Social and cultural anthropology Books
University of Minnesota Press Beyond the Meme: Development and Structure in
Book SynopsisInterdisciplinary perspectives on cultural evolution that reject meme theory in favor of a complex understanding of dynamic change over time How do cultures change? In recent decades, the concept of the meme, posited as a basic unit of culture analogous to the gene, has been central to debates about cultural transformation. Despite the appeal of meme theory, its simplification of complex interactions and other inadequacies as an explanatory framework raise more questions about cultural evolution than it answers. In Beyond the Meme, William C. Wimsatt and Alan C. Love assemble interdisciplinary perspectives on cultural evolution, providing a nuanced understanding of it as a process in which dynamic structures interact on different scales of size and time. By focusing on the full range of evolutionary processes across distinct contexts, from rice farming to scientific reasoning, this volume demonstrates how a thick understanding of change in culture emerges from multiple disciplinary vantage points, each of which is required to understand cultural evolution in all its complexity. The editors provide an extensive introductory essay to contextualize the volume, and Wimsatt contributes a separate chapter that systematically organizes the conceptual geography of cultural processes and phenomena.Any adequate account of the transmission, elaboration, and evolution of culture must, this volume argues, recognize the central roles that cognitive and social development play in cultural change and the complex interplay of technological, organizational, and institutional structures needed to enable and coordinate these processes.Contributors: Marshall Abrams, U of Alabama at Birmingham; Claes Andersson, Chalmers U of Technology; Mark A. Bedau, Reed College; James A. Evans, U of Chicago; Jacob G. Foster, U of California, Los Angeles; Michel Janssen, U of Minnesota; Sabina Leonelli, U of Exeter; Massimo Maiocchi, U of Chicago; Joseph D. Martin, U of Cambridge; Salikoko S. Mufwene, U of Chicago; Nancy J. Nersessian, Georgia Institute of Technology and Harvard U; Paul E. Smaldino, U of California, Merced; Anton Törnberg, U of Gothenburg; Petter Törnberg, U of Amsterdam; Gilbert B. Tostevin, U of Minnesota.Trade Review"Beyond the Meme is a collection of thought-provoking essays dealing with the multifaceted complexity and wide diversity of cultural systems."—Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science "An appreciation of how development and structure can be brought to bear on specific problems."—Evolutionary Studies
£30.60
Vintage Publishing Guns, Germs and Steel: (Patterns of Life)
Book SynopsisRead this specially designed new edition of Jared Diamond’s Pulitzer-prize winning exploration of what makes us human. Why has human history unfolded so differently across the globe? In this Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Jared Diamond puts the case that geography and biogeography, not race, moulded the contrasting fates of Europeans, Asians, Native Americans, sub-Saharan Africans, and aboriginal Australians. An ambitious synthesis of history, biology, ecology and linguistics, Guns, Germs and Steel remains a groundbreaking and humane work of popular science.PATTERNS OF LIFE: SPECIAL EDITIONS OF GROUNDBREAKING SCIENCE BOOKSTrade ReviewMonumental and monumentally good -- William Leith, 4 stars * Scotsman *A book of big questions, and big answers * Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens *A book of remarkable scope... One of the most important and readable works on the human past * Nature *Fascinating, coherent, compassionate and completely accessible * Sunday Telegraph *A prodigious, convincing work, conceived on a grand scale * Observer *
£11.69
Profile Books Ltd Shifting Sands
Book SynopsisBlue-veiled nomads, camels crossing infinite dunes, oases shimmering on the horizon: ready-made images of the Sahara are easy to conjure. But they can never tell the full story of a region that crosses eleven countries, is home to millions and sits at the heart of countless international struggles. This sweeping account confronts and upends old fantasies, revealing the far more startling reality of our world''s largest hot desert. Drawing on decades of research, and years spent living in the region, anthropologist Judith Scheele takes us from Libya to Mali, Algeria to Chad, from the ancient Roman Empire to the bloody colonial era to contemporary regional battles and fraught international diplomacy, questioning every easy cliché and exposing fascinating truths along the way. From the geology of the region, to the life it shelters, to the religions, languages and cultural and political forces that shape and fracture it, this is a landmark work that tells the compelling story of a place that sits at the heart of our world, and whose future holds implications for us all.
£21.25
2Leaf Press An Unintentional Accomplice – A Personal
Book SynopsisCarolyn L. Baker grew up in Southern California during segregation and came of age in the counter-cultural climate of the 1960s. Many years later, when Baker was in her mid-sixties, she first learned of the murder of Emmett Till, sparking an investigation of her own position as a white woman in the midst of a world of racial trauma. An Unintentional Accomplice follows Baker’s awakening to the realities of her own white privilege, confronting white guilt, navigating aspects of white identity, and searching out ways to be an ally who both acknowledges her own position and seeks to provide active support for those who live with a different set of circumstances. We find Baker facing the painful reality that, no matter how unintentional, she plays a role within a system that continues to inflict racial harm. She comes to realize that, by not actively opposing discrimination, as a white person, she acts as an accomplice. An Unintentional Accomplice offers a non-judgmental personal narrative that invites readers to explore the complexities of race in America and how to navigate the guilt that can arise in the face of these realities. The book defines institutionalized discrimination, illustrates the distance between the American dream and American reality, calls for a radically inclusive feminism, and suggests relevant ways to change direction and take action to build a more humane nation.
£15.20
Vintage Publishing The Lost World of the Kalahari
Book SynopsisLaurens van der Post was fascinated and appalled at the fate of this remarkable people. Ostracised by all the changing face of African cultural life they retreated deep into the Kalahari desert. His fascinating attempt to capture their way of life and the secrets of their ancient heritage provide captivating reading and a unique insight into a forgotten way of life.Trade ReviewThe Lost World of the Kalahari (1958) and The Heart of the Hunter (1961)...are loathed by San scholars and serious ethnologists. But they matter. Van der Post gave a face and a story to a discarded people before anyone else thought to do so. * Guardian *A master storyteller, he had the knack of identifying the significant, poetical image * Sunday Times *
£10.44
Canongate Books Trickster Makes This World: How Disruptive
Book SynopsisTrickster disrupted the world around him, and in doing so he reshaped it. Playful, mischievous, subversive, amoral, tricksters are a great bother to have around, but they are also indispensable heroes of culture.Trickster Makes This World revisits the stories of Coyote, Eshu and Hermes and holds them up against the life and work of more recent creators: Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, John Cage, Allen Ginsberg, Maxine Hong Kingston and others. Authoritative in its scholarship, supple and dynamic in its style, Trickster Makes This World encourages you to think and see afresh.Trade ReviewThis book is a revelation * * The Times * *A modern classic . . . which celebrates the power of disruptive imagination * * Guardian * *A glorious grab-bag stuffed with necessary loot, a joyful plum pudding rich in treasures -- Margaret Atwood * * Los Angeles Times * *His big ideas are seriously good ones * * Guardian * *An act of pure pleasure from first to last -- Michael ChabonHyde is one of our true superstars of non-fiction . . . Both brilliant (intellectually, literarily) and wise (psychologically, spiritually, you-name-itally) -- David Foster WallaceLewis Hyde's second masterpiece -- Margaret AtwoodA masterpiece . . . The thrilling thing about reading non-fiction such as Hyde's is not just that it gives you new thoughts: it also changes the way you think * * Scotland on Sunday * *Brilliant...By the time he is done he has folded language, culture, and the very habit of being human into his ken * * The New Yorker * *Hyde is far more than an astute cultural critic; he's an original and important thinker. Pass it on -- Geoff Dyer
£999.99
John Murray Press Nomads
Book SynopsisA Spectator Book of the Year''Sweeping . . . Poetic . . . Not only readable but also vital'' Literary Review''A terrific storyteller'' New York Times''Exceptional . . . tender and beautifully written'' Country LifeThe groundbreaking story of Nomadic peoples on the move across history.Tracing the epic paths of wanderers across twelve thousand years, acclaimed travel writer Anthony Sattin recovers the stories of tribes who lived beyond imperial borders and created their own kingdoms and empires: Scythian, Xiongnu, Persian, Hun, Arab, Mongul, Mughal, Ottoman and others. With their embrace of multiculturalism, respect for nature''s rhythms, and need for free movement, wandering peoples brought a glorious cultural flourishing to Eurasia, enabling the Renaissance and changing the human story. This sweeping narrative reconnects us with our deepest mythology, our unrecorded antiquity and oTrade ReviewIn a book of sensitivity and grace, Sattin does not just describe the nomadic way of life, but also evokes it . . . This is a book of beauty and beguiling rhythm that offers unsettling lessons about our present-day world of borders -- The TimesThoughtful, lyrical yet ambitiously panoramic . . . As fleet and light-footed as its subject, it takes us along a dizzying path, over many of the highest ridges of human history . . . An important, generous and beautifully-written book -- William Dalrymple, author of 'The Anarchy'A terrific storyteller -- New York TimesA fabulous piece of evocative writing, mixing personal stories with an epic sweep of history, the unique insight of location and an intimate connection to the subject. I loved it -- Jerry Brotton, author of 'A History of the World in Twelve Maps'Anthony Sattin's Nomads spreads before us a sweeping panorama of nomadismthat resonates through the past and echoes poignantly even in the present -- Colin Thubron, author of 'Shadow of the Silk Road'I was riveted by the shifts to nomadic culture, Sapiens-like, and by the feeling of learning lightly worn and deftly transmitted. This is a major book -- Roland Philipps, author of 'A Spy Named Orphan'The saga of the lost mobile cultures and empires that have impacted global history . . . a spirited defence of freedom of conscience, freedom of movement and migration, a romantic tribute to independence and to free spirit, and to being in tune with the rhythms of nature -- Marc David Baer, author of 'The Ottomans'An incredible work combining brilliant scholarship with an epic, page-turning narrative . . . His landmark book -- Nicholas CraneSweeping . . . Poetic . . . Sattin brings together a huge range of material with great elegance, making it not only readable but also vital -- Literary ReviewExceptional . . . tender and beautifully written -- Jason Goodwin, Country LifeNomads is a kind of rhapsody on how this aspect of human nature has contributed as much, if not more, to civilization, than the tillers of the soil -- Asian Review of BooksNomads is a monumental work, exhaustively researched that sets out to explain nomadism, its importance, rise and decline over the centuries in the minutest detail -- Irish ExaminerNot only readable but also vital -- Literary ReviewTriumphantly tells the story of another way of living . . . This is a book that does not labour in the fields but gallops full stretch towards the horizon -- SpectatorA much-needed act of historical revisionism -- Times Literary SupplementAn unashamedly impressionistic paean to nomadic life interwoven with travelogue and memoir -- The Times
£11.69
University of California Press Joy and Pain
Book SynopsisA poignant account of how the carceral state shapes daily life for young Black peopleand how Black Americans resist, find joy, and cultivate new visions for the future. At the Southern California Librarya community organization and an archive of radical and progressive movementsthe author meets a young man, Marley. In telling Marley's story, Damien M. Sojoyner depicts the overwhelming nature of Black precarity in the twenty-first century through the lenses of housing, education, health care, social services, and juvenile detention. But Black life is not defined by precarity; it embraces social visions of radical freedom that allow the pursuit of a life of joy beyond systems of oppression. Structured as a record collection of five albums, this innovative book relates Marley's personal encounters with everyday aspects of the carceral state through an ethnographic A side and offers deeper context through an anthropological and archival B side. In Joy and Pain, Marley's experiencesTrade Review"Lively discussions of Black musicians including Ice Cube and Kendrick Lamar pepper the narrative, as do deep dives into the tactics and strategies of advocacy groups such as the Black Panther Party and the California Housing and Action Network. Progressive activists will savor this in-depth portrait of the struggle for justice." * Publishers Weekly *"A creative, intimate ethnography centering on Marley, a charismatic and smart teen but reluctant protagonist. . . . The result is a gripping, up-close portrait of how the carceral state in LA makes Black life so precarious. . . . This innovative, intimate book examines Marley’s joy and pain as he encounters a web of precarity created by housing, education, health care, and social services. Summing Up: Highly recommended." * CHOICE *"A work of narrative storytelling, careful historical detail, and [an] homage to a community library that holds together many threads of hope within a system of destruction." * Journal of African American History *"Joy and Pain is a book whose message, dynamic depictions, and political intervention will be appreciated for its clarity and conviction by anyone interested in unpacking the fictions that create and sustain social inequality and the multilayered truths that challenge it." * Social Forces *Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments Introduction: Look at California ALBUM 1: HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT A Side: A Place Called Home B Side: Manufacturing a Problem ALBUM 2: THE HEART OF REBELLION A Side: A True Education B Side: Watts to the Future ALBUM 3: ALL THAT GLITTERS A Side: Nonprofit Management B Side: All Power to the People ALBUM 4: CRUEL AND BEAUTIFUL A Side: Shelter from Paradise B Side: Socialist Visions ALBUM 5: LIBERATORY VIBES A Side: Freedom Ain’t Free B Side: The Price of Freedom Closing Note: Freedom on the Mind Grounding Materials Works Cited Illustration Credits Index
£17.25
Taylor & Francis Ltd Knots
Book SynopsisKnots are well known as symbols of moral relationships. This book develops an exciting new view of this otherwise taken-for-granted image and considers their metaphoric value in and for moral order. In chapters that focus on Japan, China, Europe, South America and in several Pacific Island societies, granular ethnography depicts how knots are deployed to express unity in daily and ritual embodiment, political authority and the cosmos, as well as in social thought. The volume will be of interest to anthropologists and other scholars concerned with metaphor and symbolism, material culture and technology.
