Sociology and anthropology Books

Book SynopsisThe fable of the Emperor''s New Clothes is a classic example of a conspiracy of silence, a situation where everyone refuses to acknowledge an obvious truth. But the denial of social realities--whether incest, alcoholism, corruption, or even genocide--is no fairy tale. In The Elephant in the Room, Eviatar Zerubavel sheds new light on the social and political underpinnings of silence and denial--the keeping of open secrets. The author shows that conspiracies of silence exist at every level of society, ranging from small groups to large corporations, from personal friendships to politics. Drawing on examples from newspapers and comedy shows to novels, children''s stories, and film, the book travels back and forth across different levels of social life, and from everyday moments to large-scale historical events. At its core, The Elephant in the Room helps us understand why we ignore truths that are known to all of us. Zerubavel shows how such conspiracies evolve, illuminating the social pTrade Review"Among academic intellectuals, Eviatar Zerubavel--please make that a household name in your household--gleams as a star.... He gathers intriguing ideas for books the way ace foreign correspondents acquire great stories: by reflecting on the obvious, then probing as well as reporting."--Carlin Romano, The Philadelphia Inquirer "Eviatar Zerubavel has always had a remarkable facility for examining everyday human life through a different and richer lens than the rest of us. He notes in this compelling essay that when people block something out of their line of vision or rearrange their memories in such a way as to forget something, they are involved in a personal act. But his main point is that those acts of blocking and forgetting and remaining silent are really collective behavior, a form of collusion, a product of the social world. This is a rare mind at work."--Kai Erikson, author of A New Species of Trouble: Explorations in Disaster, Trauma, and Community "With characteristic zest and insight, Eviatar Zerubavel talks about all those things we are generally reluctant to talk about. The Elephant in the Room represents the sociological imagination in full flower."--Alan Wolfe, author of Return to Greatness: How America Lost Its Sense of Purpose and What It Needs to Do to Recover It "The Elephant in the Room is another eye-opening book from Eviatar Zerubavel. Here he gives us a guide to all the many ways in which we fail to see all the elephants in our own living rooms. Brilliant, lucid, and certainly timely."--Arlie Hochschild, author of The Time Bind and The Commercialization of Intimate Life "Eviatar Zerubavel possesses one of the most interesting minds in American sociology. In The Elephant in the Room, he connects insights into how the mind works with a ruthless realism about the functioning of society. The results are not pretty, but they are important, and make for compulsive reading. Zerubavel shows how the sociological imagination can cast a penetrating light on the most important questions of the day."--Jeffrey C. Alexander, author of The Civil Sphere "This is an interesting, thought-provoking, and delightful book. Reading it is easy and rewarding. The writing style is straightforward, with hardly any jargon, and Zerubavel makes rich and wise use of countless illustratons, connections, and associations....I have absolutely no hesitation to recommend highly and warmly this intelligent book--reading it is both an intellectual adventure and a genuine pleasure."--American Journal of Sociology "In a brilliantly ironic tour de force, Eviatar Zerubavel has finally talked about a topic that nobody has talked about so well: those topics that people refuse to talk about despite common knowledge. Once again, Zerubavel displays his extraordinary talent for seeing scintillation where others see only clouds."--Viviana Zelizer, author of The Purchase of Intimacy "Eviatar Zerubavel's masterful work, The Elephant in the Room, offers a profound education for everyone who has ever held their tongue on matters large and small. His insightful--and riveting--analysis of silence and denial echoes in the mind long after we close the book."-- Neil Gilbert, author of Transformation of the Welfare State: The Silent Surrender of Public Responsibility "With characteristic zest and insight, Eviatar Zerubavel talks about all those things we are generally reluctant to talk about. The Elephant in the Room represents the sociological imagination in full flower."--Alan Wolfe, author of Return to Greatness: How America Lost Its Sense of Purpose and What It Needs to Do to Recover It "Among academic intellectuals, Eviatar Zerubavel--please make that a household name in your household--gleams as a star.... He gathers intriguing ideas for books the way ace foreign correspondents acquire great stories: by reflecting on the obvious, then probing as well as reporting."--Carlin Romano, The Philadelphia Inquirer "The Elephant in the Room is another eye-opening book from Eviatar Zerubavel. Here he gives us a guide to all the many ways in which we fail to see all the elephants in our own living rooms. Brilliant, lucid, and certainly timely."--Arlie Hochschild, author of The Time Bind and The Commercialization of Intimate Life "Zerubavel is well-read and marvelously conversant on the subject...the book excels as a socio-historical account of silence's machinations."--Publishers Weekly "Eviatar Zerubavel has always had a remarkable facility for examining everyday human life through a different and richer lens than the rest of us. He notes in this compelling essay that when people block something out of their line of vision or rearrange their memories in such a way as to forget something, they are involved in a personal act. But his main point is that those acts of blocking and forgetting and remaining silent are really collective behavior, a form of collusion, a product of the social world. This is a rare mind at work."--Kai Erikson, author of A New Species of Trouble: Explorations in Disaster, Trauma, and Community "Eviatar Zerubavel possesses one of the most interesting minds in American sociology. In The Elephant in the Room, he connects insights into how the mind works with a ruthless realism about the functioning of society. The results are not pretty, but they are important, and make for compulsive reading. Zerubavel shows how the sociological imagination can cast a penetrating light on the most important questions of the day."--Jeffrey C. Alexander, author of The Civil Sphere "This is an interesting, thought-provoking, and delightful book. Reading it is easy and rewarding. The writing style is straightforward, with hardly any jargon, and Zerubavel makes rich and wise use of countless illustratons, connections, and associations....I have absolutely no hesitation to recommend highly and warmly this intelligent book--reading it is both an intellectual adventure and a genuine pleasure."--American Journal of Sociology "In a brilliantly ironic tour de force, Eviatar Zerubavel has finally talked about a topic that nobody has talked about so well: those topics that people refuse to talk about despite common knowledge. Once again, Zerubavel displays his extraordinary talent for seeing scintillation where others see only clouds."--Viviana Zelizer, author of The Purchase of Intimacy "Eviatar Zerubavel's masterful work, The Elephant in the Room, offers a profound education for everyone who has ever held their tongue on matters large and small. His insightful--and riveting--analysis of silence and denial echoes in the mind long after we close the book."-- Neil Gilbert, author of Transformation of the Welfare State: The Silent Surrender of Public ResponsibilityTable of ContentsPreface 1: A Conspiracy of Silence Open Secrets - See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil - Fear and Embarrassment - The Heavy Hand of Silence: 2: The Rules of Denial Attention and Culture - Learning to Ignore - The Rules of Irrelevance - Taboo - Tact: 3: The Politics of Denial Attention and Power - Mind Your Own Business - Button Your Lip: 4: The Social Structure of Denial The Double Wall of Silence - Denying the Denial - Bystanders and Enablers - Silence Like a Cancer Grows: 5: Breaking the Silence From Awareness to Acknowledgment - Unveiling the Elephant - Blind Eyes and Deaf Ears: 6: Some Things are Better Left Unsaid Saving Face - Don't Rock the Boat: 7: The Trouble with Elephants The Ostrich and the Elephant: Notes Bibliography Author Index Subject Index

