Social classes Books

Book SynopsisA denunciation of the credentialed elite class that serves capitalism while insisting on its own progressive heroism Professional Managerial Class (PMC) elite workers labor in a world of performative identity and virtue signaling, publicizing an ability to do ordinary things in fundamentally superior ways. Author Catherine Liu shows how the PMC stands in the way of social justice and economic redistribution by promoting meritocracy, philanthropy, and other self-serving operations to abet an individualist path to a better world. Virtue Hoarders is an unapologetically polemical call to reject making a virtue out of taste and consumption habits.Forerunners: Ideas First is a thought-in-process series of breakthrough digital publications. Written between fresh ideas and finished books, Forerunners draws on scholarly work initiated in notable blogs, social media, conference plenaries, journal articles, and the synergy of academic exchange. This is gray literature publishing: where intense thinking, change, and speculation take place in scholarship.Trade Review"If a meaningful intellectual current does emerge from the wreckage of contemporary capitalism, it may well begin from the demystification of PMC liberal mores."—Conter"Virtue Hoarders argues that the professional-managerial class-working class alliance was doomed from the start for the simple reason that the two classes’ interests are fundamentally opposed."—The Washington Examiner"Virtue Hoarders amplifies a discussion that still needs to be had."—Spiked"Lui’s argument is thorough, well researched, and saturated with supporting evidence."—Rhizomes"A quick, fun read, polemicising against views which are currently dominant in the US academic left and mainstream media, and characterising these views as expressing the interests of the ‘professional managerial class’ - or ‘PMC’ - as opposed to those of the working class."—Weekly Worker "Delicious."—Current Affairs "Like all good polemics [Virtue Hoarders] is a romp: lively, fun to read."—Jeff Noonan "Thoroughly enjoyable."—Damage Magazine "Liu’s comments in Virtue Hoarders on politics seem spot-on."—The Independent Review "Liu, a professor at UC Irvine, draws from a well of experience, humor, and rage to show us how the PMC’s quest for class domination continues to unfold in our gilded age."—Los Angeles Review of Books

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Book SynopsisA FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR A call to action for the creative class and labour movement to rally against the power of Big Tech and Big Media. Corporate concentration has breached the stratosphere, as have corporate profits. An ever-expanding constellation of industries are now monopolies (where sellers have excessive power over buyers) or monopsonies (where buyers hold the whip hand over sellers) — or both. Scholar Rebecca Giblin and writer and activist Cory Doctorow argue we’re in a new era of ‘chokepoint capitalism’, with exploitative businesses creating insurmountable barriers to competition that enable them to capture value that should rightfully go to others. All workers are weakened by this, but the problem is especially well illustrated by the plight of creative workers. From Amazon’s use of digital rights management and bundling to radically change the economics of book publishing, to Google and Facebook’s siphoning away of ad revenues from news media, and the Big Three record labels’ use of inordinately long contracts to up their own margins at the cost of artists, chokepoints are everywhere. By analysing book publishing and news, live music and music streaming, screenwriting, radio, and more, Giblin and Doctorow deftly show how powerful corporations construct ‘anti-competitive flywheels’ designed to lock in users and suppliers, make their markets hostile to new entrants, and then force workers and suppliers to accept unfairly low prices. Chokepoint Capitalism is a call to workers of all sectors to unite to help smash these chokepoints and take back the power and profit that’s being heisted away — before it’s too late.Trade Review‘Provocative … What makes this book so refreshing is that it never lets its reader off the hook … I see it as a kind of manual that will arm you with the technical knowhow (and the confidence) to demand more.’ -- Kitty Drake * The Guardian *‘Nerdy, sharp, radical, and readable.’ -- Tim Harford * Financial Times *‘Chokepoint Capitalism tells us how the vampires crashed the party, and provides protective garlic.’ -- Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale‘A welcome intervention.’ -- Oscar Williams * New Statesman *‘We all know something is wrong about every click, stream, and purchase we make — unfairly depriving value creators of their worth, while enriching the wealthiest and most extractive entities in human history. Instead of just complaining about the corporate stranglehold over production and exchange, Giblin and Doctorow show us why this happened, how it works, and what we can do about it. An infuriating yet inspiring call to collective action.’ -- Douglas Rushkoff, author of Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus and Survival of the Richest‘An urgent, profound, and approachable take on what it's going to take to save our culture. If you care about books, movies, or music, read this book right now. And share a copy with a friend.’ -- Seth Godin, author of The Practice‘Chokepoint Capitalism is not just a fascinating tour of the hidden mechanics of the platform era, from Spotify playlists to Prince's name change, but a compelling agenda to break Big Tech's hold. It presents a clear new way to think about corporate power — and a path to taking that power back for cultural creators and all of us.’ -- Eli Pariser, author of The Filter Bubble and cofounder of Avaaz‘The great myth of the American economy is that it rewards creators and producers. But Chokepoint Capitalism dares to tell the real story of how it actually rewards the all-powerful middlemen fleecing both workers and consumers. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who senses that the predominant economic mythology is a lie, who wants to know what's really happening in this economy — and who is ready to finally start fixing the problem.’ -- David Sirota, writer of Don't Look Up and founder of The Lever‘[A] lucid and damning exposé of how big business captured the culture markets … Interwoven with maddening tales of exploitation are detailed discussions of statutory licensing reform, copyright infringement detection systems, and other technical matters … The book’s broad scope, expert policy recommendations, and flashes of wit make it a must-read for anyone involved in these industries.’ -- Publishers Weekly, starred reviewGiblin and Doctorow persuasively argue that copyright can’t unrig a rigged market — for that you need worker power, antitrust, and solidarity.’ -- Jimmy Wales, cofounder of Wikipedia‘I loved this book … It helps us all see the locks and chains, and the ways to chisel through them.’ -- Zephyr Teachout, law professor and author of Corruption in America and Break ‘Em Up‘Creators are being ground up by the modern culture industries, with little choice but to participate in markets … Giblin and Doctorow show why, and offer a range of powerful strategies for fighting back.’ -- Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School‘Capitalism doesn’t work without competition. Giblin and Doctorow impressively show the extent to which that’s been lost throughout the creative industries, and how this pattern threatens every other worker.’ -- Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist‘A tome for the times … The revolution will not be spotified!’ -- Christopher Coe, artist and cofounder of Awesome Soundwave‘Chokepoint Capitalism couples its legal-economic critique with provocative, sometimes utopian, prescriptions for fairly remunerating authors and performers.’ -- Jane C. Ginsburg, Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property Law at Columbia University School of Law‘Searing, essential, and incredibly readable.’ -- Adam Conover, comedian and host of The G-Word‘If you have ever wondered why the web feels increasingly stale, Chokepoint Capitalism outlines in great detail how it is being denied fresh air.’ -- Mat Dryhurst, artist and researcher at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music‘Chokepoint Capitalism is more than a clarion call for a new, necessary form of trustbusting. It’s a grand unified theory of a decades-long, corporate-led hollowing out of creative culture.’ -- Andy Greenberg, writer for WIRED and author of Sandworm and Tracers in the Dark‘Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow lay out their case in plain and powerful prose, offering a grand tour of the blighted cultural landscape and how our arts and artists have been chickenised, choked, and cheated.’ -- Kaiser Kuo, host and cofounder of The Sinica Podcast‘A masterwork … It’s a necessary read for any artist in the entertainment industry.’ -- David A. Goodman, writer, executive producer of The Orville, and former president of the WGA West‘Every creator will find inspiration here.’ -- Anil Dash, CEO of Glitch’[T]his is an important and powerful book not least because it crushes the myth of artists as out-of-touch elitists. Rather than painting creatives as different, Giblin and Doctorow emphasise the similarities between the problems they face and those endured by the great bulk of the population at a time when 40 per cent of Americans say they could not find $400 to cover an unexpected expense … If we want change, Giblin and Doctorow say we need to act collectively. That’s true for artists; it’s also true for non-artists … It’s only together that we’ll shake it off.’ -- Jeff Sparrow * The Saturday Paper *‘A searing and comprehensive take on the oligopolies that control creative markets, from publishing to music distribution to film distribution.’ * Alta *‘[Chokepoint Capitalism] is a dark portrait of a cultural system captured by billionaires … [and] helps us start the daunting task of taking back control.’ -- Justin O'Connor * The Conversation *‘Chokepoint Capitalism is the book we need now. Comprehensive and accessible, stirring and enlightening, it is a roadmap for taking immediate action against the corporate chokepoints that are crushing our creative workers and, increasingly, the rest of the middle class as well.’ * The Progressive *‘Totally readable.’ * The Spinoff *‘Giblin and Doctorow explain how companies such as Amazon, Google and Facebook — and the big publishers — use their anti-competitive market powers to exploit creators, consumers and employees. The authors argue for collective action and minimum wages for creatives as some possible solutions to unblock the “chokepoints”.’ -- Justine Hyde, The Saturday Paper Best of 2022‘Chokepoint Capitalism offers an admirable antidote to the fiction that our economic systems operate the way they do because that’s how they are, rather than because a few companies managed to take early advantage of new technologies to manipulate those systems for their own benefit. You might not expect to find much hope in a book about the exploitation of people trying to earn a living doing what they love. But Giblin and Doctorow make a convincing case that taking on Big Tech and Big Content — seemingly a lonely and demoralising endeavour — is, in fact, an opportunity for community. Indeed, the fight demands community.’ -- Adam M. Lowenstein * The Atlantic *Praise for Information Doesn't Want to Be Free: ‘Doctorow breaks down the complex issues and tangled arguments surrounding technology, commerce, copyright, intellectual property, crowd funding, privacy and value — not to mention the tricky situation of becoming “Internet Famous.” … Doctorow has spoken and written on these issues many times before but never quite so persuasively. Required reading for creators making their ways through the new world.’ -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review‘Chokepoint Capitalism is a call to unite and it also highlights other key actions that need to take place to build a future where creative workers get a fair share of the wealth generated by their work.’ -- Celina Lei * ArtsHub *Praise for Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom: ‘Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is black-comedic sci-fi prophecy on the dangers of surrendering our consensual hallucination to the regime. Fun to read, but difficult to sleep afterwards.’ -- Douglas Rushkoff, author of Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus and Survival of the RichestPraise for Code Wars: ‘With a combination of acute observation, close analysis and clear-headed honesty, Rebecca Giblin leads the reader to share her conclusion that there is no legislative, judicial, commercial or technical panacea for copyright infringement which P2P software facilitates, but that even now it is not too late to improve the manner in which the rights-owning and distribution sectors address the challenges that P2P poses.’ -- Jeremy Phillips, Olswang, and Intellectual Property Institute

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Book Synopsis''Moving, atmospheric, truthful, perceptive and hilariously funny - I loved it: a piece of our English history, the story of a vanished time, which feels close at hand but thoroughly gone. What a story. What a great story'' TESSA HADLEYIn Homework, Geoff Dyer reflects on his childhood and what it means to come of age in England in the 60s and 70s, in a country shaped by the aftermath of the Second World War but accelerating towards change. He was born in Cheltenham in the late fifties, the only child of a dinner lady and a planning engineer. Raised in a working-class area, Geoff and his mates found much joy recreating battles with their beloved Tommy guns, kicking a beachball around until its untimely death, and collecting anything and everything they could find; football cards, conkers and Action Man figures. When Geoff passes his 11-plus exams he gets in to a Cheltenham Grammar School, a school which drastically changes the trajectory of his life.