£37.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Some We Love Some We Hate Some We Eat Second
Book Synopsis“A fascinating, thoughtful, and thoroughly enjoyable exploration of a major dimension of human experience.”— Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works A maverick scientist reveals the inconsistent and often paradoxical ways humans think, feel, and behave toward animals in this engaging, informative, and though-provoking book, now newly revised.Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat is a highly entertaining and illuminating journey through the full spectrum of human-animal relations. Drawing on his groundbreaking research in the field of anthrozoology, Dr. Hal Herzog tries to make sense of our complex relationships with animals and the challenging moral conundrums we face regarding these creatures who share our world—and some, our homes. A blend of anthropology, behavioral economics, evolutionary psychology, and philosophy, updated to reflect evolving attitudes and the most recent findings, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat is a poignant, often challenging, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny trip through a world of animal rights activists, cockfighters, professional dog-show handlers, veterinary students, biomedical researchers, and more. It will forever change the way we think about other living creatures and, ultimately, how we see ourselves.Trade Review“A wonderful book—wildly readable, funny, scientifically sound, and with surprising moments of deep, challenging thoughts. I loved it.” — Robert M. Sapolsky, Neuroscientist, Stanford University, and author of Monkeyluv and A Primate's Memoir “Everybody who is interested in the ethics of our relationship between humans and animals should read this book.” — Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human “Hal Herzog does for our relationships with animals what Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma did for our relationships with food. . . . The book is a joy to read, and no matter what your beliefs are now, it will change how you think.” — Sam Gosling, Professor of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, author of Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You “Reminiscent of Freakonomics. . . . An agreeable guide to popular avenues of inquiry in the field of anthrozoology.” — The New Yorker “Wonderful. . . . An engagingly written book that only seems to be about animals. Herzog’s deepest questions are about men, women and children.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer “A fun read. . . . What buoys this book is Herzog’s voice. He’s an assured, knowledgeable and friendly guide.” — Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers “A fascinating, thoughtful, and thoroughly enjoyable exploration of a major dimension of human experience.” — Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Stuff of Thought “An instant classic. . . . Written so accessibly and personally, while simultaneously satisfying the scholar in all of us.” — Arnold Arluke, Anthrozoös “An intelligent and amusing book that invites us to think deeply about how we define-and where we limit-our empathy for animals.” — Publishers Weekly “Herzog argues that moral absolutes are not readily available in a complex world—one that exists in shades of grey, rather than the black and white of animal rights activists and their opponents. . . . Herzog has a clear eye for the essence of a scientific study, but he leavens his narrative with illuminating personal stories and self-deprecating humor.” — Nature “Both educational and enjoyable, a page-turner that I dare say puts Herzog in the same class as Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Lewis. Read this book. You’ll learn some, you’ll laugh some, you’ll love some.” — BookPage “Herzog writes about big ideas with a light touch. . . . Insightful, compassionate and humorous.” — Kirkus Reviews “Fascinating. . . Herzog looks at the wild, tortured paradoxes in our relationship with the weaker, if sometimes more adorable, species.” — Salon “In his quest to make sense of our complex relationships with animals, psychologist Hal Herzog explores the ethics of E.T. and explains why guys with cute dogs get more dates.” — Parade “Professor Hal Herzog writes lucidly and sometimes with a good touch of humor about the ethics of the relationships between humans and animals. . . . No matter which side of the question you find yourself on, this book is illuminating, and dare I say quite entertaining.” — Biloxi Sun Herald “Engaging and pleasantly cerebral. . . . When [Herzog is] talking to people about their views, the book is fascinating.” — Time Out Chicago “Hal Herzog deftly blends anecdote with scientific research to show how almost any moral or ethical position regarding our relationship with animals can lead to absurd consequences. In an utterly appealing narrative, he reveals the quirky…ways we humans try to make sense of these absurdities.” — ARTnews “One of a kind. I don’t know when I’ve read anything more comprehensive about our highly involved, highly contradictory relationships with animals, relationships which we mindlessly, placidly continue no matter how irrational they may be. . . . This page-turning book is quite something—you won’t forget it any time soon.” — Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of Deer “Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat is one of a kind. I don’t know when I’ve read anything more comprehensive about our highly involved, highly contradictory relationships with animals, relationships which we mindlessly, placidly continue no matter how irrational they may be. Readers will welcome Herzog’s eye opening discussions, presented with compassion and humor. This page-turning book is quite something—you won’t forget it any time soon.” — Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of Deer: Lessons from the Natural World
£11.69
Collective Ink Kill All Normies – Online culture wars from 4chan
Book SynopsisRecent years have seen a revival of the heated culture wars of the 1990s, but this time its battle ground is the internet. On one side the "alt right" ranges from the once obscure neo-reactionary and white separatist movements, to geeky subcultures like 4chan, to more mainstream manifestations such as the Trump-supporting gay libertarian Milo Yiannopolous. On the other side, a culture of struggle sessions and virtue signalling lurks behind a therapeutic language of trigger warnings and safe spaces. The feminist side of the online culture wars has its equally geeky subcultures right through to its mainstream expression. Kill All Normies explores some of the cultural genealogies and past parallels of these styles and subcultures, drawing from transgressive styles of 60s libertinism and conservative movements, to make the case for a rejection of the perpetual cultural turn.
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Songlines
Book SynopsisBruce Chatwin was born in Sheffield in 1940. After attending Marlborough School he began work as a porter at Sotheby's. Eight years later, having become one of Sotheby's youngest directors, he abandoned his job to pursue his passion for world travel. Between 1972 and 1975 he worked for the Sunday Times, before announcing his next departure in a telegram: 'Gone to Patagonia for six months.' This trip inspired the first of Chatwin's books, In Patagonia, which won the Hawthornden Prize and the E.M. Forster Award and launched his writing career. Two of his books have been made into feature films: The Viceroy of Ouidah (retitled Cobra Verde), directed by Werner Herzog, and Andrew Grieve's On the Black Hill. On publication The Songlines went straight to Number 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list and remained in the top ten for nine months. On the Black Hill won the Whitbread First Novel Award while his novel Utz was nomiTrade ReviewThat Chatwin is one of the most distinct and original writers we have is confirmed by the publication of another quite remarkable book -- Nicholas ShakespeareThe songlines emerge as invisible pathways connecting up all over Australia: ancient tracks made of songs which tell of the creation of the land. The Aboriginals' religious duty is ritually to travel the land, singing the Ancestors' songs: singing the world into being afresh. The Songlines is one man's impassioned song -- David Sexton * Sunday Telegraph *Chatwin is not simply describing another culture; he is also making cautious assertions about human nature. Towards the end of his life Sartre wondered why people still write novels; had he read Chatwin's he might have found new excitement in the genre -- Edmund White * Sunday Times *Chatwin delves into aspects of landscape that are beyond road signs and highways, and into a way of living that is entirely alien to the average European… those who are open to a bit of a wander will adore it * Evening Herald *
£10.44
Collective Ink Life Before the Internet - What we can learn from
Book SynopsisThere was life before Google and smartphones, but few would recognize it today. We had more free time, as we didn't spend hours on social media. Our children roamed free and learned to fend for themselves. We enjoyed the freedom and space that came from being unreachable, and we couldn't take work home. We didn't need to invent slow living; it was part of the deal! See how the last unconnected generation used to live. Catch the tempo of everyday life, from home and school to work and leisure - and perhaps reflect on what we might learn.
£11.39
Pan Macmillan India Tamil Characters
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£17.99
The University of Chicago Press Working the Difference Science Spirit and the
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Working the Difference is a tour de force in the study of language and culture and an acute analysis of the compulsive force of contradictions at the heart of American normative ideals. Writing with beauty, clarity, and a seductive blend of modesty and sass, Carr has proven herself once again to be one of the most cogent and creative thinkers in anthropology. Working the Difference is unsettling in the best possible way." -- Danilyn Rutherford, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research“With boldness and ambition, Carr fixes the lens of linguistic anthropology on the helping professions, moving in scalewise analytic fashion from training sessions in small rooms to the worldwide adoption of a communicative technology for effecting behavioral change. Her elucidation of ideological and rhetorical strategies for the neutralization of difference is a highly illuminating contribution to the understanding of scalar dynamics in the dissemination of innovation.” -- Richard Bauman, Indiana University“In this fascinating study, Carr explains how motivational interviewing is transforming fields like social work by changing how professionals talk to their clients. An accomplished scholar of expertise as an interactional process—as something done rather than owned—Carr shows how MI adopters relearn how to speak even while dancing around the idea that MI requires expertise to perform. This exemplary study brings paradox and contradiction to the fore, revealing how invocations of science coexist with appeals to faith in the rhetoric of professionalism today.” -- Steven Epstein, Northwestern University"This beautifully written, incisive book maps the hidden structures of Motivational Interviewing (MI), a method now so widespread in the American helping professions it is practically the water we swim in. Carr’s attention to linguistic detail captures the paradoxes and enchantments of MI, from its carefully cultivated naturalism to the verbal nudges that coax interlocutors to 'talk themselves into change.' Contributing to the nexus of linguistic, medical, and psychological anthropology, this elegant volume also situates MI in the American historical zeitgeist, with all its befuddling aspirations." -- Janet McIntosh, Brandeis UniversityTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Prologue Introduction: Motivating Americans, Defusing Difference Chapter 1 American Democracy (Or, How to Direct Autonomous Subjects) Chapter 2 American Rhetoric: Therapeutic Performance and the Poetics of Behavior Change Chapter 3 American Spirit: Presence, Profit, and Professional Reenchantment Chapter 4 American Science: Faith and the Spirited Economy of Evidence-Based Practice Chapter 5 American Pragmatism: Learning to Work the Difference (Or, the Life and Death of MI) Conclusion: Dealing with Difference and the Movement of Method Acknowledgments Appendix: Some Notes on the Study of (In)experts Notes Works Cited Index
£22.80
Tuttle Publishing Vietnam Now a Vietnamese Language Reader
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£15.38
Simon & Schuster Ltd Underground
Book Synopsis'A mesmerizingly fascinating tale, one astonishing adventure after another. I could not stop reading this beautifully written book.' Michael Finkel, author of The Stranger in the Woods'A unique history of a culturally and scientifically important netherworld most people barely know exists.' Booklist'An unusual and intriguing travel book ... A vivid illumination of the dark and an effective evocation of its profound mystery.'Kirkus (starred review) When Will Hunt was sixteen years old, he discovered an abandoned tunnel that ran beneath his house in Providence, Rhode Island. His first tunnel trips inspired a lifelong fascination with exploring underground worlds, from the derelict subway stations and sewers of New York City to sacred caves, catacombs, tombs, bunkers and anciTrade Review'A thrilling journey ... Underground will change the way you see the ground beneath your feet.' * The Herald *'Throughout this fascinating book he ties together the ancient and the modern, the familiar and the distant with remarkable deftness and sympathy.' * Literary Review *'Beautifully written. Hunt has attuned to the smells and textures of subterranean places (in the dark, visual comparisons don't get you very far) ... winningly obsessive history of our relationship with underground places.' * The Guardian *'Anthropology goes underground in Will Hunt's unclassifiably brilliant foray into human cultures beneath the skin of city streets and rural scapes ... Hunt leads us into illuminating depths and darkness.' * Nature *'Few books have blown my mind so totally, and so often. In Will Hunt's nimble hands, excursion becomes inversion, and the darkness turns luminous. There are echoes of Sebald, Calvino, and Herzog in his elegant and enigmatic voice, but also real warmth and humor. An intrepid—but far from fearless—journey, both theoretically and terrestrially.' -- Robert Moor, New York Times best-selling author of On Trails'Underground is, literally, a revelation. Hunt, a fearless, eloquent and truly insightful guide, takes us underground, around the world, from guerrilla art galleries, to ancient sacred chambers, to lost worlds inhabited by lost souls. In so doing, Hunt initiates us into a suite of subterranean mysteries that span geography, culture and time, awakening the dormant, but profound allure the underworld holds for us and, as he so persuasively demonstrates, for all of humankind.' -- John Vaillant, author of international bestseller The Tiger'Will Hunt has pulled off a stunning feat of reportorial magic with this book. He has taken what may be our worst fear—being underground, where many of us will spend eternity—and transformed it into a mesmerizingly fascinating tale, one astonishing adventure after another. I could not stop reading this beautifully written book.' -- Michael Finkel, author of The Stranger in the Woods'As a sunlight-craving claustrophobe, I’m not normally drawn to sewers or mine shafts plunged a mile into the earth, but Will Hunt is an irresistible guide. I followed Underground’s global tour of subterranean cultures with astonishment and joy, happy to meet a cast of cataphiles, compulsive diggers, ochre priests, spelunkers, and various seekers of the dark. I will never look at a hole in the ground in quite the same way again.' -- Justin Davidson, author of Magnetic City and architecture critic of NYMag'Will Hunt’s Underground left me, for days, wanting to go there—down, down, down, into the moisture and the mystery. It succeeds as reportage, as memoir, as historical survey and philosophical reflection. Hunt is a generous and literate moleman, beckoning us always to look lower.' -- Ted Conover, author of Newjack'Underground is for anyone who's ever peered into a crack in the earth and felt that peculiar blend of unease and curiosity. Read this and you will never look at the ground beneath you in the same way again.' -- Steve Rinella, author of Meat Eater'Hunt’s rich descriptions of dark and forbidden subterranean landscapes will raise goose bumps while offering a unique history of a culturally and scientifically important netherworld most people barely know exists.' * Booklist *'An unusual and intriguing travel book, into the world beneath the world we know ... As Hunt reveals the scientific, historic, literary, psychological, spiritual, and metaphorical qualities of his exploration, it begins to seem less idiosyncratic than universal, a pull that has persisted throughout civilization and a mystery that has yet to be solved. The underground may represent hell to some, but it has also provided spiritual solace for centuries ... A vivid illumination of the dark and an effective evocation of its profound mystery.' * Kirkus (Starred Review) *'Urban explorer Hunt serves as a genial guide to the clandestine communities, unexpected lives, and hidden histories existing in subterranean realms. … [Hunt] is always entertaining, and this brisk work, rife with intriguing characters and little-known traditions and communities, will leave many readers wanting to dig deeper into the worlds hiding beneath their feet.' * Publishers Weekly *'What is it about that unseen world beneath our feet that both calls to us and repels us at the same time? Are there secrets just beyond a rusted No Trespassing sign? Why do some of us seek to unseal the catacombs of the dead? In Underground Will Hunt explores the subterranean world in all of its historic and psychological grandeur. This tour de force just might make you want to pull on a pair of rubber boots and strap on a headlamp to get a peek at the places we've forgotten.' -- Scott Carney, author of New York Times bestseller What Doesn't Kill Us