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Book SynopsisCatastrophic risks are much greater than is commonly appreciated. Collision with an asteroid, runaway global warming, voraciously replicating nanomachines, a pandemic of gene-spliced smallpox launched by bioterrorists, and a world-ending accident in a high-energy particle accelerator, are among the possible extinction events that are sufficiently likely to warrant careful study. How should we respond to events that, for a variety of psychological and cultural reasons, we find it hard to wrap our minds around? Posner argues that realism about science and scientists, innovative applications of cost-benefit analysis, a scientifically literate legal profession, unprecedented international cooperation, and a pragmatic attitude toward civil liberties are among the keys to coping effectively with the catastrophic risks.Trade Review...fascinating, disturbing. * Short Book Reviews, Publication of the International Statistical Institute *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ; 1. WHAT ARE THE CATASTROHPIC RISKS, AND HOW CATASTROPHIC ARE THEY? ; 2. WHY SO LITTLE IS BEING DONE ABOUT THE CATASTROPHIC RISKS ; 3. HOW TO EVALUATE THE CATASTROPHIC RISKS AND THE POSSIBLE RESPONSES TO THEM ; 4. HOW TO REDUCE THE CATASTROPHIC RISKS ; CONCLUSION

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Book SynopsisFor over four centuries the Catholic Church enjoyed a religious monopoly in Latin America in which potential rivals were repressed or outlawed. Latin Americans were born Catholic and the only real choice they had was whether to actively practice the faith. Taking advantage of the legal disestablishment of the Catholic Church between the late 1800s and the early 1900s, Pentecostals almost single-handedly built a new pluralist religious economy. By the 1950s, many Latin Americans were free to choose from among the hundreds of available religious products, a dizzying array of religious options that range from the African-Brazilian religion of Umbanda to the New Age group known as the Vegetable Union. R. Andrew Chesnut shows how the development of religious pluralism over the past half-century has radically transformed the spiritual economy of Latin America. In order to thrive in this new religious economy, says Chesnut, Latin American spiritual firms must develop an attractive product and know how to market it to popular consumers. Three religious groups, he demonstrates, have proven to be the most skilled competitors in the new unregulated religious economy. Protestant Pentecostalism, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and African diaspora religions such as Brazilian Candomble and Haitian Vodou have emerged as the most profitable religious producers. Chesnut explores the general effects of a free market, such as introduction of consumer taste and product specialization, and shows how they have played out in the Latin American context. He notes, for example, that women make up the majority of the religious consumer market, and explores how the three groups have developed to satisfy women''s tastes and preferences. Moving beyond the Pentecostal boom and the rise and fall of liberation theology, Chesnut provides a fascinating portrait of the Latin American religious landscape.Trade Review"This boldly argued book is the best statement available to date of the political economy model as applied to the study of religious change in Latin America. The author providesa a wealth of data on the emergence and extraordinary growth of pneumacentric (spirit-centered) religions in Latin America. A significant book, with a powerful argument, convincing results, and a range of operational concepts that the author applies very effectively to explain a range of phenomena in a unified and consistent way."-- Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion"This is a bold, meticulous, and highly provocative study of Latin America's free-market religious economy. In identifying a high level of 'consumer demand for spirit-centered religion,' Chesnut has employed a dynamic and controversial model for understanding the reasons behind the rapid growth of Pentecostalism, Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and the religions of the African diaspora in Latin America during recent decades. This is rich, engaging, and important study that should provide grist for scholarly debate for some time to come."--Virginia Garrard-Burnett, Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Texas, Austin"Andrew Chesnut has written the must-read book on Latin American religion. The theoretical insights and empirical depth of this work are simply astounding. While specifically concerned with Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala, Chesnut's conclusions about the dynamism of charismatic religious movements extend well beyond these geographical confines. Indeed, anyone interested in contemporary religious movements will find this book indispensable."--Anthony Gill, author of Rendering Unto Caesar: The Catholic Church and the State in Latin America"This is a very rare achievement: first rate history combined with an admirable grasp of social science, expressed in stylish prose. The result is a work of very great significance that not only describes, but helps to explain, the remarkable religious changes going on in Latin America."--Rodney Stark, University of WashingtonTable of Contents1.: Introduction: The New Temples of Religious Pluralism 2.: One True Faith: Four Centuries of Religious Monopoly 3.: Cornering the Market: An Anatomy of Pentecostal Success 4.: A Preferential Option for the Spirit: The Catholic Charismatic Renewal 5.: Entreprenurial Spirits: Religions of the African Diaspora 6.: Practical Consumers: The Success of Pneumacentric Religion Among Women 7.: Conclusion: Ex Uno Plura (Out of One: Many)

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Book SynopsisDrawing on a large body of previously untapped literature, including documents from the Church Missionary Society and Bengali newspapers, Brian Pennington offers a fascinating portrait of the process by which Hinduism came into being. He argues against the common idea that the modern construction of religion in colonial India was simply a fabrication of Western Orientalists and missionaries. Rather, he says, it involved the active agency and engagement of Indian authors as well, who interacted, argued, and responded to British authors over key religious issues such as image-worship, sati, tolerance, and conversion.Trade ReviewThe flourishing of new knowledge of India's past by British and European scholars and administrators, the emergence of a post-theological notion of religion based on an comparative paradigm of universal religiousness in the contexts of cultural specificity, an increasingly insistent Protestant mission movement, a secular utilitarian notion of civilization, and a new discourse of Hindu among Indians in India were taking place simultaneously in the early nineteenth century. Brian Pennington has investigated each of these threads and their interwoven complexity and located them within the matrix of the post-colonial academic study of religion. A worthy and worthwhile contribution to understanding a misunderstood past. * Paul B. Courtright, Professor of South Asian Religions, Emory University *I read this study of cultural encounters between early-19th-century Hindus and British Christians with a sense of profound relief. The work complicates and problematises the simplifications that much of postcolonial studies operate with. By producing a richly textured account of religious debates and evangelical traditions in Britain, it not only provides a historical context for missionary lives, it also teases apart the multiple and contradictory strands within evangelicalism, normally taken to be a seamless monolith. Changes within modern Hinduism, similarly, are shown to be authentically internal developments that accommodate, but are not dictated by, the influence of new cultural encounters. Pennington deftly combines social and doctrinal themes, and his reading of Bengali, colonial, and missionary print cultures is stimulating. This is a book of many histories, all of which are complex and unexpected. * Tanika Sarkar, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University *Pennington has written an important book that redirects attention to historical agents that mainstream postcolonial scholarship has largely either oversimplified or passed over. He helps to advance a new wave of scholarship that rejects the essentialism of stereotypical, unitary visions not only of 'the East' but also of 'the West.' * Steven S. Maughan, Albertson College *Was Hinduism Invented? is a timely and cogent reconsideration of Hinduism as a word, a concept and, refreshingly, a reality that became apparent in sharp focus in 19th-century British India. Penningtons command of primary sources combines with alertness to current issues in the study of religion to demonstrate why Hinduism, properly understood, sheds new light on how and on what terms India and the West discovered one another, why Hindus and Christians relate as they do today, and how religions are best conceived and studied. * Francis X. Clooney, SJ, author of Divine Mother, Blessed Mother: Hindu Goddesses and the Virgin Mary *

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Book SynopsisThis edition of Andrew Skinner's essays has been updated to take account of his latest thinking on Adam Smith's system of social and moral science and his experience of teaching Smith to a student audience.

