Almost all women and men claim that gender equality within their relationships is the ideal. In practice, however, equality is not predominant within many couples and families. This book develops current debates about individualisation within families particularly how partners understand and resolve tensions between the need for togetherness and personal autonomy, and how partners view and work with increasing gender equality.

Individualism and Families is based on a large Swedish study from two of the foremost European experts on the sociology of the family. The study looks particularly at partnering, parenting, intimacy, commitments, attitudes to finances and gender divisions of labour.

This book discusses an important area of the Persian Gulf region: Southwest Persia. In the late 1800s, the British put pressure on the Iranian government to open up a certain route through the Southwest of the country, and this in turn affected the economic development of the region. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the area's people, commerce and industry and the impact of British influence there at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Over the past few decades, Islam has emerged as a political force on the international scene and Islam in World Politics analyzes the factors leading to, and the implications of this heightening of the profile of a religion.
In the political sphere, there is a wide range of emphasis both in which an Islamic society might be realized and the way in which such a society might conduct its relation with the non-Muslim world. Within these different emphases are some radical tendencies. A cluster of fringe groups, broadly referred to as Islamists, have hijacked and appropriated the rhetoric of Islam, applying it to a promised "Islamic" reality to be realized once "Islam is fully applied."
The essays within" Islam in World Politics "are driven by the concern to address there issues. Areas that are covered include an examination of the challenge of Islamism to the Muslim world, the sue of Islam as a political tool on the international scene, its contributions to the theory and practice of global finance, its role in gender discourse, and its articulations in the Indian Sub-continent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Arab World.

Theatre occupied a particularly important place in the life of the elite, for whom owning a theatre troupe was highly fashionable and for whom theatre performances were an integral part of formal gatherings, various rituals and ceremonies. Based on an exploration of original historical records, including comparisons with other forms of ancient theatre, Shen provides an overview of elite theatre in Ming China and examines the details of theatrical performance.

The essays in this collection examine the emergence of Islam as a force in today's international political arena. Driven by a concern to understand factors leading to, and the implications of, this heightened political profile the contributors go beyond polemics and apologetics. The book critically examines some of the major events, movements and trends in the Islamic world over the past fifty years and their impact on the international scene. Reflecting the diversity and heterogeneity of the Muslim world, the book covers issues including: -the challenge of Islamism to the Muslim world -the use of Islam as a political tool on the international scene -Islam's contribution to the theory and practice of global finance -Islam's role in gender discourse -Islam's articulations in the Indian Sub-continent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the Arab world. Very little of the current literature deals with political Islam globally, and very few books go much beyond the Middle East and its terrorist groups. This volume fills that gap, providing a compelling cross-national, cross cultural and interdisciplinary analysis of Islam as a potent political force.

Based on a collection of labor contracts and other documents, this book examines the legal, economic and social relations of labor as they developed in the commercial enterprises of Tokugawa Japan. The urban focus is Kyoto, the cultural capital and smallest of the three great cities of the Tokugawa period, but the data comes from a wider region of commercial and castle towns and rural villages in central Japan.
Tokugawa businesses were family firms, but the system differed from that found in European cities at this time, and differences in family practice also resulted in a different organization adapted to business needs. This semi-public family environment also lent itself to conflict as outsiders were incorporated into family space, hierarchies and affairs. Conflict and its resolution is a topic of special interest in this study. Problems such as embezzling, stealing and absconding, and the mechanisms developed to address these problems in the paternalistic environment of family firms are portrayed through letters and other documents of accusation, investigation, apology, reconciliation and punishment. Numerous translated excerpts of documents written by and for workers and employers bring the voice of the people to life and in this analysis of labor relations.

Based on extensive research, this comparative study examines the past, present and future of management in the transitional economies of East and Central Europe, Russia, the People's Republic of China, and Vietnam. It discusses the nature of the transition process, identifying different transition paths, highlighting common features and outlining useful theoretical approaches. Each chapter covers a wide range of aspects of management in the countries covered, including details of the historical and cultural background, the transition process, and both external and internal factors, and the macro and micro situation. Its multidisciplinary approach, makes this book suitable for both a practitioner and an academic readership

This book provides a detailed examination of judicial decision-making in Japanese cases involving sexual violence. It describes the culture of 'eroticised violence' in Japan, which sees the feminine body as culpable, and the legal system which encourages homogeneity and conformity in decision-making, and shows how the legal constraints confronting women claiming sexual assaults are enormous. It includes analysis of specific case studies, and a discussion of recent moves to address the problem.

