Creative Industries provides a valuable extension beyond previous work through its emphasis on development outside of the metropolitan centres. The book takes a critical stance and makes an important contribution to the field by using various case studies as a way of illustrating the complexities of creative industries in practice."Petros Iosifidis, City University LondonTable of ContentsContentsList of Figures and TablesAcknowledgementsChapter One IndustriesChapter Two ProductionChapter Three ConsumptionChapter Four MarketsChapter Five PlacesChapter Six PoliciesEndnotesBibliography

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Book SynopsisThe steady rise of Clint Eastwood s career parallels a pressing desire in American society over the past five decades for a figure and story of purpose, meaning, and redemption. Eastwood has not only told and filmed that story, he has come to embody it for many in his public image and film persona.Trade Review''No other book on Clint Eastwood comes close to what Sam Girgus accomplishes here in assessing Eastwood’s remarkable - and wholly unexpected - maturation as a film-maker and narrative artist, and his increasingly complex and sophisticated treatment of social, ethical, interpersonal, and gender-related issues. Indeed, Girgus builds a case for Eastwood’s emergence since the early 1990s as America’s consummate auteur - a film-maker who has taken far greater risks and has made far more significant and memorable films over the past two decades than any other Hollywood director.'' Thomas G. Schatz, The University of Texas at Austin ''This book marks a long-awaited appreciation of the complexity of Eastwood’s directorial and moral vision. Starting with Unforgiven, Eastwood’s main characters have been engaged in a search for meaning, called upon by the voice of the other to perform a ritual sacrifice on behalf of that other that thereby delivers to the hero a sense of purpose. Invoking Levinas and Kristeva, Girgus demonstrates the evolution of the Eastwood hero from self-sufficient loner to a being entangled in relationships, who challenges the ethical and moral order of thinking and living in today’s uncertain world.'' John Belton, Rutgers University ''Girgus sharpens his ongoing scholarship on cinema and ethics with this thought-provoking analysis of the films of Clint Eastwood. Eastwood has evolved into arguably the most conflicted and divisive icon in American cinema, reflecting an oceanic career that rocks with waves of various social, political, and cultural influences and positions. In a historical moment when Hollywood and American society at large are in the throes of rupture and self-redefinition, Girgus offers us a timely and crucial survey of the ultimate symbol of what is best and worst about a national ideology and its film culture.'' Hunter Vaughan, Oakland UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments viii Abbreviations xii Introduction: Eastwood’s America – From the Self to a World View 1 1 The First Twenty Years: Borderline States of Mind 24 2 Unforgiven: The Search for Redemption 70 3 Mo Cuishle: A New Religion in Million Dollar Baby 116 4 Cries from Mystic River: God, Transcendence, and a Troubled Humanity 172 5 Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima: History Lessons on Time and the Stranger 231 Notes and References 284 Index 301

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Book SynopsisThe steady rise of Clint Eastwood s career parallels a pressing desire in American society over the past five decades for a figure and story of purpose, meaning, and redemption. Eastwood has not only told and filmed that story, he has come to embody it for many in his public image and film persona.Trade Review''No other book on Clint Eastwood comes close to what Sam Girgus accomplishes here in assessing Eastwood’s remarkable - and wholly unexpected - maturation as a film-maker and narrative artist, and his increasingly complex and sophisticated treatment of social, ethical, interpersonal, and gender-related issues. Indeed, Girgus builds a case for Eastwood’s emergence since the early 1990s as America’s consummate auteur - a film-maker who has taken far greater risks and has made far more significant and memorable films over the past two decades than any other Hollywood director.'' Thomas G. Schatz, The University of Texas at Austin ''This book marks a long-awaited appreciation of the complexity of Eastwood’s directorial and moral vision. Starting with Unforgiven, Eastwood’s main characters have been engaged in a search for meaning, called upon by the voice of the other to perform a ritual sacrifice on behalf of that other that thereby delivers to the hero a sense of purpose. Invoking Levinas and Kristeva, Girgus demonstrates the evolution of the Eastwood hero from self-sufficient loner to a being entangled in relationships, who challenges the ethical and moral order of thinking and living in today’s uncertain world.'' John Belton, Rutgers University ''Girgus sharpens his ongoing scholarship on cinema and ethics with this thought-provoking analysis of the films of Clint Eastwood. Eastwood has evolved into arguably the most conflicted and divisive icon in American cinema, reflecting an oceanic career that rocks with waves of various social, political, and cultural influences and positions. In a historical moment when Hollywood and American society at large are in the throes of rupture and self-redefinition, Girgus offers us a timely and crucial survey of the ultimate symbol of what is best and worst about a national ideology and its film culture.'' Hunter Vaughan, Oakland University Table of ContentsAcknowledgments viii Abbreviations xii Introduction: Eastwood’s America – From the Self to a World View 1 1 The First Twenty Years: Borderline States of Mind 24 2 Unforgiven: The Search for Redemption 70 3 Mo Cuishle: A New Religion in Million Dollar Baby 116 4 Cries from Mystic River: God, Transcendence, and a Troubled Humanity 172 5 Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima: History Lessons on Time and the Stranger 231 Notes and References 284 Index 301