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Book Synopsis#1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER • A “fantastic” (Mark Ruffalo), fiercely argued takedown of neoliberalism that not only defines this slippery concept but connects it to the climate crisis, poverty, and fascism—and shows us how to fight back.“Incisive, illuminating, eye-opening—an unsparing anatomy of the great ideological beast stalking our times, often whispered about and yet never so clearly in view.”—David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable EarthNeoliberalism is the dominant ideology of our time. It shapes us in countless ways, yet most of us struggle to articulate what it is. Worse, we have been persuaded to accept this extreme creed as a kind of natural law. In Invisible Doctrine, journalist George Monbiot and filmmaker Peter Hutchison shatter this myth. They show how a fringe philosophy in the 1930s—championing competition as the defining feature of humankind—was systematically hijacked by a group of wealthy elites, determined to guard their fortunes and power. Think tanks, corporations, the media, university departments and politicians were all deployed to promote the idea that people are consumers, rather than citizens.One of the most pernicious effects has been to make our various crises—from climate disasters to economic crashes, from the degradation of public services to rampant child poverty—seem unrelated. In fact, they have all been exacerbated by the “invisible doctrine,” which subordinates democracy to the power of money. Monbiot and Hutchison connect the dots—and trace a direct line from neoliberalism to fascism, which preys on people’s hopelessness and desperation.Speaking out against the fairy tale of capitalism and populist conspiracy theories, Monbiot and Hutchison lay the groundwork for a new politics, one based on truly participatory democracy and “private sufficiency, public luxury”: an inspiring vision that could help bring the neoliberal era to an end.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewKent Flannery and Joyce Marcus have done a remarkable job in synthesizing the two key disciplines of social anthropology and archaeology, and their book represents a significant advance in our understanding of the evolution of complex societies. -- Peter Turchin * Times Literary Supplement *This is a work of profound importance… [It] yields insights into a multitude of societies in the recent and prehistoric past… Flannery and Marcus’s magnum opus… [This] is a deeply impressive achievement. -- Steven Mithen * London Review of Books *Extraordinarily erudite… It would be an excellent addition to collections on the rise of civilization or on how to use the data gathered by cultural anthropologists and archaeologists to understand broad patterns of social change. Professionals in the field will also benefit from this tour de force by two of archaeology’s most provocative scholars. -- L. L. Johnson * Choice *This provocative work, likely to become an important contribution to the literature of social and political anthropology, will be of interest both to scholars in the field and to anthropology and archaeology enthusiasts seeking understanding of the development and perpetuation of inequality in human societies. -- Elizabeth Salt * Library Journal *The origin of inequality is one of the most basic questions about human societies. We all arose from egalitarian hunter/gatherer ancestors. Why, then, do almost all of us poor peasants now tolerate affluent leaders, whether they are democratically elected presidents or military dictators? In this clear, readable survey, the distinguished archaeologists Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus extract the answers by comparing the histories of societies over the whole world for the last 10,000 years. This book will become the standard account of long-term political evolution. -- Jared Diamond, Professor of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel and CollapseBy carefully articulating and integrating archaeological and ethnographic data, Flannery and Marcus present a panoramic view of the development of particular cultures in various parts of the world. Moreover, in selecting case studies the authors have gone beyond the familiar examples so often cited in anthropology textbooks. The Creation of Inequality promises to be a landmark work. -- Robert L. Carneiro, Ph.D., Curator Emeritus and Professor Emeritus, Anthropology, Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural HistoryFlannery and Marcus are two of the most distinguished anthropological archaeologists in the world. The Creation of Inequality distills two lifetimes of work on the origin and evolution of complex societies throughout the ancient world. This work brings much of this together in an eminently readable and fascinating way. -- Charles S. Stanish, Ph.D., Director, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, and Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An Economist Book of the Year""A Behavioral Scientist's Notable Book""A Wall Street Journal Favorite Political Book of the Year""A FiveBooks Best Nonfiction Books of the Year""Winner of the Richard A. Lester Book Award, Industrial Relations Section Industrial Relations Section""Career and Family is a radical book. It is also brilliantly researched and argued."---Lily Meyer, New Republic"[Career and Family] looks at how women have struggled to balance work and home over the decades. Among its many takeaways is the notion that female participation in the workplace changes the very nature of work."---Rana Foroohar, Financial Times"Goldin weaves together complicated data sets that no one else thought to look at. . . . [She] brings such data to life."---Joan C. Williams, Times Literary Supplement"There are many reasons to read [Career and Family]. The main one being that [it is] excellent. . . . Goldin is a natural teacher, which comes across on the page. The book is also, in some ways, deeply personal."---Emily Oster, ParentData"Provocative and compelling." * The Economist *"[Career and Family] traces the history of work and family for college-educated women, and diagnoses what still troubles their careers today." * The Economist *"In this deeply researched, engagingly written, and surprisingly personal book, Goldin summarizes the history and current state of gender disparities in employment and pay, both in general and specifically for college-educated women."---Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs"This is no ordinary book. . . . Goldin has written a chatty, readable sequel to [Betty] Friedan’s [The Feminine Mystique], destined itself to become a paperback best-seller—all the more persuasive because it is rooted in the work of hundreds of other labor economists and economic historians over the years."---David Warsh, Economic Principals"Combining diligent research with acute observations, accessible case studies, and practical solutions, this is a refreshing take on a pernicious social problem." * Publishers Weekly *"A must-read for those who care about gender gaps. . . . Goldin does a compelling job of running through the historical data, providing the surrounding cultural context, and explaining how technological and legal changes affected women over the years. . . . In Career and Family, Goldin expertly lays out the history of college-grad women’s advances in the work force, and she carefully dissects where the remaining gender gap originates."---Robert VerBruggen, Institute for Family Studies"This book is a must-read."---Melissa Davies, Society of Professional Economists"Goldin’s research carries important implications for addressing gender equality within the economics profession."---Leonora Risse, The Conversation, Australia & New Zealand"Why do women still tend to earn less than men? There is nobody better placed to answer that question than economic historian Claudia Goldin, the winner of the 2023 Nobel memorial prize in economics. Her answer tells us how to fight unfairness, but also how to create saner and more productive working lives for everybody." * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An Economist Book of the Year""A Behavioral Scientist's Notable Book""A Wall Street Journal Favorite Political Book of the Year""A FiveBooks Best Nonfiction Books of the Year""Winner of the Richard A. Lester Book Award, Industrial Relations Section Industrial Relations Section""Career and Family is a radical book. It is also brilliantly researched and argued."---Lily Meyer, New Republic"[Career and Family] looks at how women have struggled to balance work and home over the decades. Among its many takeaways is the notion that female participation in the workplace changes the very nature of work."---Rana Foroohar, Financial Times"Goldin weaves together complicated data sets that no one else thought to look at. . . . [She] brings such data to life."---Joan C. Williams, Times Literary Supplement"There are many reasons to read [Career and Family]. The main one being that [it is] excellent. . . . Goldin is a natural teacher, which comes across on the page. The book is also, in some ways, deeply personal."---Emily Oster, ParentData"Provocative and compelling." * The Economist *"[Career and Family] traces the history of work and family for college-educated women, and diagnoses what still troubles their careers today." * The Economist *"In this deeply researched, engagingly written, and surprisingly personal book, Goldin summarizes the history and current state of gender disparities in employment and pay, both in general and specifically for college-educated women."---Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs"This is no ordinary book. . . . Goldin has written a chatty, readable sequel to [Betty] Friedan’s [The Feminine Mystique], destined itself to become a paperback best-seller—all the more persuasive because it is rooted in the work of hundreds of other labor economists and economic historians over the years."---David Warsh, Economic Principals"Combining diligent research with acute observations, accessible case studies, and practical solutions, this is a refreshing take on a pernicious social problem." * Publishers Weekly *"A must-read for those who care about gender gaps. . . . Goldin does a compelling job of running through the historical data, providing the surrounding cultural context, and explaining how technological and legal changes affected women over the years. . . . In Career and Family, Goldin expertly lays out the history of college-grad women’s advances in the work force, and she carefully dissects where the remaining gender gap originates."---Robert VerBruggen, Institute for Family Studies"This book is a must-read."---Melissa Davies, Society of Professional Economists"Goldin’s research carries important implications for addressing gender equality within the economics profession."---Leonora Risse, The Conversation, Australia & New Zealand"Why do women still tend to earn less than men? There is nobody better placed to answer that question than economic historian Claudia Goldin, the winner of the 2023 Nobel memorial prize in economics. Her answer tells us how to fight unfairness, but also how to create saner and more productive working lives for everybody." * Financial Times *"An Economist Book of the Year""A Behavioral Scientist's Notable Book""A Wall Street Journal Favorite Political Book of the Year""A FiveBooks Best Nonfiction Books of the Year""Winner of the Richard A. Lester Book Award, Industrial Relations Section Industrial Relations Section""Career and Family is a radical book. It is also brilliantly researched and argued."---Lily Meyer, New Republic"[Career and Family] looks at how women have struggled to balance work and home over the decades. Among its many takeaways is the notion that female participation in the workplace changes the very nature of work."---Rana Foroohar, Financial Times"Goldin weaves together complicated data sets that no one else thought to look at. . . . [She] brings such data to life."---Joan C. Williams, Times Literary Supplement"There are many reasons to read [Career and Family]. The main one being that [it is] excellent. . . . Goldin is a natural teacher, which comes across on the page. The book is also, in some ways, deeply personal."---Emily Oster, ParentData"Provocative and compelling." * The Economist *"[Career and Family] traces the history of work and family for college-educated women, and diagnoses what still troubles their careers today." * The Economist *"In this deeply researched, engagingly written, and surprisingly personal book, Goldin summarizes the history and current state of gender disparities in employment and pay, both in general and specifically for college-educated women."---Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs"This is no ordinary book. . . . Goldin has written a chatty, readable sequel to [Betty] Friedan’s [The Feminine Mystique], destined itself to become a paperback best-seller—all the more persuasive because it is rooted in the work of hundreds of other labor economists and economic historians over the years."---David Warsh, Economic Principals"Combining diligent research with acute observations, accessible case studies, and practical solutions, this is a refreshing take on a pernicious social problem." * Publishers Weekly *"A must-read for those who care about gender gaps. . . . Goldin does a compelling job of running through the historical data, providing the surrounding cultural context, and explaining how technological and legal changes affected women over the years. . . . In Career and Family, Goldin expertly lays out the history of college-grad women’s advances in the work force, and she carefully dissects where the remaining gender gap originates."---Robert VerBruggen, Institute for Family Studies"This book is a must-read."---Melissa Davies, Society of Professional Economists"Goldin’s research carries important implications for addressing gender equality within the economics profession."---Leonora Risse, The Conversation, Australia & New Zealand"Why do women still tend to earn less than men? There is nobody better placed to answer that question than economic historian Claudia Goldin, the winner of the 2023 Nobel memorial prize in economics. Her answer tells us how to fight unfairness, but also how to create saner and more productive working lives for everybody." * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisUsing a novel technique - tracking family names over generations to measure social mobility across countries and periods, this book reveals that mobility rates are lower than conventionally estimated, do not vary across societies, and are resistant to social policies.Trade ReviewWinner of 2015 Gyorgy Ranki Prize, Economic History Association Honorable Mention for the 2015 PROSE Award in Economics, Association of American Publishers One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2014 One of Vox's "Best Books We Read in 2014" "The Son Also Rises ... suggests that dramatic social mobility has always been the exception rather than the rule. Clark examines a host of societies over the past seven hundred years and finds that the makeup of a given country's economic elite has remained surprisingly stable."--James Surowiecki, New Yorker "An epic feat of data crunching and collaborative grind... Mr. Clark has just disrupted our complacent idea of a socially mobile, democratically fluid society."--Trevor Butterworth, Wall Street Journal "Audacious."--Barbara Kiser, Nature "[A]n important book, and anybody at all interested in inequality and the kind of society we have should read it."--Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist "The Son Also Rises... That is the new Greg Clark book and yes it is an event and yes you should buy it."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution "Startling... Clark proposes a new way to measure mobility across nations and over time. He tracks the persistence of rare surnames at different points on the socio-economic scale. The information he gathers is absorbing in its own right, quite aside from its implications."--Clive Crook, Bloomberg View "Clark casts his net wider. He looks at mobility not across one or two generations, but across many. And he shows by focusing on surnames--last names--how families overrepresented in elite institutions remain that way, though to diminishing degrees, not just for a few generations but over centuries."--Michael Barone, Washington Examiner "Deeply challenging."--Margaret Wente, Globe & Mail "Who should you marry if you want to win at the game of life? Gregory Clark ... offers some answers in his fascinating new book, The Son Also Rises."--Eric Kaufmann, Literary Review "This intriguing book measures social mobility in a novel way, by tracing unusual surnames over several generations in nine different countries, focusing on intergenerational changes in education, wealth, and social status as indicated by occupation."--Foreign Affairs "No doubt this book will be as controversial as its thesis is thought-provoking."--Library Journal "Gregory Clark's analysis of intergenerational mobility signals a marked shift in the way economists think about social mobility."--Andrew Leigh, Sydney Morning Herald "The thesis of The Son Also Rises is, fundamentally, that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Ingeniously, Clark and his team of researchers look at the persistence of socioeconomic status through the lens of surnames in more than 20 societies."--Tim Sullivan, Harvard Business Review "Clark has a predilection for investigating interesting questions, as well as for literary puns... [J]ust as Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century, calls into question the role of capitalism in wealth creation, Clark calls into question the role of capitalism in social mobility."--Theodore Kinni, Strategy+Business.com "Clark's book is not merely intellectually clever, it's profoundly challenging. Especially for Americans, it calls into question of ourselves as individuals, as well as our long-standing image of our society. Let's hope he's wrong."--Benjamin M. Friedman, The Atlantic "Adopting an innovative approach to using surnames to measure social mobility, The Son Also Rises engages the reader by presenting data that comes to life as it is anchored by names we see in our daily life... A book with valuable insights derived from a well-designed research, it is strongly recommended to all serious readers interested in building strong democracies, for high social mobility is at the heart of a vibrant democracy. Policy makers will gain the benefits of counter-intuitive conclusions that this book throws up with its multi-generational study. Academicians interested in social justice and social activists engaged in promoting social mobility too will have a lot to chew on."--BusinessWorld "Clark continues the project begun in his A Farewell to Alms. Here, he offers a controversial challenge to standard ideas that social mobility wipes out class advantages over a few generations... An important, challenging book."--Choice "[T]his is a well written and thought-provoking book... I look forward to his next book--and his next Hemingway pun!"--Edward Dutton, Quarterly Review "Clark's book begins a fascinating and important conversation about social mobility... Clark's findings are important to engage with, and they will factor into discussions about social mobility for years to come."--Laura Salisbury, EH.Net "[I]t's one of those rare, invigorating arguments which, if correct, totally upends your understanding of the way the world works. Right or wrong, I've thought about it more than anything else I read in 2014."--Dylan Matthews, a Vox "Best Books We Read in 2014" selection "[A] provocative book."--Richard Lampard, European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology "The Son Also Rises makes for stimulating reading, and I recommend it."--Chris Minns, Investigaciones de Historia EconomicaTable of ContentsPreface ix 1 Introduction: Of Ruling Classes and Underclasses: The Laws of Social Mobility 1 PART I Social Mobility by Time and Place 2 Sweden: Mobility Achieved? 19 3 The United States: Land of Opportunity 45 4 Medieval England: Mobility in the Feudal Age 70 5 Modern England: The Deep Roots of the Present 88 6 A Law of Social Mobility 107 7 Nature versus Nurture 126 PART II Testing the Laws of Mobility 8 India: Caste, Endogamy, and Mobility 143 9 China and Taiwan: Mobility after Mao 167 10 Japan and Korea: Social Homogeneity and Mobility 182 11 Chile: Mobility among the Oligarchs 199 12 The Law of Social Mobility and Family Dynamics 212 13 Protestants, Jews, Gypsies, Muslims, and Copts: Exceptions to the Law of Mobility? 228 14 Mobility Anomalies 253 PART III The Good Society 15 Is Mobility Too Low? Mobility versus Inequality 261 16 Escaping Downward Social Mobility 279 Appendix 1: Measuring Social Mobility 287 Appendix 2: Deriving Mobility Rates from Surname Frequencies 296 Appendix 3: Discovering the Status of Your Surname Lineage 301 Data Sources for Figures and Tables 319 References 333 Index 349

