Many post-communist countries in Central/Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are being encouraged and indeed pressured by Western countries to improve their treatment of ethnic and national minorities, and to adopt Western models of minority rights. But what are these Western models, and will they work in Eastern Europe? In the first half of this volume, Will Kymlicka describes a model of 'liberal pluralism' which has gradually emerged in most Western democracies, and discusses what would be involved in adopting it in Eastern Europe. This is followed by 15 commentaries from people actively involved in minority rights issues in the region, as practitioners or academics, and by Kymlicka's reply. This volume will be of interest to anyone concerned with ethnic conflict in Eastern Europe, and with the more general question of whether Western liberal values can or should be promoted in the rest of the world.

This text examines religion as a form of collective memory. This is a memory held in place by Europe's institutional churches, educational systems, and the mass media - all of which are themselves responding to rapid social and economic change Europe's religious memory is approached in the following ways: as vicarious; as a particularly European characteristic; as precarious, especially among young people; and as it is portrayed by the media. The memory may fragment, be disputed, and in extreme cases, disappear. Alternatives may emerge. The challenge for European societies is to affirm healthy mutations in religious memory and discourage others. The book also examines the increasing diversity of Europe's religious life This book is intended for scholars and students of Sociology, Religion, Politics, European Studies, and Philosophy.

Modern Spain is a revelation in this up-to-date overview. Stanton vibrantly describes the startling variety of landscape, people, and culture that make up Spain today. Included are a context chapter and others on religion, customs, media, cinema, literature, performing arts, and visual arts. Students of Spanish and a general audience will be rewarded with engrossing insights into what writer Ernest Hemingway called the very best country of all.

Spain is a modern European nation, yet Spaniards are fiercely tied to their individual towns and regions--with their distinct social customs, dialects or languages, foods, landscape, and lifestyles--more than to a united country. "Culture and Customs of Spain" conveys the extremes, such as the hard-working Catalan contrasted to the leisurely paced Castilian, coexisting in first and third world conditions, and the love/hate relationship with the Catholic Church. Spain's institutions are described, and its contributions to the world--from unparalleled literature and cuisine to flamenco and filmmaker Pedro Almodovar--are celebrated. A chronology and glossary complement the text.

There is perhaps no city in Britain so saturated in history and layered with historic imagery as Bath. This interdisciplinary study explores the evolution, structure, and uses of the image of Georgian Bath, from its genesis in the eighteenth century to its renaissance in the twentieth century.

The Ojibwe of Anishinaabe are a native American people who were taught by 19th-century missionaries to sing evangelical hymns translated into the native language both as a means of worship and as a

tool for eradicating the "indianness" of the native people. Rather than Americanizing the people, however, these songs have become emblematic of Anishinaabe identity. In this book, Michael McNally

uses the Ojiwbe's hymn-singing as a lens to examine how this native American people has creatively drawn on the resources of ritual to negotiate identity and survival within the structures of

colonialism. Drawing on both archival research and fieldwork, he traces the historical development of ritualized singing and how this distinctive practice has come into play at various moments in

Ojiwbe history. This important study re-examines the contested nature of "tradition," arguing that despite its origins hymn-singing has now become "traditional" through the agency of today's elders,

who have asserted their role as cultural critics on the reservation through their singing.

The industrialization of information resources has been a growing trend across the world in recent years, especially in China, where the information resource industry (IRI) has expanded exponentially for over more than a decade. While analysing the development conditions of China's IRI, this book clearly defines the implications and strategic value of the industry, summarizes basic IRI theories, and clarifies the history of its development and special regional characteristics within the Chinese context. Drawing on the statistics and measurement of various economic indicators of IRI, the authors propose four stages of development: a germination period; an initial development period; a subsequent rapid development period; and lastly, a steady development period. At the same time, the book draws upon various theoretical models such as the "Dynamic Resource Triangle" model, the "Information Resource Industrial Symbiosis" model, the value chain model and the explanation model of information consumption in order to shed light on IRI's elements and the optimization of its management. In addition, the authors present the Information Resource Industry Development Index (IRIDI) to evaluate IRI's development in different provinces and cities across Mainland China and monitor its dynamics from the point of view of industrial value and the external environment. While the book lays a solid theoretical foundation for the growth of China's IRI, it will also give international readers a clear picture of China's emerging industries in the current era. As an emerging strategic industry in China, the information resource industry (IRI) has had and will continue to have a growing impact on economic and social development. Focusing on the special characteristics of IRI policies in China, this book provides an in-depth discussion of the major directions, methods, and paths of development for IRI policies via a comprehensive analysis of the structural, organizational, promotional policies and policy instruments of China's IRI. Concentrating on policy instruments, the book, for the first time, provides a systematic, all-rounded review of China's IRI policies that have been released to date, and proposes a "China Information Resource Industry Policy Library" comprising six types of IRI policy documents: organizational, information, regulatory, incentives, market, and social. The whole contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the application of various IRI policies in China, and also supports the decision making behind and building of industrial policies.