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Book SynopsisTranslated by David Fernbach The 21st century will be the century of Africa. This continent was once seen as empty, rural, animist, poor, and forgotten by the world. Now, fifty years after independence, it is full to bursting, urban and monotheist. If poverty and violence are still rampant, economic growth has taken off again and a middle class is developing. Africa will hold a central place in the big issues facing the world today. If it once made a false start', here it is back again in the fast lane. The West has missed the turnaround of a continent that will no longer wait for us. How can we best understand it? Demography, economics, politics, diplomacy, cultures and religions this book presents the different facets of this new Africa, which will soon have a billion people, at the mid point of the most rapid population boom that humanity has ever known. Without ignoring the risks of its metamorphosis, it brings to light the forces and hopes that Africa harbors.Trade Review"A wake-up call. Its message is simple: look out world, here comes Africa." Wall Street Journal "Clearly conceived, cleanly structured, tightly written and lucidly expressed. A highly readable text." European Voice "Their optimistic analysis of the continent and its inhabitants should be read by all who are interested in looking at Africa with a fresh and different perspective." African Security Review "A significant book for those interested in questions of economic and cultural change." The Age "Africa's Moment has the great value of underlining that Africa's future is indeed in the hands of Africans." South World "A timely and positive assessment of Africa's prospects founded upon deep understanding and a distinctive perspective." Paul Collier, University of Oxford "The West is wedded to a retrograde vision of Africa's past and know nothing of its present, even less of its future. This unprecedented book forces revision of that outlook by addressing a world, just a few decades from now, where one in four human beings will be African." Keith Hart, University of LondonTable of Contents Acknowledgements Foreword by Paul Collier Introduction Part One: The Peopling of a Continent Chapter 1: Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? Chapter 2: Malthus on CNN Part Two: Africa on the Move Chapter 3: A Black Peril? Chapter 4: Crowded Roads Part Three: Africa Versus Growth Chapter 5: The Undiscoverable Curse Chapter 6: The Great Wheel of Growth Part Four: When Africa Awakes Chapter 7: The Great Clean-Up Chapter 8: Emerging Africa Part Five: God's Africa Chapter 9: Urban Compositions Chapter 10: Crescent and Cross Chapter 11: Switched-On Africa Chapter 12: The End of Ethnicity Chapter 13: African Democracy Part Six: One March, Three Directions Chapter 14: Countries of Rent, Countries in Danger Chapter 15: The Vanguard of Development Chapter 16: Fragile Africa: One Crisis After Another Part Seven: Africa, The World's Vitality Chapter 17: The End of Infinity Chapter 18: Light Against Darkness Chapter 19: The Hunger for Land Chapter 20: The Struggle for Man Part Eight: The Newcomer at the Feast of Nations Chapter 21: Africa Courted Chapter 22: Emerging Powers: Africa's New Exploiters? Chapter 23: Acknowledging Africa Conclusion Maps Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe 21st century will be the century of Africa. How can we best understand it? Demography, economics, politics, diplomacy, cultures and religions, this book presents the different facets of this new Africa, which will soon have a billion people, at the mid point of the most rapid population boom that humanity has ever known.Trade Review"A wake-up call. Its message is simple: look out world, here comes Africa." Wall Street Journal "Clearly conceived, cleanly structured, tightly written and lucidly expressed. A highly readable text." European Voice "Their optimistic analysis of the continent and its inhabitants should be read by all who are interested in looking at Africa with a fresh and different perspective." African Security Review "A significant book for those interested in questions of economic and cultural change." The Age "Africa's Moment has the great value of underlining that Africa's future is indeed in the hands of Africans." South World "A timely and positive assessment of Africa's prospects founded upon deep understanding and a distinctive perspective." Paul Collier, University of Oxford "The West is wedded to a retrograde vision of Africa's past and know nothing of its present, even less of its future. This unprecedented book forces revision of that outlook by addressing a world, just a few decades from now, where one in four human beings will be African." Keith Hart, University of LondonTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsForeword by Paul CollierIntroductionPart One: The Peopling of a ContinentChapter 1 Who Wants to Be a Billionaire?Chapter 2 Malthus on CNNPart Two Africa on the MoveChapter 3 A Black Peril?Chapter 4 Crowded RoadsPart Three: Africa Versus GrowthChapter 5 The Undiscoverable CurseChapter 6 The Great Wheel of GrowthPart Four: When Africa AwakesChapter 7 The Great Clean-UpChapter 8 Emerging AfricaPart Five: God’s AfricaChapter 9 Urban CompositionsChapter 10 Crescent and CrossChapter 11 Switched-On AfricaChapter 12 The End of EthnicityChapter 13 African DemocracyPart Six: One March, Three DirectionsChapter 14 Countries of Rent, Countries in DangerChapter 15 The Vanguard of DevelopmentChapter 16 Fragile Africa: One Crisis After AnotherPart Seven: Africa, The World’s VitalityChapter 17 The End of InfinityChapter 18 Light Against DarknessChapter 19 The Hunger for LandChapter 20 The Struggle for ManPart Eight: The Newcomer at the Feast of NationsChapter 21 Africa CourtedChapter 22 Emerging Powers: Africa’s New Exploiters?Chapter 23 Acknowledging AfricaConclusionMapsNotesIndex