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Book SynopsisPolly Toynbee is a journalist, author and broadcaster. A Guardian columnist and broadcaster, she was formerly the BBC's social affairs editor. She has written for the Observer, the Independent and Radio Times and been an editor at the Washington Monthly. She has won numerous awards including a National Press Award and the Orwell Prize for Journalism.

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Book SynopsisAn Evening Standard's Book of the Year'A tour de force.' David GoodhartAll over the West, party systems have shattered and governments have been thrown into turmoil. The embattled establishment claims that these populist insurgencies seek to overthrow liberal democracy. The truth is no less alarming but is more complex: Western democracies are being torn apart by a new class war.In this controversial and groundbreaking analysis, Michael Lind, one of America's leading thinkers, debunks the idea that the insurgencies are primarily the result of bigotry and reveals the real battle lines. He traces how the breakdown of class compromises has left large populations in Western democracies politically adrift. We live in a globalized world that benefits elites in high income 'hubs' while suppressing the economic and social interests of those in more traditional lower-wage 'heartlands'.A bold framework for understanding the world, The New Class War argues that only a fresh class settlement can avert a never-ending cycle of clashes between oligarchs and populists - and save democracy.Trade ReviewSharply argued... Lind's book offers a bracing, and at times brilliant, polemic. * Edward Luce, FT *Lind's diagnosis is sharp and insightful... an invaluable contribution to understanding the political currents of our times and placing them in a historical context. Long after we have stopped talking about Trump and Brexit, the challenges Lind identifies will define our debate. * The Times *[Lind's] primary thesis is correct, and his tome contains a myriad of powerful insights and brilliant vignettes. * Allister Heath, Daily Telegraph *Lind's argument is compelling and clear. * Sunday Times *The best analysis of populism I have yet read, including a brilliant put-down of the absurd idea that the Russians are destabilising our politics. * Evening Standard *A tour de force. In a pithy, but subtle, analysis of western politics Lind argues that populism is a reaction against a technocratic neoliberalism that has stripped non-college-educated workers of economic bargaining power, political influence and cultural dignity. * David Goodhart – bestselling author of The Road to Somewhere *Hard-hitting, compelling and ultimately convincing. A lot has been written about the current era of political turbulence, but a lot of this work misses the mark. If you want to beat the populists, start here. * Matthew Goodwin – Professor of Politics at the University of Kent *Does it seem to you that Western society is coming apart, in ways that you don't understand? If so, then you must read this book. Lind's insights are so profound that I found myself highlighting almost every paragraph. * Jonathan Haidt, bestselling author of The Righteous Mind *Vital reading. Michael Lind is one of America's great iconoclasts. * Roger Eatwell – Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of Bath *A brave and timely book. Michael Lind has written an indispensable guide to our present political backdrop. By linking geography and class through the concepts of 'hubs and heartlands', he develops a generous understanding of the appeal of sovereignty and democratic politics to working class people who have been excluded from not only power, but participation in their national politics. * Maurice Glasman, founder of Blue Labour *Excellent... If you want to understand the political defeat of liberalism and the coming realignment in capitalist democracies read this book. * Jonathan Rutherford, emeritus professor of cultural studies at Middlesex University. *Table of Contents0: Introduction 1: The New Class War 2: Hubs and Heartlands 3: World Wars and New Deals 4: The Neoliberal Revolution from Above 5: The Populist Counterrevolution from Below 6: Russian Puppets and Nazis 7: The Workerless Paradise 8: Countervailing Power 9: Making the World Safe for Democratic Pluralism 10: Epilogue

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Book Synopsis#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Evicted reimagines the debate on poverty, making a “provocative and compelling” (NPR) argument about why it persists in America: because the rest of us benefit from it.“Urgent and accessible . . . Its moral force is a gut punch.”—The New Yorker ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2023: The Washington Post, Time, Esquire, Newsweek, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Elle, Salon, Lit Hub, Kirkus ReviewsThe United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?  In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws

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Book SynopsisProbing the ominous side of career advice to follow your passion, this data-driven study explains how the passion principle fails us and perpetuates inequality by class, gender, and race; and it suggests how we can reconfigure our relationships to paid work. Follow your passion is a popular mantra for career decision-making in the United States. Passion-seeking seems like a promising path for avoiding the potential drudgery of a life of paid work, but this passion principleseductive as it isdoes not universally translate. The Trouble with Passion reveals the significant downside of the passion principle: the concept helps culturally legitimize and reproduce an exploited, overworked white-collar labor force and broadly serves to reinforce class, race, and gender segregation and inequality. Grounding her investigation in the paradoxical tensions between capitalism's demand for ideal workers and our cultural expectations for self-expression, sociologist Erin A. Cech draws on interTrade Review"As the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many people to contemplate the meaning of their work and life, this book offers particularly relevant insights for those wanting a career change to consider how they should make career decisions and the role work should play in their life. The Trouble with Passion should also be revelatory to people who potentially shape others’ career decisions, such as educators and career counselors; those who can influence the career outcomes of people in the labor market, such as hiring managers and organization leaders; and policymakers who have the power to rectify the structural factors producing the dark side of the passion principle in the first place. I would also recommend this book to social science scholars interested in careers, passion, the meaning of work, segregation, and inequality in general." * Administrative Science Quarterly *"If you’re looking for a book that can offer you new insights into career choices while making you think critically about librarianship, passion, and labor, this is a recommended read." * College & Research Libraries *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Introduction 1. What Is the Passion Principle? 2. Why Is the Passion Principle Compelling? 3. The Privilege of Passion? Passion-Seeking and Socioeconomic Inequality among Career Aspirants 4. The Passion Principle as Prescriptive and Explanatory Narrative? How the Passion Principle Choicewashes Workforce Inequalities 5. Exploiting Passion? The Demand Side of the Passion Principle Conclusion Epilogue Acknowledgments Appendix A: Methods Appendix B: Supplemental Analysis of 2020 College Student Survey Appendix C: Supporting Data Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewRigney's summary of the latest research findings should contribute to a much needed discussion between policy makers, social scientists, and the general public. Publishers Weekly [A] cogent book. -- Steven Poole GuardianTable of Contents1. What Is the Matthew Effect? 2. Matthew Effects in Science and Technology 3. Matthew Effects in the Economy 4. Matthew Effects in Politics and Public Policy 5. Matthew Effects in Education and Culture 6. Implications and Conclusions Appendix: Trends in Economic Inequality Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisA powerful analysis of how the bias towards wealth that is woven into the very fabric of American capitalism is damaging people, the economy, and the planet, and what the foundations of a new economy could be.This bold manifesto exposes seven myths underlying wealth supremacy, the bias that institutionalizes infinite extraction of wealth by and for the wealthy, and is the hidden force behind economic injustice, the climate crisis, and so many other problems of our day: The Myth of Maximizing: No amount of wealth is ever enough. The Myth of Fiduciary Duty: Corporate managers? most sacred duty is to expand capital. The Myth of Corporate Governance: Corporate membership must be reserved for capital alone. The Myth of the Income Statement: Income to capital must always be increased, while income to labor must always be decreased. The Myth of Materiality: Profit?material gain?alone is real, while social and environmental damages are not. The Myth of Takings: The first duty of government must be the protection of private property. The Myth of the Free Market: There should be no limits on the field of action of corporations and capital. Kelly argues instead for the democratization of ownership: public ownership of vital services, worker-owned businesses, and more. And she sketches the outlines of a non-extractive capitalism that would be subordinate to the public interest. This is an ambitious reimagining of the very foundations of our economy and society.

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Book SynopsisOffers a description of the author's stint as a low-wage worker at two national toy store chains: one upscale shop and one big box outlet. Including observations from the shop floor, this book chronicles her experiences as a cashier, salesperson, and stocker and provides insights into the social impact of shopping for toys.Trade Review“A welcome addition to the growing body of literature on children’s culture.” * Journal of American Culture *“Want to know why black men get demoted as workers? Or why middle-class white women are the most annoying customers of all? Then this is your book. In brisk and straightforward style, Williams argues that most of our contemporary working cultures harm consumers and employees and that we need to improve them, fast. While some anecdotes will not seem unfamiliar to those who have seen the view from both sides of a till, Williams's ability to connect them to a range of social theories results in a thoughtful and impressive read.” * The Guardian *"Inside Toyland is a model study of relations between identities, products, and work. For students, Williams provides many examples that bring abstract concepts—like the fetishization of commodities—to life. She calls for us not to shop less, but to shop with more awareness of, and effort to improve, the lives of retail workers and the entire experience of consumption." * American Journal of Sociology *“Inside Toyland is a gem—a well-written examination of politics, inequality, racism and working conditions in the context of the toy store. . . . This book powerfully exposes the politics and inequality embedded within consumer culture through an examination of low-wage retail work. It is a highly engaging expose of the reproduction of class, race and gender inequality.” * Canadian Journal of Sociology *"Williams's experiences in two retail toy stores-one mega and the other upscale-make evident the gender and racial/ethnic nature of retail work. She clearly demonstrates how every day exchanges between employees and man agers as well as employees and customers help reinforce existing social expectations based on class, gender, and race/ethnicity." * Contemporary Sociology *"This book is a major contribution to consumer studies, labor studies, race and ethnic studies, and gender studies." * Gender and Society *“A compelling read for those critical of the commercialization of childhood.” * Tikkun *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1 A Sociologist inside Toy Stores 2 History of Toy Shopping in America 3 The Social Organization of Toy Stores 4 Inequality on the Shopping Floor 5 Kids in Toyland 6 Toys and Citizenship Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisJilly Cooper is a journalist, author and media superstar. The author of many number one bestselling books, she lives in Gloucestershire. She has been awarded honorary doctorates by the Universities of Gloucestershire and Anglia Ruskin, and won the inaugural Comedy Women in Print lifetime achievement award in 2019. She was also appointed DBE in 2024 for services to literature and charity.Trade ReviewWitheringly funny, illuminated by astonishing brilliance * Observer *Enormously readable and very funny * Cosmopolitan *Highly entertaining, acerbic and wickedly observant... certain to become as much part of the verbal shorthand as was Nancy Mitford's U and Non-U, a generation ago * The Economist *

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Book SynopsisThis volume demonstrates how the conditions and styles of middle-class life represent modern society as a whole. By examining white-collar life, the text aims to distinguish a more typically "American" persona than the once-famous Western frontier character.Trade Review"A book that persons of every level of the white collar pyramid should read and ponder. It will alert them to their condition for their better salvation."--Horace M. Kaellen, The New York Times (on the first edition)Table of ContentsPART ONE: OLD MIDDLE CLASS 1. The World of the Small Entrepreneur 1. The Old Middle Classes 2. Property, Freedom and Security 3. The Self-Balancing Society 2. The Transformation of Property 1. The Rural Debacle 2. Business Dynamics 3. The Lumpen-Bourgeoisie 3. The Rhetoric of Competition 1. The Competitive Way of Life 2. The Independent Farmer 3. The Small Business Front 4. Political Persistence PART TWO: WHITE COLLAR WORLDS 4. The New Middle Class: I 1. Occupational Change 2. Industrial Mechanics 3. White-Collar Pyramids 5. The Managerial Demiurge 1. The Bureaucracies 2. From the Top to the Bottom 3. The Case of the Foreman 4. The New Entrepreneur 5. The Power of the Managers 6. Three Trends 6. Old Professions and New Skills 1. The Professions and Bureaucracy 2. The Medical World 3. Lawyers 4. The Professors 5. Business and the Professions 7. Brains, Inc. 1. Four Phases 2. The Bureaucratic Context 3. The Ideological Demand 4. The Rise of the Technician 8. The Great Salesroom 1. Types of Salesmen 2. The Biggest Bazaar in the World 3. Buyers and Floorwalkers 4. The Salesgirls 5. The Centralization of Salesmanship 6. The Personality Market 9. The Enormous File 1. The Old Office 2. Forces and Developments 3. The White-Collar Girl 4. The New Office 5. The White-Collar Hierarchy PART THREE: STYLES OF LIFE 10. Work 1. Meanings of Work 2. The Ideal of Craftsmanship 3. The Conditions of Modern Work 4. Frames of Acceptance 5. The Morale of the Cheerful Robots 6. The Big Slipt 11. The Status Panic 1. White-Collar Prestige 2. The Smaller City 3. The Metropolis 4. The Status Panic 12. Success 1. Patterns and Ideologies 2. The Educational Elevator 3. Origins and Mobilities 4. Hard Times 5. The Tarnished Image PART FOUR: WAYS OF POWER 13. The New Middle Class: II 1. Theories and Difficulties 2. Mentalities 3. Organizations 14. White-Collar Unionism 1. The Extent Organized 2. Acceptance and Rejection 3. Individual Involvement 4. The Shape of Unionism 5. Unions and Politics 15. The Politics of the Rearguard 1. Models of Consciousness 2. Political Indifference 3. The Mass Media 4. The Social Structure 5. U.S. Politics 6. The Rearguards Afterword by Russell Jacoby

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Book SynopsisA fresh take on social class from the experts behind the BBC''s ''Great British Class Survey''.Why does social class matter more than ever in Britain today?How has the meaning of class changed?What does this mean for social mobility and inequality?In this book Mike Savage and the team of sociologists responsible for the Great British Class Survey look beyond the labels to explore how and why our society is changing and what this means for the people who find themselves in the margins as well as in the centre.Their new conceptualization of class is based on the distribution of three kinds of capital - economic (inequalities in income and wealth), social (the different kinds of people we know) and cultural (the ways in which our leisure and cultural preferences are exclusive) - and provides incontrovertible evidence that class is as powerful and relevant today as it''s ever been.Trade ReviewThis endlessly fascinating study... is indispensable if you want to understand modern Britain -- Rod Liddle * Sunday Times *A fascinating read, going deep into the interplay between wealth, culture and society, and making the strong case that traditional class divisions don't really help us to understand these forces any more . . . anybody in the UK discussing class henceforth will need to get this down of the shelf -- Hugo Rifkind * Times *Convincing and fascinating . . . this book marshals impressive evidence to show how inequality is increasing. -- Robert Colvile * Telegraph *There's something for everybody here . . . it will start many conversations * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisThe Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World is an original and provocative reconstruction of 1,400 years of classical antiquity. Sharply written, it is a major intervention in Marxist theories of class, seeking to explain and illustrate the value of Marx’s general analysis of society to ancient Greek studies. G. E. M. de Ste. Croix makes slavery central to the achievements of the Greek city-states and wider classical civilisation. He traces the social origins of Athenian democracy and advances an innovative explanation for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Comparing the late Roman political system to a ‘vampire bat’, Ste. Croix argues that serfdom and a tightening fiscal screw left the peasant masses indifferent to the Empire’s fate.Widely reviewed and debated, The Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World was hailed by the New York Review of Books as ‘the only work in a Western language that has ever attempted to tell the story of the greatest part of the ancient world with the interests of the lower classes as its central theme’.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWinner of the 2016 Max Weber Book Award, Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section of the American Sociological Association Winner of the 2016 Mary Douglas Prize for Best Book, Sociology of Culture Section of the American Sociological Association Co-Winner of the 2016 Distinguished Book Award, Sociology of Law Section of the American Sociological Association Co-Winner of the 2016 Silver Medal in Career (Job Search, Career Advancement), Axiom Business Book Awards One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2015 "Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs is an academic book with the requisite references to gender theory and Marxist concepts of inequality. But read it carefully and it becomes something far more useful--a guide on how to join the global elite."--Economist "[Rivera's] richly described account is mesmerising--and horrifying."--Gillian Tett, Financial Times "[Pedigree] provides an insider look at how top-notch places hire, and explores how their processes serve those with the most privileged and affluent backgrounds."--Bouree Lam, The Atlantic "Forget Hollywood. Forget the American Dream. In Pedigree, Lauren Rivera discloses the harsh reality of landing a job on Wall Street... In this valuable book, [she] sheds light on [the] selection process, homing in on how employers contribute to elite reproduction. The outcome is a highly informed analysis of class and cultural capital."--Angelia Wilson, Times Higher EducationTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xi 1 Entering the Elite 1 2 The Playing Field 29 3 The Pitch 55 4 The Paper 83 5 Setting the Stage for Interviews 113 6 Beginning the Interview: Finding a Fit 135 7 Continuing the Interview: The Candidate's Story 147 8 Concluding the Interview: The Final Acts 183 9 Talking It Out: Deliberating Merit 211 10 Social Reconstruction 253 11 Conclusion 267 Afterword to the Paperback Edition 287 Appendix A Who Is Elite? 291 Appendix B Methodological Details 295 Appendix C List of Interviews 311 Notes 319 References 351 Index 369