This set gathers together a collection of previously out-of-print titles that examine China's great heritage in literature, poetry, theatre and performance, painting and crafts. This reference resource spans Chinese traditions and artforms to provide in-depth analysis of some of China's great cultural treasures from many different periods in the country's long history.

As a country, Taiwan is one of the most vibrant, exciting, colourful and entrepreneurial on earth. The contributors reveal what underpins the vitality of Taiwan, examining the relevance of its democratic politics, civil society and the presence of an existential threat from China, as well as the importance of its international business nexus.

An informative guide to the recently emerged states of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, providing coverage of a broad range of political, economic, and cultural issues. As conflicts continue in Iraq and political tensions mount in China, the world is beginning to take notice of Central Asia as the crossroads between the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Central Asia: A Global Studies Handbook explores the three central states of the region, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and provides insight to their past, present, and future. The first of its kind, this reference work covers a wide range of topics on Central Asia as a whole. From the geography, history, and economics to politics, education, and religion, students and teachers will find this an informative and comprehensive research source, while business-people and travelers will discover a fascinating look into the region's society. From the times of Alexander through globalization and the politicization of Islam, the mysteries of Central Asia are finally brought to light. Includes a detailed map of each country and photos of people and places pertinent to the development of these Central Asian states A comprehensive index is included for quick reference on numerous topics and a chronology lists key events in the history of each of the three countries

Since its founding in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been an increasingly large part of the life of Southeast Asia, although most people in the region know very little about it. ASEAN has helped bring peace and stability to the region. It has successfully engaged the world's major powers, in East Asia and beyond. ASEAN has taken steps to integrate the regional economy as an important means of cooperatively improving the region's competitiveness, attracting investments, generating jobs, raising incomes, and lowering costs and prices. ASEAN has also formed networks for dealing with regional problems like communicable diseases, environmental degradation, and transnational crime. An essential part of the ""Southeast Asia Background Series"", this book seeks to shed some light on what ASEAN is all about.

Although Judaism and Catholicism have important differences, both religions contain elements of religious mystery, aspects of belief that transcend the rational. Each religion additionally provides believers a concrete method for encountering the numinous: following the commandments in Judaism or partaking of the sacraments in Catholicism. This book studies how Jewish and Catholic practices of giving structure to religious mystery are embodied in the works of Bernard Malamud, Walker Percy, Cynthia Ozick, and Flannery O'Connor.

The volume links Malamud with Percy and Ozick with O'Connor because these Jewish and Catholic authors depict religious mystery in similar ways. Percy and Malamud use the quest form to give shape to mystery. In doing so, they show their characters moving toward a religious commitment. In contrast, O'Connor and Ozick use the grotesque and fantastic to evoke the numinous. Thus they embody the religious mystery that Malamud's and Percy's characters seek to encounter. Whether presenting a movement toward mystery or serving to evoke it, these four authors explore an ineffable dimension that readers need to sense in order to gain a better understanding of their works.

