Search results for ""taylor francis ltd""

This book analyzes the changes and tendencies expressed in the relation between army and society in Israel.Since its inception, Israel has been defined as a nation in arms, a public space in which the security needs became central and, to a great extent, dictated the agenda and functioning of all the public arenas operating in it. The theoretical investigation is accompanied by case study illustrations of special instances related to the nexus between: security and society security and politics the army and the media the army and public relations security and culture bereavement and commemoration social motivation to serve in the army the army and foreign policy. Lebel explores the connection between the military and culture in Israel against the backdrop of globalization, individualism, liberalism, and social burn-out in the face of survival and change.

Read more less

Finding true love is a journey of transformation obstructed by numerous psychological obstacles. Being in Love expands the traditional field of psychoanalytic couple therapy, and explores therapeutic methods of working through the obstacles leading to true love.Becoming who we are is an inherently relational journey: we uncover our truest nature and become most authentically real through the difficult and fearful, yet transformative intersubjective crucibles of our intimate relationships. In this book, Judith Pickering draws comparisons between Bion's concept of becoming in O, and being in love. She searches for pathways that lead away from relational confusion towards the discovery of genuine transformational relationships, and works towards finding better ways of relating to one another. This is achieved by encouraging couples to enjoy the actual presence, humanity, otherness and particularity of each other rather than expecting a partner to conform to our own expectations, projections, desires and presuppositions.Pickering draws on clinical material, contemporary psychoanalysis, cultural themes from the worlds of mythology and literature, and a wealth of therapeutic techniques in this fresh approach to couple therapy. Being in Love will therefore interest students and practitioners of psychoanalysis, psychology, and couple therapy, as well as all of those seeking to be more authentic in their relationships.

Read more less

Previously published as a special issue of Mediterranean Politics, this collection critically analyzes the dynamics and complexities of the wider Euro-Mediterranean area on the basis of individual theory-informed designs and conceptual frameworks.Since the predominant focus has been on the first (political and security partnership) and the second baskets (economic and financial partnership) of the Barcelona Process, our contributors analyze social and cultural issues (the third basket of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership), drawing upon linkages between concepts, structures and policy outcomes. Some articles focus on the impact of the EU's actor capability in the area of EU policies towards the South in enhancing interregional dialogue, understanding and cultural cooperation. Others focus on a critical discourse analysis of dialogue, identity, power, human rights and civil society (including Western and non-Western conceptions). Finally, the volume culminates with a discussion on cultural democracy in Euro-Mediterranean relations.

Read more less

Some atmospheric disturbances produce the kind of extreme weather events making the national and international new headlines on a regular basis. Just about everyone is interested in knowing more about hurricanes, typhoons and tornadoes. There is often confusion about whether or not they are the same thing and whether, for example, we can control these extremely violent phenomena. Thunder and lightning affect many people but how many of us understand what generates such massive electrical discharges and why they occur more at some times of year than at others? A popular addition to the Science Spectra Series, Weather Rage explains the origin and nature of different types of weather observed across many areas of the world - and those that occur on different 'scales'. Presenting an in-depth look at the main factors underlying weather, this book will be an extremely useful guide for all meteorology students and practitioners as well as a source of reference for all those with an interest in the weather.

Read more less

Presenting bold and original insights, this book examines the policies and diplomacies pursued by Arab and Western governments, while discussing both the political and cultural roles played by the modern Arab World. It explores the various facets of the malaise affecting the Arab world, stressing the urgent call for reform and recovery, as well as the need to address major issues including inter-Arab affairs, relations with a hegemonic USA, and peace with Israel.In addition, the book provides new perspectives on a range of topics including Arab and Muslim diplomacy, literature, and culture; often as these interact with Western models and paradigms in an increasingly interconnected but challenging world. Employing a combination of disciplines and discourses, the book aids learners and policy-makers in better understanding the Arab world’s successes and failures in its problematic relations with the West and modernity.