A comprehensive introduction to the historical forces and recent social and political developments that have shaped today's Armenian people. With contributions from leading Armenian, American and European specialists, the book focuses on identity formation, exploring how the Armenians' perceptions of themselves and their place in the world are informed by their history, culture and present-day situation. The book also covers contemporary politics, economy and society, and relates these to ongoing debates over future directions for the Armenian people, both in the homeland and in the diaspora communities.

Law of the Sea in East Asia selects the most prominent maritime legal issues that have emerged since the post-LOS Convention era for a detailed discussion and assessment. The current marine legal order in East Asia is based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS Convention) and accordingly coastal states in the region are obliged to cooperate amongst themselves to exercise their rights and perform their duties.

Keyuan, a respected expert in the fields of international and Chinese law, explores issues concerning compliance with the law of the sea, territorial disputes and maritime boundary delimitation, fishery management, safety of navigation and maritime security, and neglected issues in the law of the sea. This is the first book to examine maritime laws in East Asia, and as such will appeal to academics of law and Asian studies, lawyers and policy makers.

During the 1970s, dissidents like Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn dominated Western perceptions of the USSR, but were then quickly forgotten, as Gorbachev's reformers monopolised the spotlight. This book restores the dissidents to their rightful place in Russian history. Using a vast array of samizdat and published sources, it shows how ideas formulated in the dissident milieu clashed with the original programme of perestroika, and shaped the course of democratisation in post-Soviet Russia. Some of these ideas - such the dissidents' preoccupation with glasnost and legality, and their critique of revolutionary violence - became part of the agenda of Russia's democratic movement. But this book also demonstrates that dissidents played a crucial role in the rise of the new Russian radical nationalism. Both the friends and foes of Russian democracy have a dissident lineage.

This book shows how, during the period of the Japanese economic miracle, a distinctive female employment system was developed alongside, and different from, the better known Japanese employment system which was applied to male employees. Women, Work and the Japanese Economic Miracle describes and analyses the place of female workers in the cotton textile industry, which was a crucially important industry with a large workforce. In presenting detailed data on such key issues as recruitment systems, management practices and the working experience of the women involved, it demonstrates the importance for Japan's postwar economy of harnessing female labour during these years.

This book brings together studies by experts in the study of religion in nineteenth century Iran. Broad areas covered include the relationship between religion and the state, the importance of archival materials for the study of religion, the developments in Qajar religious thought, the position of religious minorities in Qajar Iran and the relationship between religion and Qajar culture. The centrality of Shi'ite Islam to any understanding of Qajar religion is emphasised, though non-Muslim religious communities, and their relationship with the Shi'ite hierarchy and the state are also studied. For the first time, a collection of studies by the leading researchers in the field are collected in one place. The collection represents the proceedings of a conference in September 2000 at the University of Bristol.

This handbook on racist extremism in Central and Eastern Europe is the result of a unique collaborative research project of experts from the ten new and future post-communist EU member states. All chapters are written to a common framework, making it easier to compare individual countries and include sections on: racist extremist organizations (political parties, organizations, and subcultures the domestic and international legal framework numbers and types of racist extremist incidents state and civic responses to the threat Cas Mudde's conclusion examines the region as a whole and compares it to Western Europe. Sponsored by the Open Society Institute, this book will prove essential reading for all academics and non-academics interested in this vital aspect of post-communist politics and societies. It will also provide a significant impetus for further studies and actions in the field of racist extremism in Central and Eastern Europe.

This book examines the communist movement in the Arab world from the time of the Russian revolution until after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It traces the interaction of the world communist movement, under the aegis of the Communist International (Komintern) in Moscow, which was characterised by an uncritical acceptance of Marxism-Leninism, and local communists, who moved from initial dependence on Moscow to a position more adapted to local circumstances and sensitivities, which could be characterised as a distinctive 'Arab communism'. It goes on to trace the impact of 'Arab communism' on a range of issues in the region, including national liberation and social and economic transformation, arguing that the role of Arab communist parties was highly significant, and disproportionate to the relatively small numbers of communists in the countries concerned.

This handbook on racist extremism in Central and Eastern Europe is the result of a unique collaborative research project of experts from the ten new and future post-communist EU member states. All chapters are written to a common framework, making it easier to compare individual countries and include sections on:
- Racist extremist organizations (political parties, organizations, and subcultures)
- The domestic and international legal framework
- Numbers and types of racist extremist incidents
- State and civic responses to the threat
Cas Mudde's conclusion examines the region as a whole and compares it to Western Europe.
Sponsored by the Open Society Institute, this book will prove essential reading for all academics and non-academics interested in this vital aspect of post-communist politics and societies. It will also provide a significant impetus for further studies and actions in the field of racist extremism in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Chinese market is appealing, but the Chinese legal system is very complicated. A basic understanding of Chinese law is absolutely crucial for companies investing in this fast-growing and potentially huge market. Since China is moving toward a socialist market economy and is increasingly integrated into the world market, some aspects of China's commercial law are different from, while others are moving into line with, those of mature market economies.

