This book presents selected papers from the 31st Eurasia Business and Economics Society (EBES) Conference, which took place as a virtual conference due to the global COVID-19 health crisis. The theoretical and empirical papers gathered here cover diverse areas of business, economics and finance in various geographic regions, including not only topics from HR, management, finance, marketing but also contributions on public economics, political economy and regional studies.

For centuries, Africa's Upper Guinea Coast region has been the site of regional and global interactions, with societies from different parts of the African continent and beyond engaging in economic trade, cultural exchange, and various forms of conflict. This book provides a wide-ranging look at how such encounters have continued into the present day, identifying the disruptions and continuities in religion, language, economics, and various other social phenomena that have resulted. These accounts show a region that, while still grappling with the legacies of colonialism and the slave trade, is both shaped by and an important actor within ever-denser global networks, exhibiting consistent transformation and creative adaptation.

Notwithstanding its many successes since 1945, the project of European integration currently faces major difficulties, from financial crises and mass immigration to the impending departure of the UK from the European Union. At the same time, these challenges have spurred civil society organizations within and across Europe, revealing a shared public sphere in which citizens can mobilize around refugee rights, opposition to austerity policies, and other issues. Europeanization in Sweden assembles new empirical research on how these processes have played out in one of the continent's wealthiest nations, providing insights into whether, and how, the "Swedish model" can guide European integration.

The Glossary was designed primarily as a key to an understanding of the terms and terminology employed in Anglo-Chinese society at the turn of the twentieth century. It covers subjects as diverse as the origin of words (such as 'amok' and 'chop'), practices such as footbinding, consideration of the thoughts of Confucius, and many other items of interest and information. Against each entry the equivalent Chinese characters are given. First published in 1878, a third edition appeared in 1900.

The notion of Differentiated Integration is increasingly used in the literature on European integration. Often employed interchangeably with the notion of "flexible integration, diverging views on its nature have led to the emergence of various definitions and, to some extent, a semantic confusion. A lack of consensus characterizes the academic literature; some authors even avoid putting an explicit definition on the term. The main objective of this book is to seek answers for the following questions: How can one define Differentiated Integration in the European Union? Should Differentiated Integration be considered as a process, a concept, a system or a theory? Should it be seen as a temporary or a well-established phenomenon? How is this field of study likely to develop in the future? In order to do so, all chapters, written by leading experts in the field, offer a state-of-the-art analysis of the study of differentiated integration, from theoretical and practical perspectives. In addition, this book is not a collection of isolated papers: all chapters are interconnected and gravitate towards the aforementioned central questions, but approach these from different perspectives. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy.

The effects of the de-regulation of the Chinese university system have been nothing short of spectacular. For the first time since 1949, students possessing neither gifted intellect nor political connections have been able to share in the benefits of higher education, while a flood of international educators have opened up a previously cloistered and politically sensitized academic world. This fascinating book examines China's higher education system, and how it's new and unique blend of foreign and Chinese perspectives impact on both the lives of students and academics and wider Chinese society. Viewed with suspicion as a new type of Chinese by the older generation and by the government, they are at the same time the very entrepreneurs driving the economic and social revolution sweeping the country. Using a range of in-depth interviews and unique research, it provides open and often frank accounts of life, work and education in China, from the Cultural Revolution to the creation of its market-focused entrepreneurial generation. Candid and illuminating, this is a book no serious reader of Asian studies, comparative education or Asian sociology will want to be without.

In one of the few studies to draw upon cemetery data to reconstruct the social organization, social change, and community composition of a specific area, this volume contributes to the growing body of sociohistorical examinations of Appalachia. The authors herein reconstruct the Cades Cove community in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, USA, a mountain community from circa 1818 to 1939, whose demise can be traced to the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. By supplementing a statistical analysis of Cades Cove's twenty-seven cemeteries, completed as a National Park Study (#GRSM-01120), with ethnographic examination, the authors reconstruct the community in detail to reveal previously overlooked social patterns and interactions, including insight into the death culture and death-lore of the Upland South. This work establishes cemeteries as window into (proxies of) communities, demonstrating the relevance of socio-demographic data presented by statistical and other analyses of gravestones for Appalachian Studies, Regional Studies, Cemetery Studies, and Sociology and Anthropology.