£15.29
Hodder & Stoughton Rescue: From Global Crisis to a Better World
Book SynopsisAn optimistic vision of the future after Covid-19 by a leading professor of globalisation at the University of Oxford.Covid-19 left us at a crossroads: should we go back to 'normal', or use the lessons learned during the pandemic to shape a new society?But what does life after a pandemic look like, and how do we build a better, more hopeful future?Ian Goldin, Professor of Development and Globalisation at the University of Oxford, provides an urgently needed roadmap that reveals how the pandemic could lead to a better world: from globalisation to the future of jobs, income inequality, and climate change.Rescue is a bold call for an optimistic future and one we all have the power to create.Trade ReviewA hopeful book . . . Goldin makes the case that this may be the moment when we reshape our individual and collective destiny -- Richard Baldwin * Financial Times *Ian Goldin gives us a bold, compelling account of the lessons of the pandemic: after four decades of neoliberal market thinking, big government is back. Only an activist state can deal with inequality, climate change, and future pandemics. This important book shows that we need not a "reset" but a fundamental rethinking of capitalism if we are to build more just, resilient societies. -- Michael J. Sandel, author of The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?A fresh and penetrating insight from one of the great authorities on globalisation into what's gone wrong with our world and what needs to be put right. -- Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and former Prime Minister of the United KingdomEssential reading for anyone interested in making the world a better place. Rescue provides an urgently needed roadmap for us all. -- Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive GlobalRescue gives us hope that we can come together to build forward better and shape societies and economies that are fairer, greener and more inclusive. Ian Goldin's prescriptions for investing in people and the planet, and with strong international cooperation, show us how we can create a world that works for all. -- Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary FundIan Goldin offers an insightful perspective on the injustices and crises besetting today's world. His book deserves wide readership - indeed one would like to hope that his wisdom will influence the political leaders who confront the challenge of "building back better" after Covid-19. -- Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer RoyalIan Goldin's Rescue is an optimistic and insightful analysis of the pros as well as the cons of the pandemic and seeks to assess its potential to reshape our lives for the better. To paraphrase his words and the essence of the title - can the pandemic go down in history as the event that rescued humanity? Goldin brings statistics alive in this optimistic analysis of the positive as well as the negative impact of the pandemic - it is a beacon of hope for the future. -- Lord Norman FosterThis well-researched book shows us what is wrong with our current economic model and provides a convincing clarion call for change after the pandemic. -- Baroness Minouche Shafik, Director, London School of EconomicsProfessor Ian Goldin is mapping the short- and long-term consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic in his excellent book Rescue. We know that some negative effects will linger for a long time in our societies and economies, but there is also hope of a brighter future. Professor Goldin points out that something better can come out of this if we make a joint effort to reset our communities on a more sustainable path. This well-written book gives hope of a better future. -- Cécilia Malmström, former European Commissioner for TradeIn this broad-ranging book, Ian Goldin aptly views the West's failure to address at all adequately the Covid-19 virus as emblematic of widespread national failures. To get out of this dystopia, he argues, nations will have to create nothing less than "a different operating system" and they must cooperate far more than in the past. This radical book is a must-read. -- Professor Edmund Phelps, economist and Nobel LaureateRescue is a wise and hopeful book. As the world begins to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, Ian Goldin has assembled an extraordinary range of data to assess its impact and identify opportunities for transformative change. Just the tonic weary readers need! -- Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America
£9.49
Quercus Publishing Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your
Book Synopsis'An indispensable resource for white people who want to challenge white supremacy but don't know where to begin' Robin DiAngelo, author of New York Times bestseller WHITE FRAGILITY'It should be mandatory reading ... Buy the book, do the work and then push more copies into the hands of everyone you know' Emma Gannon'Confrontational and much-needed' Stylist'She is no-joke changing the world and, for what it's worth, the way I live my life.'Anne Hathaway___________Me and White Supremacy shows readers how to dismantle the privilege within themselves so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on people of colour, and in turn, help other white people do better, too.When Layla Saad began an Instagram challenge called #MeAndWhiteSupremacy, she never predicted it would spread as widely as it did. She encouraged people to own up and share their racist behaviours, big and small. She was looking for truth, and she got it. Thousands of people participated, and over 90,000 people downloaded the book.The updated and expanded Me and White Supremacy takes the work deeper by adding more historical and cultural contexts, sharing moving stories and anecdotes, and including expanded definitions, examples, and further resources.Awareness leads to action, and action leads to change. The numbers show that readers are ready to do this work - let's give it to them.Trade ReviewLayla Saad's ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY is an indispensable resource for white people who want to challenge white supremacy but don't know where to begin. She moves her readers from their heads into their hearts, and ultimately, into their practice. We won't end white supremacy through an intellectual understanding alone; we must put that understanding into action. My fellow white people often tell me about the antiracism books they have read. My question is, "How will BIPOC know that you have read that book?" As Saad makes clear, if you have read and followed this book, BIPOC will know. * Robin DiAngelo, author of New York Times bestseller 'White Fragility' *What Layla has created here is essential to anyone committed to doing the right thing regardless of how difficult it may feel. We can not dismantle what we are unwilling to acknowledge. And this book is perfect for anyone who wants to start to build a better society for all. * Candice Brathwaite *Layla is an extremely powerful communicator. From the first page, you will be glued to this book. It should be mandatory reading. The message is urgent and the book is actionable and practical. Buy this book for yourself, do the work, and then push more copies it into the hands of everyone you know. * Emma Gannon, Sunday Times bestselling author *Discovering Layla's work was one of the most important, uncomfortable and pivotal moments in my life. It guided me back to my humanity. * Florence Given *She is no-joke changing the world and, for what it's worth, the way I live my life. * Anne Hathaway *For well-intentioned white people, it is near impossible to know where to begin unlearning our role in upholding white supremacy - because how can you address what you can't even see? White supremacy is the air we've breathed and the milk we've drunk since birth. Enter Layla Saad. Her work is personal, practical, reflective, applicable, difficult, effective, and imperative. For the millions of us begging to know where to begin - where to begin to counteract our ugly history, and where to stand during this historical moment of polarization and hate - Layla answers: Begin with me. Begin with you. Me And White Supremacy is an answer to a question every conscionable person is asking. * Glennon Doyle, author of #1 New York Times bestseller 'Love Warrior and founder of Together Rising' *America needed this book yesterday. In fact, America has always needed this book. Layla Saad is one of the most important and valuable teachers we have right now on the subject of white supremacy and racial injustice. With keen intelligence and tireless patience, she is working to remove our collective cultural blindspots, and to help - at last - to change minds and transform society. I have the deepest respect for her. Buy this book for yourself, your family, your students. Don't put it off, and don't look away. It's time. * Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and City of Girls *Finally, books are among the most potent agents of change in the world. The work of Layla F Saad and her book Me and White Supremacy helped me learn a lot about the institutional racism of the world we live in, to realise a lot about my own biases and false assumptions, and helped to open my eyes to the extra barriers people of colour face * The Bookseller *So you've posted a black square on Instagram. Now here are the best books, podcasts and films to help educate yourself about race and anti-racism * Glamour magazine *This is hard to hear, but if you are a white UK resident "shocked" by what happened to George Floyd you are part of the problem * Woman and Home *This is hard to hear, but if you are a white UK resident "shocked" by what happened to George Floyd you are part of the problem * Good Housekeeping *How to be an effective ally in the fight against racism * Huck Magazine *White people: get to work * Nouse *Black Lives Matter: what is your outrage worth? * Culture Whisper *Black Lives Matter: it's time to Understand, Educate and Speak Out * BN1 Magazine *How to support Black Lives Matter and anti-racist organisations if you can't protest * NME *We Stand With You - First Steps to Educating Yourself on Racism & Supporting the Black Lives Matter Movement * Tribe Magazine *It's only on reading this book that I've realised that being an ally involves constantly showing up. And that it's deeds, not words, that count. -- Sophie Wilkinson * Grazia *
£10.44
Independent Institute The New American AntiSemitism
Book Synopsis?This book could not be timelier. Benjamin Ginsberg uses his deep knowledge of Jewish history to show that Jews, long identified with leftwing causes, in many ways, are not natural allies of the left. A culture of separateness and high achievement make the Jews vulnerable to political pathologies from wherever they come?and two of the most destructive, anti-Zionism and wokeism, come from the left. With the help of fascinating detail, this book shows that Jews need neither right nor left but a society based on the universal values they brought into the world many centuries ago.? ?David Satter, author of Age of Delirium: The Decline and Fall of the Soviet UnionThe New American Anti-Semitism: The Left, the Right, and the Jews is a clarion call?not only to Jews, but to all Americans. As a nation, we must wake up and face the rising anti-Semitic threat and act accordingly.But that threat is not coming from its usual source. The most virulent form of anti-Semitism today, Ginsberg warns, is the result of toxic identity politics and anti-Israeli sentiment coming from today?s political Left. Perhaps the most persecuted people in all of history, Jews have stood tall in the face of unprecedented persecution in all places, at all times. Their culture?s rigorous emphasis on education and achievement catapults them, Ginsberg argues, to the upper echelons of the societies in which they live. But their success too often breeds resentment and jealousy, leading to an ugly anti-Semitism that has led, historically, to unspeakable violence. In this urgent new work, Dr. Benjamin Ginsberg?political scientist, professor, and bestselling author?exposes the ugly face of this new, progressive anti-Semitism (which is also thriving in Europe). To combat it, he urges American Jews to form new political alliances, particularly with evangelical Christians.The stakes of not doing so, says Ginsberg, are horrifically high?not only for the survival of the Jewish people, but for America?s survival. After all, the Jews have contributed immeasurably to America?s scientific, cultural, and economic achievements. Jews have been good for America; and America has been good to the Jews. But what once was so can change ... and Jews can never afford to forget their history. Read this book and learn: Why the Jews have always persisted in the face of persecution; Why the new face of Jewish persecution has found a home on university campuses, Left-leaning media outlets, and other unlikely places; The high and horrible costs of anti-Semitism; The profound benefits of philo-Semitism; The details of the new alliances that must be made to ensure the continuing success of American Jews?and America itself; And much, much more... In this must-read tour de force, Ginsberg enlightens readers by tracing the history of the Jewish people?starting from the children of Abraham and ending with Jews today?and urging all Jews and all Americans to learn the lessons of that history. Now.
£23.92
One Signal Publishers/Atria Books A Return to Common Sense
Book SynopsisThis instant New York Times bestselling political book is “an essential companion for anyone who suspects that politics is in fact for everyone, and that the time to put skin in the game is right now” (Dahlia Lithwick, New York Times bestselling author)—from viral TikTok sensation PoliticsGirl. Something’s gone wrong in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. We can all feel it, but if we’re being honest, most of us don’t understand it. At the end of the day, we don’t have all the facts, and if you don’t know how something works, how do you fix it? A Return to Common Sense is an “accessible and urgent” (Kirkus Reviews), dare we say fun, guide to how America works and a roadmap to reclaiming a government of, by, and for the people. We fought a revolutionary war for the idea of self-governance and pursuit of happiness—we can’t just give up on it now. To address the crisis, Leigh McGowan offers Six American Principles, rooted in history, that we can all agree make America, America. 1. America is a land of freedom. 2. Everyone should have the opportunity to rise. 3. Every citizen should have a vote, and that vote should count. 4. Representatives should represent the people who elected them. 5. The law applies to all of us. 6. Government should be a force for good. Using the Six Principles as guideposts, this book lays out suggestions for America, to not only find its way out of the mess it’s currently in, but to set a course for a future of which we can all be truly proud.