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Book SynopsisThe book brings together leading international figures in political theory and sociology, as well as representatives from the political community, to consider the normative issues at stake in the relationship between environmental sustainability and social justice.Trade ReviewA fruitful collaboration ... the volume exhibits a high degree of coherence of purpose. Its purpose, moreover, is not purely academic, but includes a concern to offer guidance for policy-makers ... cutting-edge contributions to this important new area of inquiry. * Environemental Values *A welcome contribution to the debate, especially to the complex relationship between sustainability and social justice ... this book is an important reading for all those who are genuinely interested in sustainability, sustainable development and social justice and their often problematic relationship. * Environmental Politics *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; PART ONE ; 1. Sustainable Development as a Contested Concept ; 2. Sustainability: Should We Start from Here? ; PART TWO ; 3. Sustainable Development and Our Obligations to Future ; 4. Sustainability and Intergenerational Justice ; 5. Ecology and Opportunity: Intergenerational Equity and Sustainable Options ; 6. Social Justice and Environmental Goods ; 7. An Extension of the Rawlsian Savings Principle to Liberal Theories of Justice in General ; 8. Sustainable Development and Accumulation of Capital: Reconciling the Irreconcilable ; PART THREE ; 9. Must the Poor pay More? Sustainable Development, Social Justice, and Environmental Taxation ; 10. Ecological Degradation: A Cause for Conflict, a Concern for Survival ; Index

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Book SynopsisLeadership is still much discussed, studied, and sought after, even though we now live in supposedly more democratic times with flatter organizations and empowered employees. But how can we best understand leadership? Are leaders born or made? Do they have particular traits or are we all potential leaders? Do the requirements for leadership change over time or are there timeless patterns? Do traditional approaches help us to pick and develop leaders or are there alternative ways that advance our understanding?In this book, Keith Grint - who has been studying and teaching leadership for over a decade - investigates the notion of leadership in a series of historical case studies and rich essay portraits of some of the most famous, and infamous, leaders (e.g. Florence Nightingale, Richard Branson, Horatio Nelson, Martin Luther King, Henry Ford, etc.). The scenarios are drawn from right across the spectrum to include business, politics, society, and the military. The first part of the bookTrade Review... this is a masterful book of its sort ... Grint makes his case consistently and persuasively ... This is an excellent book that deserves to be considered as one of the reference points in the contemporary literature on leadership. * Organization Studies *This book makes for thoroughly digestible reading. Management Theory with a difference. * Ben Maclennan, Leadership *Well written ... truly a voyage of remarkable insight into comparative success and failure situations in different contexts ... It is steeped in social and political history, which makes it unique and, for any managers who are students of history, a wonderful excursion. ... fascinating, illuminating and absorbing. * Cary Cooper, Times Higher Educational Supplement 31/01/2001 *An impressive collection of sixteen stimulating articles on a wide variety of issues on the whole subject of leadership ... One of the best collections of articles available on this critically important subject. * Long Range Planning *Table of ContentsPART I: PARALLEL LEADERSHIP SITUATIONS ; PART II: SITUATING EXTREME LEADERS

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Book SynopsisSocial Capital, the advantage created by location in social structure, is a critical element in business strategy. Who has it, how it works, and how to develop it have become key questions as markets, organizations, and careers become more and more dependent on informal, discretionary relationships. The formal organization deals with accountability; Everything else flows through the informal: advice, coordination, cooperation friendship, gossip, knowledge, trust. Informal relations have always been with us, they have always mattered. What is new is the range of activities in which they now matter, and the emerging clarity we have about how they create advantage for certain people at the expense of others. This is done by brokerage and closure. Ronald S. Burt builds upon his celebrated work in this area to explore the nature of brokerage and closure. Brokerage is the activity of people who live at the intersection of social worlds, who have a vision advantage of seeing and developing goTrade ReviewReview from previous edition Burt is among the best social network writers in articulating ideas from a research tradition that is notoriously difficult to put into words. Brokerage and Closure is the next step in research on social capital. * AMR, Management Rreview *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Social Capital of Structural Holes ; 2. Creativity and Learning ; 3. Closure, Trust, and Reputation ; 4. Closure, Echo, and Rigidity ; 5. Images of Equilibrium

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbooks series is a major new initiative in academic publishing. Each volume offers an authoritative and up-to-date survey of original research in a particular subject area. Specially commissioned essays from leading figures in the discipline give critical examinations of the progress and direction of debates. Oxford Handbooks provide scholars and graduate students with compelling new perspectives upon a wide range of subjects in the humanities and social sciences. The Oxford Handbook of Practical Ethics is a lively and authoritative guide to current thought about ethical issues in all areas of human activity--personal, medical, sexual, social, political, judicial, and international, from the natural world to the world of business. Twenty-eight topics are covered in specially written surveys by leading figures in their fields: each gives an authoritative map of the ethical terrain, explaining how the debate has developed in recent years, engaging critically with the most nTable of Contents1. Sexuality ; 2. Love ; 3. Family ; 4. Children ; 5. Abortion ; 6. Reproductive Technology ; 7. Animals ; 8. Environment ; 9. Gender and Sexual Discrimination ; 10. Race and Racial Discrimination ; 11. Affirmative Action ; 12. People with Disabilities ; 13. Punishment ; 14. Freedom of Speech and Religion ; 15. Legal Paternalism ; 16. Multi-culturalism ; 17. Economic Justice ; 18. Inter-generational Justice ; 19. Privacy ; 20. Corporate Responsibility ; 21. Whistleblowing ; 22. Immigration ; 23. National Autonomy ; 24. International Economic Justice ; 25. World Hunger ; 26. Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide ; 27. Capital Punishment ; 28. War