This book provides an introduction to the Chinese legal system, focusing on laws and regulations on foreign direct investment and highlights recent government policies and measures undertaken to intensify economics reforms so as to meet various challenges arising from China's accession to the World Trade Organization.

This book explores devotional Hinduism in a modern context of high consumerism and revolutionised communications. It focuses on a fast-growing and high-profile contemporary Hindu guru faith originating in India and attracting a transnational following. The organisation is led by a vastly popular female guru, Mata Amritanandamayi, whom devotees worship as an avatar and a healer of the ills of the contemporary world. By drawing upon multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork among the mata's primarily urban, educated 'middle class' Indian devotees, the author provides crucial insights into new trends in popular Hinduism in a post-colonial and rapidly modernising Indian setting.

This is the first dedicated book to concentrate on textiles as a major commodity, and primary indicator of status, wealth and identity in Indian Ocean regions. The volume considers the importance of trade, and the transformation of the meaning of objects as they move between different cultures; it also addresses issues of gender, ethnic and religious identity, and economic status. The book covers a broad geographic range from East Africa to South-East Asia, and references a number of disciplines such as anthropology, art history and history. This volume is timely, as both the social sciences and historical studies have developed a new interest in material culture.

This book examines women's activism in the early years of independent Indonesia when new attitudes to gender, nationalism, citizenship and democratization were forming. It questions the meaning of democratization for women and their relationship to national sovereignty within the new Indonesian state, and discusses women's organizations and their activities; women's social and economic roles; and the different cultural, regional and ethnic attitudes towards women, while showing the failure of political change to fully address women's gender interests and needs. The author argues that both the role of nationalism in defining gender identity and the role of gender in defining national identity need equal recognition.

"Linguistic Archaeology of South Asia "brings together linguistic and archaeological evidence of South Asian prehistory. The author depicts and analyses the region, in particular the Indus Valley civilization, its links with neighbouring regions and its implications for social history. Each type of linguistic data is put into its socio-historical context. Consequently, the book is both a description of the unique methodology 'linguistic archaeology' and a treatment of South Asian linguistic data. It will be of interest for scholars and students of linguistics, archaeology, palaeobotany and history.

"In Communist Intellectuals in China, "Hung-Yok Ip examines how communist intellectuals in China during the revolutionary period (1921-1940) constructed and presented identities for themselves. She looks at how these identities later allowed them to claim to be the serving elite of a revolution that sought to liberate the oppressed and bring about a better society. Not only does this book make a contribution to the history of the Chinese revolution, it also contributes to an understanding of the culture that was to be built in China after 1949.
Using memoirs, recollections and literary work that have only recently become available, Ip analyzes Communist intellectuals' self-construction form the functional, emotional aesthetic perspectives, and expands on how these historical agents fashioned the themes of Communist intellectuals as leaders, hero's and sophisticates.

Enhancing our understanding of HRM in the Chinese industrial sector, this book explores the emerging role of HRM in China's industrial enterprises. A significant contribution to the theory of HRM, this book will be essential reading for students and researchers of Business and Management, HRM and Asian Business.

"Institutional Change in Southeast Asia" examines the institutional changes taking place in, and challenges facing, the region since 1997. The book focuses on determinants to the adjustments and on implementations of the reforms. It also describes various differences in the reform process between countries in the region. Southeast Asia's economic development over the last decades has been impressive.
Most of the region achieved consistently high growth rates accompanied by significant structural transformation and industrialization, poverty alleviation and improvements in their overall standard of living as indicated by such social indicators as greater longevity, more widespread delivery of basic education and lower infant mortality rates. However, the crisis that struck Southeast Asia in 1997 had severe economic, social and political consequences in the region. It also threw into doubt the future economic prosperity of the countries in Southeast Asia and raised intriguing questions about the quality of their institutions and their approach to economic development.
Sjoholm and Tongzon argue that the economies of Southeast Asia need to reform their institutions if the previous rapid development is to continue. The institutional weaknesses have been addressed to different degrees and with different success in the affected countries. Against the backdrop of Southeast Asia's importance in the world economy, it is hardly possible to overestimate the need to understand this process of change.

Over recent years, there has been increasing interest in the relationship between China and Japan, particularly as a way of understanding contemporary political, economic and security developments within the whole East Asia region. Caroline Rose presents a thorough, balanced and objective examination of both sides of the relationship. This will be of great interest to academics and policy-makers in the UK and US, as well as to professionals working in Chinese and Japanese communities.