£10.44
Amber Books Ltd Graves of the Great and Famous: From Jane Austen
Book SynopsisKarl Marx is buried in London, John Keats in Rome and Leon Trotsky in Mexico. Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is today known for the graves of Jim Morrison, Victor Hugo and Oscar Wilde, but when it opened in the early 19th century the owners felt that they needed some star names to make it a desired burial site – and so they had Molière’s body transferred there. Arranged thematically into 75 entries, Graves of the Great and Famous tours the world exploring the resting places of leading artists, thinkers, scientists, sportspeople, revolutionaries, politicians and pioneers. Some, such as communist leaders Ho Chi Minh and Vladimir Lenin, are interred in great mausoleums, where they are visited by millions each year; others are buried in little-known country graveyards. From lives cut short through assassinations – Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln – to those who suffered terrible accidents (Princess Diana), from mobsters such as Benjamin ‘Bugsy’ Siegel and John Gotti to Napoleon and his mistress Marie Walewska, from Nelson Mandela to Eva Peron, Graceland to Highgate Cemetery, the book provides a guide to some of the most famous and unusual graves of the great and the good. Featuring 150 photographs of graves, cemeteries, graveyards and mausoleums, Graves of the Great and Famous is a compact guide to the final resting place of the famous – and infamous.Table of ContentsIntroduction Actors and Directors James Dean Marilyn Monroe Stan Laurel Buster Keaton Judy Garland Bruce Lee Natalie Wood Ingrid & Ingmar Bergman Bette Davis Yves Montand/Simone Signoret Marlene Dietrich Akira Kurosawa Debbie Reynolds and daughter Carrie Fisher Artists and Designers Leonardo Albrecht Durer Michelangelo Jacques-Louis David Goya Gauguin Christian Dior Albert Namatjira Coco Chanel Max Ernst Musicians, Entertainers and Sportspeople JS Bach Wolfgang Mozart Beethoven Frederic Chopin Richard Wagner Tchaikovsky Johann Strauss Giuseppe Verdi Edith Piaf Jimi Hendrix Jim Morrison Elvis Presley Bob Marley John Lennon Frank Zappa Michael Hutchence Frank Sinatra Johnny Cash & June Carter Muhammad Ali Revolutionaries, Rebels and Humanitarians Martin Luther Oliver Cromwell Simon Bolivar Sojourner Truth V I Lenin Leon Trotsky Hans and Sophie Scholl Mahatma Gandhi Martin Luther King Ho Chi Minh Oskar Schindler Mao Tse-Tung Mother Teresa Rosa Parks Nelson Mandela Royals, Rulers and Politicians Julius Caesar Augustus Saladin Vlad the Impaler Hideyoshi Elizabeth I & Westminster Abbey Peter I the Great and Catherine the Great Napoleon Abraham Lincoln Sun Yat Sen Kemal Ataturk FDR Eva Peron John F Kennedy Winston Churchill Sukarno Haile Selassie Princess Diana Thinkers, Scientists and Explorers Confucius Columbus Copernicus Galileo Isaac Newton Charles Darwin Karl Marx Richard Burton Marie & Pierre Curie Albert Schweitzer Yuri Gagarin Dian Fossey Stephen Hawking Writers, Poets and Playwrights Omar Khayyam William Shakespeare Moliere Voltaire Yosa Buson Mary Wollstonecraft Jane Austen John Keats Balzac Mary Shelley Hans Christian Anderson George Eliot Victor Hugo Oscar Wilde Leo Tolstoy Ivan Franko Wilfred Owen Marcel Proust Franz Kafka James Joyce Colette Bertoldt Brecht Truman Capote Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir
£16.99
Tuttle Publishing An Illustrated Guide to Samurai History and
Book SynopsisThe ultimate visual guide to Samurai history and culture! The Samurai are continuously celebrated as the greatest warriors the world has ever seen. They ruled Japan for centuries, finally uniting the nation after a prolonged period of brutal war and bloodshed. Though famed for their loyalty, honor, and chivalry, they could also be treacherous, bloodthirsty, and merciless.This book tells the story of their rise and eventual demise through carefully curated images, both historical and contemporary, with an engaging and authoritative text by Gavin Blair—a noted commentator on all things Japanese. It exposes the myths surrounding the Samurai and reveals their many secrets, while examining their enduring influence on global culture in anime, manga, books, and video games. Gorgeously illustrated with color prints, paintings, and photos throughout, this book features detailed chapters on: The rise of the Japanese warrior class and how they established their grip on political power Rival clans, legendary Samurai, the unification of warlord states, and famous female Samurai Samurai "tools of the trade"—swords, bows, spears, guns, castles, and armor The cult of Bushido, the fabled warrior's code The transformation of Samurai into cultured "gentlemen" warriors, poets, and aristocrats Their legacy in modern world literature, media, film, and popular culture And so much more! A foreword by leading Samurai historian Alexander Bennett, the celebrated translator of works such as The Complete Musashi and Hagakure, introduces readers to these fascinating warriors, who continue to captivate modern audiences.Trade Review"The book presents a fascinating account of the historical role of the samurai in the military, political and social development of Japan; of their unique status in Japanese cinema, TV and other media; and of the enduring effects of their legacy on contemporary Japanese life." -- Acumen, the magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan"The major draw of the book is the colorful visuals that bring the text to life. Containing over 250 paintings, photos and illustrations, the book widens its potential audience to include young children and people who are not strong readers, as well as tapping into the interests of those who are drawn to samurai history and culture through visual media such as anime or gaming." --The Japan Times
£21.24
University of Minnesota Press Ghostly Matters
Book Synopsis
£17.99
Duckworth Books The Nordic Theory of Everything
Book SynopsisAn optimistic account of how the Nordic countries can teach us to live easier, healthier, happier lives: a Duckworth contemporary classic, beautifully repackaged for our 125th anniversaryTrade Review'Partanen is a careful, judicious writer' New York Times'A passionate and intelligent argument' Publishers Weekly'An earnest, well-written work worth heeding' Kirkus'An engaging fusion of reportage and memoir' O, the Oprah Magazine'A book you desperately need to add to your to-read pile' Gizmodo'Partanen’s sensible book should be required reading' Foreign Affairs'A must-read' New York Post
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Population Control
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Wide-ranging. ... Will undoubtedly put the fear of God into [readers]." -- Kirkus "Phenomenal. ... Marrs is one of the last remaining true investigative journalists in America today." -- Natural News
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd The Book of Tea Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisZen and the art of tea--the classic book about the Japanese tea ceremony that is as much a guide to lifeFor a generation adjusting painfully to the demands of a modern industrial and commercial society, Asia came to represent an alternative vision of the good life: aesthetically austere, socially aristocratic, and imbued with spirituality. The Book of Tea was originally written in English and sought to address the inchoate yearnings of disaffected Westerners. In a flash of inspiration, Okakura saw that the formal tea party as practiced in New England was a distant cousin of the Japanese tea ceremony, and that East and West had thus met in the tea-cup.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide author
£8.54
Oxford University Press Inc Indigenous Audibilities
Book SynopsisIn the middle of the twentieth century, transnational networks sparked a range of cultural projects focused on collecting Indigenous music and folklore in the Americas. Indigenous Audibilities follows the social relations that created these collections in four interconnected case studies linking the U.S., Mexico, Nicaragua, and Chile. Indigenous collections were embedded in political projects that negotiated issues of cultural diplomacy, national canons, and heritage. The case studies recuperate the traces of marginalized voices in archives, paying special attention to women and Indigenous people. Despite the dominant agendas of national and international institutions, the diverse actors and the multi-directional influences often led to unexpected outcomes. Author Amanda Minks brings together vivid storytelling and theories of collection, voice, and recording to challenge the transparency of archives as a historical source. The book presents a social-historical method of listening, reaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Figures A Note on Terminology and Abbreviations Introduction 1. Between the Ear and the Letter: Oral History and U.S. Borderlands 2. Radio, Recording, and Inter-American Indigenismo in Mexico 3. Folklore, Region, and Revolution in Nicaragua 4. Indigenous Collections and Integrative Arts in Chile Epilogue References Index
£18.99
The University of Chicago Press Dreamscapes of Modernity
Book SynopsisDreamscapes of Modernity offers the first book-length treatment of sociotechnical imaginaries, a concept originated by Sheila Jasanoff and developed in close collaboration with Sang-Hyun Kim to describe how visions of scientific and technological progress carry with them implicit ideas about public purposes, collective futures, and the common good. The book presents a mix of case studies-including nuclear power in Austria, Chinese rice biotechnology, Korean stem cell research, the Indonesian Internet, US bioethics, global health, and more-to illustrate how the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries can lead to more sophisticated understandings of the national and transnational politics of science and technology. A theoretical introduction sets the stage for the contributors' wide-ranging analyses, and a conclusion gathers and synthesizes their collective findings. The book marks a major theoretical advance for a concept that has been rapidly taken up across the social sciences and promi
£29.45
WW Norton & Co Giants of the Monsoon Forest
Book SynopsisA journey through the hidden world of elephants and their riders.Trade Review"... thought-provoking study..." -- Nature"Never truly domesticated, many elephants in South East Asia worked for humans during the day yet were let go at night to forage in the forest. Jacob Shell discusses this age-old pact between two brainy species. Even if our view of the human-animal relation is changing, the awe in which we hold elephants is amply fed by the stories and history in this fascinating book, especially those in which elephants appear to use their own judgment to solve problems in the field." -- Frans de Waal, author of the New York Times bestseller Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? and Mama’s Last Hug; Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves"In the end, Giants of the Monsoon Forest offers an absorbing look at the dual world of semicaptive Asian elephants and convincingly argues for the interdependence of elephants and forest protection." -- Science"Giants of the Monsoon Forest makes a powerfully, though subtly, persuasive case for elephants to continue as working animals. Highly readable, it should appeal to a wide audience, just as the writing of Elephant Bill did in an earlier generation." -- Times Literary Supplement
£19.94
Duke University Press Networking Futures
Book SynopsisAn innovative ethnography of transnational activist networking within the movements against corporate globalization.Trade Review“Networking Futures [is] an exciting and important book, and a contribution to sociology. . . . Juris provides us with an understanding of how activists are at the forefront of this global transformation, through their creative use of internet and other technologies, and through their comprehensively democratic and reflexive exploration of new social forms.” - Judith Blau, Contemporary Sociology“The view Juris offers is more in-depth than has been generally reported even by sympathetic journalists. . . . Networking Futures stands as a pioneering document of what may yet prove to be a new new world order.” - Vince Carducci, Popmatters“As well as being an insightful and inspiring resource for activists, Networking Futures: The Movements Against Corporate Globalisation, is a absorbing history of the ever-evolving contemporary resistance to corporate globalisation. I found it a refreshing antidote to the constant barrage of neo-conservative blather emanating from the mouths of free market evangelists on the pages and the airwaves of the mainstream media—especially read in the context of collapsing global markets!” - Megan Yarrow, M/C Reviews“Networking Futures is one of the very first detailed ethnographic accounts of the alternative globalisation movement. The book manages to weave together some of the key historical moments of its ineluctable rise into a single compelling narrative from the intimate perspective of someone who was there. . . . Juris’s many accounts of the vitality, creativity and innovativeness of the alternative globalisation movement will inspire activists and academics alike for many years to come.” - Marco Cuevas-Hewitt, Anthropological Forum“Networking Futures is a terrific, deeply informed ethnographic account of the origins and activities of the anti–corporate globalization movement. Jeffrey S. Juris’s identity is as much that of an activist who happens to be doing first-rate anthropology as vice versa, and there is much for anthropologists to reflect on in the way that this work is set up and narrated through these dual identities.”—George E. Marcus, co-author of Designs for an Anthropology of the Contemporary“Networking Futures is one of the very first books to map in detail the multiple networks that are challenging corporate globalization. Taking as a point of departure an exemplary case—the Catalan anti–globalization movements of the past decade—Jeffrey S. Juris moves on to chronicle the collective struggles to construct not only an alternative vision of possible worlds but the means to bring them about. Networking Futures is a compelling portrait of the spirit of innovation that lies behind an array of progressive mobilizations, from anarchist movements and street protests to the World Social Forum. Based on a well-developed notion of collaborative ethnography, it is also a wonderful example of engaged scholarship: a much-needed alternative to academic work as usual.”—Arturo Escobar, author of Territories of Difference: Place, Movements, Life, Redes“Jeffrey S. Juris gives us an illuminating model for how to study networks from below using the tools of ethnography. And in the process he reveals the extraordinary power (as well as the challenges) of network organizing for social movements today.”—Michael Hardt, co-author of Empire and Multitude“Networking Futures [is] an exciting and important book, and a contribution to sociology. . . . Juris provides us with an understanding of how activists are at the forefront of this global transformation, through their creative use of internet and other technologies, and through their comprehensively democratic and reflexive exploration of new social forms.” -- Judith Blau * Contemporary Sociology *“Networking Futures is one of the very first detailed ethnographic accounts of the alternative globalisation movement. The book manages to weave together some of the key historical moments of its ineluctable rise into a single compelling narrative from the intimate perspective of someone who was there. . . . Juris’s many accounts of the vitality, creativity and innovativeness of the alternative globalisation movement will inspire activists and academics alike for many years to come.” -- Marco Cuevas-Hewitt * Anthropological Forum *“As well as being an insightful and inspiring resource for activists, Networking Futures: The Movements Against Corporate Globalisation, is a absorbing history of the ever-evolving contemporary resistance to corporate globalisation. I found it a refreshing antidote to the constant barrage of neo-conservative blather emanating from the mouths of free market evangelists on the pages and the airwaves of the mainstream media—especially read in the context of collapsing global markets!” -- Megan Yarrow * M/C Reviews *“The view Juris offers is more in-depth than has been generally reported even by sympathetic journalists. . . . Networking Futures stands as a pioneering document of what may yet prove to be a new new world order.” -- Vince Carducci * Popmatters *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations and Tables ix Acknowledgments xi Abbreviations xv Introduction: The Cultural Logic of Networking 1 1. The Seattle Effect 27 2. Anti-Corporate Globalization Soldiers in Barcelona 61 3. Grassroots Mobilization and Shifting Alliances 93 4. Performing Networks at Direct-Action Protests 123 5. Spaces of Terror: Violence and Repression in Genoa 161 6. May the Resistance Be as Transnational as Capital! 199 7. Social Forums and the Cultural Politics of Autonomous Space 233 8. The Rise of Independent Utopics 267 Conclusion: Political Change and Cultural Transformation in a Digital Age 287 Appendix 1: Electronic Resources 303 Appendix 2: Pink and Silver Call, Genoa, July 20, 2001 305 Appendix 3: Peoples' Global Action Organisational Principles 307 Appendix 4: World Social Forum Charter of Principles 311 Notes 315 References 349 Index 365