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Book Synopsis* Concise introduction to the key thinker Manuel Castells and his relation to media and communication. * As with all volumes in the theory and media series, this book is written specifically for undergraduate students of media and communication.Trade Review"Howard has traced for us the often invisible elements of an intellectual trajectory by a major thinker on the new technologies. It is a wonderful and often surprising account - bringing to life the multiple and messy ways in which these new technologies are shaped, sharpened, undermined by the social conditions within which they get used."Saskia Sassen, Columbia University and author of Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages "The network perspective is proving to be the most important contemporary frame with which to understand the forces shaping technology, economics and society in the 21st century. Howard provides a clear, comprehensive and critical explanation of the work of the world's pre-eminent network theorist, Manuel Castells. Using accessible language the reader is introduced to Castells' ideas about media, globalization, digitalization, and, most importantly, power. Castells and the Media shows just how important and central Castells is for anyone who wishes to understand contemporary society and media."Steve Jones, University of Illinois at Chicago "Howard's Castells and the Media offers a comprehensive introduction to the work of one of the key social scientists of our time pertaining to the study of media. This is a highly readable and inviting text, engaging students with a warm welcome to Castells' work."Mark Deuze, Indiana UniversityTable of ContentsDetailed Table of Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Castells and the Theory of the Network Society Chapter 2: Media Economics and Life Online Chapter 3: Networks of Power and Politics Chapter 4: Cultural Industries in a Digital Century Chapter 5: Mobile and Social Media Chapter 6: ConclusionÑMedia Rules and The Rules of Media Appendix Glossary and Index References

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Book Synopsis* Concise introduction to the key thinker Manuel Castells and his relation to media and communication. * As with all volumes in the theory and media series, this book is written specifically for undergraduate students of media and communication.Trade Review"Howard has traced for us the often invisible elements of an intellectual trajectory by a major thinker on the new technologies. It is a wonderful and often surprising account - bringing to life the multiple and messy ways in which these new technologies are shaped, sharpened, undermined by the social conditions within which they get used."Saskia Sassen, Columbia University and author of Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages "The network perspective is proving to be the most important contemporary frame with which to understand the forces shaping technology, economics and society in the 21st century. Howard provides a clear, comprehensive and critical explanation of the work of the world's pre-eminent network theorist, Manuel Castells. Using accessible language the reader is introduced to Castells' ideas about media, globalization, digitalization, and, most importantly, power. Castells and the Media shows just how important and central Castells is for anyone who wishes to understand contemporary society and media."Steve Jones, University of Illinois at Chicago "Howard's Castells and the Media offers a comprehensive introduction to the work of one of the key social scientists of our time pertaining to the study of media. This is a highly readable and inviting text, engaging students with a warm welcome to Castells' work."Mark Deuze, Indiana UniversityTable of ContentsDetailed Table of Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Castells and the Theory of the Network Society Chapter 2: Media Economics and Life Online Chapter 3: Networks of Power and Politics Chapter 4: Cultural Industries in a Digital Century Chapter 5: Mobile and Social Media Chapter 6: ConclusionÑMedia Rules and The Rules of Media Appendix Glossary and Index References