This book addresses the topic of urban models with reference to large western cities and particularly to global cities. In the current transitional phase, the use of language and the systematization of phenomena has become important. The book 's matrix examines two important and strongly connected themes: urban models and public-private partnerships (PPP) determined by urban functions which are transformed in an increasingly rapid and complex manner as a result of globalization. PPPs represent the new border of the modern global state. The book focuses on two principal urban models (renewal and restructuring) through PPPs and subsequently the relationship between state and market in fourteen Italian cities (renewal) and two central European cities, Leipzig and Budapest (restructuring). CoUrbIT (Complex Urban Investment Tools) and the book 'Globalization and Urban Implosion: Creating New Competitive Advantage' by the same author serve as points of reference.

A Critical Introduction to Religion in the Americas argues that we cannot understand religion in the Americas without understanding its marginalized communities. Despite frequently voiced doubts among religious studies scholars, it makes the case that theology, and particularly liberation theology, is still useful, but it must be reframed to attend to the ways in which religion is actually experienced on the ground. That is, a liberation theology that assumes a need to work on behalf of the poor can seem out of touch with a population experiencing huge Pentecostal and Charismatic growth, where the focus is not on inequality or social action but on individual relationships with the divine. By drawing on a combination of historical and ethnographic sources, this volume provides a basic introduction to the study of religion and theology in the Latino/a, Black, and Latin American contexts, and then shows how theology can be reframed to better speak to the concerns of both religious studies and the real people the theologians' work is meant to represent. Informed by the dialogue partners explored throughout the text, this volume presents a hemispheric approach to discussing lived religious movements. While not dismissive of liberation theologies, this approach is critical of their past and offers challenges to their future as well as suggestions for preventing their untimely demise. It is clear that the liberation theologies of tomorrow cannot look like the liberation theologies of today.

Exploring the evolution of song and dance in the popular Hindi film, this book examines how these quintessential elements have been and continue to be theorized. As song 'picturizations', as they are frequently called, have evolved, shifting from little more than impromptu moves around tree trunks to highly choreographed affairs featuring scores of professional dancers and exotic backgrounds, their theorization has also developed beyond the initial, peremptory dismissals of earlier critics. Featuring a landmark collection of essays from leading theorists, as well as newer contributions from up-and-coming scholars, this book develops new and exciting ways of thinking about song and dance in Hindi cinema and, in turn, explores how these elements work to (re)define popular Hindi cinema in the twenty-first century. This collection will be of interest to students and scholars of Hindi cinema, musicals, and global popular cultures. It was originally published as a special issue of South Asian Popular Culture.

This fully updated fifth edition of An Introduction to African Politics is an ideal textbook for those new to the study of this fascinating continent.

Charting trends in government over six decades of the post-colonial era, the book tackles key questions such as: How have African states made sense of their colonial inheritance? How relevant are ethnic and religious identities? Why have some states collapsed and others prospered? Why did the one-party state fail? Why is contemporary Africa now dominated by electoral authoritarian states, and not the multi-party democracies promised in the 1990s?

Key features include:

thematically organised, with chapters exploring issues such as colonialism, ethnicity, nationalism, religion, social class, ideology, legitimacy, authority, sovereignty and democracy;

new five-part structure makes clearer Africa’s political evolution over time;

new chapter on the emergence of ‘hybrid states’ and ‘electoral authoritarianism’;

more coverage of twenty-first century governance trends such as China’s impact, the changing role of the military, different uses of ‘client–patron’ networks, Western conditionality and the ‘Africa rising’ debate;

colour presentation of maps, photos and data;

boxed case studies including Mali, Tanzania, Nigeria, Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda, Somalia, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tunisia and Angola;

each chapter concludes with key terms and definitions, questions and further reading.