£23.25
Cambridge University Press Risk in the Roman World
Book SynopsisHow did the Romans handle risk, from uncertainty about food supply and dangerous travel to survival itself? Modern risk studies view the ancients as dominated by fate, but the reality was different. A range of techniques, from dream interpretation and oracles to logistics and law, all served to control risk.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; 1. Risk and uncertainty; 2. A world full of risks; 3. A risk culture; 4. Risk management; 5. Moral hazards: constructing risk; 6. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
£21.84
University of Minnesota Press Meaningless Citizenship: Iraqi Refugees and the
Book SynopsisA searing critique of the “freedom” that America offers to the victims of its imperialist machinations of war and occupation Meaningless Citizenship traces the costs of America’s long-term military involvement around the world by following the forced displacement of Iraqi families, unveiling how Iraqis are doubly displaced: first by the machinery of American imperialism in their native countries and then through a more pernicious war occurring on U.S. soil—the dismantling of the welfare state.Revealing the everyday struggles and barriers that texture the lives of Iraqi families recently resettled to the United States, Sally Wesley Bonet draws from four years of deep involvement in the refugee community of Philadelphia. An education scholar, Bonet’s analysis moves beyond the prevalent tendency to collapse schooling into education. Focusing beyond the public school to other critical institutions, such as public assistance, resettlement programs, and healthcare, she shows how encounters with institutions of the state are an inherently educative process for both refugee youths and adults, teaching about the types of citizenship they are expected to enact and embody while simultaneously shaping them into laboring subjects in service of capitalism. An intimate, in-depth ethnography, Meaningless Citizenship exposes how the veneer of American values—freedom, democracy, human rights—exported to countries like Iraq, disintegrates to uncover what is really beneath: a nation-state that prioritizes the needs of capitalism above the survival and wellbeing of its citizens.Trade Review"Sally Wesley Bonet’s book is a beautiful exploration of the meanings of refuge and citizenship through institutions, relationships, and the everyday experiences of children and families in the United States. It exposes essential understandings that are needed for stronger futures, particularly the consequences of misaligned expectations and reality as well as the responsibility the United States has to refugees, especially those to whom it has caused suffering."—Sarah Dryden-Peterson, author of Right Where We Belong: How Refugee Teachers and Students Are Changing the Future of Education"Drawing on three years of tender and tenacious ethnographic research with Iraqi refugee families resettled into poverty in the U.S., Meaningless Citizenship explains how American imperialism and its brutal late-stage, low-road, neoliberal capitalism deny refugees the economic and social rights of full citizenship. Sally Wesley Bonet critiques how refugee resettlement, public assistance, and educational and health care institutions stymie justice, even as she shows how they might be reformed to foster more humane and equitable outcomes."—Lesley Bartlett, coauthor of Humanizing Education for Immigrant and Refugee Youth: 20 Strategies for the Classroom and Beyond
£17.24
Manchester University Press Long Peace Street: A Walk in Modern China
Book SynopsisThrough the centre of China’s historic capital, Long Peace Street cuts a long, arrow-straight line. It divides the Forbidden City, home to generations of Chinese emperors, from Tiananmen Square, the vast granite square constructed to glorify a New China under Communist rule. To walk the street is to travel through the story of China’s recent past, wandering among its physical relics and hearing echoes of its dramas. Long Peace Street recounts a journey in modern China, a walk of twenty miles across Beijing offering a very personal encounter with the life of the capital’s streets. At the same time, it takes the reader on a journey through the city’s recent history, telling the story of how the present and future of the world’s rising superpower has been shaped by its tumultuous past, from the demise of the last imperial dynasty in 1912 through to the present day.Trade Review‘Filled with insights, observations and anecdotes, Chatwin brings to life the past – and present – of one of the world’s great cities in an account that is as thoughtful as it is informative.’Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History, Worcester College, University of Oxford'Bringing together past and present, personal and political, Jonathan Chatwin gives readers a thoughtful and deeply-informed account of modern China through the marvellous device of a stroll down Beijing's longest avenue - and all in lucid and compelling prose.'Rana Mitter, Director of the University China Centre, University of Oxford'Even the most dedicated flâneur has to work hard to find the charm in Chang’an Avenue, the main thoroughfare of, as Jonathan Chatwin rightly describes it, the "glorious mess of Beijing". Industrial relics, bankrupt theme parks, rabbit hutch housing, paranoid Communist Party elite boltholes and Tiananmen’s ghosts all loom large. But Chatwin walks the walk and, along the way dissects the street, its denizens and its enduring role in China’s history and collective modern traumas. 'Paul French, New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Peking and City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir'Jonathan Chatwin offers a distinctive window onto Beijing's past and present by taking readers along with him on a long trek down an important thoroughfare. An appealing mix of anecdotes from a journey and digressions backward in time make Long Peace Street a novel addition to the rich literature on China's sprawling capital.' Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, coauthor of China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know'This three-dimension, moving timeline along the heart of imperial and contemporary Beijing made me want to head out the door and follow Chatwin's flaneur footsteps. "Long Peace Street" seamlessly blends history and reporting, shining a light on both the capital's neglected bookends and its dense core. I couldn't put it down.'Michael Meyer, author of The Last Days of Old Beijing, In Manchuria, and The Road to Sleeping Dragon'Long Peace Street is a brilliant achievement. To read this book is to travel with an engaging writer as he explores the China of today and the raw pathos of its past. Long Peace Street gives its readers an insight essential for a sophisticated understanding of Chinese society today.'M. A. Aldrich, author of The Search for a Vanishing Beijing: A Guide to the Capital of China through the Centuries'As a dive into Beijing’s history and an excursion through its present, Long Peace Street is entertaining, informative, well-written and companionable.'Post Magazine -- .Table of ContentsIntroductionDay one: Shougang Iron and Steel to Tiananmen1 Capital Iron and Steel – origins – the Great Leap Forward – a bad neighbour – future plans2 New suburbia – the city in history – the hutong – Shijingshan Amusement Park3 Change – ring roads and the New Beijing – Great Olympics4 Babaoshan ghosts – the cemetery – the life of Peng Dehuai – return to Hunan5 A diversion – straightness – the road as metaphor6 Military markings – Tomb of the Princess – new regime, new capital? – the Military Museum7 Diaoyutai State Guesthouse – December 1980 – ‘To Rebel is Justified’ – Chairman Mao’s dog8 Big roofs – Capital Museum – pailou – some history9 Muxidi Bridge – petitions and protests – May Fourth – Democracy Movement – 1976 – 1978 – 1989 – the aftermath10 Rainbows – walls, walls, and yet again walls – breaches – New Year’s Day in Xi’an – demolition – socialist core values11 A hungry refrain – little grey streets – reform and opening-up – state owned enterprises12 An assassination – Middle and Southern Seas – imperial pretensions – Xinhuamen – paranoia – hidden places – Mao at ZhongnanhaiDay two: Tiananmen to Sihui Dong subway station13 The middle of the Middle Kingdom – hidden tales of Tiananmen – the Great Helmsman14 A walk to Tiananmen – into the Forbidden City – intruders15 Four days in the Forbidden City16 Out of the Forbidden City – scholar trees – dislocation – destruction – impressions of Beijing – going native – Legation Street today – fireworks over Tiananmen17 The man who died twice – Wangfujing – a literary traveller – the end of the Qing – Morrison and Yuan Shikai – a sad coda – Palm Sunday in Sidmouth18 Oriental Plaza – walking in cities – the Imperial Observatory – origins of the Chinese calendar – the Jesuits – the Republican calendar – time in modern China19 Outside the wall – the Grand Canal and the eastern suburbs – 22nd August 1967 – all palaces are temporary palaces – Forsan et haec olim – red20 One city – the east is rich – weird architecture – mall life – underground21 G103 – the story of a nation – the endEpilogueIndex
£15.58
Manchester University Press Intimacy and Mobility in an Era of Hardening
Book SynopsisThis book is a collection of articles by anthropologists and social scientists concerned with gendered labour, care, intimacy and sexuality, in relation to mobility and the hardening of borders in Europe. Interrogating the relation between physical, geopolitical borders and ideological, conceptual boundaries, it offers a range of vivid and original ethnographic case studies that will capture the imagination of anyone interested in gendered migration, policies of inclusion and exclusion, and regulation of reproduction and intimacy.The book presents ethnographic and phenomenological discussions of people’s changing lives as they cross borders, how people transgress and reshape moral boundaries of proper gender and kinship behaviour, and moral economies of intimacy and sexuality. It also focuses on migrants’ navigation of social and financial services in their destination countries, putting questions about rights and limitations on citizenship at the core.Table of ContentsIntroduction – Haldis Haukanes and Frances Pine1 Reconceptualising borders and boundaries: gender, movement, reproduction, regulation – Frances Pine and Haldis HaukanesSection I Gendered life worlds: migrants’ imaginaries and obligations in contested contexts of intimacy2 Moral economies of intimacy: narratives of Ukrainian solo female migrants in Italy – Olena Fedyuk3 Borders within intimate realms: looking at marriage migration regimes in Austria and Germany through the perspective of women from rural Kosovo – Carolin Leutloff-Grandits4 The gender of guilt: diversity and ambivalence of transnational care trajectories within postsocialist migration experience – Petra Ezzeddine and Hana Havelková5 Celebrating invisibility: live-in Romanian badanti caring for the elderly in southeast Italy – Gabriela NicolescuSection II Gender, entitlement and obligation: migrants interacting with the state and voluntary services6 Migrating bodies in the context of health and racialisation in Germany – Christiane Falge7 Joint struggles for care and social reproduction in Spain: contested boundaries and new solidarities – Sílvia Bofill-Poch8 Migration, gender dynamics and social reproduction: Polish and Italian mothers in Norway – Lise Widding Isaksen and Elzbieta Czapka9 Reproductive rights in migration: politics, values and in/exclusionary practices in assisted reproduction – Izabella MainSection III Shifting gendered policies: reproduction and care in national and historical perspectives10 Children of the state? The role of pronatalism in the development of Czech childcare and reproductive health policies – Hana Hašková and Radka Dudová11 Absorbing care through precarious labour: the shifting boundaries of politics in Norwegian health care – Anette Fagertun12 ‘The Handbook of Masturbation and Defloration’: tracing sources of recent neo-conservatism in Poland – Agnieszka KoscianskaIndex
£18.75
Vintage Publishing Nine Paths: A Year in the Life of an Indian
Book SynopsisRevelatory, lyrical and immersive, this is an extraordinary book that takes you deep into these ordinary women's worlds... Their stories are urgent and forcefully articulated - and this book gives us the chance to hear them.On an island at the eastern edge of India, rural, remote and dense with jungle, is a Muslim village. In an ever-shifting landscape of mangroves and rivers, the women here dwell among contradictions, constrictions and change in a place where one's neighbours are often too close for comfort.Nine Paths follows the lives of nine of these women, and their families, over the course of a year - from one monsoon season to another. There are weddings to celebrate and deaths to mourn, difficult marriages to navigate and tragedies to overcome, as we observe the everyday drudgery and unexpected turmoil, and the dreams of something better. Revelatory, lyrical and immersive, this is an extraordinary book that takes you deep into these ordinary women's worlds. Anthropologist Lexi Stadlen spent sixteen months in this village, talking, listening, and getting to know these women, who were willing to share their complicated, fascinating lives. Their stories are urgent and forcefully articulated - and this book gives us the chance to hear them.Trade ReviewCompelling, immersive, and beautifully composed, Nine Paths is a story woven from the true accounts of nine Muslim women from rural India. This book is that perfect thing: exquisite storytelling meeting serious research. It makes for a vivid and memorable encounter - a world away brought near by Lexi Stadlen's ingenuity, compassion, and skill. -- Suzannah LipscombIntimate, insightful and powerful, Nine Paths pulls the reader deep into what it means to be a Muslim woman in India, and allows us to appreciate the strength, resilience and bravery in the face of the many forms of violence negotiated daily. Lexi Stadlen vividly brings to life the best of immersive ethnography -- Alpa Shah, author of Nightmarch: Among India's Revolutionary GuerrillasBeautifully written, and so clever - telling us in great detail about the challenges that these women face, but with remarkable skill and such a delicate touch. -- Sonia Faleiro, author of The Good GirlsNine Paths captivatingly portrays life in rural Bengal through carefully interwoven episodes that evoke the village environs, the social atmosphere, and especially the nine Muslim women on whom the book focuses. The reader is taken through a year in their lives, sees the mundane ordinariness as well as the dramas and crises of their everyday lives, meets them as they handle marriage negotiations, contend with awkward dynamics within their household, worry about debts and reflect on their position as Muslims. It is a beautifully written and haunting book. -- Patricia Jeffery, Professor Emerita, University of Edinburgh
£13.49
Taylor & Francis Ltd The Anthropology of Sex