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Book SynopsisIn this important new book, the leading cultural theorist and philosopher Bernard Stiegler re-examines the relationship between politics and aesthetics in our contemporary hyperindustrial age.Trade Review"In this decisive contribution to a critical understanding of contemporary life, Stiegler demonstrates how mass exclusion from cultural production constitutes a form of generalized impoverishment, threatening to reduce our existence to mere subsistence. Typically though, he also suggests how we might build alternatives to this 'symbolic misery'. This work forms a vital part of Stiegler's essential project." Martin Crowley, Queen�s College, University of Cambridge "Expanding on Deleuze�s idea of 'control societies', Bernard Stiegler provocatively diagnoses the 'misery' of contemporary society as a collective exclusion from the creation of symbols. A war is being waged, he argues: capitalistic marketing is the instrument of choice, the battleground is aesthetics and the fight is for the control of affect. Recommended for anyone interested in the contemporary cultural condition." N. Katherine Hayles, Duke UniversityTable of ContentsForeword Of Symbolic Misery, the Control of Affects, and the Shame that Follows As Though We Were Lacking or How to Find Weapons in Alain Resnais’s Same Old Song Allegory of the Anthill The Loss of Individuation in the Hyper-industrial Age Tiresias and the War of Time On a Film by Bertrand Bonello Afterword

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Book SynopsisIn this important new book, leading cultural theorist and philosopher Bernard Stiegler re-examines the relationship between politics and art in the contemporary world. Our hyper-industrial epoch represents what Stiegler terms a ?katastroph of the sensible?. This katastroph is not an apocalypse or the end of everything, but the denouement of a drama; it is the final act in the process of psychic and collective individuation known as the ?West?. Hyper-industrialization has brought about the loss of symbolic participation and the destruction of primordial narcissism, the very condition for individuation. It is in this context that artists have a unique role to play. When not subsumed in the capitalist economy, they are able to resist its synchronizing tendency, offering the possibility of reimagining the contemporary model of aesthetic participation. This highly original work - the second in Stiegler?s Symbolic Misery series - will be of particular interest to students Trade Review"What links Andy Warhol, Bela Bartok, Glenn Gould and Joseph Beuys? This, says Stiegler: each in his own way understood the decisive changes brought about in the arts by their entanglement in networks of industrial production and commercial consumption, and each also realized that this entanglement called into question whether any of us - actual or merely potential artists - could any longer be said to participate in the creation and circulation of symbols. This is the question of what Stiegler terms �symbolic misery�, and he answers it with characteristic defiance. If we are indeed excluded from such participation, then the possibility of overturning this state of affairs is everywhere around us: in precisely those technical forms we more usually experience as feeding our addiction to alienation. All that is needed is to transform these from poison into cure, which is to say: to learn how to use them! This is a work of sober, impassioned understanding." Martin Crowley, Queens� College, Cambridge "In Symbolic Misery one of Europe�s leading contemporary thinkers offers indispensable insights into modern technology and its influence on the ways we come to think and feel. Stiegler does not simply diagnose a collective malaise, however; his writing is a call to arms and a programme for a total rethinking of our relationship to technical objects." Ian James, Downing College, CambridgeTable of ContentsCall to Adventure Notice to the Reader Prologue with Chorus Sensibility’s Machinic Turn and Music’s Privilege I Sensing through Participation Or the Art of Acting Out II Setting Out From Warhol and Beuys III Us All Individuation as Trans-formation and Trans-formation as Social Sculpture IV Freud’s Repression Where the Living Seize the Dead and Vice Versa V The Disjunctive Conjunction Mais où est donc Ornicar?

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Book Synopsis* Zygmunt Bauman is one of the most original and influential social thinkers of our time. * In this new book Bauman argues that, in our contemporary liquid-modern world, culture seeks no longer to enlighten the people but to seduce them.Trade Review"Some acerbic interpretations of a long-contested word."Steven Poole, The GuardianTable of Contents1 Some notes on the historical peregrinations of the concept of 'Culture' 1 2 On fashion, liquid identity and utopia for today – some cultural tendencies in the twenty-first century 18 3 Culture from nation-building to globalization 32 4 Culture in a world of diasporas 51 5 Culture in a uniting Europe 71 6 Culture between state and market 96 Notes 118