An Introduction to African Politics is essential reading for students seeking an accessible introduction to the complex social relationships and events that characterise the politics of post-colonial Africa.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Introductions and the Historical Inheritance

1. Introduction: State, civil society and external interests

2. History: Africa’s pre-colonial and colonial inheritance

Part 2: The Dominant African State, 1960s-1970s

3. Ideology: Nationalism, socialism, populism and state capitalism

4. Ethnicity and religion: ‘Tribes’, gods and political identity

5. Social class: The search for class politics in Africa

6. Legitimacy: Neo-patrimonialism, personal rule and the centralisation of the African state

7. Coercion: Military intervention in African politics

8. Sovereignty I: External influences on African politics

Part 3: The Weakened Africa State, 1980s-1990s

9. Sovereignty II: Neo-colonialism, structural adjustment and Africa’s political economy

10. Authority: The crises of accumulation, governance and state collapse

Part 4: The Re-fashioned African State, 1990s-present

11. Democracy: Multi-party elections re-legitimising the African state?

12. Hybrid regimes: ‘Africa rising’, stalled transitions, or something in-between?

Part 5: Conclusions

13. Conclusions: The changing relationship between state, civil society and external interests in post-colonial Africa

When will Albania join the EU? Will accession help Albania to achieve prosperity, stability and prosperity? And, what factors are helping it towards this end and what factors are holding it back? An original study of Albania and its relations with the EU, this is the first book to identify and analyse the problems of the country as it moves towards membership of the Union. It explores the political, economic and social transformations needed to make Albanian membership possible. The authors highlight the enormous democratic changes that have occurred in post-communist Albania, as well as the many obstacles that still remain. This balanced and objective assessment will be an essential resource for everyone interested in the history and future of the Balkans and the EU.

A stunning work of popular history-the story of how a crop transformed the history of slavery Americans consume over 1.5 billion pounds of peanut products every year. But few of us know the peanut's tumultuous history, or its intimate connection to slavery and freedom. Lyrical and powerful, Slaves for Peanuts deftly weaves together the natural and human history of a crop that transformed the lives of millions. Author Jori Lewis reveals how demand for peanut oil in Europe ensured that slavery in Africa would persist well into the twentieth century, long after the European powers had officially banned it in the territories they controlled. Delving deep into West African and European archives, Lewis recreates a world on the coast of Africa that is breathtakingly real and unlike anything modern readers have experienced. Slaves for Peanuts is told through the eyes of a set of richly detailed characters-from an African-born French missionary harboring runaway slaves, to the leader of a Wolof state navigating the politics of French imperialism-who challenge our most basic assumptions of the motives and people who supported human bondage. At a time when Americans are grappling with the enduring consequences of slavery, here is a new and revealing chapter in its global history.

Despite an extensive literature on homelessness there is surprisingly little work that investigates the roots of homelessness by tracking homeless people over time. In this fascinating and much-needed ethnographic study, Megan Ravenhill presents the results of ten years' research on the streets and in the hostels and day-centres of the UK, incorporating intensive interviews with 150 homeless and formerly homeless people as well as policy makers and professionals working with homeless people. Ravenhill discusses the biographical, structural and behavioural factors that lead to homelessness. Amongst the important and unique features of the study are: the use of life-route maps showing the circumstances and decisions that lead to homelessness, a systematic study of the timescales involved, and a survey of people's exit routes from homelessness. Ravenhill also identifies factors that predict those most vulnerable to homelessness and factors that prevent or considerably delay the onset of homelessness.

This book traces the history of the Chinese Communist Party's behavior toward itself, and the way it has created and developed the regime on the state of affairs at home and abroad, and on a compelling ideology dominated by the giant-like personality of Mao Tse-tung.

The European Landscape is under stress of changing land use and a changing attitude of its users. Globalization, the disappearance of the iron curtain and the recent EU enlargement to 25 countries have changed the economic and environmental dimensions of Europe. Europe is changing its face from a western and eastern part to one European Union and to fast connections between its centres of activity. The rural and cultural heritage of Europe has to be adapted to cope with this change. However, its landscape is worth to be conserved as well, because it represents the European history in the same way as castles and churches. It even more represents the history of the common people, because it has been the tradition of the rural population that made these landscapes. It cannot be prevented that Europe is changing and it is good that Europe adapts to the new dimensions of the world. We, in Europe, have to define what we think is important and what must be conserved, what can be adapted to be used for new functions and what can be abolished because it has no value. These decisions will determine the new dimensions of the European landscapes. The Frontis Workshop on the New Dimensions of the European Landscape was held on 10-12 June 2002. Wageningen University and Research Centre organized this workshop aiming to develop visions on the landscape in Europe, its development and design in the future and to strengthen the international network in landscape planning.