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a detailed history of Hindu goddess traditions with a special focus on the local goddesses of Andhra Pradesh, past and present. The antiquity and the evolution of these goddess traditions are illustrated and documented with the help of archaeological reports, literary sources, inscriptions and art. Tracing the symbols and images of goddess into the brahmanical (Saiva and Vaisnava), Buddhist, and Jaina religious traditions, the book argues effectively how and with what motivations goddesses and their symbolizations were appropriated and transformed. The book also examines the evolution of popular Hindu goddesses such as Durga and Kali, discussing their tribal and agricultural backgrounds. It also deals extensively with how and in what circumstances women are deified and shows how these deified women cults share characteristics with the village goddesses.Trade ReviewA coherent and convincing thesis on goddess worship...Padma's methodological approach combining anthropology, archaeology, history, and mythology is refreshing and boldly successful...Her synthesis of pre-Vedic, Buddhist, Jaina, Vaisnava, and Saiva material into the framework of village goddess worship enriches her findings and makes her study unique...Her appraisals of on-the-ground religious practices past and present offer much to experts and non-experts interested in a new lens through which to approach Indic religions. * H-NET *In this monumental book, Sree Padma traces the history of village goddess traditions in Andhra Pradesh, India from prehistoric to contemporary times. She engages an impressive array of textual, material, and ethnographic sources to explore both continuities and transformations in goddess cults. This book will change how scholars think about South Asian goddesses. * Tracy Pintchman, Director of International Studies, Loyola University Chicago *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; Acknowledgements ; Introduction ; 1. Goddess Explained - Perspectives From the West ; 2. Contextualizing the Fertility Goddess and the Gramadevata ; 3. Fertility Symbols of the Goddesses: ; Historical Renderings and Contemporary Practices ; 4. Profiles of Anthropomorphic Goddesses in Myth, Ritual, and History ; 5. Bala Perantalu: ; Auspicious Virgin Mothers ; 6. Perantalu: ; Auspicious Wives ; 7. Deifying Victimized Women: ; Sacrifices and Murders ; Conclusion ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisPeter Trudgill looks at why human societies at different times and places produce different kinds of language. He considers how far social factors influence language structure and compares languages and dialects spoken across the globe, from Vietnam to Nigeria, Polynesia to Scandinavia, and from Canada to Amazonia. Modesty prevents Pennsylvanian Dutch Mennonites using the verb wotte (''want''); stratified society lies behind complicated Japanese honorifics; and a mountainous homeland suggests why speakers of Tibetan-Burmese Lahu have words for up there and down there. But culture and environment don''t explain why Amazonian Jarawara needs three past tenses, nor why Nigerian Igbo can make do with eight adjectives, nor why most languages spoken in high altitudes do not exhibit an array of spatial demonstratives. Nor do they account for some languages changing faster than others or why some get more complex while others get simpler. The author looks at these and many other puzzles, explorTrade Reviewthis thought-provoking work ... offers a fresh and compelling reason for linguists to focus on less commonly studied endangered languages. We therefore recommend this stimulating book to anyone interested in exploring possible connections between sociolinguistcs, language change, and typology. * James N. Stanford and Timothy J. Pulju, Studies in Language *An exciting book, multi-faceted and lucid, a book that can not only be recommended to researchers on linguistic change and historical sociolinguistics but also to advanced students in the field. * Juerg Schwyter, Neuphilologische Mitteilunge *a brisk and informative introduction to a way of thinking about language that has profound implications for analysis of language diachrony, acquisition, contact, and spread - and of course, given those areas, creolization. * Brian McWhorter, Revista de Crioulos de Base Lexical Portuguesa e Espanhola *This bold new book, by one of the fields leading sociolinguists, outlines the need for a new intellectual project at the heart of our discipline, emphasising the crucial role of the small face-to-face societies that have shaped most of human history in generating the outer reaches of linguistic complexity. * Nicholas Evans, Professor of Linguistics, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University *This focussed and important work shows that degree of contact, the size of the community of speakers, and coherence within that community are all important factors in the degree to which languages become structurally simpler (losing agreement and gender for example) or more complex. This is a must-read for anyone interested in language change. * Gary Miller, author of Language Change and Linguistic Theory *Table of ContentsPrologue: Social Correlates of Linguistic Structures ; 1. Sociolinguistic Typology and the Speed of Change ; 2. Complexification, Simplification, and Two Types of Contact ; 3. Isolation and Complexification ; 4. Mechanisms of Complexification ; 5. Contact and Isolation in Phonology ; 6. Mature Phenomena and Societies of Intimates ; Epilogue: On the Future of Linguistic Complexity ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisPeter Trudgill looks at why human societies at different times and places produce different kinds of language. He considers how far social factors influence language structure and compares languages and dialects spoken across the globe, from Vietnam to Nigeria, Polynesia to Scandinavia, and from Canada to Amazonia. Modesty prevents Pennsylvanian Dutch Mennonites using the verb wotte (''want''); stratified society lies behind complicated Japanese honorifics; and a mountainous homeland suggests why speakers of Tibetan-Burmese Lahu have words for up there and down there. But culture and environment don''t explain why Amazonian Jarawara needs three past tenses, nor why Nigerian Igbo can make do with eight adjectives, nor why most languages spoken in high altitudes do not exhibit an array of spatial demonstratives. Nor do they account for some languages changing faster than others or why some get more complex while others get simpler. The author looks at these and many other puzzles, explorTrade Reviewthis thought-provoking work ... offers a fresh and compelling reason for linguists to focus on less commonly studied endangered languages. We therefore recommend this stimulating book to anyone interested in exploring possible connections between sociolinguistcs, language change, and typology. * James N. Stanford and Timothy J. Pulju, Studies in Language *An exciting book, multi-faceted and lucid, a book that can not only be recommended to researchers on linguistic change and historical sociolinguistics but also to advanced students in the field. * Juerg Schwyter, Neuphilologische Mitteilunge *a brisk and informative introduction to a way of thinking about language that has profound implications for analysis of language diachrony, acquisition, contact, and spread - and of course, given those areas, creolization. * Brian McWhorter, Revista de Crioulos de Base Lexical Portuguesa e Espanhola *This bold new book, by one of the fields leading sociolinguists, outlines the need for a new intellectual project at the heart of our discipline, emphasising the crucial role of the small face-to-face societies that have shaped most of human history in generating the outer reaches of linguistic complexity. * Nicholas Evans, Professor of Linguistics, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University *This focussed and important work shows that degree of contact, the size of the community of speakers, and coherence within that community are all important factors in the degree to which languages become structurally simpler (losing agreement and gender for example) or more complex. This is a must-read for anyone interested in language change. * Gary Miller, author of Language Change and Linguistic Theory *Table of ContentsPrologue: Social Correlates of Linguistic Structures ; 1. Sociolinguistic Typology and the Speed of Change ; 2. Complexification, Simplification, and Two Types of Contact ; 3. Isolation and Complexification ; 4. Mechanisms of Complexification ; 5. Contact and Isolation in Phonology ; 6. Mature Phenomena and Societies of Intimates ; Epilogue: On the Future of Linguistic Complexity ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisOver the past 50 years, the federal government''s efforts to reform American public education have transformed U.S. schools from locally-run enterprises to complex systems in which federal, state and local actors jointly construct the educational environment of U.S. children. Through struggles over school integration, the growth of special education, the teaching of English learners and the rise of accountability politics, the federal role in U.S. education has meant a profound reconstruction of local expectations, roles and political alignments. Seeking to construct the federal schoolhouse - an educational system in which there are common national expectations and practices - has meant the creation of new modes of education within local institutions. The creation of this education state has also meant that federal educational initiatives have collided with - or reinforced - local political regimes in cities and suburbs alike. To the extent that all politics is local, the federal role in public schools has changed both the conduct and the norms of local educational politics. Building the Federal Schoolhouse examines how increasing federal authority over public education in the U.S. changes the practices of ''operational localism'' in education and how local regime commitments implement, thwart, or even block federal policy initiatives. The book examines these issues through an in-depth, fifty year examination of federal educational policies at work within one community, Alexandria, Virginia. The home of T.C. Williams High School, memorialized in the Hollywood movie Remember the Titans, Alexandria has been transformed within two generations from a Jim Crow school system to a new immigrant gateway school district with over 20 percent of its students English learners. Along the way, the school system has struggled to provide quality education for special needs students, sought to overcome the legacies of tracking and segregated learning and simultaneously retain upper-middle class students in this wealthy suburb of Washington, DC. Most recently, it has grappled with state and federally imposed accountability measures that seek to boost educational outcomes. All of these policy initiatives have contended with the existing political regime within Alexandria, at times forcing the local regime to a breaking point, and at times bolstering its reconstruction. At the same time, the local expectations and governing realities of administrators, parents, politicians and voters alike have sharply constrained federal initiatives, limiting their scope when in conflict with local commitments and amplifying them when they align. Through an extensive use of local archives, contemporary accounts, school data and interviews, Reed not only paints an intimate portrait of the conflicts that the creation of the federal schoolhouse has wrought in Alexandria, but also documents the successes of the federal commitment to greater educational opportunity. In so doing, he highlights the complexity of the American education state and the centrality of local regimes and local historical context to federal efforts to reform education.Trade ReviewMuch of what is written about education policy today is like the proverbial blind men and the elephant, touching pieces but missing how they fit together. In Building the Federal Schoolhouse, Douglas Reed pulls together the big picture of how multiple levels of government, and the politics within and across these levels, account for the policies and programs adopted and implemented today. * Jeffrey R. Henig, Professor of Political Science & Education, Teachers College, Columbia University *Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter 1: The Local Politics of Federal Education Reform ; Part I: Race and Reform ; Chapter 2: Race and the End of a Regime ; Chapter 3: Racial Change, Conflict and the Incorporation of Interests ; Part II: The Local Politics of the Federal Commitment to Equality ; Chapter 4: The Politics of Exit ; Chapter 5: Special Education and the Politics of Services ; Chapter 6: From Arlandria to Chirilagua: English Learners and the Catch-22 Education State ; Part III: The Politics of Accountability ; Chapter 7: Local Activism and Accountability Politics ; Chapter 8: The Titans Meet the State: Federal Accountability and School Transformation ; Chapter 9: Conclusion: Learning from the Education State