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Book SynopsisThe third edition of Popular Music and Society is fully revised and updated, deftly exploring the study of popular music in the context of wider debates in sociology and media and cultural studies. Astute and accessible, it continues to set the agenda for research and teaching in this area.Trade ReviewThis third edition by Longhurst and Bogdanovic offers a comprehensive updated sociological analysis of the field of popular music which incorporates media and cultural studies into its frame. It reflects backward and telegraphs forward the key theories, approaches, analysis and criticisms that abound in the field. It is both accessible and scholarly and will be a key resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students in sociology, and media and cultural studies.Helen Thomas, University of the Arts London Praise for the 2nd edition I would unhesitatingly recommend this book to both students and scholars interested in the sociology of music. This is a great text if you are looking for a clear and lucid introduction to the subject.SociologyTable of ContentsContents List of Figures List of Tables List of Boxes Acknowledgements Preface Introduction: Constraints and Creativity -- Arguments and Framework Part I Production 1 The Pop Music Industry 2 The Social Production of Music Part II Text 3 History, Politics and Sexuality 4 ‘Black’ Music: Genres and Social Constructions 5 Texts and Meaning 6 Performance, Dance, Distinction and the Body Part III Audience 7 Effects, Audiences and Subcultures 8 Fans, Production and Consumption 9 Beyond Subcultures and Fans: New Audiences, Scenes and Everyday Life Conclusion Further Reading References

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Book SynopsisThe third edition of Popular Music and Society is fully revised and updated, deftly exploring the study of popular music in the context of wider debates in sociology and media and cultural studies. Astute and accessible, it continues to set the agenda for research and teaching in this area. The book begins by examining the ways in which popular music is produced, before moving on to explore its structure as text and the ways in which audiences understand and use music. Packed with up-to-date examples and data on the contemporary production and consumption of popular music, the book includes overviews and critiques of theoretical approaches to this exciting area of study and outlines the most important empirical studies which have shaped the discipline. Topics covered include: The contemporary organization of the music industry The effects of technological change on production The history and politics of popular music Gender, sexuality andTable of ContentsContents List of Figures List of Tables List of Boxes Acknowledgements Preface Introduction: Constraints and Creativity -- Arguments and Framework Part I Production 1 The Pop Music Industry 2 The Social Production of Music Part II Text 3 History, Politics and Sexuality 4 ‘Black’ Music: Genres and Social Constructions 5 Texts and Meaning 6 Performance, Dance, Distinction and the Body Part III Audience 7 Effects, Audiences and Subcultures 8 Fans, Production and Consumption 9 Beyond Subcultures and Fans: New Audiences, Scenes and Everyday Life Conclusion Further Reading References

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Book SynopsisArguably the most prolific and most widely read philosopher of our time, Slavoj Zizek has made indelible interventions into many disciplines of the so-called human sciences that have transformed the terms of discussion in these fields.Trade Review"When reading some of Žižek’s more theoretical texts, we often feel that we understand his argument – well illustrated as it is through jokes and references to popular culture – but that there remains something that we feel unable to grasp (perhaps something ‘in Žižek more than himself’). This is the gap filled by Žižek Now : a near-comprehensive road map to Žižek’s more challenging and fascinating ideas"Information, Communication & Society"Though the Žižek-critique machine has by now begun to compete, in vigor and volume of output, with the Žižek-machine itself, this collection of essays, devoted to one of the foremost philosophers of our era, still stands out as exemplary. The various essays demonstrate deep appreciation and knowledge of the ever-expanding Žižek oeuvre and articulate strong, original interpretations of its development and repetitions." Joan Copjec,University of Buffalo"The wide-ranging scope and impressive eclecticism of this collection captures the dazzling spirit and dizzying letter of its topic: Žižek Now carries the innovative character and challenging symptoms of Slavoj Žižek’s theoretical achievement and political provocation. Žižek Now offers a valuable commentary on what is best in Slavoj's thought." Costas Douzinas, Birkbeck University of London"Žižek Now will undoubtedly become a key text, not only for students who aim to politicize their socio-political and cultural engagement but also for any individuals wishing to orientate themselves in relation to the diverse but interdependent strands of Žižek's output." Tim Brennan, University of SunderlandTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Notes on Contributors ix Part OneIntroduction: Žižek Now or Never: Ideological Critique and the Nothingness of BeingJamil Khader 3 1 Žižek’s Sublime Objects NowIan Parker 16 Part Two 2 Hegel as Marxist: Žižek’s Revision of German IdealismTodd McGowan 31 3 Žižek and Christianity: Or the Critique of Religion after Marx and FreudBruno Bosteels 54 4 Ceremonial Contingencies and the Ambiguous Rites of FreedomJoshua Ramey 84 Part Three 5 A Critique of Natural Economy: Quantum Physics with ŽižekAdrian Johnston 103 6 Slavoj Žižek’s Eco-ChicVerena Andermatt Conley 121 7 Žižek and Fanon: On Violence and Related MattersErik Vogt 140 8 Žižek’s Infi delity: Lenin, the National Question, and the Postcolonial Legacy of Revolutionary InternationalismJamil Khader 159 Part Four 9 King, Rabble, Sex, and War in HegelSlavoj Žižek 177 Index 207