Read more less

With the spectacular developments in technology accompanying and aiding scientific research over the past few decades, postgraduate students are often encouraged to focus more on generating data than to utilize their most sophisticated piece of equipment: their mind.Stop Working & Start Thinking, Second Edition aims to encourage young researchers to think more clearly about their experiments, from experimental design to data interpretation. This new edition builds on the success of the first edition, with new material throughout and a new chapter on measurement interpretation, including an examination of cryptic assumptions.This book is essential reading for postgraduates who wish to put the mastery back into their M.Sc. and the philosophy back into their PhDs.

Read more less

Reading Sexualities confronts the reigning practices, priorities, and preoccupations of queer theory and sexuality studies. Looking at a range of texts, from novels to travel narratives to internet porn, Donald E. Hall deftly weaves the theoretical with the literary in order to: examine the vexed ethical, critical, and political questions arising from sexual consumerism and cross-cultural encounters read the changing landscape of sexual identity, finding great cause for optimism and enthusiastic engagement urge readers to embrace a far-reaching dialogic practice as a mechanism for furthering radical social change. Reading Sexualities shows how our sexual desires and bases for identification are being widely challenged and changed. Drawing on hermeneutic theory and the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer, Hall argues that by approaching sexual diversity with openness and humility, we become active participants in the politically urgent process of reading the self through the perspective of the other.

Read more less

This book takes a fresh look at corporate strategy, exploring it from a feminist perspective. Challenging male-dominated theory, Corporate Strategy looks at unquestioned assumptions held about strategy in practice and academia, including whether women approach strategy differently from men, and if so, how their approach differs?Reviewing the histories of strategy and feminism, the book explores the reasons why so few serious works on strategy have been written by women, and investigates the continued lack of women at senior levels within many organizations. Angélique du Toit draws on postmodern arguments to illustrate the claims made for the necessity of diversity within organizations, and challenges the fact that positions of power, both in society and organizations remain the exclusive right of men. Corporate Strategy argues that if an organization is to survive and succeed in the global economy, it has to pay more than lip service to issues surrounding diversity.

Read more less

The sudden collapse of communism stimulated both the rapid emergence of fledgling democracies and scholarly attention to the post-communist transition. These newly democratized parliaments have been described as "parliaments in adolescence". This book identifies six parliaments which exemplify the wide range of developments in the new post-communist political systems, from the stable consolidated democracies to the less stable and more authoritarian states, within which their respective parliaments function. Finally the post-communist parliaments are compared with the presumptively more established west European parliaments. This book bridges the usual gap in research between the post-communist parliaments and more "normal" democratic parliaments to develop a common legislative research perspective on both new and established parliaments. This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of Legislative Studies.

Read more less

Of Stones and Man explores the many errors of judgement made by civilizations both ancient and modern across the world. Arrogance and a penchant for excess drove mankind to build ever greater and more ambitious edifices. The author analyzes these works from a scientific and historically-sensitive perspective, highlighting the hydro-geological background to repeated infamous disasters, from the faults inherent in the Sphinx to the leaning Tower of Pisa. Beautifully illustrated throughout, Of Stones and Man is a testament to the impermanence of our surroundings. It questions how the earth and its resources have borne the cumulative burden placed upon it over the ages by one civilization after another, and how, in turn, the earth has exacted its inevitable revenge on the great constructions of our ancestors. Of Stones and Man is the final work of Jean Kerisel (1908-2005) who served as President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering from 1973 to 1977, and who worked worldwide as a consultant on many ambitious engineering projects. Driven by his great passion for Ancient Builders and Egyptology, Kerisel here extends his professional knowledge into the realms of historical architecture.

Read more less

This progressive volume of lectures, written by leading experts on current developments in the field, is a must-read for engineers in physics, mechanics and engineering applications alike. Focusing on both continuous and discontinuous modelling, this topical symposium raises the issue of cohesive-frictional materials and the importance of understanding their mechanical behaviour in determining their correct use in engineering and scientific applications. A subject that has attracted a great deal of attention from scientists and engineers, from a variety of fields, this book is not only essential reading for professionals within the discipline, but also an insightful text for graduates wanting to learn more about the topic.