Colloquial Chinese: The Complete Course for Beginners has been carefully developed by a leading academic in Chinese language teaching and course design. Based on feedback from learners and teachers who used its previous version, this new edition has been updated to reflect the language and cultural changes in China, such as online shopping and WeChat payment, and to provide a more integrated and step-by-step approach to making the learning of modern Mandarin Chinese more effective and enjoyable. Combining a clear, practical and accessible style with a methodical and thorough treatment of the language, it equips learners with the essential knowledge and skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively in Chinese in a broad range of situations. No prior knowledge of the language is required. Colloquial Chinese is exceptional; each unit presents a wealth of grammatical points that are reinforced with a wide range of exercises for regular practice. A full answer key, a grammar summary, bilingual glossaries and English translations of dialogues can be found at the back, as well as transcripts of listening practice exercises. Key features include: A clear, user-friendly format designed to help learners progressively build up their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills Jargon-free, succinct and clearly structured explanations of grammar Step by step introduction of Chinese characters An extensive range of focused and dynamic supportive exercises A combination of listening, reading and speaking activities with the support of transcripts at the back of the book Realistic and entertaining dialogues covering a broad variety of narrative situations Helpful cultural points explaining the customs and features of life in China An overview of the Chinese language: its sounds, structure and Chinese characters Balanced, comprehensive and rewarding, Colloquial Chinese is an indispensable resource both for independent learners and students taking courses in Chinese as well as teachers of Chinese. Audio material to accompany the course is available to download free in MP3 format from www.routledge.com/cw/colloquials. Recorded by native speakers, the audio material features the dialogues, new words and listening practice exercises from the book and will help develop your listening and speaking skills.

Qin Cao's innovative research presents new insights into these weapons, moving beyond perceptions of them being primarily symbols of power and rank. It further challenges the dominant interpretations of this Chinese Bronze Age period as being ritual-centric. Through the lens of weapons, this book argues for the significance of martial prowess and leadership within late Shang society. The author considers Shang weapons from an object biographical perspective, tracing their life histories for the first time. This book synthesises archaeological data, scientific analyses, and inscriptions on oracle bones and bronzes, uncovering a more nuanced understanding of the complex roles weapons played in society. What traces of evidence can be detected on weapons that demonstrate their ability to cause bodily harm? Why were tens of thousands of weapons placed in tombs? What led to certain individuals, including high-ranking royal females, being buried with weapons? This book will of interest to academics, students (both undergraduates and postgraduates) and researchers in archaeology, particularly those focused on China, East Asia or comparative studies, as well as a more general readership in Chinese archaeology

This book examines India's foreign and defence policy changes in response to China's growing economic and military power and increased footprint across the Indo-Pacific. It further explores India's role in the rivalry between China and the United States. The book looks at the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean Region in the Indo-Pacific geopolitical landscape and how India is managing China's rise by combining economic cooperation with a wide set of balancing strategies. The authors in this book critically analyse the various tools of Indian foreign policy, including defence posture, security alignments, and soft power diplomacy, among others, and discuss the future trajectory of India's foreign policy and the factors which will determine the balance of power in the region and the potential risks involved. The book provides detailed insights into the multifaceted and complex relationship between India and China and will be of great interest to researchers and students of international relations, Asian studies, political science, and economics. It will also be useful for policymakers, journalists, and think tanks interested in the India-China relationship.

This book is the second volume in a new series on 'Great Minds in Regional Science,' which seeks to present a contemporary view on the scientific relevance of the work done by great thinkers in regional science. This volume presents, among others, Adam Smith, Johann Heinrich von Thunen, and Alan Wilson. Each chapter combines factual biographical information about the 'Great Mind,' a description of their major contributions, and a discussion of the broader context of their work, as well as an assessment of its current relevance, scientific recognition, and policy impact. The book attempts to fill a gap in our knowledge and to respond to the growing interest in the formation and development of the field of regional science and its key influential figures.