The focus of this edited volume is twofold: to better understand current regional transformations; and to discuss what new developments mean for how we theorize non-European regionalism and regionalist governance. The book provides an original and grounded analysis of post-hegemonic and post-trade arrangements in the areas of finance, security, development and civil society. By observing these points the authors hope to open a new space for an analysis of the transformative capacity and the political resilience of new regional spaces and institutional arrangements. Theoretically, by focusing on the question of post-trade regional governance we hope to challenge New Regionalist approaches that have usefully embraced issues beyond mainstream EU studies (in particular the links between the regional, the international and the local), yet had assumed regionalism as taking place within and modelled by neoliberal economics. The approach taken here supersedes the old categorizations of 'old' and 'new' regionalism to explain new realities that are not taking place within and modelled by neoliberal economics. The chapters will contribute to the analytical field of (comparative) regionalism by addressing new questions about how transformative post-hegemonic regionalism(s) are in terms of regional space and new polities. Finally, the collection is an open invitation to engage EU and other studies on regionalism as Latin America matters for the knowledge it can provide on pressing questions such as flexibility, the use of informal politics and power, and the continuing widening-versus-deepening debate understanding regionalism and regionalization for other regions of the world."

An examination of the settlement history of the alluvial bottomlands of the lower Mississippi Valley from 1880 to 1930, this study details how cotton-growers transformed the swamplands of northwestern Mississippi, northeastern Louisiana, northeastern Arkansas, and southern Missouri into cotton fields. Although these alluvial bottomlands contained the richest cotton soils in the American South, cotton-growers in the Southern bottomlands faced a host of environmental problems, including dense forests, seasonal floods, water-logged soils, poor transportation, malarial fevers and insect pests. This interdisciplinary approach uses primary and secondary sources from the fields of history, geography, sociology, agronomy, and ecology to fill an important gap in our knowledge of American environmental history.

Requiring laborers to clear and cultivate their lands, cotton-growers recruited black and white workers from the upland areas of the Southern states. Growers also supported the levee districts which built imposing embankments to hold the floodwaters in check. Canals and drainage ditches were constructed to drain the lands, and local railways and graveled railways soon ended the area's isolation. Finally, quinine and patent medicines would offer some relief from the malarial fevers that afflicted bottomland residents, and commercial poisons would combat the local pests that attacked the cotton plants, including the boll weevils which arrived in the early twentieth century.

The first English collection of translated essays, by Chinese literary scholars, writers, and critics, this volume focuses on the legacy of socialist culture and post-socialist phenomena within the context of capitalist globalization. By rethinking socialism, literature, and culture in relation to the intellectual and cultural trends since the start of the reform and by debating the rise of the 'new left' culture, this book seeks to offer critical voices while evoking the themes of the socialist past to bear on the 21st-century Chinese intellectual and cultural scenes.

Since its founding, the U.S. has struggled with issues of federalism and states' rights. In almost every area of law, from abortion to zoning, conflicts arise between the states and the federal government over which entity is best suited to create and enforce laws. In the last decade, immigration has been on the front lines of this debate, with states such as Arizona taking an extremely assertive role in policing immigrants within their borders. While Arizona and its notorious SB 1070 is the most visible example of states claiming expanded responsibility to make and enforce immigration law, it is far from alone. An ordinance in Hazelton, Pennsylvania prohibited landlords from renting to the undocumented. Several states have introduced legislation to deny citizenship to babies who are born to parents who are in the United States without authorization. Other states have also enacted legislation aimed at driving out unauthorized migrants. Strange Neighbors explores the complicated and complicating role of the states in immigration policy and enforcement, including voices from both sides of the debate. While many contributors point to the dangers inherent in state regulation of immigration policy, at least two support it, while others offer empirically-based examinations of state efforts to regulate immigration within their borders, pointing to wide, state-by-state disparities in locally-administered immigration policies and laws. Ultimately, the book offers an extremely timely, thorough, and spirited discussion on an issue that will continue to dominate state and federal legislatures for years to come.

As carbon dioxide is the most important source of greenhouse gases today, its emission quantity has become a primary focus of governments, scholars, and the general public. From the perspective of the structure of Chinese industry, this book aims to answer two questions. First, what is the driving force of China's CO2 emissions and how does this relate to the structure of industry? Second, what is the potential for abatement and the cost of CO2 across sectors and regions, and the impact for industry? The author calculates the CO2 inventory data at province and sectoral level based on the approach of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and then quantifies the CO2 abatement potential and marginal abatement cost using this production framework. Econometric models are used to examine the likely impact on industry of abatement potential and cost. The book hence provides a rich source of information for general readers to better understand the characteristics, patterns and drivers of China's CO2 emissions. It also provides solid evidence for policy-makers to help mitigate CO2 emissions through industrial restructuring strategy.