Read more less

Spearheading the promotion of international technology transfer in the fields of mine planning, mining systems design, equipment selection and operation techniques, the International Symposium on Mine Planning and Equipment Selection is recognised by the mining society as a key annual event in highlighting developments within the field. Here in this volume, proceedings from the thirteenth annual symposium concentrate on the following major topics:* open pit and underground mine planning, modelling and design* geomechanics * mining and processing methods* design, monitoring and maintenance of mine equipment* simulation, optimalization and control of technological processes* management, mine economics and financial analysis* health, safety and environmental protection.Including 147 papers from leading experts and authorities, Mine Planning and Equipment Selection undoubtedly provides valuable information and insight for a range of engineers, scientists, researchers and consultants involved in the planning, design and operation of underground and surface mines.

Read more less

Health economics is one of the fastest growing sub-disciplines of economics and is probably the one that has most engaged with neighbouring disciplines, such as epidemiology and bio-statistics, to solve some of the more intractable problems confronting healthcare systems around the world. The impact of health economics outside the economics profession has been immense, and it has introduced the common currency of economists (opportunity cost, elasticity, the margin, production functions) into medical parlance. However, the very size of the literature spawned by health economists poses a challenge to both students and to those seeking to know more about what economists have had to say on key issues. These volumes are designed to help readers to overcome these difficulties. Presenting a comprehensive ‘library’ of the most important contributions made by health economists, each of the four volumes covers two significant areas of health economics, with each of these eight areas then including an introduction and an article-by-article commentary by the editor. There is also a general introduction, which outlines the scope and content of health economics, to help orientate the reader.The selection of articles made by Culyer has been based on a survey of the principal teachers of health economics in universities in North America, Europe and elsewhere. Each chosen item is of current relevance and collectively the articles provide a comprehensive review of the most important contributions made by health economists over the past thirty years or so.

Read more less

This volume focuses attention on key environmental and institutional changes associated with eastern expansion of the European Union, assessing and challenging prevailing views about the outcomes and processes of this historic development. Looking at four central themes -- capacity changes and limitations, the EU's mixed messages and conflicting priorities, non-state actor roles and developments, and the exchange of ideas and information - the volume shows that enlargement will change the EU, not just make it bigger, and that EU officials and programs are improving aspects of environmental policy in CEE countries even as they are making others less sustainable.This book was previously published as a special issue of the journal Environmental Politics.

Read more less

Part of the Complexity as the Experience of Organizing series, this book applies complex responsiveness theory to real-life leadership experiences. It features contributions from and details the experience of organizational practitioners, leaders, consultants and managers from various organizations through narrative accounts. It addresses questions such as: How do widespread or global patterns emerge and evolve in the local interactions between people? What actually happens in global change programmes? What does this imply about the relationship between the local and the global? Exploring the perspective of complex responsive processes, the book’s contributors examine how this assists them in making sense of their experience, and how this awareness then leads to their development.This book is a valuable study for academics, business school students and practitioners, as rather than offering mere descriptions of organizational life, it provides reflective accounts of real-life experiences of researching in organizations.

Read more less

Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth (1905) is a sharp and satirical, but also sensitive and tragic analysis of a young, single woman trying to find her place in a materialistic and unforgiving society. The House of Mirth offers a fascinating insight into the culture of the time and, as suggested by the success of recent film adaptations, it is also an enduring tale of love, ambition and social pressures still relevant today.Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of The House of Mirth and seeking not only a guide to the novel, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Wharton’s text.

Read more less

Housing and Dwelling collects the best in recent scholarly and philosophical writings that bear upon the history of domestic architecture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Lane combines exemplary readings that focus on and examine the issues involved in the study of domestic architecture, taken from an innovative and informed combination of philosophy, history, social science, art, literature and architectural writings. Uniquely, the readings underline the point of view of the user of a dwelling and assess the impact of varying uses on the evolution of domestic architecture.This book is a valuable asset for students, scholars, and designers alike, exploring the extraordinary variety of methods, interpretations and source materials now available in this important field. For students, it opens windows on the many aspects of domestic architecture. For scholars, it introduces new, interdisciplinary points of view and suggests directions for further research. It acquaints practising architects in the field of housing design with history and methods and offers directions for future design possibilities.

