Social forecasting, future studies Books

Book SynopsisHow did American cities change throughout the 20th and early 21st century? This timely publication integrates research from American Literary and Cultural Studies, Urban Studies and History. The essays range from negotiations of the "ethnic city" in US literature and media, to studies of recent urban phenomena and their representations: gentrification, re-appropriation and conversion of urban spaces in the USA. These interdisciplinary and intercultural perspectives on American cities provide unique points of access for studying the complex narratives of urban transformation.Trade Review"The volume features different case studies and combines essays that both thematically and methodologically make for a very valuable and readable contribution to the field of urban studies." Nico Völker, KULT_online, 48 (2016)

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Book SynopsisJeanne Féaux de la Croix maps three iconic places as part of Central Asians' 'moral geographies' and examines their role in navigating socialist, neo-liberal and neo-Islamic life models.Dams provide most of Kyrgyzstan's electricity, but are also at the heart of regional water disputes that threaten an already shrinking Aral Sea. Mountain pastures cover much of Central Asia's heartland and offer a livelihood and refuge, even to urban citizens. Pilgrimage sites have recovered from official Soviet oblivion and act as cherished scenes of decision-making. Examining how iconic places, work and well-being can mesh together, this book moves debates about post-Soviet memory, space and property onto fresh terrain.

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Book Synopsis"There's nothing really fun about the park in winter!" - Christina Ergler is the first one to explore why "play" resonates differently across urban localities and seasons. She draws on Bourdieu's theory of practice and Gibson's affordance theory to show that determinants of seasonal outdoor play transcend modifiable barriers such as traffic and unsuitable play spaces as well as the inevitable issue of inclement weather. In contrast, seasonal play determinants are grounded in locally constituted beliefs about what is seasonally "appropriate" children's activity. To foster a healthier and more sustainable life for children, outdoor play needs to become convenient all-year-round in all locations.Table of ContentsPrologue; 'Playing around' with children's outdoor play; 'Obesogenic landscapes' in children's geographies: mapping key debates and perspectives; A conceptual framework for understanding children's seasonal outdoor play: Bourdieu and affordances; 'Methodological principles': a Bourdieusian approach to unpack outdoor play; The research practice: procedural principles; Locating Auckland Central and Beach Haven; The social history of play: Auckland a city of managed childhood?; The inhabitation of Auckland Central and Beach Haven: a parental pursuit; 'Profits of localisation' for outdoor play in Auckland Central and Beach Haven; Spaces of points of view: the logics of outdoor play in summer and winter; Struggles in the 'field of play': five insights into understanding and explaining 'obesogenic landscapes'; Closing, refurbishing and re-opening the 'playgrounds' of 'obesogenic landscapes'; References.

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Book SynopsisAs the need for economic growth takes a salient role in the political discourse of society's welfare and progress, the middle class, as a social grouping existing within socioeconomic structures, has a multiplier effect - politically and culturally. The middle class serves a vital role in supporting a country's growth through stimulating economic development and promoting a politically engaged society. By examining Vietnam and Serbia as ideologically attuned countries which differ in economic development, the author draws on functionalist, dimensional paradigms to underline how critical the rise of middle class is in understanding the political stability of modern societies before concluding that society's sub-social challenges and cultural determinants do affect the course of development and growth. This comprehensive study will appeal to social scientists with interests in political stability, ideological states and development narratives.

