This edited collection focuses on concepts of globalization, glocalization, transnationalism and cosmopolitanism. The contributions provide evidence of how in practice, global dynamics and individual lives are interrelated. It presents theoretical reflections on how the local, the transnational and global dimensions of social life are entwined and construct the meaning of one another, and offers everyday examples of how individuals and organizations try to answer global challenges in local contexts. The book closely focuses on migration processes, as one of the main phenomena allowing a high number of people from contemporary society to directly experience supranational dynamics, either as migrants or inhabitants of the places where migrants pass through or settle down. Globalization, Supranational Dynamics and Local Experiences will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including sociology, migration studies and global studies.

This book analyses the Spanish parliamentary elites in a comparative perspective within southern Europe. What has been the impact of the Great Recession on the configuration of parliaments and the diversity of legislators? Have new parties delivered better representation of citizens in terms of demographics (gender, age, social class), ideology or political attitudes and beliefs? This original research is based on a 2018 survey on members of two national chambers and 17 regional parliaments. Comparing these data with those of a simultaneous survey carried out on Spanish citizens and with data from previous research a decade ago, the book examines the changes that have occurred in representation during the course of the Great Recession and provides evidence of the growing distance between citizens and parliamentary elites. Additionally, using data from the Comparative Candidates Survey, the book compares the ideological congruence between citizens and their representatives in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.

In-cell television is now a permanent feature of prisons in England and Wales, and a key part of the experience of modern incarceration. This sociological exploration of prisoners' use of television offers an engaging and thought provoking insight into the domestic and everyday lives of people in prison - with television close at hand. Victoria Knight explores how television contributes to imprisonment by normalising the prison cell. In doing so it legitimates this space to hold prisoners for long periods of time, typically without structured activity. As a consequence, television's place in the modern prison has also come to represent an unanticipated resource in the package of care for prisoners. This book uncovers the complex and rich emotive responses to prison life. Dimensions of boredom, anger, frustration, pleasure and happiness appear through the rich narratives of both prisoners and staff, indicating the ways institutions and individuals deal with their emotions. It also offers an insight into the unfolding future of the digital world in prisons and begins to consider how the prisoner can benefit from engagement with digital technologies. It will be of great interest to practitioners and scholars of prisons and penology, as well as those interested in the impact of television on society.

This book explores the continuity of oligarchic rule in the Americas of the modern period, with a focus on the variable compatibility of oligarchic rule and democratic government. This focus sets the terms for a comparative inquiry that creates a novel perspective on the politics of Latin America and the United States alike. The continuity depends on the formation of a patrimonial State and a porous division between oligarchic interests and the public sphere of democratic politics; but it also depends on a capacity to adapt and change, and these changes are marked by successive and distinctive modes of rule in both Latin America and the United States. The book concludes with a description and comparison of the sequences and political characteristics of these modes of rule and discovers a recent and remarkable convergence of oligarchic rule in the Americas.

This book reflects recent scholarly and theoretical developments in media studies, or Medienwissenschaft. It focuses on linkages between North America and German-speaking Europe, and brings together and contextualizes contributions from a range of leading scholars. In addition to introducing English-language readers to some of the most prominent contemporary German media theorists and philosophers, including Claus Pias, Sybille Kramer and Rainer Leschke, the book shows how foundational North American contributions are themselves inspired and informed by continental sources. This book takes Harold Innis or Marshall McLuhan (and other members of the "Toronto School") as central points of reference, and traces prospective and retrospective lines of influence in a cultural geography that is increasingly global in its scope. In so doing, the book also represents a new episode in the international reception and reinterpretation of the work of Innis and McLuhan, the two founders of the theory and study of media.

This ground-breaking book provides a compelling account of the social sciences in post-war Central and Eastern Europe. The first English-language monograph to analyse the history of sociology in Poland up to the present day, it maps transformations in the discipline against political and social change. Related in an accessible and engaging manner, it offers a comprehensive examination of sociology as a part of Polish society and culture after 1945. It can also be used as an introduction to the subject and a guide to further reading. Part of the influential Sociology Transformed series, Sociology in Poland will interest social and political scientists, historians and policymakers.