Read more less

Roger Bannister was the first person to run the mile in under four minutes. Fifty years on, his status, not just as a champion athlete but also as a true British hero, a gentleman and an amateur from a 'golden era' in sport, retains its unblemished appeal.Until now there has been little criticism and even less close historical study of Bannister and his achievement. This book redresses the balance, presenting a revisionist history of Sir Roger Bannister and in doing so providing fresh insights into the making of this British 'champion'.This book does more than detail the history of a sporting giant. It invites the reader to reconsider the very words often used to describe him - notably 'hero' and 'gentleman amateur'. Informed by contemporary sport science, the text also questions the significance of the four-minute mile.Providing fascinating insights into the history of track racing as well as athletic training methods and the beginnings of sport science, this is not just a testimonial to the legend of Roger Bannister, but instead is the first rigorous historical study of his sporting life and the man behind the legend. It reveals him as an ambivalent athlete, highly achievement-orientated and scientific, but also in love with the freedom of running sensuously in nature, in contrast to the constraints of modern sport.

Read more less

In a world where literary scandals often end up in court, the issue of responsibility in writing has never been more important. In this groundbreaking study, Carl Tighe asks the questions every writer needs to consider:*What is it that writers do? Are they responsible for all the uses to which their writing might be put? Or no more responsible than their readers?*How are a writer's responsibilities compromised or defined by commercial or political pressures, or by notions of tradition or originality?*How does a writer's audience affect their responsibilities? Are these the same for writers in all parts of the world, under all political and social systems?The first part of this book defines responsibility and looks at its relation to ideas such as power, accuracy, kitsch and political correctness. The second part examines how particular writers have dealt with these issues through a series of often-controversial case studies, including American Psycho, Crash and The Tin Drum.Writing and Responsibility encourages its readers to interrogate the choices they make as writers. A fascinating look at the public consequences of the private act of writing, Carl Tighe's book is a must-read for everyone who writes or studies writing.

Read more less

Scientific developments have always been central to conceptions of society at particular historical moments. However, the rise of molecular biology and the new genetic knowledge in the twentieth century pose particular challenges to our notions of the individual, our sense of past and future, and our relationships with the body, nature and the family. As a number of authors have suggested, the meanings of ‘life itself’ may be in the process of subtle transformation and many of these reconfigurations are occurring more rapidly than our ability to fully grasp their social and cultural implications.A fascinating work, the first volume in this collection sets out the background to scientific developments, the social responses to them and the constitution of science and technology as subjects for sociological analysis. The following volumes explore the interactions between biotechnology and the politics of the environment, the cultural context in which science is practised, and the broader social consequences that it may be expected to have.A general introduction maps key approaches and controversies, highlighting particular theoretical and methodological perspectives, and each individual volume is introduced by a specialist in the field.

Read more less

Efficiency is the hallmark of environmental economics, and though economists are concerned with the environment, primarily because it challenges the efficiency of competitive markets, until now, limited attention has been paid to distributional issues. This excellent collection of essays identifies and addresses key issues surrounding the inequality-environment relationship such as: * Does increasing economic inequality lead to better or worse environmental quality? * Which individual or social features play a role in determining the differentiated impact of changes in the environment? * What impact does economic inequality or social segmentation have on collective action?* How important is the complex economic and social institution in which the inequality-environment takes place?With an impressive array of contributors and an excellent mix of popular and noteworthy topics, this latest addition to the Routledge Siena Studies in Political Economy series will prove essential to economists with an interest in the environment and will be useful to readers with a more general environmental studies background.

Read more less

Sentence Structure:introduces the evidence for sentence structure and reveals its purposeis based on a problem-solving approach to languageteaches the reader how to identify word classes, such as noun, preposition and demonstrativeuses simple tree structures to analyse sentencescontains numerous exercises to encourage practical skills of sentence analysisincludes a database and exercises that compare the structure of English with other languages.The second edition of Sentence Structure has been revised and updated throughout and includes new material on tense, aspect, modality and the verb phrase, whilst the order of topics has been rearranged to improve clarity.

Read more less

Taking as its focus three familiar and profoundly influential social institutions, the family, work and welfare, this accessible and exciting text looks at their role in maintaining social order and promoting social change in Britain from the 1950's to the beginning of the twenty first century. It shows how everyday life within these institutions is marked by the exercise of power and resistance and it charts the ways in which wider social change has affected these processes.Ordering Lives: Family, Work and Welfare engages with some of the most pressing issues affecting our society in a lively yet academically rigorous manner. At the same time, it offers students of the social sciences a crucial first introduction to the way that theory is used in social science explanations of social relations and institutional arrangements.This is a key introductory text for all students beginning study in sociology, social policy or general social sciences. Does it any longer make sense to talk about a "welfare state" in today's UK?