This volume offers perspective on modern French society and culture through thematic chapters on topics ranging from geography to popular culture. Ideal for students and general readers, this book includes insightful, current information about France's past, present, and future. France is the country most visited by international tourists. Aside from cliched images of baguettes and the Eiffel Tower, however, what is French society and culture really like? Modern France is organized into thematic chapters covering the full range of French history and contemporary daily life. Chapter topics include: geography; history; government and politics; economy; religion and thought; social classes and ethnicity; gender, marriage, and sexuality; education; language; etiquette; literature and drama; art and architecture; music and dance; food; leisure and sports; and media and popular culture. Each chapter contains an overview of the topic and alphabetized entries on examples of each theme. A detailed historical timeline covers prehistoric times to the presidency of Emmanuel Macron. Special appendices offer profiles of a typical day in the life of representative members of French society, a glossary, key facts and figures about France, and a holiday chart. The volume will be useful for readers looking for specific topical information and for those who want to develop an informed perspective on aspects of modern France. Includes "Day in the Life" features that portray the specific daily activities of various people in the country, from high school students to working class people to professionals, thereby providing readers with insight into daily life in the country Defines key terms related to the reading in a glossary appendix Provides at-a-glance information about France's festivals and feast days in a chart of national holidays Presents photos and sidebars helping to illustrate key topics and allowing students to dive more deeply into ideas Offers historical perspective on key elements of French identity: its major historical figures and conflicts, its institutions and traditions, its values and national symbols, its regions and cities, its cultural and intellectual achievements, and its language and literature Outlines key issues in which tradition and modernity are in tension: multiculturalism vs. universalism, religious pluralism vs. secularism, globalization vs. sovereignism, technological and economic innovation vs. cultural protectionism, and reform vs. protest

This book sheds light on aspects of the Korean Wave and Korean media products that are less discussed-Korean literature, webtoon, and mukbang. It explores the making of these Korean popular cultural products and how they work and engage media recipients regardless of their different national, cultural, and geographical backgrounds. Drawing on narrative theory and cultural studies, the book makes a compelling argument about how to analyze the production and consumption of Korean media within and beyond its national boundary with critical eyes. The author shows how transmedial narrative studies (narrative studies across media) offers analytical and theoretical lenses through which one can interpret new and emerging media forms and contents. Furthermore, she explores how these forms and contents can be better understood when they are contextualized within specific time and place using the cultural, social, and political concepts and precepts of the region. The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of Asian Studies, popular culture, contemporary cyberculture, media and culture studies, and literary theory.

With more and more global economic wealth and power resting with fewer and fewer people, and given the acute land inequalities in the rural areas of Africa, Latin America, and Asia, how valid are the dominant theories about the nature of rural livelihoods? How can the intricacies of the economic and social transformations that are unfolding in the rural areas of developing countries best be understood? The authors of Equitable Rural Socioeconomic Change address these questions as they explore the interrelated themes of land inequality, climate dynamics, and technological innovation across varied rural landscapes, primarily in South Africa, but also in Rwanda, and Brazil.

The focus of this book falls less on performance and more on how the playtext may be approached from a theatrical viewpoint. In the theatre, the playtext, addressed traditionally to the theatre professional rather than the average reader, is usually read by the company at an initial stage in the production of a play. The process by which this type of reading 'opens' the text differs from a literary reading of the text. The result of such an analysis gives new insights into the theatrical text and the playwright's coded directions as to how to translate its content from page to stage. The theoretical premises explored here may be applied as much to a reading of the plays of CalderA3n's European near-contemporaries as to CalderA3n and his contemporaries at the birth of the commercial theatre in seventeenth-century Spain: indeed, the book makes frequent reference to Shakespearean playtexts and their bibliography. Professor ISAAC BENABU teaches in the department of theatre studies, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. El enfoque de este libro se centra en la manera en que leemos el texto de una obra de teatro, con perspectiva teatral mAs bien que literaria. En un ambiente teatral, el texto se dirige tradicionalmente a un lector del oficio, orientacion que "abre" el texto de manera distinta que cuando se lee como literatura. El mA(c)todo de anAlisis aquA- presentado ofrece nuevas aproximaciones al texto teatral y ayuda a descifrar las acotaciones que el dramaturgo ha inscrito en el texto de manera implA-cita, las cuales permiten traducir el texto desde la pAgina impresa a las tablas. Las premises teA3ricas que sirven de base pueden aplicarse tanto a las obras de los dramaturgos del Siglo de Orocomo a las de sus contemporAneos europeos (Shakespeare, MoliA]re, Racine, etc.), ya que comparten entre sA- el honor de haber sido los que establecieron con mucho A(c)xito el teatro comercial en Europa. Isaac Benabu ocupa la cAtedra de teatro renacentista y es director del Departamento de Estudios Teatrales en la Universidad Hebrea de JerusalA(c)n.