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Book SynopsisThe concept of ethnic, racial, and gender humor is as sensitive a subject today as it has ever been; Leon Rappoport's incisive account takes an in-depth look at ethnic, racial and gender humor.Trade Review"[T]his book will be good source for looking at an important aspect of humor. In defending politically incorrect humor, Rappoport draws on the extensive writing of sociologist Christie Davies, folklorist Alan Dundes, and others but supplies additional observations and conclusions. He presents the sword and shield metaphor clearly: humor is a sword that targets stereotypes and a shield that deflects from them. Humor does not create the stereotypes; it plays with them. The author provides extensive treatment of relevant incongruities among modern humorists, namely Lenny Bruce (for Jewish humor) and Richard Pryor (for African American humor). The discussion continues through more contemporary examples, bringing in an unusual amount of information for such a brief work. Rappoport even reveals Whoopi Goldberg's pre-stage name. Punchlines can be read as an end in itself or as an informative guide to a broader literature. Highly recommended. All readers; all levels." - Choice"No-one will be able to fault Professor Rappoport for a lack of breadth of knowledge and he has mastered the literature of folklorists and sociologists about racial, ethnic and gender humor as well as that of his own discipline, psychology....[H]e writes in an admirably clear way. He has delivered his punchlines well and made out an excellent case for racial, ethnic and gender humor." - Humor Research"[T]he volume is packed with information, with both assimilated insights from Rappoport's own research and also from his wide reading in the research literature on humour... many chapters are a pleasure to read and laguage scholars wanting to learn more about humour research and the social psychology aspects of ethnic wisecracking could do well by starting here." - Journal of Sociolinguistics"The author's hypothesis is that racial, ethnic, and gender humor (called here stereotype humor) can serve a positive social function. He maintains that stereotype humor acts as a powerful force against prejudice when used to ridicule stereotypes and slurs....[t]his book is recommended for the information it provides on the history of this type of humor." - MultiCultural Review

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Book SynopsisA collection of essays addressing the role of rhetoric for inquiries of all kinds in various disciplines, ranging from sociology and political science, through anthropology and psychology, to mathematics and economics. It also explores communications in women's issues, religion and law.

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Book SynopsisThe Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are thriving after hundreds of years of German colonization, numerous wars of conquest, and demographic Russification.Trade Review"The book is well referenced and benefits from the citation of websites which should enable the reader to update much of the factual information given. It is a bold enterprise that seems to have succeeded." - LENNUK"Baltic expert O'Connor offers an accessible account of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian people for general readers and travelers, explaining the region's complex geopolitics and history, including the effects of the Soviet era, the impact of religions, including the rise of Orthodoxy and Lutheranism, the demise of the Jewish community in the Second World War and its quiet rebirth, the roles of marriage and family life, gender issues, education, holidays, cuisine, leisure activities, folklore, literature, the media and cinema, performing arts, architecture and housing, and art. Particularly interesting is the story of the various languages in the region and the influence of its many neighbors in all directions." - Reference & Research Book News/Art Book News Annual 2007Table of ContentsSeries Foreword Introduction Chronology The Land, People, and History Religion Marriage, Gender, Family, and Education Holidays, Cuisine, and Leisure Activities Language, Folklore, and Literature Media and Cinema Performing Arts Architecture and Housing Art Index

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Table of ContentsTranslator's Preface vii Chapter One: The University in a Democracy—Democratization of the University 1 Chapter Two: Student Protest in the Federal Republic of Germany 13 Chapter Three: The Movement in Germany: A Critical Analysis 31 Three Intentions First Justification: The Theory of Imperialism Second Justification: Neoanarchism Third Justification: Cultural Revolution The Actual Results The Source of the Protest Potential What Is to Be Done? Chapter Four: Technical Progress and the Social Life-World 50 Chapter Five: The Scientization of Politics and Public Opinion 62 Chapter Six: Technology and Science as "Ideology" 81 Notes 123 Index 129

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Book SynopsisFor the man or woman who’s looking for love and riches—but not necessarily in that order—comes How to Marry Money, a sophisticated and unabashedly candid guide to landing a partner of means.  Learn how to meet the rich, how to behave around them, and how to blend in without breaking the bank.  By following Kevin Doyle’s advice, you’ll learn how to: Instantly recognize the financial stature of each man or woman in every room you enter. Put yourself in the right place at the right time to gain access to rich, single people. Prevent certain embarrassing friends and family from derailing the gravy train. Straight to the point and full of humor, How to Marry Money will help you to land the millionaire of your dreams.Trade Review"How to Marry Money is a trove of tips and tactics for landing the loaded." —The Boston Globe