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Book SynopsisIn the wake of the attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on 7 January 2015, millions took to the streets to demonstrate their revulsion, expressing a desire to reaffirm the ideals of the French Republic: liberté, égalité, fraternité. But who were the millions of demonstrators who were suddenly united under the single cry of ‘Je suis Charlie’?In this probing new book, Emmanuel Todd investigates the cartography and sociology of the three to four million who marched in Paris and across France and draws some unsettling conclusions. For while they claimed to support liberal, republican values, the real middle classes who marched on that day of indignant protest also had a quite different programme in mind, one that was far removed from their proclaimed ideal. Their deep values were in fact more reminiscent of the most depressing aspects of France’s national history: conservatism, selfishness, domination and inequality.By identifying the anthropological, religious, economic and political forces that brought France to the edge of the abyss, Todd reveals the real dangers posed to all western societies when the interests of privileged middle classes work against marginalised and immigrant groups. Should we really continue to mistreat young people, force the children of immigrants to live on the outskirts of our cities, consign the poorer classes to the remoter parts of the country, demonise Islam, and allow the growth of an ever more menacing anti-Semitism? While asking uncomfortable questions and offering no easy solutions, Todd points to the difficult and uncertain path that might lead to an accommodation with Islam rather than a deepening and divisive confrontation.Trade Review"Todd�s highly contrarian analysis of the Charlie movement and his strident tone have drawn widespread criticism. But the very boldness of his claims, backed up by hard data, commands attention. No student of the marches can ignore this deeply unconventional book." Times Literary Supplement"The value of Todd�s book lies in the persuasive counter-narrative that debunks the Manichean interpretation of events that has thus far prevailed in media and political circles."Times Higher Education"The book offers a deeply reflective analysis of the Charlie Hebdo affair in Paris, and uses it brilliantly to explore and criticise the inner tensions and selective historical amnesia of French society that are taken to be responsible for its current Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. It shows with great insight and wisdom how to deal with these disturbing trends."Bhikhu Parekh, House of Lords"Who Is Charlie? stands out from all that has been written on the two massacres that took place in Paris in January 2015. It is an impressive analysis and a gripping read - I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Emmanuel Todd's concern is not merely to trace the cause of these crimes but to reflect on them as a way of understanding the structural contradictions of contemporary France - a nation that continually invokes its Jacobin legacy (liberty, equality, fraternity) and yet allows that legacy to be undermined. This book is a brilliantly argued polemic and essential reading for understanding Islamophobia as a symptom of neo-Republican France in crisis."Talal Asad, CUNY Graduate Center"Who is Charlie? is an important little book, timely and pertinent, and not just for what it says about France. In all Western societies it is the middle classes who enjoy what globalization has created and it is the middle classes who would keep the dispossessed excluded by means of wage inequality and control of education. At the same time, no longer buttressed by the metaphysics of religion, an anxiety haunts the vacuum of the hollow culture that has replaced Catholicism and Protestantism. Charlie seeks a scapegoat, needs one, and the kind of hysteria that gripped France after the events of 7th January is capable of manifesting itself in countries outside of France."Irish Left Review "Perceptive and chilling"London Review of BooksTable of ContentsPreface to the English editionIntroductionCHAPTER ONE: A religious crisisThe terminal crisis in CatholicismReligious decline and the rise of xenophobiaCatholic France and secular France: 1750-1960The two Frances and equalityFrom the One God to the single currencyFrançois Hollande, the Left, and zombie Catholicism2005: a missed opportunity in class struggle?Difficult atheismCHAPTER TWO: CharlieCharlie: middle class and zombie CatholicsNeo-republicanism1992-2015: from pro-Europeanism to neo-republicanismThe neo-republican reality: the ‘social state’ of the middle classesCharlie is anxiousSecularism versus the LeftCatholicism, Islamophobia and anti-SemitismCHAPTER THREE: When equality failsThe difficulties of secular, egalitarian FranceThe anthropology of a capitalism in crisisThe Europe of inequalityFrance, the Germans and the ArabsGermany and circumcisionThe great pro-European happening of 11 January 2015Russia: an exceptional caseThe mystery of ParisThe memory of placesThe four stages of the crisis CHAPTER IV: The French of the Far RightThe slow march of the National Front towards the centre ground in FranceA perversion of universalismRepublican anti-SemitismLe Pen, Sarkozy and equalityThe Socialist Party and inequality: the concept of objective xenophobiaMélenchon and inequalityThe insignificance of human beings and the violence of ideologies CHAPTER FIVE: The French MuslimsThe disintegration of North African culturesMixed marriages: Jews and MuslimsIdeologues and exogamyThe crushing of young people and the jihad factoryScottish fundamentalismMoving beyond the fear of religionIslam and equalityThe inequality of the sexesThe anti-Semitism of the suburbsConclusionThe real republican pastThe neo-republican presentFuture 1: ConfrontationFuture 2: the return to the Republic: an accommodation with IslamA foreseeable deteriorationThe secret weapon of the republican revival

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Book SynopsisWritten when Engels was only twenty-four, and inspired in particular by his time living amongst the poor in Manchester, this forceful polemic explores the staggering human cost of the Industrial Revolution in Victorian England. Engels paints an unforgettable picture of daily life in the new industrial towns, and for miners and agricultural workers--depicting overcrowded housing, abject poverty, child labour, sexual exploitation, dirt and drunkenness--in a savage indictment of the greed of the bourgeoisie. His fascinating later preface, written for the first English edition of 1892 and included here, brought the story up to date in the light of forty years'' further refelection. A masterpiece of committed reporting and an impassioned call to arms, this is one of the great pioneering works of social history.

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Book SynopsisAn urgent proclamation of what life is like for American women without the security of a financial safety netIndie icon Michelle Tea--whose memoir The Chelsea Whistle details her own working-class roots in gritty Chelsea, Massachusetts--shares these fierce, honest, tender essays written by women who can't go home to the suburbs when ends don't meet. When jobs are scarce and the money has dwindled, these writers have nowhere to go but below the poverty line. The writers offer their different stories not for sympathy or sadness, but an unvarnished portrait of how it was, is, and will be for generations of women growing up working class in America. These wide-ranging essays cover everything from selling blood for grocery money to the culture shock of "jumping" class. Contributors include Dorothy Allison, Bee Lavender, Eileen Myles, and Daisy Hernández.Trade ReviewSo raw, so fresh, so riveting... An important book for any woman who's grown up - or is growing up - in America. * Vendela Vida *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of the Economist.com “Wise Words 2017 Books of the Year” in Culture"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Max Weber Book Award, Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section of the American Sociological Association""Longlisted for the 2018 Spirited Awards Best New Book on Drinks, Culture, History, or Spirits, Tales of the Cocktail"

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Book SynopsisElizabeth A. Segal explains how we can develop our ability to understand one another and have compassion toward different social groups. A useful explanation of an often misunderstood concept, Social Empathy brings together sociology, psychology, social work, and cognitive neuroscience to illustrate how to become better advocates for justice.Trade ReviewThis book brings together important ideas about how we relate to one another and make decisions about the society we live in. Using social empathy to frame community decision making such as social policies helps us understand our citizenship responsibilities. Especially in times of extreme political divisiveness, we need to be reminded of the consequences of a lack of social empathy—in our individual relationships, communities, and national discourse. Anyone who is asking difficult questions about divisiveness in their own community will find Segal’s ideas useful in reflecting on questions of why and what next. -- Sarah Garlington, Ohio UniversitySocial Empathy expands on what we know about interpersonal empathy and strikes right at the heart of today’s partisan conflicts. In readable, humane, and informative prose, this book explains how we can overcome tribal instincts and forge the supportive, meaningful connections we need in order to thrive in today’s global environment. -- Caroline Wellbery, Georgetown University School of MedicineElizabeth Segal’s groundbreaking work on social empathy explains how we can expand our capacity to appreciate the social contexts and lived experiences of diverse others. Given growing diversity and urbanization in countries worldwide, this book could not be more timely or urgent for strengthening public problem-solving and enhancing our collective wellbeing. -- William M. Snyder, coauthor of Cultivating Communities of PracticeIn this stellar book, Elizabeth Segal offers a cross disciplinary picture of social empathy. Like the periodic table, she distills empathy to its essential elements, helping readers understand the essence of empathic thinking and living. This book is a must read for all concerned about how to educate ourselves and the next generation to live an empathic life. -- Miriam Raider-Roth, University of CincinnatiSegal summarizes her ten-plus years of research into social work, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and sociology to present a new study of empathy, raising the fundamental helping skill of imagining oneself in another's place, to a higher level. . . . [Social Empathy] ought to be required reading for the pathologically narcissistic POTUS and all his lackeys. * Library Journal *This important book deserves to be taken seriously by anybody interested in social welfare. -- Constantine Sandis * Times Higher Education *A clear and useful explanation of an often misunderstood concept, Social Empathy brings together sociology, psychology, social work, and cognitive neuroscience to illustrate how to become better advocates for justice. -- Steve Brock * Stevo's Book of the Week *The strength of this book is Segal's argument that the psychological literature on interpersonal empathy should be expanded to include a macro-sociological level. * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface1. What Is Empathy?2. Why Do We Need Empathy?3, If It’s So Important, Why Is Empathy So Hard?4. Are Power and Politics Barriers to Empathy?5. What If Stress, Depression, and Other Health Factors Block Empathy?6. Where Is Religion in Empathy?7. Can We Have Empathy with Technology?8. Social Empathy—Making the World a Better PlaceEpilogue: Teaching Social EmpathyNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisConsidering Class: Theory, Culture and Media in the 21st Century offers the reader international and interdisciplinary perspectives on the importance of class analysis in the 21st century. Political economists, sociologists, educationalists, ethnographers, cultural and media analysts have contributed to this volume to provide a multi-dimensional account of current class dynamics.Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsNotes on Contributors i1 Introduction Deirdre O’Neill and Mike Wayne Part 1: Class Theory 2 Class and the Classical Marxist Tradition Joseph Choonara3 Social Class and Education Dave Hill4 Marxist Class Theory: Competition, Contingency and Intermediate Class Positions Jonathan Pratschke5 Class Segregation  Danny Dorling6 The ‘Secret’ of the Restoration: Increased Class Exploitation Maurizio Donato and Roberto Taddeo Part 2: Class and Culture 7 Exploitation, Oppression, and Epistemology Holly Lewis8 Peasants, Migrants and Self-Employed Workers: The Masks that Veil Class Affiliation in Latin America: The Argentine Case Marina Kabat and Eduardo Sartelli9 Capitalism, Class and Collective Identity: Social Movements and Public Services in South Africa Adrian Murray10 On Intellectuals Deirdre O’Neill and Mike Wayne11 The British Working Class Post-blair Consensus: We Do Not Exist Lisa Mckenzie12 From Class Solidarity to Cultural Solidarity: Immigration, Crises, and the Populist Right Ferruh Yilmaz13 Recovering the Australian Working Class Tony Moore, Mark Gibson and Catharine Lumby Part 3: Class and the Media 14 ‘Everything Changes. Everything Stays the Same’: Documenting Continuity and Change in Working Class Lives Anita Biressi15 Ghettos and Gated Communities in the Social Landscape of Television: Representations of Class in 1982 and 2015 Fredrik Stiernstedt and Peter Jakobsson16 Class, Culture and Exploitation: The Case of Reality tv  Milly Williamson17 Class Warfare, the Neoliberal Man and the Political Economy of Methamphetamine in Breaking Bad  Michael Seltzer18 ‘The Thing Is I’m Actually from Bromley’: Queer/Class Intersectionality in Pride (2014) Craig HaslopIndex