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Book SynopsisIn this major new work by one of the leading writers on Utopian Studies, Ruth Levitas argues that a prospective future of ecological and economic crises poses a challenge to the utopian imaginary, to conceive a better world and alternative future. Utopia as Method does not construe utopia as goal or blueprint, but as a holistic, reflexive method for developing what those possible futures might be. It begins by treating utopia as the quest for grace, through a hermeneutics that recovers the utopian meaning in our culture, explored through colour and music. Moving from the existential to the social, it draws on H. G. Wells''s claim that the creation of utopias is the distinctive and proper method of sociology, and on the tentative reappearance of utopia in contemporary social theory. It proposes a constructive method, the Imaginary Reconstitution of Society. This fusion of explicitly normative social theory and analytic critique rehabilitates utopia Trade Review'Levitas's Utopia as Method is a crucial and necessary book. In the face of global ecological and economic crises, she offers utopianism as a robust and realistic method that encompasses both a critique of the existing world and alternatives for a better one that can be mobilized in the process of transforming, indeed redeeming, the dark times in which we live.' - Tom Moylan, Professor Emeritus and Co-Director of the Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies at the University of Limerick, Ireland 'Author of the path-breaking The Concept of Utopia Ruth Levitas has produced a new powerful reflection on the protean nature of the utopian. It is a very fine work, theoretically innovative, truly interdisciplinary, and combining scholarly integrity with a distinctive political voice. The meditations of a lifetime.' - Vincent Geoghegan, Professor of Political Theory, Queen's University Belfast, UK 'Ruth Levitas' Utopia as Method is a profound and deeply original exploration of the connection between utopian thinking and social theory, and an urgent call for sociologists to place the imaginary reconstruction of society at the centre of their work. It is a wonderful, inspiring book.' - Erik Olin Wright, Vilas Distinguished Professor, University of Wisconsin, USA 'This book is an indispensable support for deep change in trivial times, a testimonial to the transformative power of imagination, and a celebration of life as a journey that can find an echo across all cultures in our changing world.' - Jenneth Parker, Research Director, Schumacher Institute, UK 'In Utopia as Method, Levitas offers an urgent and convincing application of utopian theories to IROS (the Imaginary Reconstitution of Society). She builds on her magisterial earlier work The Concept of Utopia to persuade readers that the current era (late capitalism in its death throes) has made utopian thinking mandatory not self-indulgent or irrelevant. Levitas is to be congratulated for the depth of her argument, the clarity of its expression, and the honesty that lies at its heart.' - Toby Widdicombe, University of Alaska Anchorage, USATable of ContentsIntroduction PART I 1. From Terror to Grace 2. Riff on Blue 3. Echoes of Elsewhere PART II 4. Between Sociology and Utopia 5. Utopia Denied 6. Utopia Revised 7. The Return of the Repressed PART III 8. Utopia as Archaeology 9. Utopia as Ontology 10. Utopia as Architecture

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Book SynopsisUtopia should be understood as a method rather than a goal. This book rehabilitates utopia as a repressed dimension of the sociological and in the process produces the Imaginary Reconstitution of Society, a provisional, reflexive and dialogic method for exploring alternative possible futures.Trade Review'Levitas's Utopia as Method is a crucial and necessary book. In the face of global ecological and economic crises, she offers utopianism as a robust and realistic method that encompasses both a critique of the existing world and alternatives for a better one that can be mobilized in the process of transforming, indeed redeeming, the dark times in which we live.' - Tom Moylan, Professor Emeritus and Co-Director of the Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies at the University of Limerick, Ireland 'Author of the path-breaking The Concept of Utopia Ruth Levitas has produced a new powerful reflection on the protean nature of the utopian. It is a very fine work, theoretically innovative, truly interdisciplinary, and combining scholarly integrity with a distinctive political voice. The meditations of a lifetime.' - Vincent Geoghegan, Professor of Political Theory, Queen's University Belfast, UK 'Ruth Levitas' Utopia as Method is a profound and deeply original exploration of the connection between utopian thinking and social theory, and an urgent call for sociologists to place the imaginary reconstruction of society at the centre of their work. It is a wonderful, inspiring book.' - Erik Olin Wright, Vilas Distinguished Professor, University of Wisconsin, USA 'This book is an indispensable support for deep change in trivial times, a testimonial to the transformative power of imagination, and a celebration of life as a journey that can find an echo across all cultures in our changing world.' - Jenneth Parker, Research Director, Schumacher Institute, UK 'In Utopia as Method, Levitas offers an urgent and convincing application of utopian theories to IROS (the Imaginary Reconstitution of Society). She builds on her magisterial earlier work The Concept of Utopia to persuade readers that the current era (late capitalism in its death throes) has made utopian thinking mandatory not self-indulgent or irrelevant. Levitas is to be congratulated for the depth of her argument, the clarity of its expression, and the honesty that lies at its heart.' - Toby Widdicombe, University of Alaska Anchorage, USATable of ContentsIntroduction PART I 1. From Terror to Grace 2. Riff on Blue 3. Echoes of Elsewhere PART II 4. Between Sociology and Utopia 5. Utopia Denied 6. Utopia Revised 7. The Return of the Repressed PART III 8. Utopia as Archaeology 9. Utopia as Ontology 10. Utopia as Architecture