In this volume, leading public anthropologists examine paths towards public engagement and discuss their experiences with engaged anthropology in arenas such as the media, international organizations, courtrooms, and halls of government. They discuss topics ranging from migration to cultural understanding, justice, development aid, ethnic conflict, war, and climate change. Through these examples of hands-on experience, the book provides a unique account of challenges faced, opportunities taken, and lessons learned. It illustrates the potential efficacy of an anthropology that engages with critical social and political issues.

The Boys' Brigade arrived in Southern Rhodesia in 1948, with initial efforts being very localised. Momentum increased with the influx of post war immigrants from Britain and South Africa. By the early 1970s The Boys' Brigade Rhodesia was at its strongest numerically, but the civil war years preceding independence in 1980, decimated the organisation in the rural areas, especially in Victoria province where it was at its strongest. The following years were particularly hard for The Boys' Brigade but, by the late 1980s, membership was on the increase again. The current political and economic situation has severely affected the organisation's ability to continue as it had in the past and the future of uniformed youth work in Zimbabwe remains unknown.The achievements of The Boys' Brigade are recorded in this book, which has been meticulously researched, in consultation with many past and present members. The history book is a formal record of events which took place, including detailed appendices of every known Company, all the Queen's Badge and Founder's Badge awards and includes a photo gallery of past office bearers.

This book provides a sociological understanding of the phenomenon of exorcism and an analysis of the reasons for its contemporary re-emergence and impact on various communities. It argues that exorcism has become a religious commodity with the potential to strengthen a religion's attraction to adherents, whilst also ensuring its hold. It shows that due to intense competition between religious groups in our multi-faith societies, religious groups are now competing for authority over the supernatural by 'branding' their particular type of exorcism ritual in order to validate the strength of their own belief system. Sociology of Exorcism in Late Modernity features a detailed case-study of a Catholic exorcist in the south of Europe who dealt with more than 1,000 cases during a decade of work.

The social sciences have a legitimacy problem in the modern world. The natural sciences are viewed as 'proper science' by journalists and policy-makers because they discover 'truths', make money, and help governments solve problems. In turn, defenders of the social sciences borrow the language of instrumentality, profit and policy impact. Karl Spracklen, by contrast, makes the moral case for the social sciences, arguing that they are a necessary social good capable of fighting inequality and revealing the workings of hegemonic power.

This book decisively advances the academic debate on politicisation beyond the state of the art. It is the first book to theorise and conceptualise 'politicisation' across the epistemic communities of different subdisciplines, bringing together the different strands in the debate: (international) political theory, political sociology, comparative politics, EU studies, legal theory and international relations. This provides a comprehensive discussion of different concepts of politicisation, their ontological and theoretical backgrounds, and their analytical value, including speech-act, practice- and actor-oriented approaches. Furthermore, the linkages of politicisation to the concepts of politics and the political, democracy, depoliticisation, juridification, populism, and Euroscepticism are clarified. Finally, the book shows how the methodological toolbox in empirical politicisation research can be completed regarding different arenas, actors and modes of politicisation. The volume thus provides a much-needed theoretical and conceptual reflection to the newly emerging research field of politicisation in order to recognise and define the key issues and build a solid foundation for further debate and empirical research. 'When does something come to be considered political - for good or for ill? In social scientific terms, what is politicisation, under what conditions does it occur, created by whom, and with what consequences. These questions drive this outstanding collection of papers that explore how politicization is to be theorized and methodologies for its study. Rather than just a special sphere of activity, the volume demonstrates how politics is best thought of as an activity that can occur across individual and various collective levels. One of the signature contributions of this volume is its exploration of these issues across disciplines: political science, philosophy, sociology and international relations. The texts will be of interest to all students of politics at a time when the very basis of political identity, action, and organization is contested, normatively and analytically. The texts will help bring clarity to these debates.' -David L. Swartz, Department of Sociology, Boston University, USA 'Politization has become a widely used and disputed term In International Relations (IR) and more recently in comparative politics as well. This edited volume tries to elevate the term politization onto an analytical concept by i.a. opening it up for action theoretical and organizational approaches. One of the great achievements of the editor is to bring conceptual order into a dispersed debate across political science and its subdisciplines. Moreover, the contributions show how to apply the concept(s) of politization on such different subjects such as democratization, de-democratization, transitions, denationalization or the emergence of populism and Euroscepticism. This is a muchawaited book which can become a conceptual point of reference for better understanding the evolution of national and international regimes.' -Wolfgang Merkel, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