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Book SynopsisToday''s ever-expanding communications technologies force us to relate to more people and institutions than ever before, challenging the way we view ourselves and our relationships. This powerful and provocative book draws from a wide range of disciplines,from anthropology to psychoanalysis, from film and fiction to literary theory,to explore these profound changes in our understanding of self-identity and their implications for cultural and intellectual life.Table of Contents* The Self Under Siege * From the Romantic to the Modern Vision of Self * Social Saturation and the Populated Self * Truth in Trouble * The Emergence of Postmodern Culture * From Self to Relationship * A Collage of Postmodern Life * Self-Renewal and Sincerity * Reckoning and Relativity

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Book SynopsisA fascinating collection of ten high-profile cases illustrating the controversial, often contentious-yet essential-role of forensic psychology in the American justice system Written by psychologist and lawyer Charles Patrick Ewing, one of the country''s leading experts on forensic psychology, Trials of a Forensic Psychologist: A Casebook is a scholarly, thought-provoking collection of cases from the author''s three decades of professional experience. Bringing to life the psychological and legal details of each case as well as the personal stories involved, this volume insightfully covers those issues facing forensic psychologists, including: Ability to Waive Miranda Rights Coerced Confessions The Insanity Defense Malingering Battered Woman Syndrome Evaluating Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse The Implications of Extreme Emotional Disturbance Informative, compelling, and educational, each of the tenTrade Review"Packed with case details as well as lengthy segments of trial transcripts from riveting, high-profile cases, Trials is well written and ideal as a teaching tool for students of mental health law or the social sciences." (California Lawyer, March 2009) "…Charles Patrick Ewing, a law school professor...is one of the most renowned forensic psychologists in the United States, the author of a number of books, countless articles, and editor of a respected forensic psychology journal. As is evident from Trials, his expertise is widely sought around the country in high-profile criminal trials. And the man can write! The accounts of the 10 trials in this book are compelling. I can think of few if any forensic psychology books that I have read for pleasure or that I cannot put down, but Trials is indeed one. I found this to be an excellent book - well written, engaging, informative." (PsycCRITIQUES; 1/28/09)Table of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgments. 1. Waiver of Miranda Rights and Voluntary versus Coerced Confession. 2. Battered Woman Syndrome, Self-Defense, and Extreme Emotional Disturbance. 3. Insanity: Malingering versus Organic Brain Syndrome. 4. Insanity, Extreme Emotional Disturbance, or Both? 5. Voluntary or Coerced Confession? 6. Child Abuse Victim, Sexual Predator, or Both? 7. Battered Woman Syndrome, Duress, and the Death Penalty. 8. Validation of Alleged Child Sexual Abuse. 9. Murder or Manslaughter? Extreme Emotional Disturbance. 10. Insanity, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Brief Reactive Psychosis. Lessons Learned. Notes. Index.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisFrom Modernization to Globalization is a reference for scholars, students and development practitioners on the issues of processes of social change and development in the Third World. It provides carefully excerpted samples from both classic and up-to-date writings in the development literature, short, insightful introductions to each section and a general introduction.Table of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgments. Introduction: J. Timmons Roberts and Amy Hite. Part I: Formative Ideas on the Transition to Modern Society:. 1. "Manifesto of the Communist Party" and "Alienated Labor": Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. 2. Selections from The Division of Labor in Society: Emile Durkheim. 3. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: Max Weber. Part II: How does Development Change People? Modernization Theories and the Intellectual Roots of the Development Project:. 4. Evolutionary Universals in Society: Talcott Parsons. 5. The Five Stages-of-Growth - A Summary: W. W. Rostow. 6. From A Study of Slum Culture: Backgrounds for LA VIDA: Oscar Lewis. 7. Excerpts from The Passing of Traditional Society: Daniel Lerner. 8. Making Men Modern: On the Causes of Individual Change in Six Developing Countries: Alex Inkeles. 9. From The Change to Change: Modernization, Development, and Politics, and Political Order in Changing Societies: Samuel Huntington. Part III: Blaming The Victims? Dependency and World-Systems Theories Respond: . 10. The Development of Underdevelopment: Andre Gunder Frank. 11. Dependency and Development in Latin America: Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Enzo Faletto. 12. The Dynamics of Rural Poverty in Latin America: Alain de Janvry and Carlos Garramón. 13. The Rise and Future Demise of the World Capitalist System: Concepts for Comparative Analysis: Immanuel Wallerstein. 14. The Effects of International Economic Dependence on Development and Inequality: A Cross-National Study: Christopher Chase-Dunn. 15. Rethinking Development Theory: Insights from East Asia and Latin America: Gary Gereffi. Part IV: Attempts to Understand Globalization and its Social Effects:. 16. The New International Division of Labor in the World Economy: Folker Fröbel, Jürgen Heinrichs, and Otto Kreye. 17. Globalization: Myths and Realities: Philip McMichael. 18. Capitalism: The Factory of Fragmentation: David Harvey. 19. Introduction from Has Globalization Gone Too Far?: Dani Rodrik. 20. Gender Industrialization, Transnational Corporations and Development: An Overview of Trends and Patterns: Kathryn B. Ward and Jean Larson Pyle. 21. Development after Ecology: Bob Sutcliffe. 22. Social Movements and Global Capitalism: Leslie Sklair. 23. Neoliberalism and the Sociology of Development: Emerging Trends and Unanticipated Facts: Alejandro Portes. Index.

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Book SynopsisTHE GOOD SOCIETY examines how many of our institutions- from the family to the government itself- fell from grace, and offers concrete proposals for revitalizing them.

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Book SynopsisThis essential volume brings together more than forty of the most important historical writings on feminism, covering 150 years of the struggle for women’s freedom. Spanning the American Revolution to the first decades of the twentieth century, these works—many long out of print or forgotten—are finally brought out of obscurity and into the light of contemporary analysis and criticism. This richly diverse collection contains excerpts from books, essays, speeches, documents, and letters, as well as poetry, drama, and fiction by major feminist writers, including: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, George Sand, Mary Wollstonecraft, Abigail Adams, Emma Goldman, Friedrich Engels, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, John Stuart Mill, Margaret Sanger, Virginia Woolf, and many others. The pieces in Feminism: The Essential Historical Writings cover the crucial challenges faced by women, including marriage as an instrument of oppression; a woman's desire to