Read more less

This scholarly biography details the life of an extraordinary woman in an extraordinary society.Julia Augusti studies the life of the only daughter of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, and the father who sacrificed his daughter and her children in order to establish a dynasty.Studying the abundant historical evidence available, this biography studies each stage of Julia’s life in remarkable detail: her childhood - taken from her divorced mother to become part of a complex and unstable family structure her youth - set against the brilliant social and cultural life of the new Augustan Rome her marriages - as tools for Augustus’ plans for succession Julia’s violation of her father’s moral regime, and the betrayal of her absent husband. Reflecting new attitudes, and casting fresh light on their social reality, this outstanding biography will delight, entertain and inform anyone interested in this engaging Classical figure.

Read more less

While the subject of environmental stress in animals is broad, the available information is fragmentary and lacks an up-to-date overview and analysis. Environmental Stress and Cellular Response in Arthropods fills these knowledge gaps. Written by three experts from the same institution, the chapters have a consistency not often found in multi-authored or contributed books. The authors describe environmental stress in arthropods, specifically Drosophila and analyze the process in all its aspects, from biochemical mechanisms to effects on the whole organism.Incorporating new information that has become available in recent years, the authors explore hypotheses about the integrated response these systems often have. They explore topics ranging from disturbance of homeostasis, changes in metabolic processes, damage of cellular structures to acquired tolerance, effects on aging processes, and survival and cell death. By analyzing all these aspects in detail at the molecular, biochemical, and physiological level of the cell, the authors give you a thorough look at the relationship between an organism and its environment at the cellular level.

Read more less

Computational models of neural networks have proven insufficient to accurately model brain function, mainly as a result of simplifications that ignore the physical reality of neuronal structure in favor of mathematically tractable algorithms and rules. Even the more biologically based "integrate and fire" and "compartmental" styles of modeling suffer from oversimplification in the former case and excessive discretization in the second. This book introduces an integrative approach to modeling neurons and neuronal circuits that retains the integrity of the biological units at all hierarchical levels.With contributions from more than 40 renowned experts, Modeling in the Neurosciences, Second Edition is essential for those interested in constructing more structured and integrative models with greater biological insight. Focusing on new mathematical and computer models, techniques, and methods, this book represents a cohesive and comprehensive treatment of various aspects of the neurosciences from the molecular to the network level. Many state-of-the-art examples illustrate how mathematical and computer modeling can contribute to the understanding of mechanisms and systems in the neurosciences. Each chapter also includes suggestions of possible refinements for future modeling in this rapidly changing and expanding field.This book will benefit and inspire the advanced modeler, and will give the beginner sufficient confidence to model a wide selection of neuronal systems at the molecular, cellular, and network levels.

Read more less

Developing Performance Support for Computer Systems: A Strategy for Maximizing Usability and Learnability provides detailed planning, design, and development guidance for generating performance support for new or upgraded computer systems. Performance support includes documentation, online help, coaches and wizards, training, and other materials necessary to enable users to perform their jobs more efficiently and effectively.This volume offers a strategy for maximizing ease-of-use and ease-of-learning through an integrated performance support systems approach. The text provides how-to guidance throughout that developers can apply directly to the design of their performance support tools and products. Rather than cover a few specific topic areas, it examines the entire spectrum of performance support. The book explains how to match performance support methods to task requirements, gives an overview of important user characteristics, and provides general guidance for presentation, layout, formatting, media selection, the use of color and icons, and accessibility. Evaluation checklists are included in the appendices and are also available online.Although this book primarily addresses the development of performance support for large software systems, the principles and approaches are valuable for any systems development environment.

Read more less

Rosabeth Moss Kanter (b. 1943)described by The Economist as one of the few women in recent years to have achieved genuine guru status'introduced the concept of empowerment' into management thought. She is the subject of this new collection from Routledge's acclaimed Critical Evaluations in Business and Management series. It brings together in two volumes the best critical assessments of her work. The collection is supplemented with the editors' expert introduction which places the gathered materials in their historical and intellectual context.