Book SynopsisSex scholarship has a long history in anthropology, from the studies of voyeuristic Victorian gentlemen ethnographers, to more recent analyses of gay sex, transsexualism, and the newly visible forms of contemporary sexuality in the West. The Anthropology of Sex draws on the comparative field research of anthropologists to examine the relationship between sex as identity, practice and experience. Sexual cultures vary enormously and, while often the topic of tabloid titillation, they are more rarely subjected to strict cultural analysis. The Anthropology of Sex is the first work to critically synthesise over a century of comparative expertise, knowledge and understanding of diverse sexual forms. - Explores sexuality from diversity to perversity and asks how diverse sexual practices are linked. - Probes the cultural and comparative context of contemporary sexual practice and belief. - Examines the shaping of sex by global and globalizing forces. The Anthropology of Sex will be key reading for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in anthropology and related disciplines.Trade Review"This excellent book brings together cutting edge theory with a wide range of ethnographic evidence. It is a fascinating account of sexuality and all its many facets, raising issues of power, pleasure, taboo and more. An intriguing and engrossing read. - Heather Montgomery, Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies, The Open University This volume not only brings sex - finally - into the centre of a discipline concerned with the different ways that people deal with the basics of human life, it is also a perfect combination of cross-cultural comparison and fieldwork examples at its best. - Dieter Haller, Chair for Social Anthropology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum"Table of ContentsPreface1. Sexual Advances2. Beautiful Bodies 3. Dancing Desires 4. Erotic Economies 5. Foreign Affairs 6. Forbidden Frontiers 7. Sex Crimes 8. Intimate Cultures References Index
£123.50
Profile Books Ltd The Goodness Paradox: How Evolution Made Us Both
Book Synopsis'A fascinating new analysis of human violence, filled with fresh ideas and gripping evidence from our primate cousins, historical forebears, and contemporary neighbors' Steven Pinker 'A brilliant analysis of the role of aggression in our evolutionary history' Jane Goodall It may not always seem so, but day-to-day interactions between individual humans are extraordinarily peaceful. That is not to say that we are perfect, just far less violent than most animals, especially our closest relatives, the chimpanzee and their legendarily docile cousins, the Bonobo. Perhaps surprisingly, we rape, maim, and kill many fewer of our neighbours than all other primates and almost all undomesticated animals. But there is one form of violence that humans exceed all other animals in by several degrees: organized proactive violence against other groups of humans. It seems, we are the only animal that goes to war. In the Goodness Paradox, Richard Wrangham wrestles with this paradox at the heart of human behaviour. Drawing on new research by geneticists, neuroscientists, primatologists, and archaeologists, he shows that what domesticated our species was nothing less than the invention of capital punishment which eliminated the least cooperative and most aggressive among us. But that development is exactly what laid the groundwork for the worst of our atrocities.Trade ReviewMagisterial ... [an] extraordinarily detailed, cogently argued, hugely important book -- Paul Levy * Spectator *His skilful storytelling-which intertwines his hypotheses regarding primitive humans with rich details from decades of observations of chimpanzees in Tanzania-makes his book both stimulating and compelling * The Economist *A brilliant analysis of the role of aggression in our evolutionary history -- Jane GoodallNobody knows more, thinks deeper, or writes better about the evolution of modern human beings than Richard Wrangham. Here he reveals a rich and satisfying story about the self-domestication of our species, drawing upon remarkable observations and experiments -- Matt RidleyA fascinating new analysis of human violence, filled with fresh ideas and gripping evidence from our primate cousins, historical forebears, and contemporary neighbors -- Steven PinkerIn this revolutionary, illuminating, and dazzling book, Wrangham provides the first compelling explanation for how and why humans can be so cooperative, kind, and compassionate, yet simultaneously so brutal, aggressive, and cruel. His brilliant self-domestication hypothesis will transform your views of what it means to be human -- Daniel E. Lieberman, author of The Story of the Human BodyThis will prove to be one of the most important publications of our time. Fully supported scientific information from many directions leads us to a new and compelling analysis of our evolutionary history. Every page is fascinating, every revelation is unforgettable. It will change how we see ourselves, our past, and our future -- Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of DogsRichard Wrangham has written a brilliant and honest book about humanity's central contradiction: that we are capable of mass murder but live in societies with almost no violence. No other species straddles such a wide gap, and the reasons are staggeringly obvious once Wrangham lays them out in his calm, learned prose. This book is science writing at its best: lucid, rational and yet deeply concerned with humanity -- Sebastian Junger, author of Tribe, War and The Perfect StormThis is the most thought-provoking book I have read in years. In clear, elegant prose, drawing on riveting data and vivid scenes gathered from species all over the world, renowned anthropologist Richard Wrangham examines the issues most central to human morality. How did the concepts of right and wrong evolve? Why does our kind excel at both cooperating with others and at waging war? The Goodness Paradox is a breakthrough book that deserves careful reading, thoughtful consideration, and lively debate among all those who care about our evolutionary history and the future of human morality -- Sy Montgomery, author of Walking with the Great Apes and How to Be a Good CreaturePraise for Catching Fire: Startling and persuasive * Economist *Richard Wrangham presents a powerful thesis - and the more you think about it, the more it seems to be true. As a very considerable bonus, his book is an excellent read -- Colin Tudge * Literary Review *An intriguing thesis... Wrangham's basic thesis, that cooking is the key to the human condition, is convincing and is presented in a lively and readable manner -- Robin McKie * Observer *Lucidly written and accessible... What makes his thesis so gripping to read is that it is elegantly argued, step by step -- Harry Eyres * Financial Times *Compelling [and] brilliant -- William Leith * Daily Mail *A daringly unorthodox book, and one that might just transform the way we understand ourselves. -- James McConnachie * The Sunday Times *This superbly lucid and comprehensive book shows how important cooking was to making us human. Food, its composition, and how it's harvested and processed are critical in the evolution of every animal species. This masterful work shows how cooking was-and continues to be-an essential part of humanity -- David Pilbeam, Henry Ford II Professor of Human Evolution, Harvard University[Wrangham] has delivered a rare thing: a slim book ... that contains serious science yet is related in direct, no-nonsense prose. It is toothsome, skillfully prepared brain food. -- Dwight Garner * New York Times *Absolutely fascinating -- Nigella LawsonRichard Wrangham's book is a tour de force on how to study human evolution, combining original ideas with an extraordinary range of science. With elegance and clarity, he has shown how cooking permeates all human life, and must have played a major part in making us what we are as a species -- Robert Foley, Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of CambridgeCatching Fire is an extraordinary book-a truly important insight into our human past, and as always with Wrangham's work, a real page turner. He has the great gift of making hard and accurate science seem like an adventure story, as indeed it is. Like Demonic Males, Catching Fire will be read in many circles, from classrooms to general readers, to the enlightenment of us all. -- Elizabeth Marshall ThomasIt's nice to have it confirmed that the raw foodists are not just annoying but also wrong... [Richard Wrangham] writes in this brilliant and original piece of science writing, which explains nothing less than who we are and how we got here... With devastating clarity he shows that the "Man the Hunter" thesis simply does not add up... Wrangham convincingly argues that unlike animals, human beings could not flourish on a raw diet (so yah-boo to the wheatgrass evangelists!)... you have to pinch yourself from time to time to remember just how new Wrangham's argument is. Something this big and original in evolutionary studies doesn't come along very often... In many ways, this is an exhilarating book... It is, too, a good book for vegetarians, who for too long have endured the Neanderthal taunts of carnivorous chefs -- Bee Wilson * the Times *Brilliantly Original and illuminating -- Michael Kerrigan * Scotsman *Able to see my preparations for Sunday lunch in a dizzying new perspective... Catching Fire is very readable and not in the least technical. Wrangham makes a compelling case... Wrangham's placing of cooking at the centre of what it is to be human carries a great deal of emotional conviction too. The ritual of the family Sunday lunch now also celebrates the birth of our species -- Ian Irvine * Evening Standard *Good, big ideas about evolution are rare... Catching Fire is that rare thing, an exhilarating science book. And one that, for all its foodie topicality, means to stand the test of time -- Simon Ings * Sunday Telegraph *Transforms a daily chore into a pivotal existential act stretching back millennia... a hugely readable history of our culinary pedigree... an energetic and enjoyable book... In this vivid account of human evolution, there's no need to cook the books * Sunday Business Post *Richard Wrangham's ingredients are freshly gathered from an impressive variety of fields -- Steve Jones * Guardian *This is the best kind of scientific writing: clear, strongly argued and provocative. That it's still contentious makes it all the more exciting. * The Weekend Australian *
£11.69
MIT Press Making Home
Book SynopsisA powerful collection of perspectives on the contemporary and evolving meanings of home, and how they capture both the shared and conflicting narratives that impact our country today.Home is shaped by many factors: culture, region, environment, citizenship, economics, state of mind, and more. Edited by Alexandra Cunningham Cameron, Christina De León, and Michelle Joan Wilkinson, Making Home explores the diverse perspectives on home across the United States, US Territories, and Tribal Nations to reveal how design impacts this country, its value systems, and the people who inhabit its landscapes. Positioning home not only as a place of dwelling but also as a complex and highly subjective ecosystem, contributors show how notions of home resonate through private and public consciousness to inform the shared or conflicting histories that impact our country.Probing urgent topics related to home such as colonialism, technological innovation, landscapes and the environment, and aesthetics and culture, Making Home uses the framework of design to pair investigative and practical analyses with imaginative and speculative ones. Contributors include designers, scholars, writers, artists, and critical thinkers across disciplines whose work and lived experiences illustrate specific circumstances that shape the contemporary home.Contributors:Brian Adams, AphroChic, Joe Baker, Joseph Becker, La Vaughn Belle, Frank Blazquez, Lori Brown, Michael Bullock, CareHaus, Mona Chalabi, Katrina Collins, Michelle Commander,Sean Connelly, Reverand Houston Cyprus, Design Earth, Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, Leah DeVun, Heather Dewey Hagborg, Terrol Dew Johnson, Jarrett Earnest, Sofia Gallisa Muriente, Roxane Gay, Sophia Gebara, Curry Hackett, David Hartt,Hord, Coplan, Macht, Joyce Hwang, Alan Isaac, Sandra Jackson-Dumont, Dalton Johnson,Kenneth Kuper, Ruba Katrib, Elleza Kelley, Michelle Lanier, Natalia LaSalle Morillo, Liam Lee, Brent Leggs, Dominic Leong, Sarah Lopez, Gervais Marsh, Carlos Martin, Catherine E. McKinley, Joiri Minaya, Tommy Mishima, Victoria Munro, Maria Nicanor, Caroline O?Connell, Camille Okhio, Betty Poncho, Sheila Pree Bright, Ronald Rael, Suchi Reddy,Katherine Simóne Reynolds, Tracey Robertson Carter,Dr. Yashica Robinson, William Scott, Siddhartha V. Shah, SITU Research, Gretchen Sorin, Carlos Soto, Renée Stout, Journey Streams, Isabel Strauss, Davóne Tines,Gene Tinnie, Dr. Wallis Tinnie, Cornelius Tulloch, Whitney Lee White, Kevin Young,John ZeiselA copublication with the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
£30.75
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Enforcing Order
Book SynopsisMost incidents of urban unrest in recent decades - including the riots in France, Britain and other Western countries - have followed lethal interactions between the youth and the police. Usually these take place in disadvantaged neighborhoods composed of working-class families of immigrant origin or belonging to ethnic minorities. These tragic events have received a great deal of media coverage, but we know very little about the everyday activities of urban policing that lie behind them. Over the course of 15 months, at the time of the 2005 riots, Didier Fassin carried out an ethnographic study in one of the largest precincts in the Paris region, sharing the life of a police station and cruising with the patrols, in particular the dreaded anti-crime squads. Far from the imaginary worlds created by television series and action movies, he uncovers the ordinary aspects of law enforcement, characterized by inactivity and boredom, by eventless days and nights where minor infractions givTrade Review“Enforcing Order is an intriguing read, not least for what it reveals about the politics of law and order, and of policing, in France in recent times” Tim Newburn, LSE, LSE Review of Books "Powerful, distressing and thought-provoking. The book is based on 15 months of fieldwork, an undertaking unprecedented in France and one that, as the difficulties of access Fassin encountered suggest, will not be conducted again for some time." Times Higher Education "Fassin’s book – the most significant contribution to the public anthropology of policing – has opened up space to discuss the unresolved tension underlying the contemporary state, that between providing security and protecting human rights." Social Anthropology "Fassin has written a brilliant example of public anthropology. This ethnography of the anti-crime squads of the French police powerfully captures the institutionalization of racism and violence against poor youth and immigrants. His book must reach the widest possible audience because these paramilitaries operating out of sight of the general public with the complicity of politicians, career bureaucrats and the courts must be dismantled." Philippe Bourgois, University of Pennsylvania "This vivid description of the daily routines of police squads operating in under-privileged Parisian suburbs reinstates ethnography as a powerful tool for revealing how social exclusion works. By bringing to life, from the point of view of its officers, how the police consolidates social hierarchies, Fassin reminds us eloquently that the behavior of its police forces is the best index of the state of a democracy." Philippe Descola, Collège de France "A fascinating read – a brilliant, deep plunge into the lives, routines, racial tensions, sometimes violence, and intricate moral reasoning of the police officers in an anti-crime brigade in the French banlieues during a heated time of rioting in Paris. It blends a subtle analysis of the moral economy of the police with rigorous ethnographic detail and a genuine honesty or transparency on Didier Fassin’s part. It is a very important contribution to our understanding of police practices in this new age of security." Bernard Harcourt, University of ChicagoTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Preliminary Remarks Preface to the Engish Edition Prologue - Interpellation In which the author comes to understand that it is sometimes dangerous to wait for a bus in the outer city on New Year’s Eve. How policing practice provides the language for a philosophical theory, and how a philosophical theory supplies the meaning of policing practice. That this is not a testimony, and that indignation is not rage. Introduction - Inquiry How the present research was authorized and then forbidden, and that this censorship is revelatory of petty exceptions in a democratic regime. That an ethnography of the police requires resisting the dual temptation of exoticism and culturalism. That a study is often the result of the converging