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Book Synopsis‘A stunning and devastating indictment of a society scarred and defined by inequality, by one of the most charismatic and compelling voices in politics today’ Owen Jones ‘Faiza’s work is living proof that you don’t have to choose between focusing on class and battling racism, or to triangulate on hate in order to advance a political cause. She’s a testament to the power of rising with your community, and not out of it’ Ash Sarkar'Shaheen overcame a plethora of barriers to get to Oxford and become a leading statistician. In this thought-provoking read, she uses her own unlikely story to probe how society defines your chances in life – and what we can do about it' i At four years old, Dr Faiza Shaheen was told by her mum that one day she would study at the University of Oxford. As the daughter of a car mechanic attending state schools, the odds were lTrade Review‘A stunning and devastating indictment of a society scarred and defined by inequality, by one of the most charismatic and compelling voices in politics today’ -- Owen Jones‘Faiza’s work is living proof that you don’t have to choose between focusing on class and battling racism, or to triangulate on hate in order to advance a political cause. She’s a testament to the power of rising with your community, and not out of it’ -- Ash Sarkar‘A brilliant, forensic and also very personal analysis of how unfair life is in the most economically unequal country in Europe – giving power a strong dose of truth’ -- Professor Danny Dorling, University of Oxford‘In this impassioned and thoughtful book, Faiza Shaheen dismantles the myth of meritocracy and compellingly shows that we need to fundamentally challenge the unsustainable and unjust inequalities that abound in Britain today’ -- Professor Mike Savage, London School of Economics

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Book SynopsisA profound look at the crisis of work and the collapse of the safety net, and a vision for a better way forward, rooted in America’s cooperative spirit, from the founder of the Freelancers Union  “Read this essential book to see how we can and must build the future.”—Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Linkedin Mutualism: It’s not capitalism and it’s not socialism. It’s the future. The twentieth century changed every facet of life for American workers: how much they could expect to earn and what they had the right to demand. But by 2027, a majority of Americans—from low-wage service workers to white-collar professionals—won’t be traditional employees. Benefits like paid sick leave, pensions, 401(k)s, disability insurance, and health care will be nearly extinct. To meet the needs of this new generation of workers, the government has done almost nothing. 

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Book Synopsis"It is really worth a read…" -- Former Vice President Joe Biden, interviewed on Pod Save AmericaNow in paperback with a new Foreword by Mark Cuban and a new Preface by the author, White Working Class explains why so much of the elite's analysis of the white working class is misguided, rooted in class cluelessness.Joan C. Williams, described as having "something approaching rock star status" by the New York Times, explains that many people have conflated "working class" with "poor"--but the working class is, in fact, the elusive, purportedly disappearing middle class. They often resent the poor and the professionals alike. But they don't resent the truly rich, nor are they particularly bothered by income inequality. Their dream is not to join the upper middle class, with its different culture, but to stay true to their own values in their own communities--just with more money. While white working-class motivations are often dismissed as racist or xenophobic, Williams shows that they have their own class consciousness.White Working Class is a blunt, bracing narrative that sketches a nuanced portrait of millions of people who have proven to be a potent political force. For anyone stunned by the rise of populist, nationalist movements, wondering why so many would seemingly vote against their own economic interests, or simply feeling like a stranger in their own country, White Working Class will be a convincing primer on how to connect with a crucial set of workers--and voters.

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Book SynopsisThe shifting meaning of race and class in the age of Trump The profound concentration of economic power in the United States in recent decades has produced surprising new forms of racialization. In Producers, Parasites, Patriots, Daniel Martinez HoSang and Joseph E. Lowndes show that while racial subordination is an enduring feature of U.S. political history, it continually changes in response to shifting economic and political conditions, interests, and structures. The authors document the changing politics of race and class in the age of Trump across a broad range of phenomena, showing how new forms of racialization work to alter the economic protections of whiteness while promoting some conservatives of color as models of the neoliberal regime. Through careful analyses of diverse political sites and conflicts—racially charged elections, attacks on public-sector unions, new forms of white precarity, the rise of black and brown political elites, militia uprisings, multiculturalism on the far right—they highlight new, interwoven deployments of race in the ascendant age of inequality. Using the concept of “racial transposition,” the authors demonstrate how racial meanings and signification can be transferred from one group to another to shore up both neoliberalism and racial hierarchy.From the militia movement to the Alt-Right to the mainstream Republican Party, Producers, Parasites, Patriots brings to light the changing role of race in right-wing politics.Trade Review"In exploring the contemporary politics of whiteness, Daniel Martinez HoSang and Joseph E. Lowndes offer a powerful analysis of white precarity embedded in an antiracist critique of white supremacy in multicultural times. Producers, Parasites, Patriots is a necessary and welcome work."—Cristina Beltrán, New York University"In the age of neoliberal precarity, the authors argue, traditional protections of “whiteness” no longer prevent government workers from being depicted as parasites, and conservatives of color, along with languages of civil rights and multiculturalism, get resignified as models of conservative patriotism. This is a well-written and detailed examination of the ways racial identity gets transposed."—CHOICE"It offers a clear and unique understanding of how the state of contemporary politics necessitates a re‐thinking about the ideological barriers that we often assume polemically separate the political left and right."—Sociology of Health & Illness"HoSang and Lowndes have opened-up space for dialogue around race and class in the present age. In doing so, they bring to light the limitations of liberal anti-racism."—New Political Science"Daniel Martinez HoSang and Joseph E. Lowndes state in their fascinating new book Producers, Parasites, Patriots that only by providing a more critical understanding of contemporary right-wing politics can we be prepared to resist the growth of far-right movements."—Political Science Quarterly "Producers, Parasites and Patriots offers compelling insight for a general public trying to make sense of the dynamic,complex, and at times contradictory behavior of the American political right."—Journal of African American Studies