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Book SynopsisArguably the most prolific and most widely read philosopher of our time, Slavoj Zizek has made indelible interventions into many disciplines of the so-called human sciences that have transformed the terms of discussion in these fields.Trade Review"When reading some of Žižek’s more theoretical texts, we often feel that we understand his argument – well illustrated as it is through jokes and references to popular culture – but that there remains something that we feel unable to grasp (perhaps something ‘in Žižek more than himself’). This is the gap filled by Žižek Now : a near-comprehensive road map to Žižek’s more challenging and fascinating ideas"Information, Communication & Society"Though the Žižek-critique machine has by now begun to compete, in vigor and volume of output, with the Žižek-machine itself, this collection of essays, devoted to one of the foremost philosophers of our era, still stands out as exemplary. The various essays demonstrate deep appreciation and knowledge of the ever-expanding Žižek oeuvre and articulate strong, original interpretations of its development and repetitions."Joan Copjec,University of Buffalo"The wide-ranging scope and impressive eclecticism of this collection captures the dazzling spirit and dizzying letter of its topic: Žižek Now carries the innovative character and challenging symptoms of Slavoj Žižek’s theoretical achievement and political provocation. Žižek Now offers a valuable commentary on what is best in Slavoj's thought."Costas Douzinas, Birkbeck University of London"Žižek Now will undoubtedly become a key text, not only for students who aim to politicize their socio-political and cultural engagement but also for any individuals wishing to orientate themselves in relation to the diverse but interdependent strands of Žižek's output."Tim Brennan, University of SunderlandTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Notes on Contributors ix Part One Introduction: Žižek Now or Never: Ideological Critique and the Nothingness of Being Jamil Khader 3 1 Žižek’s Sublime Objects Now Ian Parker 16 Part Two 2 Hegel as Marxist: Žižek’s Revision of German Idealism Todd McGowan 31 3 Žižek and Christianity: Or the Critique of Religion after Marx and Freud Bruno Bosteels 54 4 Ceremonial Contingencies and the Ambiguous Rites of Freedom Joshua Ramey 84 Part Three 5 A Critique of Natural Economy: Quantum Physics with Žižek Adrian Johnston 103 6 Slavoj Žižek’s Eco-Chic Verena Andermatt Conley 121 7 Žižek and Fanon: On Violence and Related Matters Erik Vogt 140 8 Žižek’s Infi delity: Lenin, the National Question, and the Postcolonial Legacy of Revolutionary Internationalism Jamil Khader 159 Part Four 9 King, Rabble, Sex, and War in Hegel Slavoj Žižek 177 Index 207

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Book SynopsisThe telegraph, telephone, and television, not to mention the Internet and mobile telephony, are all forms of communication that move information faster than the speed at which objects move. Both labor and capital and armies and commodities once moved at the same speed as the information organizing them.Trade Review“From Sydney to New York, the real to the virtual, the theoretical to the practical and back again, McKenzie Wark charts the vectors of a new space that is neither here nor there and yet is transforming society and the economy in unprecedented ways. By exposing what is hiding in plain sight, Telesthesia challenges us to fashion a new politics of creative disruption. This book is provocative, insightful and timely.” Mark C. Taylor, Columbia University “Telesthesia continues McKenzie Wark’s sharp observations on recent media life. Well-informed on both cultural-political theory and media practices, Wark’s studies are highly recommended for students of all levels. And he writes with incredible grace.” Mark Poster, University of California, IrvineTable of ContentsHow to Occupy an AbstractionFresh Maimed BabiesNeither Here Nor ThereSpeaking TrajectoriesCruising Virilio's Overexposed CityArchitectronics of the MultitudeWeird Global Media Event and Vectoral UnconsciousSecuring SecurityGame and Play in Everyday LifeThe Gift Shop at the End of HistoryFrom Intellectual Persona to Hacker InterfaceDisco Marxism vs Techno MarxismThe Vectoral Class and its AntipodesFrom Disco Marxism to Praxis (Object Oriented)Considerations on A Hacker ManifestoAfter Politics: To the Vector the SpoilsThe Little Sisters Are Watching YouShit is Fucked Up and BullshitLast Words and Key WordsAcknowledgementsNotes