effects of chance and necessity. Chapter 1 - Situation How an imaginary of war came to be established in the relations between the police and the projects. That a brief history of the social question and security issues is essential in order to understand the context in which law enforcement faces classes reputed to be dangerous. That the creation of more aggressive special units was judged necessary to deal with the alleged disorder in the outer cities. Chapter 2 - Ordinary How the daily work of police officers is far removed from the image they had of it when they joined the force, and the illusion they continue to maintain of it. That evaluation of the work of urban patrols yields such unexpected results that it is not taken into account by government. That inaction generates action, and what this phenomenon of spontaneous generation means for the residents of the projects. Chapter 3 - Interactions How stops and frisks serve purposes other than those they are supposed to serve, and prove more effective in perpetuating a social order than in maintaining public order. That the way police officers speak about the individuals with whom they deal throws light on their way of operating in the outer cities. That the theater of police intervention sometimes plays comedies in which not all spectators laugh at the same moment. Chapter 4 - Violence How a criminal court can offer valuable lessons on excessive use of force by the police in the outer cities. That by not reducing violence to its physical aspect and not limiting the definition of it to the legal sense, one can gain a different understanding of it. That there are many ways of preventing police brutality from being prosecuted Chapter 5 - Discrimination How police officers and sociologists challenge the existence of discriminatory practices that the rest of the French population is convinced prevail. That racist ideas do not automatically lead to discriminatory practices, but that the two are far from incompatible. That institutions show more tolerance toward institutional racism than toward its victims. Chapter 6 - Politics How some signs are not deceiving, but may nevertheless be surprising in a democratic regime. That local practices enjoy great autonomy with respect to national guidelines, but that government policy has some influence on the everyday work of law enforcement. That the corollary of the increasing criminalization of behaviors is an unprecedented casting of the police as victims. Chapter 7 - Morality How police officers disappointed by the justice of the courts began to practice street justice. That jokes in the precinct can prove more serious than is customarily maintained. That a code of ethics is not enough to interpret the ethical forces at work in the behavior of police officers and the moral impasse in which the police find themselves. Conclusion - Democracy How the French police preferred the model of the cop in the United States to the style of the British bobby, and what was the result. That the imposition of the rationale of security has a high social cost for contemporary societies. That the interests of ethnography are intimately bound with those of democracy. Epilogue - Time In which the author looks back to a not-so-distant past, observes that the more things change the more they do not stay the same, wonders about the present as it is experienced by certain segments of French society and ignored by the others, and expresses concerns about the future. Notes Bibliography
£18.99
HarperCollins Publishers Superior
Book SynopsisFinancial TimesBook of the YearTelegraphTop 50 Books of the YearGuardianBook of the YearNew StatesmanBook of the YearRoundly debunks racism's core lie that inequality is to do with genetics, rather than political power' Reni Eddo-LodgeWhere did the idea of race come from, and what does it mean? In an age of identity politics, DNA ancestry testing and the rise of the far-right, a belief in biological differences between populations is experiencing a resurgence. The truth is: race is a social construct. Our problem is we find this hard to believe.In Superior, award-winning author Angela Saini investigates the concept of race, from its origins to the present day. Engaging with geneticists, anthropologists, historians and social scientists from across the globe, Superior is a rigorous, much needed examination of the insidious and destructive nature of the belief that race is real, and that some groups of people are superior to others.Trade Review‘In this essential book, Angela Saini deftly shows how science and racism have long been intertwined, why that pernicious history continues to this day, and why “race science” is so deeply flawed. Deeply researched, masterfully written, and sorely needed, Superior is an exceptional work by one of the world's best science writers’ Ed Yong ‘This is an essential book on an urgent topic by one of our most authoritative science writers’ Sathnam Sanghera ‘This is an urgent and important book. It contains a warning: you thought racism might be on its way out of science? … You thought wrong’ Observer ‘As in her previous book Inferior, about gender, Saini skilfully brings together interviews with historians, scientists and the objects of racial science themselves to paint a harrowing picture of the influence of race on science and vice versa’ Sunday Times ‘A very good book: informative and chilling … The history she uncovers is eye-opening and heart-breaking; it’s right to be wary of that history repeating’ The Times ‘The concept of “race” persists, even though it is biologically meaningless. This important book considers why … superb’ Guardian ‘…a brilliant and devastating book’ Telegraph
£10.44
New Society Publishers Power
Book SynopsisImpeccably researched and masterfully written, this book explains how and why humanity is driving itself off the cliff. Dahr Jamail, author, The End of IceWeaving together findings from a wide range of disciplines, Power traces how four key elements developed to give humans extraordinary power: tool making ability, language, social complexity, and the ability to harness energy sources ? most significantly, fossil fuels. It asks whether we have, at this point, overpowered natural and social systems, and if we have, what we can do about it.Has Homo sapiens one species among millions become powerful enough to threaten a mass extinction and disrupt the Earth''s climate? Why have we developed so many ways of oppressing one another? Can we change our relationship with power to avert ecological catastrophe, reduce social inequality, and stave off collapse?These questions and their answers will determine our fate.Trade Review"Heinberg's Power is a searing, unflinching revelation of what has driven us to our current existential crisis: humanity's quest for power. Impeccably researched and masterfully written, this book explains how and why humanity is driving itself off the cliff. If there is any hope for us to continue, Heinberg shows why it must come from efforts to limit our own power." — Dahr Jamail, author, The End of Ice "Richard Heinberg's panoramic review of known forms of power is both sobering and inspiring. Given our species' habitual methods for getting its way, be these methods physical, mental, or social, the outlook for our future is bleak indeed. Yet, Heinberg allows for the slim but real possibility of exercising restraint. If we are so persuaded, by wisdom or love for beauty, the future even now remains open. Indeed, such restraint returns us to ancient, almost forgotten appetites and capacities." — Joanna Macy, author, World As Lover, World As Self "It may be a moral idea that hard work pays off but if we need proof that it counts, this latest from Richard Heinberg carries all the evidence we need. His encyclopedic treatment of power is brilliant. It is sure to pop up in courses and living rooms like toast." — Wes Jackson, founder, The Land Institute "Heinberg goes to the very heart of the issue. Using his immense knowledge of biology, science, history, psychology, and the politics of energy, he shows that the environmental and social crises we face today have in their origin the insatiable human pursuit, and often abuse, of power, in all its forms. In showing us the path forward, Heinberg guides us to achieve power-limiting behavior so that we cannot just survive but thrive on a healthy planet and in healthy balance with one another." — Maude Barlow, author, activist, and co-founder, The Blue Planet Project "Power reminds us that Richard Heinberg is one of the most important public intellectuals in the conversation about society's future. Eminently readable and engaging, Power is breathtaking in its scope and insight. Heinberg persuasively argues that we have reached evolutionary limits to concentrated social power and that empathy and beauty are key to averting ecological and social catastrophe." — Chuck Collins, Institute for Policy Studies, author, The Wealth Hoarders "Power is a must read and a call to action for those seeking a sustainable, balanced, human future in harmony with the Earth. No guarantees, of course, but harnessing the power of sentient action certainly beats the alternative; of continuing our blind stumble only soon to be swept aside, as have many creatures before us." — Peter C. Whybrow, author, The Well-Tuned BrainTable of ContentsList of Figures List of Sidebars Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Power in Nature: From Mitochondria to Emotion and Deception The Basis of Life's Power Power and Bodies Power and Behaviors Proto-Human Powers 2. Power in the Pleistocene: On Spears, Fires, Furs, Words, and Flutes — And Why Men Are Such Power-Hogs Hands and Stone The Fire Ape Skins From Grunts to Sentences Gender Power The Power of Art 3. Power in the Holocene: The Rise of Social Inequality Gerdening, Big Men, and Chiefs: Power from Food Production Plow and Plunder: Kings and the First States Herding Cattle, Flogging Slaves: Power from Domestication Stories of Our Ancestors: Religion and Power Tools for Wording: Communication Technologies Numbers on Money Pathologies of Power 4. Power in the Anthropocene: The Wonderful World of Fossil Fuels It's All Energy The Coal Train Oil, Cars, Airplanes, and the New Middle Class Oil-Age Wars and Weapons Electrifying! The Human Superorganism 5. Overpowered: The Fine Mess We've Gotten Ourselves Into Climate Chaos and Its Remedies Disappearance of Wild Nature Resource Depletion Soaring Economic Inequality Pollution Overpopulation and Overconsumption Global Debt Bubble Weapons of Mass Destruction 6. Optimum Power: Sustaining Our Power Over Time Involuntary Power Limits: Death, Extinction, Collapse Self-Limitation in Natural and Human-Engineered Systems Taboos, Souls, and Enlightenment Taxes, Regulations, Activism, and Rationing: Power Restraint in the Modern World Games, Disarmament, and Degrowth Denial, Optimism Bias, and Irrational Exuberance 7. The Future of Power: Learning to Live Happily Within Limits All Against All Trade-Offs Along the Path of Self-Restraint The Fate of the Superorganism Questioning Technology Learning to Live with Less Energy and Stuff Lessening Inequality Population: Lowering It and Keeping It Steady Fighting Power with Power Long-Term Power Through Beauty, Spirituality, and Happiness Notes Index About the Author About New Society Publishers
£17.09
HarperCollins Publishers Extra Time 10 Lessons for Living Longer Better
Book SynopsisAn inspirational call to arms' DAILY MAILThis book is so sensible, so substantially researched, so briskly written, so clear in its arguments, that one wishes Baroness Cavendish was still whispering into the prime ministerial ear' THE TIMESA thoughtful handbook to help societies age gracefully' FINANCIAL TIMESThis bold, visionary book is a wake-up call to governments. It is a wake-up call to us all' SUNDAY TIMESFrom award-winning journalist, Camilla Cavendish, comes a profound analysis of one of the biggest challenges facing the human population today.The world is undergoing a dramatic demographic shift. By 2020, for the first time in history, the number of people aged 65 and over will outnumber children aged five and under. But our systems are lagging woefully behind this new reality. In Extra Time, Camilla Cavendish embarks on a journey to understand how different countries are responding to these unprecedented challenges.Travelling across the world in a carefully researched and deepTrade Review ‘Extra Time should perhaps be called “About Time” because it is a long overdue and brilliant counterpoint to all those pervasive arguments that our ageing societies will be poorer and sadder. Growing old, as individuals and nations, need not mean growing frailer and duller. Camilla Cavendish has written an empowering and important manifesto for how an older society can be a better society.’ ROBERT PESTON ‘In this remarkable and frequently optimistic book Camilla Cavendish sets out what is part warning and part redefinition of what it is to live longer. Her statistics and her observations of how different rich and poor will age are breathtaking. But it is above all her bravery in challenging our very notions of ageing that makes this a must read book for all those struggling to understand the enormity of change that longer life now brings.’ EMILY MAITLIS ‘Extra Time by Camilla Cavendish is an optimistic, uplifting and practical book about the huge potential for humans to live not just longer lives, but more fulfilling lives. An inspiring and essential read.’ ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, FOUNDER & CEO, THRIVE ‘A brilliant analysis of how to live longer better’ SIMON JENKINS ‘As deeply inspirational as it is informative. If you want to know how to live a long, vibrant life, Extra Time is a must read’ DR DAVID SINCLAIR ‘Demographic change is the most neglected shaper of our future. Camilla Cavendish has written the most interesting, perceptive and iconoclastic guide to its many implications. This is a truly important book’ LAWRENCE SUMMERS, President Emeritus and Charles W. Eliot University Professor of Harvard University
£10.44
Profile Books Ltd The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How
Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 'With intelligence and care (as well as with a trove of sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes heart-opening true stories) Heather McGhee shows us what racism has cost all of us' - Elizabeth Gilbert Picked for the Financial Times Summer Books by Gillian Tett What would make a society drain its public swimming baths and fill them with concrete rather than opening them to everyone? Economics researcher Heather McGhee sets out across America to learn why white voters so often act against their own interests. Why do they block changes that would help them, and even destroy their own advantages, whenever people of colour also stand to benefit? Their tragedy is that they believe they can't win unless somebody else loses. But this is a lie. McGhee marshals overwhelming economic evidence, and a profound well of empathy, to reveal the surprising truth: even racists lose out under white supremacy. And US racism is everybody's problem. As McGhee shows, it was bigoted lending policies that laid the ground for the 2008 financial crisis. There can be little prospect of tackling global climate change until America's zero-sum delusions are defeated. The Sum of Us offers a priceless insight into the workings of prejudice, and a timely invitation to solidarity among all humans, 'to piece together a new story of who we could be to one another'.Trade ReviewShocking [and] hard to argue with ... McGhee is on [an] ambitious mission. [Her] optimistic demeanour [and] research also inspires hope ... It is tantalisingly easy to embrace her vision -- Gillian Tett * FT *This is the book I've been waiting for -- Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author * How to Be an Antiracist *A must-read for everyone -- Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives MatterImpactful ... McGhee weaves together personal anecdotes and family history, reporting and social science to present an image of what the United States is, but does not have to be. It is a picture some Americans grew up seeing, which others ignore at their peril -- Emily Tamkin * New Statesman *With intelligence and care (as well as with a trove of sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes heart-opening true stories) Heather McGhee shows us what racism has cost all of us -- Elizabeth Gilbert * Eat, Pray, Love *A vital, urgent, stirring, beautifully written book that offers a compassionate roadmap out of our present troubled moment -- George Saunders, Booker Prize-winning authorThere is a striking clarity to this book; there is also a depth of kindness in it that all but the most churlish readers will find moving -- Jennifer Szalai * New York Times *Very real, and very hopeful, and that's the rarest of combinations. It will be a classic on the day it's published -- Bill McKibben, author * Falter *The beauty and power of this book is blinding. Heather McGhee is one of our society's brightest minds and The Sum of Us serves as a torch that we must follow to get us to a better place. The impact of racism is all encompassing, and this book doesn't just highlight that, it gives us a road map for the future. I am better because of this book. Our country will be better because of this book -- Wes Moore, bestselling author of Five Days and The Other Wes MooreA powerful, singular, and prescriptive blend of the macro and the intimate * O Magazine *Political commentator McGhee argues in her astute and persuasive debut that income inequality and the decline of the middle and working classes are a direct result of the country's long history of racial injustice ... This sharp, thorough, and engrossing report casts America's racial divide in a new light * Publishers Weekly, starred *An eye-opening, powerful argument for working ever harder for racial equity * Kirkus, starred *Heather McGhee does not shy away from telling hard truths. Racism sits at the heart of America, and McGhee shows its effects on the very people who cleave to it. The Sum of Us removes the cloak from this land of so-called innocents and brilliantly offers a path forward for the nation. This book is for all of us standing in the breach, working towards social change. With care and unflinching honesty, McGhee has written an extraordinary book for these difficult days -- Eddie S. Glaude Jr., author of Begin Again