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Book SynopsisExtending from the 1750s to the present, In Pursuit of Privilege recounts upper-class New Yorkers' struggle to create a world guarded against outsiders. Clifton Hood shows elites' part in the larger story of the city through class conflict and their role in New York's cultural and economic foundations.Trade ReviewThis is the history of a small but hugely consequential group of Americans, whose access to economic resources provided them with unprecedented social, cultural, and political power. Clifton Hood's lively excursion into their world of social clubs and museums, dinners and finishing schools covers more than 250 years and shows persuasively how the upper class made New York and how New York constantly changed its upper class. -- Sven Beckert, author of Empire of Cotton: A Global HistoryEvery city has a social and economic elite. But as Hood shows, the New York elite has always been larger, wealthier, more fluid, and more powerful than in other places, enabling it to simultaneously perpetuate class inequality and create cultural institutions that are world-class in every field. Groundbreaking and comprehensive, The Pursuit of Privilege illuminates three centuries of the New York City elite's power and influence on city building. Bravo to Hood. -- Kenneth T. Jackson, editor of The Encyclopedia of New York CityHood's comprehensive, three-centuries-long survey of the experiences of New York City's upper class reveals both the dynamism and the tensions inherent in that ever-evolving group. His study extends from wealthy colonists in the 1750s through nineteenth-century entrepreneurs and nouveaux riches to those he dubs the contemporary 'antielitist elite,' mixing insightful general observations with telling portraits of particular men, women, or families who succeeded or failed to join the upper class. This book will interest anyone who wants to understand the origins of New York City's unique combination of economic, social, and cultural institutions. -- Mary Beth Norton, author of In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692Hood's revealing book provides us with a suggestive portrait of a powerful and self-conscious elite that for over two centuries has maintained its position through its control over a constellation of exclusive organizations. He explores not only the self-conception of this elite but also its shifting relationship with its environs. No comparable study exists, making In Pursuit of Privilege a welcome contribution to historical writing on one of the world's great cities. -- Richard John, author of Network Nation: Inventing American TelecommunicationsIn Pursuit of Privilege is an impressive, detailed study of the upper class in New York over a period of more than two centuries. Written engagingly, the book distinguishes itself in the literature with its long-term view of New York's elite class, covering many of the major events in New York's history from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War draft riots to the rise of corporate America. An important contribution to the literature on the history of New York and elite society in the United States. -- Susie Pak, author of Gentlemen Bankers: The World of J. P. MorganIn Pursuit of Privilege, appropriately, is a wealth of information. And its primary-source materials—diaries, letters, memoirs, minutes, period fictions—are a true pleasure.... In Pursuit of Privilege is at its best as metropolitan history, assiduously researched, reminding us not only of New York's astonishing accomplishments but also of its inglorious past. -- William L. Hamilton * Wall Street Journal *[In Pursuit of Privilege] explores the blue blood that has coursed through the city's veins since before the American Revolution.... [Hood] earnestly places the well-traversed late 19th century in a broader historical perspective and identifies what distinguished New York's elites from the upper crusts of other cities. -- Sam Roberts * The New York Times *A nuanced and substantial historical survey of the city's upper class.... Much about the book feels fresh and relevant to conversations about privilege and equal opportunity. -- Ada Calhoun * Times Literary Supplement *This is a very well-written, organized, extensively researched study that makes significant contributions to urban, social class, and US history. * Choice *A valuable work on New York City history. . . . that will add to anyone’s knowledge of New York City and how it operates. -- Joseph Varga * The American Historical Review *Fascinating, absolutely absorbing, rich of anecdotes and stories that will let you discover people, places, who made New York City. -- Anna Maria Polidori * Articles and more... *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Upper Class Is a Foreign Country1. "The Best Mart on the Continent": The 1750s and 1760s2. Uncertain Adjustments: The 1780s and 1790s3. Wealth: The 1820s and Beyond4. All for the Union: The 1860s5. A Dynamic Businessman's Aristocracy: The 1890s6. The Ways of Millionaireville: The 1890s7. Making Spaces of Their Own: The 1940s8. The Antielitist Elite: The 1970s and BeyondConclusion: The Limits of AntielitismAcknowledgmentsAbbreviations for Selected Manuscript SourcesNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewJack’s investigation redirects attention from the matter of access to the matter of inclusion. Rather than parse the spurious meritocracy of admissions, his book challenges universities to support the diversity they indulge in advertising. * New Yorker *What Jack discovered challenges us to think carefully about the campus lives of poor students and the responsibility elite institutions have for not only their education but also their social and economic mobility…The Privileged Poor breaks new ground on social and educational questions of great import. * Washington Post *[An] eye-opening exposure of what it’s like to be poor on elite college campuses…Jack’s book brings home the pain and reality of on-campus poverty and puts the blame squarely on elite institutions for fostering policies that often ‘emphasize class differences, amplifying students’ feelings of difference and undercutting their sense of belonging.’ * Washington Post *A sobering reminder that, despite considerable efforts in recent years to increase the intake of talented young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds into leading universities and colleges, much more needs to be done to prepare and support them during their studies if they are to thrive. -- Andrew Jack * Financial Times *[An] examination of the way elite colleges and universities welcome, and don’t welcome, students from the working classes. -- Edwin Aponte * The Nation *Navigating college is hard for many young people, and for low-income students or kids whose parents didn’t go to college, it can be even trickier…So many professors have told me this book made them rethink their own classrooms. -- Elissa Nadworny * NPR Books *The lesson is plain—simply admitting low-income students is just the start of a university’s obligations. Once they’re on campus, colleges must show them that they are full-fledged citizen. -- David Kirp * American Prospect *Jack wants people to see beyond his personal success to his research findings: Elite colleges not only fail to admit enough low-income students; they also fail to care for the ones they let in. -- Chris Quintana * Chronicle of Higher Education *This book’s central message is as plain as it is substantial: access is not the same as inclusion. Increasing the number of low-income students in higher education is only the start of a university’s obligations…As a skillful interviewer and insightful observer, Jack reveals deep-seated class disparities that manifest themselves not just in the clothes students wear and the holidays they take, but in what they expect of their professors and envisage for themselves while in university and beyond. In so doing, Jack opens up new ground to interrogate the ‘long shadow’ of class inequality throughout the educational system. For all these reasons, this book is a considerable achievement. -- Malik Fercovic * LSE Review of Books *[A] remarkable book…I believe every administrator, faculty and student in college should read this to understand some obstacles students encounter in college that often go unnoticed. -- Andrew Martinez * Diverse: Issues in Higher Education *Jack demonstrates…simply admitting low-income students to elite universities does not, by itself, produce equal outcomes. Too often, university policies, institutional cultures and norms, and even campus jobs exacerbate pre-existing inequalities, widen class differences, reinforce feelings of difference and undercut a sense of belonging. -- Steven Mintz * Inside Higher Ed *In a word, brilliant. Jack uncovers the myriad ways in which poverty handicaps even the most talented youth as they navigate college. Not stopping there, Jack carefully details how universities are no mere bystanders; he lays bare how they preach openness as they practice exclusion. The Privileged Poor is a provocative, eye-opening account of what it means to be poor on a college campus and is essential reading for all who are concerned about the future of our children. -- Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who CodeThe Privileged Poor is so essential. Our higher ed community very much needs a shared language and a set of research-based recommendations when it comes to designing and running institutional efforts and initiatives intended to level the postsecondary playing field. -- Joshua Kim * Inside Higher Ed *For years, elite colleges have claimed to be the saviors of low-income students. With careful research Anthony Jack pulls back the curtain and reveals the real college experiences of these students on an Ivy-covered campus. Best of all, he demands that we do something about it. -- Sara Goldrick-Rab, Founding Director of the Hope Center for College, Community, and JusticeProfessor Anthony Jack illustrates the multidimensional nature of poverty and privilege by providing a window into the nuanced experiences of low-income, first-generation college students at elite institutions. Professor Jack’s keen analysis and clear argument helps all of us—students, teachers, administrators, and system leaders—to identify and fill the cracks through which many students can fall. This important book will help us ensure even greater access, equity, and success in college for the vast array of talented students in our great American mosaic. -- Daniel R. Porterfield, CEO, The Aspen InstituteThe Privileged Poor is three books in one: an engrossing personal memoir, a collection of rigorous scholarship, and a powerful manifesto for a new movement to improve the lives of low-income students at elite universities. It’s an essential work, humane and candid, that challenges and expands our understanding of the lives of contemporary college students. -- Paul Tough, author of Helping Children Succeed: What Works and WhyAnthony Jack’s beautifully written book provides a riveting account of the experiences at elite campuses of students from low-income families. He shows how badly many elite schools understand the experiences of students from poor backgrounds and how these failures of understanding undermine efforts to expand access. The book is a must-read for anyone who hopes to help colleges and universities meet their aspirations to be engines of mobility. -- Danielle Allen, author of Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A.In this insightful study, Anthony Abraham Jack examines how disparate precollege experiences affect the cultural and social resources economically disadvantaged students bring to elite colleges, and how they use these resources in navigating life on campus. The Privileged Poor is an eye opener even for a professor like me who has taught courses on inequality at elite universities for nearly a half century. It is, in short, a tour de force that will be read, discussed, and debated for decades. -- William Julius Wilson, author of More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner CityThrough meticulous interviews and rich personal narratives, Jack brilliantly brings alive the experiences of low-income college students at elite colleges and uncovers an important group—the ‘privileged poor’—who have frequently been overlooked in prior work. This book should be studied closely by anyone interested in improving diversity and inclusion in higher education and provides a moving call to action for us all. -- Raj Chetty, Harvard UniversityJack’s well-researched study is matched by his advocacy for adding programs that could help bring these students closer to the already privileged. * Improper Bostonian *A book about social class in American higher education and the often painful culture clashes it gives rise to. -- Matthew Reisz * Times Higher Education *What Jack contributes to the recent spate of books on college is not only the inside access to what we might reasonably presume to be America’s oldest and most prestigious university, but the illumination of a distinct group of students within this elite institution. -- Mitchell L. Stevens * Public Books *Jack looks under the hood, recounting the myriad ways that low-income students, who are overwhelmingly students of color, experienced the relationships and resources—or lack thereof—at an elite university…Colleges fail to understand and effectively step in to support low-income students in general, and the doubly disadvantaged in particular. -- Julia Freeland Fisher * The 74 *A compelling and valuable read. -- Elizabeth M. Lee * American Journal of Sociology *

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Book SynopsisThe Mongol conquest of north China inflicted terrible destruction, wiping out more than one-third of the population and dismantling the existing social order. Jinping Wang recounts the riveting story of how northern Chinese people adapted to these trying circumstances and interacted with their conquerors to create a drastically new social order.Trade ReviewIn this new social history, Jinping Wang challenges the tired old clichés of ‘Sinicization,’ guided by a supposedly dominant ‘Confucian literati’ class. -- Christopher AtwoodA large body of important work has been produced on the social history and local history of middle-period China over the last thirty years, but virtually all of it has focused only on south China. Now the emergence of inscriptional sources, some newly available and some simply overlooked, has become the basis for a new wave of rich social-historical work on north China that is transforming our understanding of the middle period. Jinping Wang is a leader in this new wave of northern social history, and her book is a landmark in the field. -- Robert HymesThe whole book, as well as its remarkable quality of translations, are a model of sinological work. It improves our knowledge and understanding of society during the Mongol period and the Yuan dynasty, and from now on any sociological study in this vast field of research will have to refer to it. -- Pierre MarsoneThis study of Han Chinese turning to a school of popular Daoism through a turbulent period of history is remarkable, especially because of the way Wang Jinping utilized epigraphic materials to demonstrate how this social phenomenon emerged. The resilience of Quanzhen institutions in the face of the challenges of Mongol-favoured Buddhism and then imperial Ming Neo-Confucianism has never before been so well described and explained. It is an admirable work of fine scholarship. -- Wang Gungwu

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Book SynopsisPolitical journalist Michael Tomasky tracks an exciting change among  progressive economists who are overturning decades of conservative dogma and offering an alternative version of capitalism that can serve broadly shared prosperity to all.Engaging, briskly paced ... On balance, history appears to be on Tomasky’s side. —The New York Times Book ReviewIn the first half of the twentieth century the Keynesian brand of economics, which saw government spending as a necessary spur to economic growth, prevailed. Then in the 1970s, conservatives fought back. Once they got people to believe a few simple ideas instead—that only the free market could produce growth, that taxes and regulation stifle growth—the battle was won. The era of conservative dogma, often called neoliberal economics, had begun. It ushered in increasing inequality, a shrinking middle class, and declining public investment. For fifty years, liberals have not

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Book SynopsisEconomist Rob Larson combines wit, righteous anger, and clear-eyed analysis as he dissects the lifestyle, moral bankruptcy, and stupidly large sums of money hoarded by the disgustingly wealthy.The fact that we live in one of the most unequal societies in the history of the world is becoming common knowledge. And while lists of “richest people in x country” may be easy to come by, how much do we really know about the billionaires who sit atop our global economic system? Who are they, really? How did they accumulate their ill-gotten gains? And what kind of depravities do they use to maintain their positions?Turning their own weapons of class-war against them—from the fawning profiles found in the Mansion

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Book SynopsisBorn Emma Watkins, the Duchess of Rutland is the daughter of a farmer from Knighton, Powys. She worked as an estate agent, marketing properties in Worcester, and later as an interior designer. Today, the Duchess runs the commercial activities of Belvoir Castle, including shooting parties, weddings and a range of furniture. She has presented on various television programmes, including ITV's Castles, Keeps and Country Homes, appeared in an episode of Alan Titchmarsh on Capability Brown, and has produced a book about Belvoir Castle. The Accidental Duchess is her fourth book.The Duchess has a podcast titled Duchess, where she interviews chatelaines of castles and stately homes throughout the United Kingdom. Her interviewees include Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill of Blenheim Palace and Lady Mansfield of Scone Palace.Watkins married David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, in 1992. The pair have five children.