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Book SynopsisIn everyday life we are not, for the most part, actively conscious of our bodies or the bodies of others we simply take them for granted. This new edition of a lively introduction to the sociology of the body examines what certain aspects of our bodies, such as the size, shape, smell and demeanour, reveal about the social organization of everyday life and how the body is crucial to the way we engage with the world and the people around us. The human body is endowed with varied forms of social significance which sociology has addressed by asking questions such as: To what degree do individuals have control over their own bodies? What interest does the state have in regulating the human body? How significant is the body to the development and performance of the self in everyday life? What images of the body influence people's expectations of themselves and others? Written in a clear and comprehensible way, The Body in Society introduces students to the key conceptual frTrade Review‘Howson set out to write about everyday embodied experiences rather than the interests of professional sociologists. Perhaps that’s why The Body in Society is such a valuable resource for exactly those sociologists and their students. This revised version is a highly engaging, accessible and, above all, socially embedded introduction to this important area.’ Julie Brownlie, University of Stirling ‘The sociology of the body is now an established and important field of research and scholarship. Howson offers a timely, up-to-date and accessible introduction to a wide range of key issues in the field. The Body in Society will be an essential text for students exploring the body's role in social relations.’ Victoria Pitts-Taylor, City University of New York ‘Sociological interest in the body has burgeoned since the 1980s, but few writers have managed to provide such a sophisticated interweaving of theoretical approaches with applied understanding. Eloquently charting “everyday” practices diversified by gender, age, disability, ethnicity and sexuality, situated within theoretical frameworks encompassing phenomenology and dualism, regulation and cultural capital, Howson enables us to appreciate both the “real” and the politically inscribed aspects of embodiment as influenced by social processes and contexts.’ Gillian Bendelow, University of SussexTable of ContentsAcknowledgements vi Introduction 1 1 The Body in Everyday Life 16 2 The Body, Gender and Sex 50 3 The Civilized Body 85 4 The Body in Consumer Culture 115 5 Regulating the Body 150 6 Vulnerable Bodies 179 Glossary 211 References 220 Index 248

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Book SynopsisIn everyday life we are not, for the most part, actively conscious of our bodies or the bodies of others we simply take them for granted. This new edition of a lively introduction to the sociology of the body examines what certain aspects of our bodies, such as the size, shape, smell and demeanour, reveal about the social organization of everyday life and how the body is crucial to the way we engage with the world and the people around us. The human body is endowed with varied forms of social significance which sociology has addressed by asking questions such as: To what degree do individuals have control over their own bodies? What interest does the state have in regulating the human body? How significant is the body to the development and performance of the self in everyday life? What images of the body influence people's expectations of themselves and others? Written in a clear and comprehensible way, The Body in Society introduces students to the key conceptual frTrade Review‘Howson set out to write about everyday embodied experiences rather than the interests of professional sociologists. Perhaps that’s why The Body in Society is such a valuable resource for exactly those sociologists and their students. This revised version is a highly engaging, accessible and, above all, socially embedded introduction to this important area.’ Julie Brownlie, University of Stirling ‘The sociology of the body is now an established and important field of research and scholarship. Howson offers a timely, up-to-date and accessible introduction to a wide range of key issues in the field. The Body in Society will be an essential text for students exploring the body's role in social relations.’ Victoria Pitts-Taylor, City University of New York ‘Sociological interest in the body has burgeoned since the 1980s, but few writers have managed to provide such a sophisticated interweaving of theoretical approaches with applied understanding. Eloquently charting “everyday” practices diversified by gender, age, disability, ethnicity and sexuality, situated within theoretical frameworks encompassing phenomenology and dualism, regulation and cultural capital, Howson enables us to appreciate both the “real” and the politically inscribed aspects of embodiment as influenced by social processes and contexts.’ Gillian Bendelow, University of SussexTable of ContentsAcknowledgements vi Introduction 1 1 The Body in Everyday Life 16 2 The Body, Gender and Sex 50 3 The Civilized Body 85 4 The Body in Consumer Culture 115 5 Regulating the Body 150 6 Vulnerable Bodies 179 Glossary 211 References 220 Index 248