Taking a forward-looking approach, this book critically examines the issues and dynamics central to Africa's problematic development and situates these issues within the contents unique cultural, political, economic, and social milieu. Moving away from a simple litany of problems bedeviling Africa's economy, the book is the culmination of several scholars' efforts to identify specific causative factors. Each chapter delineates a specific issue, demonstrates the role it plays in overall development, and speculates on probable ways to meet the challenges it poses. The major conceptual and epistemological constructs considered include the tamed African State, social capacity, management of change, reconceptualized gender roles, and economic integration.

Although the contributors' various approaches diverge and disagree, the epistemological variations contribute cumulatively to an understanding of the issues at the root of Africa's slow pace of development. While traversing the spectrum of issues that affect development, the book uniquely points out that the management of change is pivotal to fostering development. The authors' efforts provide a useful base for future research and help to chart a course of action leading to success in the 21st century.

This collection brings together international experts on the cinema of migration and diaspora in postcolonial and postnational Europe. It offers a comprehensive theoretical and analytical discussion of a highly productive creative sector and documents the spectrum of this area of exploration in European, transnational and World Cinema studies.

This book uses household survey data from five Central Asian countries to analyse the important consequences of, and elements that constitute, the creation of a market economy. The countries studied - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - had taken minimal action towards creating a market economy before the dissolution of the USSR in late 1991. From similar initial conditions they have pursued different post-independence economic strategies, making them ideal candidates for comparative analysis. The pivotal question concerns the determination of living standards. Who gained and who lost from the transition to a market economy? Which characteristics are rewarded in a new market economy? How do national policies and other systematic factors affect these outcomes? The authors also address other important issues that have emerged during transition debates: the position of women and the role of small businesses. The book analyses the gender issue in the narrow, but significant, sense of what happened to women in the labour market and the authors also analyze the characteristics of households with non-farm businesses. This book will prove invaluable to academics and researchers of Asian studies and particularly those with an interest in economic development and labour economics within the region.

The radio in Africa has shaped culture by allowing listeners to negotiate modern identities and sometimes fast-changing lifestyles. Through the medium of voice and mediated sound, listeners on the station – known as Radio Bantu, then Radio Zulu, and finally Ukhozi FM – shaped new understandings of the self, family and social roles.

Through particular genres such as radio drama, fuelled by the skills of radio actors and listeners, an array of debates, choices and mistakes were unpacked daily for decades. This was the unseen literature of the auditory, the drama of the airwaves, which at its height shaped the lives of millions of listeners in urban and rural places in South Africa. Radio became a conduit for many talents squeezed aside by apartheid repression. Besides Winnie Mahlangu and K.E. Masinga and a host of other talents opened by radio, the exiles Lewis Nkosi and Bloke Modisane made a niche and a network of identities and conversations which stretched from the heart of Harlem to the American South. Nkosi and Modisane were working respectively in BBC Radio drama and a short-lived radio transcription centre based in London which drew together the threads of activism and creativity from both Black America and the African continent at a critical moment of the late empire.

Radio Soundings is a fascinating study that shows how, throughout its history, Zulu radio has made a major impact on community, everyday life and South African popular culture, voicing a range of subjectivities which gave its listeners a place in the modern world.

This study presents new microeconomic analyses of congestion-prone services that comprise most private and public services at the final consumption stage. It accounts for two distinctive features of congestion-prone services: the discrepancy between capacity and throughput, and service quality competition. To accommodate these features, a series of new decision-making theorems for consumers and suppliers is developed. The resulting demand and cost functions incorporate service time as the variable that reflects congestion and service quality. In market equilibrium, interactions between consumers and firms endogenously determine the industrial organization type of each firm and thus allow the coexistence of multiple industrial organization types in the same market. Efficiency of resource allocation is assessed by applying two different criteria: service quality diversity throughout the market and Pareto optimality in each submarket.