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Book SynopsisThis book represents cutting-edge research that addresses major issues of social exclusion, power and liberatory fantasies in virtual play. Specifically, the scope of the book examines three areas of concern: social psychological implications of virtual gameplay; reproduction and contestation of social inequality in virtual realms.Trade ReviewSocial Exclusion, Power, and Video Game Play is a timely collection of essays on virtual worlds and online games. The contributors challenge sociologists (and others) to take these spaces of social interaction seriously, as both revealing and shaping broader cultural dynamics. By exploring issues including the psychology of online identity, the impact of racism and sexism, and relationships between design, play, and fandom, this book helps bring questions of power and inequality to the fore in debates over the impact of online games in virtual-world and physical-world contexts, both very 'real.' -- Tom Boellstorff, University of California, Irvine and author of Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually HumanTable of ContentsPart I. Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Exclusion, Power and Video Game Play David G. Embrick, J. Talmadge Wright and Andras Lukacs Part II. Social-Psychological Implications of Virtual Play Chapter 2: Marking the Territory: Grand Theft Auto IV as a Playground for Masculinities Elena Bertozzi Chapter 3: Discursive Engagements in World of Warcraft: A Semiotic Analysis of Player Relationships Elizabeth ErkenBrack Chapter 4: The Intermediate Ego – The Location of the Mind at Play Vanessa Long Chapter 5: Producing the Social in Virtual Realms J. Talmadge Wright Part III. Social Inequalities in Video Game Spaces: Race, Gender, and Virtual Play Chapter 6: Racism in Gaming: Connecting Extremist and Mainstream Expressions of White Supremacy Jessie Daniels and Nick LaLone Chapter 7: Worlds of Whiteness: Race and Character Creation in Online Games David Dietrich Chapter 8: Gendered Pleasures: The Wii, Embodiment and Technological Desire Adrienne Massanari Chapter 9: Sincere Fictions of Whiteness in Virtual Worlds: How Fantasy Massively Multiplayer Online Games Perpetuate Colorblind, White Supremacist Ideology Joel Ritsema and Bhoomi Thakore Chapter 10: The Goddess Paradox: Hyper-resonance Shaping Gender Experiences in MMORPGs Zek Cypress Valkyrie Part IV. Game Fans Speak Out Chapter 11: To Play is to Design: An Analysis of Player/Designer Interactions in World of Warcraft Sean C. Duncan Chapter 12: Western Otaku: Games Crossing Cultures Mia Consalvo Chapter 13: Beyond the Virtual Realm: Fallout fans, Producers, and the Troublesome Issue of Ownership in Videogame Fandom R.M. Milner Part V. Summary and Conclusions Chapter 14: Conclusion Andras Lukacs, David G. Embrick, and J. Talmadge Wright

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Book SynopsisThis book provides an overview of debates about whether we are entering into a phase of social existence without precedent - the ''information society''. Intended as a bridge between the literatures of ''social theory'' and the ''social impact of technology'', this study exposes the myths surrounding the creation of the information society, discussing technologies such as cable TV and robotics.Trade Review"This is a lucid exposition of the empirical, conceptual and ethical issues surrounding the idea of the information society. In analysing significant contemporary transformations associated with the growth of information technology, David Lyon has clearly demonstrated the importance of the sociological approach." John Eldridge, University of Glasgow Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface 1. Introduction: Roots of the Information Society Idea 2. A Marriage of Convergence?The Shaping of IT 3. A New Economy: New Classes? 4. New Technology, Employment, Work and Skill 5. Information, Democracy and the State 6. The Global Dimension 7. Information, Meaning and Culture 8. Information, Ideology and Utopia References Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisProvides a clear and systematic introduction to the development of social and political theory in modern Italy. This book gives particular attention to relating the main traditions of Italian thought to the history of the country since unification.Table of ContentsThe unification of Italy - making the ideal real; Vilfredo Pareto; Gaetano Mosca; Antonio Labriola; Benedetto Croce; Giovanni Gentile; Antonio Gramsci; Bobbio, della Volpe and the "Italian Road to Socialism"; conclusion - social theory and political action.

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Book SynopsisAs a result of the writings of Foucault, surveillance has come to be seen as a phenomenon of major importance in modern societies. But there are few, if any, studies which relate the concept of surveillance to that of bureaucracy, thus connecting Foucault to Max Weber. Dandeker''s text breaks new ground in re-examining the framework of Weber''s analysis of bureaucracy in the light of problems of surveillance. The author also provides a critique of a variety of other theories of the significance of bureaucracy in the modern world. The core of the book is concerned to offer a detailed analysis of the use of bureaucratic surveillance in the state and the economy. The author gives particular attention to the role of warfare in the expansion of surveillance. The text brings together problems that ordinarily are treated in substantial separation from one another, including analyses of staff and line in organization theory, military service and the formation of prisons and asylums.Trade Review'An excellent, scholarly piece ... many will find a place for it on their 'sociology of organisations' courses.' SociologyTable of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgements. 1. Bureaucracy, Surveillance and Modern Society. 2. Surveillance: Basic Concepts and Dimensions. 3. Military Power, Capitalism and Surveillance. 4. Bureaucratic Surveillance in a 'Society of Strangers':. The State and Social Control in Modern Capitalism. 5. Capitalism, Surveillance and the Modern Business Enterprise. 6. Conclusion: Capitalism, Surveillance and Modernity. Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents the first analysis and critique of the idea of practice as it has developed in the various theoretical traditions of the social sciences and the humanities. The concept of a practice, understood broadly as a tacit possession that is a shareda by and the same for different people, has a fatal difficulty, the author argues.Trade Review'This is a fresh, highly intelligent and stimulating study that should be of considerable interest to philosophers and social and political scientists alike.' Stanley Rosen, Pennsylvania State University 'Turner's book offers a devastating critique of one of the central analytic tools of contemporary humanities scholarship. He shows how the notion of practices has become the postmodernist counterpart to traditional explanation- stoppers or first principles. More importantly, he drives home the principled inability of practice jargon to explain, or even to acknowledge,the phenomena of change of rules and concepts.' Larry Laudan, University of Hawaii 'This is a wide-ranging, highly critical, indeed polemical book.' Political Studies 'Provocative and intelligent book ... impressively wide in scope.' Studies in History and Philosophy of ScienceTable of Contents1. Practices and their Conceptual Kin. 2. Practices as Causes. 3. Practices as Presuppositions. 4. Transmission. 5. Change and History. 6. The Opacity of Practice. Notes. Index.