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Book SynopsisIn the last two decades, both the conception and the practice of participatory culture have been transformed by the new affordances enabled by digital, networked, and mobile technologies. This exciting new book explores that transformation by bringing together three leading figures in conversation. Jenkins, Ito and boyd examine the ways in which our personal and professional lives are shaped by experiences interacting with and around emerging media.Stressing the social and cultural contexts of participation, the authors describe the process of diversification and mainstreaming that has transformed participatory culture. They advocate a move beyond individualized personal expression and argue for an ethos of doing it together in addition to doing it yourself.Participatory Culture in a Networked Era will interest students and scholars of digital media and their impact on society and will engage readers in a broader dialogue and conversation about their oTrade Review"Jenkins, Ito and boyd offer us all a wonderful gift in the form of this book — it’s as though one gets a chance to listen in on a great dinner party conversation between three brilliant scholars, reflecting on more than twenty years of trenchant scholarship on culture, play, identity, and the emergence of the digital world."John Palfrey, Phillips Academy"These authors practise what they preach! To unlock the promise of participatory culture, Jenkins, Ito and boyd invite us to join their intellectual conversation as they puzzle over the dilemmas, insights and challenges of living in a networked era. This is an exciting way to engage with a fast-developing field of research, knowledge and experience."Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics"The idea of scholarship as dialogue is one that lies buried deep within the humanities. In the pages of this engaging and accessible book, Jenkins, Ito and boyd have brought the ethos of dialogue very much to the surface. Their conversation is an entirely apt technique for reflecting on what is by now a sustained history of collaboration on questions of informal learning, participation and power in the evolving digital media environment."Jean Burgess, Queensland University of Technology"Participatory Culture in a Networked Era is an instructive resource for students, researchers and academics alike while casual readers will also find it informative and engaging."ParticipationsTable of ContentsPreface Defining Participatory Culture Youth Culture, Youth Practices Gaps and Genres in Participation Learning and Literacy Commercial Culture Democracy, Civic Engagement, and Activism Reimagining Participatory Culture References

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Book SynopsisThis timely book examines the rise of posthumanism as both a material condition and a developing philosophical-ethical project in the age of cloning, gene engineering, organ transplants and implants.Trade Review"Nayar has produced a clear and comprehensive survey and analysis of contemporary posthuman thought. He avoids the excessive reliance on jargon that often mars writing on this topic, and treats the competing views he discusses with an even and incisive hand."Robert Pepperell, Cardiff School of Art & Design"Posthumanism is a coming-of-age book for studies of science, technology, and culture. It brings together the most crucial considerations of current debates about the status of the posthuman and, in so doing, beautifully weaves together their political history and current relevance when thinking through this complex terrain."Andy Miah, University of the West of Scotland"Nayar proves an effective and expert guide to critical posthumanist perspectives on such topics as gender relations, post-colonialism and disability. […] The final chapter enters a plea for a 'species cosmopolitanism' in which humans abandon their efforts to identify non-humans in opposition to and subjection to humans but learn to respect the multiple affiliations with non-human entities such as technologies and non-human life forms."Philosophical Quarterly"Nayar concludes his exploration of the posthuman by stating that '[o]nce we accept that we are difference, perhaps we will cease to be worried about difference as Other' (p. 156). This statement draws to a close his wide ranging study of critical posthumanism and sounds a positive note for those who might fear difference without recognising the fact that, in the twenty-first century, we are all, in effect, Other." Journal of Gender StudiesTable of ContentsContents Acknowledgements 1. Revisiting the Human: Critical Humanisms Terms and Definitions Critical Humanisms and the Origins of Posthumanism 2. Consciousness, Biology and the Necessity of Alterity Cognition, Consciousness and Autopoiesis Biology, Systems and Systems Biology Dealing with/in Alterity 3. The Body, Reformatted Biomedia, the Body Mathematized and Postvital Life Other/ing Bodies The Body as Congeries, Assemblage and Interface 4. Absolute Monstrosities: The ‘Question of the Animal’ Monster Theory: Cultures of Otherness Animal Nature, Human Nature The Humanimal Speciesism 5. Life Itself: The View from Disability Studies and Bioethics Disability Studies and the Norms of the ‘Human’ Bioethics and Personhood 6. Posthuman Visions: Toward Companion Species Posthuman Biology Posthumanist Biology Companion Species Conclusion: Posthumanism as Species Cosmopolitanism Bibliography Index

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