Read more less

The Shorter REP presents the very best of the acclaimed ten volume Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy in a single volume. It makes a selection of the most important entries available for the first time and covers all you need to know about philosophy, from Aristotle to Wittgenstein and animals and ethics to scientific method.Comprising over 900 entries and covering the major philosophers and philosophical topics, The Shorter REP includes the following special features: Unrivalled coverage of major philosophers, themes, movements and periods making the volume indispensable for any student or general reader Fully cross-referenced Revised versions of many of the most important entries, including fresh suggestions for further reading Over twenty brand new entries on important new topics such as Cloning and Sustainability entries by many leading philosophers such as Bernard Williams, Martha Nussbaum, Richard Rorty, Onora O'Neill, T.M. Scanlon and Anthony Appiah Striking new text design to help locate key entries quickly and easily An outstanding guide to all things philosophical, The Shorter Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy provides an unrivalled introduction to the subject for students and general readers alike.

Read more less

First published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Read more less

Using unique and cutting-edge research, Schofield a prominent author in the US for a number of years, explores the growth area of positive political economy within economics and politics. The first book to explain the spatial model of voting from a mathematical, economics and game-theory perspective it is essential reading for all those studying positive political economy.

Read more less

Despite the existence of two barrier systems in the brain, research over the last century has mostly focused on the blood-brain barrier rather than on the blood-CSF barrier. Today, there is a greater understanding of the function of the blood-CSF barrier and of the choroid plexus, a tissue that is the primary site of this barrier. With the growing number of studies that focus on the role of the blood-CSF barrier in CNS homeostasis and neurological disorders, a modern overview of the blood-CSF barrier is long overdue. The Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier is exclusively devoted to the blood-CSF barrier. Internationally renowned experts discuss the most recent progress in the field of choroid plexus physiology and update our knowledge of the function of the blood-CSF barrier. The book begins with an overview of the development and morphology of the choroid plexus, and then covers various aspects of its function, such as the regulation of choroidal blood flow, ion transport, and the production and transport of polypeptides. Following an extensive section on the role of the choroid plexus in CNS disorders, the final section discusses in vitro, in vivo, and in situ models of the blood-CSF barrier.This unique book analyzes a wealth of new research on the proven and potential roles of the choroid plexus/blood-CSF barrier in the brain. It is a valuable resource that will foster future studies in neuroscience, pharmacology, and toxicology.

Read more less

New Religious Movements (NRMs) came into being as a distinct subfield of academic study in the 1970s in response to the explosion of non-traditional religions that took place in the waning years of the Sixties counterculture. (The designation New Religion' is a direct translation of a Japanese term coined for the many new religions that emerged in the wake of the Second World War, and was adopted by Western scholars in the late Sixties/early Seventies in preference to the pejorative term cult'.) These movements, and those termed sects' and cults', initially attracted the attention of American and European sociologists of religion because of the controversy that arose in response to their expansion.Religious Studies, which at the time was still in the process of establishing itself as a legitimate discipline distinct from Theology and traditional Biblical Studies, was only too happy to leave NRMs to Sociology. This situation gradually changed, however, so that at present at le

Read more less

The last decade has seen the rise of urban design which has taken a central position in the new agendas for urban regeneration and renaissance. Urban design has moved from marginality to mainstream. The principles espoused by urban designers over the past thirty years are now accepted as key to a better urban environment and as we move towards greater sustainability, different ideas are emerging that are challenging some of the accepted urban design norms; urban design is at a watershed. Urban Design Futures presents essays from an international cast of authors to review progress and explore emerging ideas: should urban design reflect the future rather than recreate the past? What are the new driving forces that will shape urban living and hence urban design in the future? This book explores new concepts and points the way towards a series of urban design paradigms for the twenty-first century.