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Book SynopsisThe history of Tanzimat in the Ottoman Empire has largely been narrated as a period of equality, reform, and progress, often framing it as the backdrop to modern Turkey. Inspired by Walter Benjamin’s exhortation to study the oppressed to understand the rule and the ruler, Talin Suciyan reexamines this era from the perspective of the Armenians.

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Book SynopsisAgainst Happiness is a thorough and powerful critique of the “happiness agenda,” revealing the flaws of its concept of happiness and advocating a renewed focus on equality and justice.Trade ReviewHappiness studies started as an idealistic project but took shortcuts and so did not fulfill its ambitions. This important and trustworthy book takes us back to the drawing board to rebuild the foundations of this field. The new vision won’t make the science and policy of happiness easier, but it will make them more humane, more inclusive, and truer to life. -- Anna Alexandrova, author of A Philosophy of Science for Well-BeingReading this book made me happy, but more importantly, I learned a great deal from it. This book is a tour de force: written in a lively, accessible manner; well argued; and empirically well-informed. It is the best available critique of the ideology of the ‘happiness agenda,’ which confuses subjective positive mental states and reported life satisfaction with what really matters. -- Allen Buchanan, author of Our Moral Fate: Evolution and the Escape from TribalismHumankind has been preoccupied with happiness since we invented philosophy. We try to cultivate happiness with pithy little sayings, like 'Happiness is a journey, not a destination' and 'Happiness is a state of mind.' We regulate happiness with religion. We judge the quality of a life by the amount of happiness achieved, and the success of a country by the average happiness of its citizens. And yet, no one can agree on exactly what happiness is or what it's worth. Against Happiness masterfully reveals that happiness is not a single experience, physical condition, or unified state of meaning. It's a population of instances that vary across situations and cultures (as are all other categories of emotion). And each instance blooms from unexamined assumptions and preconceptions that likewise vary by situation and culture. This book is a must-read for anyone who has felt happy, hungered for more happiness, or pondered the emotional lives of humans and how happiness matters to the quality of a life. -- Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the BrainIf you are happy read this book. If you are not happy read this book. Either way you will learn about the complexity of the very idea and how it is widely sprinkled throughout our mental space while still remaining an elusive reality. -- Michael Gazzaniga, author of Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of MindThis book is an attempt at doing cross-cultural and thus real philosophy in that it is the love of the wisdom of all peoples, rather than that of the WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) people. It is also an attempt at interdisciplinary works and thus grounded philosophy. While showing the relativity of happiness, it also insists on the universality of certain human goods, such as human rights and sustainable development goals. -- Bai Tongdong, author China: The Middle Way of the Middle KingdomAgainst Happiness moves beyond the one-dimensional and reductionist approaches that have hitherto limited our understanding of happiness to narrow aspects or have obliterated non-western, non-white, and marginalized experiences of well-being. The authors persuasively outline shortcomings of definitions of happiness across different disciplines and different cultural philosophical traditions, a crucial step for investigating more accurate, inclusive, and expansive definitions of happiness in the future. -- Liya Yu, author of Vulnerable Minds: The Neuropolitics of Divided SocietiesTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionPart I: Happiness Philosophy and Happiness Science1. Introduction: The Happiness Agenda2. Varieties of Theories and Measures of Well-Being and Happiness3. How Should We Think About the Emotion of Happiness Scientifically? Lessons from the Science of Fear4. Why Averaging Happiness Scores and Comparing Them Is a Terrible IdeaPart II: Culture and Happiness5. Positive and Negative Emotions: Culture, Content, and Context6. Happiness and Well-Being as Cultural Projects: Immigration, Biculturalism, Cultural Belonging7. Happiness and Well-Being in Contemporary ChinaPart III: Race, Racism, Resignation8. Happiness, Race, and Hermeneutical Justice: The Case of African American Mental Health9. Interpreting Self-Reports of Well-BeingPart IV: Conclusions10. Recommendations for Policy Use of Happiness Metrics11. Universal Rights, Sustainable Development, and Happiness: Two out of Three Ain’t BadPart V: Responses by Four Critics12. On Ersatz Happiness, by Jennifer A. Frey13. Why the Analysis and Assessment of Happiness Matters, by Hazel Rose Markus14. Three out of Three Is Better, by Jeffrey D. Sachs15. What the Gallup World Poll Could Do to Deepen Our Understanding of Happiness in Different Cultures, by Jeanne L. TsaiNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe Credential Society by Randall Collins is a classic on higher education and its role in American society. Forty years later, its controversial claim that the expansion of American education has not increased social mobility, but created a cycle of credential inflation, has proven remarkably prescient.Trade ReviewRandall Collins's The Credential Society is a theoretical and empirical tour de force, a brilliant study of the expansion of schooling in twentieth-century America that goes well beyond its central topic to illuminate connections between educational change and the world of work, the nature of status, and the role of knowledge and technology in modern life. Discovering it in graduate school was a transformative experience, and I'm delighted that it is available once again to inspire new generations of students and scholars as it inspired me. -- Paul DiMaggio, New York UniversityForty years after its original release, The Credential Society remains a powerful tool to renew our understanding of crucial topics as diverse as cultural reproduction, opportunity hoarding, professional monopoly and meritocracy. At a time when analyses of the knowledge society are proliferating, Collins’ analysis remains as fresh and penetrating as ever. This visionary classic will keep its place on syllabi for years to come. -- Michèle Lamont, former president of the American Sociological AssociationRandall Collins is widely seen as one of the best sociologists of the last 50 years, and The Credential Society is filled with gems and wonderful insights. It is a classic book on a pressing topic that remains deeply relevant today. -- Annette Lareau, University of PennsylvaniaThis important book is an antidote to atheoretical work in contemporary studies of higher education and is a critical complement to the study of stratification. Technology has changed much about how we work. It has also changed a great deal about how our higher education institutions are organized. This book speaks to why those two domains are interrelated. Moreover, it provides a roadmap for the systematic study of higher education and inequality. -- From the foreword by Tressie McMillan CottomCollins’s insights are especially prescient, as the scholar Tressie McMillan Cottom notes in the new edition’s foreword, when considering how for-profit colleges have essentially preyed on the insecurities—and leeched off the loans and subsidies—of poor and working-class students. -- Hua Hsu * The New Yorker *Table of ContentsPreface to the Legacy EditionForeword, by Tressie M. Cottom Foreword, by Mitchell L. Stevens 1. The Myth of Technocracy 2. Organizational Careers 3. The Political Economy of Culture 4. The United States in Historical Time 5. The Rise of the Credential System 6. The Politics of Professions 7. The Politics of a Sinecure Society References Index

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Book SynopsisCulture will keep you fit and healthy. Culture will bring communities together. Culture will improve your education. This is the message from governments and arts organisations across the country; however, this book explains why we need to be cautious about culture.Offering a powerful call to transform the cultural and creative industries, Culture is bad for you examines the intersections between race, class, and gender in the mechanisms of exclusion in cultural occupations. Exclusion from culture begins at an early age, the authors argue, and despite claims by cultural institutions and businesses to hire talented and hardworking individuals, women, people of colour, and those from working class backgrounds are systematically disbarred.While the inequalities that characterise both workforce and audience remain unaddressed, the positive contribution culture makes to society can never be fully realised.Trade Review'If you’ve ever felt on shaky ground describing your experience of inequality in the arts, if you’ve ever wondered if it’s really true that some people are excluded from participation in cultural production and representation, if you’d like something to wave in the face of naysayers who think the cream always rises to the top, this is it. Culture is bad for you. This book does more than it says on the tin.'Kit de Waal, author of My Name is Leon'The Janus-faced character of culture lies at the core of this wonderful new text. The big and diverse world of culture and entertainment brings joy, health, connection and catharsis to billions, but often at the expense of the talented few who labour to produce it. Culture is bad for you is a sweeping, empirical investigation of what it takes to “make it” as a British culture producer, but also of the forces that “break it”: unequal access for people with fewer resources. Essential reading for citizens, policy makers, employers, artists and fans – and for those who study them.'Jennifer C. Lena, Columbia University'As Raymond Williams long ago argued, culture is all around us, and it is ordinary. Brook, O'Brien and Taylor show us that ordinary culture is bad for us. It is bad for us as workers, as consumers, and as a society. This excellent book will be the go-to source on the extraordinary inequality in the creation and consumption of ordinary media for a long time to come.'Clayton Childress, University of Toronto Scarborough'Provocatively titled, carefully argued, and accessibly written, Culture is bad for you demolishes our cherished myths about culture. The vaunted cultural industries are not open or egalitarian. Culture has never been meritocratic, neither today nor in some mythical golden age. Culture excludes, pop culture as much as posh culture. An enlightening read for all producers and consumers of culture – that is: all of us.'Giselinde Kuipers, Catholic University Leuven, Belgium‘If we truly believe that culture is a force for good in our communities and our lives, we need to urgently address our own shortcomings when it comes to inequality around who gets to experience, and who gets to make, art in this country. The data and testimonies in this important book are just the ammunition we need.’ James Graham, playwright and screenwriter‘Vital reading for anyone working in culture and interested in equality – this book gives us the reasons to make change, the actions are up to us. Take action.’ Stella Duffy, Co-Director Fun Palaces‘Culture is bad for you is a sobering, enraging picture of the creative industries and the inequalities at their heart. Using data, case studies and sharp analysis, the result holds to account a culture that isn’t just a reflection of a rigged society – but an engine of it. For anyone who works in British culture, or cares who does, or simply values true equality of opportunity, this is essential reading.’ Danny Leigh, journalist for the Financial Times and the BBC 'There really is an arts emergency, the reality of the class crisis is shocking, but this book shows how we can do something right now to change things.' Josie Long, writer and stand-up comedian'Culture is Bad for You is a welcome and necessary addition to the literature on cultural production and consumption. In a period when there is growing interest in inequality in the creative sector and beyond, it provides both an accessible and comprehensive overview of what inequality looks like in cultural fields.'Patricia A. Banks, Journal of Cultural Economy'This is the most vital book in cultural affairs I have read in years.'Michael Rushton, The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society -- .Table of Contents1 Introduction2 Is culture good for you?3 Who works in culture?4 Who consumes culture?5 When does inequality begin in cultural workers’ lives?6 Is it still good work if you’re not getting paid?7 Was there a golden age?8 How is inequality experienced?9 Why don’t women run culture?10 What about the men?11 ConclusionIndex

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