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for Robert Skidelsky -- -A truly innovative and radical perspective … thought-stirring and extremely refreshing -- John Gray * Guardian *Arresting insights, written – despite its complex and heavyweight subject matter – with a captivating lightness of touch -- Dominic Lawson * The Sunday Times *Crisp and pungent … deeply provocative and intellectually suggestive -- Rowan Williams * Prospect *Skidelsky is a major figure in the revival of Keynesian thought -- Martin Wolf * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisHumanity is on the cusp of an exciting longevity revolution. The first person to live to 150 years has probably already been born. What will your life look like when you live to be over 100? Will the world become overpopulated? How will living longer affect your finances, your family life, and your views on religion and the afterlife? In 100 Plus , futurist Sonia Arrison brings together over a decade of experience researching and writing about cutting-edge advances in science and technology to paint a vivid picture of a future that only recently seemed like science fiction, but is now very real. The first book to give readers a comprehensive understanding of how life-extending discoveries will change our social and economic worlds, 100 Plus is an illuminating and indispensable text that will help us navigate the thrilling journey of life beyond 100 years.Trade ReviewNew Scientist "[B]rilliant... [T]he chapters devoted to advances in regenerative medicine and the search for interventions that slow ageing are exhilarating. Growing new limbs, copying internal organs like a Xerox machine, exponential increases in computing power, better eyes and ears--I could read stories like this endlessly. We need such vision to help carry the science forward, and some of the most exciting advances in the scientific study of ageing are forthcoming. Arrison paints a realistic picture of the science driving the next longevity revolution, and makes the case that, if we play our cards right, humanity will reap huge dividends for the effort. In that way, this book is the most comprehensive treatment of the socioeconomic consequences of life extension that I've seen... [T]he costs and benefits of life extension and, more importantly, health extension, are subjects in desperate need of open dialogue, and Arrison begins this process with elegance and style." Wall Street Journal "Ms. Arrison entertainingly chronicles efforts to conquer aging and death from antiquity to today. Food, sex, exercise and alchemy have all been employed to keep the grim reaper at bay. But technology offers the most plausible route, she says, noting that biology and computing are drawing ever closer together with the sequencing of the human genome... [Her] sunny outlook is infectious." Singularity Hub "Easy to read, and easy to understand, 100+ walks you through the incredible achievements in regenerative medicine we've already seen, projects them forward, and discusses the changes in environment, economy, family, and religion that will follow... Arrison states her case strongly enough to convince almost anyone, and in a style that will be as accessible to your techno-phobic Uncle Walter as it is to your computer loving self." Garry Kasparov "At a time when companies think only of quarterly results and politicians do not look beyond the next election, Sonia Arrison provides a fascinating look at the very long view. If mankind focuses its energy, there is no limit to our lives--or our lifespans." Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D.; chief science officer, SENS Foundation "Arrison has crafted an eminently readable and informative survey of the state of play in the crusade against humanity's oldest and greatest foe. By educating readers about both the science and the social context of the quest to postpone age-related ill-health, she has surely hastened the development of such therapies, and thereby saved many thousands of lives." Washington Independent Review of Books "The final chapter makes ... 100 Plus must reading for anyone who wants to have a voice." Singularity Weblog "The book is very well researched and deals with the most profound implications of life-extension and super-longevity... Despite its complex topic, advanced scientific matter and hefty goals, it manages to weave the narrative in a very accessible, easy to understand and deeply engaging way. At the same time, providing a number of illuminating, counter-intuitive conclusions that only a deep, unprejudiced and honest researcher can reach." Huffington Post "100 Plus lays out the lifespan conundrum in engaging detail... The book is chock full of stories featuring new medical and technological innovation." George Church, Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School "This much-needed book beautifully integrates the history and science (even genomics) of extending our healthy years. Arrison presents the latest of diverse data types in a very clear and engaging manner. I can hardly wait for a potential sequel--200 Plus, anyone?" Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist "Sonia Arrison's brilliant account of how and why we will all soon get the chance to live much longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives is thoroughly researched, persuasively argued, elegantly written and rationally uplifting. This is an important and lively book." Peter H. Diamandis, MD, Chairman/CEO, X PRIZE Foundation and Chairman/Co-Founder, Singularity University "Exponentially growing technologies such as biotech, artificial intelligence, and nanosciences are rapidly deciphering the source code for human beings. I have every expectation that this biological information will yield effective longevity strategies and therapies within the next few decades. Such fountains of youth will impact all aspects of our lives and our society. Arrison's book is a must read for anyone thinking about the future."

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

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