Read more less

This original and compelling study argues against the traditional identification of Arthur as a king in Celtic Britain. Instead, Graham Anderson explores the evidence for two much older figures, known to classical writers as kings of Arcadia and Lydia, over a millenium before.He shows how these kings can be clearly connected with traditional Arthurian characters and adventure, including an ancient Gawain, a Lady of Shallott, and a predecessor of Excalibur, and shows that the Arthurian universe found in Welsh tales and French romances is already anticipated in these earliest of Arthurian materials.This radical reassessment of the Arthurian legends provides a new perspective on on age-old historical puzzle, and will provoke debate amongst Classical and Medieval scholars and Arthurian enthusiasts.

Read more less

The book is a cutting edge debate.It cross the boundaries between the fields of architecture, planning and landscape through philosophy, psychology, history and theory.

Read more less

Jane Austen is one of England's most enduringly popular authors, renowned for her subtle observations of the provincial middle classes of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England.This guide to Austen's much-loved work offers: an accessible introduction to the contexts and many interpretations of Austen's texts, including film adaptations, from publication to the present an introduction to key critical texts and perspectives on Austen's life and work, situated within a broader critical history cross-references between sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism suggestions for further reading. Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Jane Austen and seeking not only a guide to her works but also a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds them.

Read more less

We frequently hear that we live in an age of anxiety, from 'therapy culture', the Atkins diet and child anti-depressants to gun culture and weapons of mass destruction. While Hollywood regularly cashes in on teenage anxiety through its Scream franchise, pharmaceutical companies churn out new drugs such as Paxil to combat newly diagnosed anxieties.On Anxiety takes a fascinating, psychological plunge behind the scenes of our panic stricken culture and into anxious minds, asking who and what is responsible. Putting anxiety on the couch, Renata Salecl asks some much-needed questions: Is anxiety about the absence of authority or too much of it? Do the media report anxiety or create it? Are drugs a cure for anxiety or its cause? Is anxiety about being yourself or someone else, and is anxiety really the ultimate obstacle to happiness? Drawing on vivid examples from films such as the X Files and Cyrano de Bergerac, drugs used on soldiers to combat anxiety, the anxieties of love and motherhood, and fake Holocaust memoirs, Renata Salecl argues that what really produces anxiety is the attempt to get rid of it. Erudite and compelling, On Anxiety is essential reading for anyone interested in philosophy, psychology and the cultural phenomenon of anxiety today.

Read more less

Using India as a case study, this well-written, concise book covers everything one needs to know to understand how a country becomes internationally competitive. Showing that reforms that pertain to the real sector alone, such as industrial deregulation and trade reforms, are not enough to enhance a country's competitiveness, this book makes a compelling case for complimentary financial sector reforms.Of interest to academics studying international trade, industrial economics and development economics, this book is also guaranteed to be extremely useful for professional economists and those involved with policy making in developed and developing countries.

Read more less

The study of international relations has changed rapidly in recent years. Firstly as a consequence of major political and economic change – the end of the cold war and the fall of communism, the resurgence of nationalism, terrorism and forms of fundamentalism, globalization – and secondly, linked with these developments, because of the vitality of the discipline, with ongoing debates on the fundamental paradigms for the understanding of international relations and the emergence of the perspectives of feminism, postmodernism, constructivism and critical theory.The Routledge Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics provides a unique reference source for students and academics covering all aspects of global international relations and the contemporary discipline across IR's major subject divisions of diplomacy, military affairs, international political economy, and theory. Written by a distinguished group of international scholars, the Encyclopedia is largely comprised of substantial entries of more than 1,000 words, with fifty major entries of 5,000 words on core contemporary topics. Each entry is fully cross-referenced and followed by a listing of complementary entries and a short bibliography for further reading. The whole is comprehensively indexed.There is no other resource of its kind and the Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics will be an extremely valuable addition to all libraries supporting teaching and research in the social sciences.

Read more less

The Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum was established as a regional grouping in 1989 to deal with the issues arising from growing regional interdependence. Its stated aim is to build a prosperous Asia-Pacific through free and open trade and investment' and it now has twenty-one member economies, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Canada, the USA, Mexico, Peru and Chile. The APEC Summit of Leaders and Ministers from around the region is the major dialogue on economic and political affairs across the Pacific each year. But APEC continues to evolve in a bid to keep pace with the rise of East Asian economic and political power, first around the emergence of Japan as a great industrial nation, later with the rise of the other East Asian economies, the remarkable growth of China and, more recently, the emergence of India.<

Read more less

Playwriting offers a practical guide to the creation of text for live performance. It contains a wealth of exercises for amateur and professional playwrights. Usable in a range of contexts, the book works as: a step-by-step guide to the creation of an individual play a handy resource for a teacher or workshop leader a stimulus for the group-devised play. The result of Noël Greig's thirty years' experience as a playwright, actor, director and teacher, Playwriting is the ideal handbook for anyone who engages with playwriting and is ultimately concerned with creating a story and bringing it to life on the stage.