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Book Synopsisaeo The first book to engage the study of childhood with central issues of sociological theory. aeo The three authors are highly respected and widely read in this area. aeo The book draws together an enormous amount of international research.Trade Review'An exciting book by three of the foremost social-scientific specialists on childhood writing in Britain today; it promises to consolidate Childhood Studies as a new field of concerted endeavour.' Nigel Rapport, University of St Andrews 'This new book is a spring of inspiration. Theorizing Childhood addresses in a superb way the main, if not all, relevant approaches within the 'new sociology of childhood'. It demonstrates brilliantly the salience of this new field both for what it can learn from the general body of knowledge and for what it can itself contribute to modern social science...no scholar in this or neighbouring fields can afford not to read and digest it.' Jens Qvortrup, South Jutland University Centre 'The framework developed here is potentially an extremely powerful one, with enormous potential to stimulate and focus our thinking about childhood - and in particular our research' Social Work & Social Sciences ReviewTable of ContentsPart I: Imagining Childhood. 1. The Presociological Child. 2. The Sociological Child. Part II: Situating Childhood. . 3. Childhood in Social Space. 4. The Temporality of Childhood. 5. Play as Childhood Culture?. 6. Working Children. 7. One Childhood or Many?. 8. The Body and Childhood. 9. Researching Childhood. Part III: Theorizing Childhood. 10. Theorizing Childhood. Notes. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis brilliant and original book sets out to dismantle the idea that movements, crises and other phenomena produced in society must be explained by exclusively social causes, without recourse to psychological explanations. The author argues that we should reassess the significance of psychological causes in human affairs.Trade ReviewWinner of the European Amalfi Prize for Sociology and Social Theory, 1988. "This book is stimulating and important." Times Higher Education Supplement "Elegantly written and persuasively argued." Political Studies "Moscovici provides a useful psychological perspective on the work of three major sociological thinkers [Durkheim, Weber and Simmel]. The volume richly deserved the European Amalfi Prize for Sociology and Social Theory that it won." Contemporary Sociology "Moscovici's achievement is rare and seminal: he has made social theory exciting again, a field of rewarding exploration and intellectual adventure." Zygmunt Bauman, University of Leeds "This is a book which offers a challenging and radical argument to social scientists of all shades, and one which deserves to be widely read." Gerard Duveen, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction: The Problem. Part I: Religion and Nature as the Origins of Society. 1. The Machine for the Creation of Gods. 2. Crimes and Punishments. 3. A Science Difficult to Name. Part II: The Power of the Idea. 4. Social 'Big Bangs'. 5. The Genius of Capitalism. 6. The Mana and the Numina. . Part III: One of the Greatest Mysteries in the World. . 7. The Science of Forms. 8. Money as Passion and as Representation. 9. The World that has Vanished. Concluding Remarks. Notes. Index.

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Book SynopsisFeminists have long differed in their view of prostitution. While some regard it as a classic form of exploitation and degradation, others offer a more sympathetic interpretation of women''s involvement in the sex industry. In this important new book, Maggie O''Neill seeks to explore the theoretical debates on prostitution and the relevance of these to the everyday lived experiences of women working on the streets. Based upon her own ethnographic research - defined as ethno-mimesis - the author seeks to undermine and demystify stereotypical images of prostitutes. She explores the narratives offered by prostitutes themselves, as well as other forms of their representation in film, art and photography, and shows how these various mediums may be used to shed light on the socio-economic processes and structures which lead women into prostitution. These personal accounts produce what O''Neill refers to as ''a politics of feeling'', which, she argues, may be used to transform attituTrade Review‘Prostitution and Feminism is a great examples of feminist research, developing new theoretical concepts and methodological approaches for a feminism that can entwine critical conceptual explorations with an ethnographic approach that brings life to the broader analysis. A wide-ranging, readable and authoritative book.’ – Vikki Bell, Goldsmiths College, University of London ‘By working across traditional disciplinary divides, O’Neill provides a stimulating and fresh approach to feminist work in the area of prostitution, at the same time making timely demands on the reader to think more deeply about the nature and purpose of feminist theory and research.’ – Jenny Ryan, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction: Socio-cultural Contexts-Renewed Methodologies for Social Research. Part I Feminist Knowledge and Social Research: Understanding Prostitution. 1 Feminism(s) and Prostitution. 2 Feminist Knowledge and Social Research: Ethno-mimesis as Perfomative Praxis. Part II Interpretive Ethnographies: Life History Work. 3 Women's Voices, Women's Lives. 4 Adolescent Prostitution: Runaways, Homelessness and Living in Local Authority Care. III Feminist Postmodernisms and Ethnographies of Difference: between Modernity and Postmodernity. 5 Imagining Women: Prostitution, the Aestheticization of the Whore and the Social Organization of Desire. 6 The City, Masculinity and the Social Organization of Desire: Pimps and Punters. 7 Conclusion: Towards a Politics of Feeling. Notes. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisSince the end of the eighteenth century, the pursuit of a true lovea has been enshrined in the expectations of Western societies. We regard this pursuit as our right, and organize our lives around it. However, the possibility that love is becoming more difficult to achieve in the West has begun to attract considerable attention.Trade Review"What's happening to love? In this deeply important, and well crafted book, Evans explores the cultural premises underlying our fantasies about it. Over the last two hundred years in the West, she argues, we have personalized and sexualized love, and unhitched it from marriage. But then we have de-eroticized sex, and unwittingly thinned out the cultural soil which might nurture the bonds we so care to preserve. This is not because we're bad people but because we're swimming around in a culture of love we need to radically rethink."Arlie Russell Hochschild, University of California at Berkeley, and author of the forthcoming Commercialization of Intimate Life and Other EssaysTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Chapter One: What is This Thing Called Love?. Chapter Two: Going Back. Chapter Three: The Language of Love. Chapter Four: The Rules of Love. Chapter Five: The Limits of Love. Chapter Six: The Future of Love. Bibliography. Index

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Book Synopsis* An outstanding introduction to the work of Franz Fanon, one of the most important and controversial thinkers of postwar period. * Fanon was an anti--colonial / postcolonial critic whose work spans across the political and academic disciplines of philosophy, psychiatry, social science, and literature.Trade Review"Caricatured as a mindless apostle of violence, Fanon emerges in Nigel Gibson's rigorous and subtle analysis as a major humanistic thinker about injustice, a serious critic of nationalism and, for the first time, as an impressively profound philosopher of modern post-colonial politics and culture." Edward W. Said, Columbia University "This definitive interpretation of Fanon brilliantly touches the heart. Gibson presents a compelling and engaging analysis of Fanon's original theory of the racial gaze, of revolution, and of Fanon's complex theory of violence. All the perennial themes of political theory are masterfully presented in this major book. Readers will feel morally civilized after they read it." Teodros Kiros, Harvard University "Gibson's prose is elegant and clear and this book is, by far, the best introduction to Fanon's life and work. But it does more than this....The key idea that runs throughout the book is that of the dialectic. Gibson argues that there is an unstable, critical and creative element in the heart of FAnon's thought that seeks to move through apparently irreconcilable contradictions. This kind of analysis is what we would expect from any responsible engagement with Fanon's work and Gibson develops it very well. But he goes further and makes an original and significant contribution by showing that for Fanon this kind of progress requires the development of a fighting culture." Richard Pithouse, Sunday IndependentTable of ContentsAcknowledgments. Abbreviations for Fanon’s Works. Introduction. 1. The Racial Gaze: Black Slave, White Master. 2. Psychoanalysis and the Black’s Inferiority Complex. 3. Negritude and the Descent into a “Real Hell”. 4. Becoming Algerian. 5. Violent Concerns. 6. Radical Mutations: Toward a Fighting Culture. 7. Crossing the Dividing Line: Spontaneity and Organization. 8. Nationalism and a New Humanism. Notes. Bibliography. Index

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