£9.49
Yale University Press The Long Long Life of Trees
Book SynopsisA lyrical tribute to the diversity of trees, their physical beauty, their special characteristics and uses, and their ever-evolving meanings Since the beginnings of history trees have served humankind in countless useful ways, but our relationship with trees has many dimensions beyond mere practicality. Trees are so entwined with human experience that diverse species have inspired their own stories, myths, songs, poems, paintings, and spiritual meanings. Some have achieved status as religious, cultural, or national symbols. In this beautifully illustrated volume Fiona Stafford offers intimate, detailed explorations of seventeen common trees, from ash and apple to pine, oak, cypress, and willow. The author also pays homage to particular trees, such as the fabled Ankerwyke Yew, under which Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn, and the spectacular cherry trees of Washington, D.C. Stafford discusses practical uses of wood past and present, tree diseases and environmental threats, and trees' potential contributions toward slowing global climate change. Brimming with unusual topics and intriguing facts, this book celebrates trees and their long, long lives as our inspiring and beloved natural companions.Trade Review"Everywhere [Stafford's] eye for detail brings the trees to life. . . . The Long, Long Life of Trees is elegant, engaging, impeccably written and packed with interest."—John Carey, Sunday Times"Nature Book of the Year."—Sunday Times"Beautifully produced, and each chapter describes a different species, from the dark yew to the friendly apple. . . . A chapter a day of this calming book will keep panic away."—Margaret Drabble, The Guardian "Books of the Year 2016""To describe a book as enchanting is usually to condescend it. Not this time. Fiona Stafford’s enchanting study is also stoutly built, plainly and stylishly written, admirably achieved as to both artistry and pedagogy, and as gripping as a good thriller, replete with plots and character."—Fred Inglis, Times Higher Education Supplement"A leisurely, lyrical reflection on 17 different species, from apple to yew, with special emphasis on the role that each has played in art and literature, myth and legend, medicine and technology. . . . Readers intrigued by the nexus between the cultural and the arboreal will enjoy her book."—Gerard Helferich, Wall Street Journal"For her book in celebration of trees, Fiona Stafford has done a prodigious amount of research . . . this is a very rich mixture – a great arboreal gallimaufry."—Derwent May, Times Literary Supplement"Fiona Stafford weaves together tales of their place in myth, painting, religion and literature, enlivened with her personal sense of wonder. This is a timely book; our trees face a growing threat from diseases that could leave gaps in our cultural landscape, as well as our woodlands and hedgerows."—Phil Gates, BBC Wildlife"It’s impossible to imagine a better book on the subject than this. It’s written with verve, pace, genuine wit and an inspired eye for the quirky fact or anecdote. Even those readers who don’t think they’re interested in trees will find that they are."— John Harding, Daily Mail"Fiona Stafford makes a welcome and entertaining contribution. She draws on material from fields including folklore, natural science, literature, cultural history, European art, ancient mythology and modern medicine to illuminate such trees central place in western civilisation."—Mark Cocker, Spectator"A lovely thing to have and to hold . . . combines natural with cultural and social history, taking account not only of the biology and ecology of plants, but also our relationship with them, past and present."—Mark Griffiths, Country Life"Instantly enriches your experience of the natural world, overlaying the trees around you in the myth, poetry and hidden meaning. . . . The abundance of information never feels like a deluge, as Stafford leads the reader through it with a light, entertaining and often poetic touch. This is a real treasure of a book."—Lia Leendertz, Gardens Illustrated"In this paean to the arboreal impulse, Fiona Stafford gets under the bark of the terrestrial giants whose natural history is interlaced with our own."—Barbara Kier, Nature"The author’s, ahem, root and branch treatment of trees is destined to be a definitive one. . . . By a copy as holiday reading and your plane’s descent over the Home Counties will offer you a chance to put your new-found knowledge into context."—James Anthony, Evening Standard“A book that would grace any book shelf. It is entertaining and informative for the enthusiastic dendrologist, and the casual reader.”—Colin How, Methodist Recorder“Fiona Stafford manages to combine an encyclopaedic knowledge of trees with an anecdotal style to create what all nature writers hope to achieve: something highly readable and informative.”—Simon Garnham, Shooting Times & Country Magazine"The Long, Long Life of Trees is a combination of personal commentary on Fiona Stafford’s love and appreciation of trees, coupled with a wealth of well-researched and fascinating examples of how trees have featured in history, art, commerce, culture and folklore. The book really helps to underline the importance of trees – past and present – and their continuing contribution as a force for good despite the many competing forces pitched against them over the centuries."—The Woodland Trust“A book that would grace any book shelf. It is entertaining and informative for the enthusiastic dendrologist, and the casual reader.”—Colin How, Methodist Recorder -- Colin How * Methodist Recorder *
£11.39
Imprint Academic At Our Wits' End: Why We're Becoming Less
Book SynopsisWe are becoming less intelligent. This is the shocking yet fascinating message of At Our Wits'' End. The authors take us on a journey through the growing body of evidence that we are significantly less intelligent now than we were a hundred years ago. The research proving this is, at once, profoundly thought-provoking, highly controversial, and it's currently only read by academics. But the authors are passionate that it cannot remain ensconced in the ivory tower any longer. With At Our Wits' End, they present the first ever popular scientific book on this crucially important issue. They prove that intelligence which is strongly genetic was increasing up until the breakthrough of the Industrial Revolution, because we were subject to the rigors of Darwinian Selection, meaning that lots of surviving children was the preserve of the cleverest. But since then, they show, intelligence has gone into rapid decline, because large families are increasingly the preserve of the least intelligent. The book explores how this change has occurred and, crucially, what its consequences will be for the future. Can we find a way of reversing the decline of our IQ? Or will we witness the collapse of civilization and the rise of a new Dark Age?
£14.20
Cambridge University Press The Cambridge Handbook of Kinship
Book SynopsisAn essential work of reference for students and researchers of kinship, this Handbook will also be of interest to anyone working on issues related to gender, subjectivity, personhood, power relations, embodiment, globalization, and the history of social science thought.Trade Review'Long considered one of the classic issues of comparative anthropology, kinship has sometimes been seen as an out-of-date reference to a disappearing world. More than any other recent book, this Cambridge Handbook succeeds in bringing kinship firmly back on the agenda, demonstrating the hyper-relevance of genealogical concerns and frameworks through which anthropology and related fields can fruitfully address new biosocial realities.' Gísli Pálsson, University of Iceland'This marvelous collection of essays attests the vitality, breadth and depth of contemporary kinship studies and shows how kinship, contrary to earlier predictions of its demise, is alive and kicking. The volume brings together work from some of the most knowledgeable scholars in the field who, in consolidating their research thus far, map the state of the art and reveal not only the workings of kinship in an interconnected world, but also how it cannot be isolated from other pressing social and political questions of our time.' Jeanette Edwards, University of ManchesterTable of ContentsIntroduction: 1. Conceiving kinship in the twenty-first century Sandra Bamford; Part I. Opening Frameworks: 2. The seeds of kinship theory Carol Delaney; 3. Descent in retrospect and prospect Gillian Feeley-Harnik; 4. The alliance theory of kinship in South Indian ethnography Isabelle Clark-Decès; 5. The anthropology of biology: a lesson from the new kinship. Studies Sarah Franklin; 6. The stuff of kinship Janet Carsten; Part II. The (Non)Biological Basis of Relatedness: 7. Embodied relationality beyond 'nature' vs 'nurture': materializing absent kinships in Japanese child welfare Kathryn Goldfarb; 8. Kinship in the Andes Mary Weismantel and Mary Elena Wilhoit; 9. Kinship and place: the existential and moral process of landscape formation on the Rai Coast of Papua New Guinea James Leach; 10. Adoption Christine Gailey; 11. Natural achievements: how lesbian and gay families in North America make claims to kinship Ellen Lewin; Part III. Reproducing Society: Gender, Birth and Power: 12. Kinship, knowledge and the state: the case of Argentina's adult 'living disappeared' Noa Vaisman; 13. Kinship, affliction, proximity, and unfinished healing in India Sarah Pinto; 14. Reproductive remix: law, kinship and origin stories Valerie Hartouni; 15. Selecting for sons: kinship as a product of desire Tine Gammeltoft; Part IV. Transnational Connections: 16. Maids, mistresses and wives: rethinking kinship and the domestic sphere in twenty-first-century global Hong Kong Nicole Constable; 17. Transnational adoption J. Leinaweaver; 18. Kinship in transnational encounters: Filipino migrants as 'ideal brides' in rural Japan Lieba Faier; 19. Un/making family: relatedness, migration, and displacement in a global age Deborah Boehm; 20. My folder is not a person: kinship, knowledge, biopolitics and the adoption file Eleana Kim; Part V. Technological Conceptions: 21. Surrogate motherhood and transforming families Janet DolginI; 22. Daphna Birenbaum-Carmeli, Soraya Tremayne and Zeynep Gurtin – kinship and assisted reproductive technologies: a Middle Eastern comparison Marcia Inhorn; 23. A comparison of kinship understandings among Israeli and US surrogates Elly Teman and Zsuzsa Berend; 24. Self, personhood and belonging: the role of technology in childhood disability Gail Landsman; 25. Paid and unpaid gestational labor: pregnancy and surrogacy in anthropological studies of reproduction Tsipy Ivry and Elly Teman; Part VI. Kinship and the Nation State: 26. Reading the contested forms of nation through the contested forms of kinship and marriage Susan McKinnon; 27. The prison as a technology of care in North-East Brazil Hollis Moore; 28. The interface between kinship and politics in three different social settings Signe Howell; 29. A global family: kinship, nations, and transnational organizations in Botswana's time of AIDS Koreen Reece; 30. Kinship, world religions and the nation state Fenella Cannell.
£34.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Thinking through Craft
Book SynopsisCo-published in Association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonThis book is a timely and engaging introduction to the way that artists working in all media think about craft. Workmanship is key to today''s visual arts, when high production values'' are becoming increasingly commonplace. Yet craft''s centrality to contemporary art has received little serious attention from critics and historians. Dispensing with clichéd arguments that craft is art, Adamson persuasively makes a case for defining craft in a more nuanced fashion. The interesting thing about craft, he argues, is that it is perceived to be ''inferior'' to art. The book consists of an overview of various aspects of this second-class identity - supplementarity, sensuality, skill, the pastoral, and the amateur. It also provides historical case studies analysing craft''s role in a variety of disciplines, including architecture, design, contemporary art, and the crafts themselves. Thinking Through CraftTrade Review'At a time when technical skill has been widely dismissed or outsourced in the production of art, Glenn Adamson crucially adds an entire spectrum of hand-crafted objects to the creative history of the post-war era. And at a time when theoretical frameworks have stagnated, these objects, in his hands, bring with them a fresh and sophisticated set of interpretive perspectives.' * Thomas Crow, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University *'Adamson asks provocative questions about the marginalization of craft within the discourse of modernism. Best of all, he writes with a lucidity, energy and engagement that takes the reader with him all the way.' * Pennina Barnett, Goldsmiths College, University of London *'A highly original contribution, Thinking through Craft is both thoughtful and exacting about crafted objects and the lessons provided by the artists' time, labor and material inventiveness.' * Modern Painters *'A pathbreaking book" * Elissa Auther, University of Colorado *Throughout Thinking Through Craft, Adamson offers such provocative readings of both fine art and craft history that are likely to instigate radical new ways of thinking about each. * Maria Elena Buszek, for Surface Design *This book is ... full of thoughtful and pertinent analysis and achieves an impressive theoretical take on the role of studio craft within the history of modern art. * The Journal of William Morris Studies *A thoughtful, exciting and well-written book that touches on so many interesting ideas concerning craft. * Museum Anthropology Review *[R]ecommended to both art and design theorists and anyone else anxious to engage in theorizing about craft. -- Andrea Peach, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UKTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Supplemental "Homage to Brancusi" Wearable Sculptures: Modern Jewelry and the Problem of Autonomy Reframing the Pattern and Decoration Movement Props Chapter 2: Sensual Ceramic Presence: Peter Voulkos The Essence of Clay: Yagi Kazuo The Materialization of the Art Object, 1966-72 Breath Chapter 3. Skilled Learning by Doing: Teaching Modern Craft Thinking in Situations: Josef Albers Learning Architecture: Charles Jencks and Kenneth Frampton Chapter 4: Pastoral Regions Apart Two Versions of Pastoral North, South, East, West Chapter 5: Amateur "The World's Most Fascinating Hobby": Robert Arneson Feminism and the Politics of Amateurism Abject Craft: Mike Kelley and Tracey Emin Conclusion
£23.74