Read more less

This book presents a survey of analytical, asymptotic, numerical, and combined methods of solving eigenvalue problems. It considers the new method of accelerated convergence for solving problems of the Sturm-Liouville type as well as boundary-value problems with boundary conditions of the first, second, and third kind. The authors also present high-precision asymptotic methods for determining eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of higher oscillation modes and consider numerous eigenvalue problems that appear in oscillation theory, acoustics, elasticity, hydrodynamics, geophysics, quantum mechanics, structural mechanics, electrodynamics, and microelectronics.

Read more less

Equations of Mathematical Diffraction Theory focuses on the comparative analysis and development of efficient analytical methods for solving equations of mathematical diffraction theory. Following an overview of some general properties of integral and differential operators in the context of the linear theory of diffraction processes, the authors provide estimates of the operator norms for various ranges of the wave number variation, and then examine the spectral properties of these operators. They also present a new analytical method for constructing asymptotic solutions of boundary integral equations in mathematical diffraction theory for the high-frequency case.Clearly demonstrating the close connection between heuristic and rigorous methods in mathematical diffraction theory, this valuable book provides you with the differential and integral equations that can easily be used in practical applications.

Read more less

British Queer Cinema draws together a diverse range of innovative new essays that explore, for the first time, the provocative history of lesbian, gay and queer representation in British cinema.From the early years of ‘Pre-Gay’ film, through to the social upheaval of post-war ‘permissiveness’, Gay Liberation and the ‘post-AIDS’ queer generation, contributors examine the shifting and complex nature of queer identity, desire and spectatorship across a number of classical and contemporary British popular film genres and traditions. Through case studies of key works such as The Killing of Sister George, Prick Up Your Ears and Beautiful Thing, a reappraisal of the films of Anthony Asquith, Terence Davies and Derek Jarman, to the ‘queerness’ of the heritage film, the homoerotic ‘New Wave’, or the star performances of Dirk Bogarde, Beryl Reid and Stephen Fry, this timely collection maps the relationship between contemporary queer sexuality and its socio-historical, national and critical contexts.

Read more less

The Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture covers gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (GLBTQ) life and culture post-1945, with a strong international approach to the subject.The scope of the work is extremely comprehensive, with entries falling into the broad categories of Dance, Education, Film, Health, Homophobia, the Internet, Literature, Music, Performance, and Politics. Slang is also covered. The international contributors come from a wide array of backgrounds: scholars, journalists, artists, doctors, scientists, lawyers, activists, and an enormous range of ideologies and points of view are represented. Major entries provide in-depth information and consider the intellectual and cultural implications of their subjects in a global context. Information is completely up-to-date, including full coverage and analysis of such current or ongoing issues as same-sex marriage/civil union and the international AIDS epidemic. Additionally, there are important appendices covering international sodomy laws and archival institutions, which will be of great value to researchers. The Encyclopedia is fully cross-referenced and many entries carry a bibliography. Where possible internet references have been given and there is a full index.The combination of its wide scope, determined international coverage and appendices make the Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture a uniquely ambitious work and an extremely rich source of information. It is a priority addition for all libraries serving scholars and students with an interest in GLBTQ culture, history and politics across the disciplines.

Read more less

Through observations in three intensive care units, this book draws on the reality of practice to explore how nurses and doctors work in intensive care settings. It examines:· the power held by the competing knowledge bases· the roles of the different professions· the decision-making process· the sources of conflict· the need for change.Drawing together sociological theories and clinical practice, Power and Conflict Between Doctors and Nurses explores the role of nurses in delivering contemporary health care. It makes a strong case for interdisciplinary working and is particularly timely when health care policy is challenging work boundaries in health care.

Read more less