This book is the product of the 2nd World Conference on Environmental History, held in Guimaraes, Portugal, in 2014. It gathers works by authors from the five continents, addressing concerns raised by past events so as to provide information to help manage the present and the future. It reveals how our cultural background and examples of past territorial intervention can help to combat political and cultural limitations through the common language of environmental benefits without disguising harmful past human interventions. Considering that political ideologies such as socialism and capitalism, as well as religion, fail to offer global paradigms for common ground, an environmentally positive discourse instead of an ecological determinism might serve as an umbrella common language to overcome blocking factors, real or invented, and avoid repeating ecological loss. Therefore, agency, environmental speech and historical research are urgently needed in order to sustain environmental paradigms and overcome political, cultural an economic interests in the public arena. This book intertwines reflections on our bonds with landscapes, processes of natural and scientific transfer across the globe, the changing of ecosystems, the way in which scientific knowledge has historically both accelerated destruction and allowed a better distribution of vital resources or as it, in today's world, can offer alternatives that avoid harming those same vital natural resources: water, soil and air. In addition, it shows the relevance of cultural factors both in the taming of nature in favor of human comfort and in the role of the environment matters in the forging of cultural identities, which cannot be detached from technical intervention in the world. In short, the book firstly studies the past, approaching it as a data set of how the environment has shaped culture, secondly seeks to understand the present, and thirdly assesses future perspectives: what to keep, what to change, and what to dream anew, considering that conventional solutions have not sufficed to protect life on our planet.

This book explores how to help teachers become better advocates for sexual orientation equality in secondary schools. Examining this issue through the lens of qualitative emancipatory action research, a group of Australian teachers embarked on a journey of teacher advocacy. Critical theory has long highlighted teachers as key players in either challenging dominant social narratives, or else perpetuating oppressive systems of power through traditional forms of education. Despite this important role, the life stories of teachers, which contributed to the development of their beliefs and behaviours about sexual orientation are rarely considered in the development of anti-discriminatory policy, designing the curriculum and most importantly, in teacher training. This book suggests and frames a model for advocacy, whereby teachers engage with their personal beliefs about sexual orientation, with their role as a teacher, and commit to advocacy through action by promoting student safety, challenging heteronormative narratives and role modelling compassionate behaviours in their school environments.

Democracy is on the run, and elected governments are suffering from a legitimacy crisis. Legislatures are increasingly seen as unrepresentative. To give legitimacy to democratic government, experts argue that we need more democracy and more opportunities for direct citizen participation. Representative democracy needs to be complemented by forms of direct engagement, such as referendums, popular votes, the recall, citizens' juries, eDemocracy, etc. This is what we term Complementary Democracy. In this book experts from the worlds of practice and theory come together to explain - and occasionally critique - these complements to representative democracy. The volume provides an invaluable starting point for anyone who wants to know more about the new directions of democratic governance, and hopes to inspire those who seek to build stronger democracies.

Although written from a biblical/Christian perspective this book's theme has practical value for everyone. It presents a new relational paradigm supported by love, justice, mutuality, and other spiritual qualities. The author believes scripture teaches that all human beings are created to live in fulfilling relationships even those who are homosexual. People of faith, family, & community are urged to support same gender couples by validating their committed partnership; however, nearly 50% of American citizens and church members do not support legalizing same gender marriage. This historical perspective on marriage reveals marriage has experienced considerable positive change and practice during the past 75 years and needs to be redefined. Until the 20th century procreation (be fruitful and multiply) was marriage's major purpose. While procreation remains important, mutuality has become the major emphasis. As written in Genesis 2:18 (NRSV), God sought a partner for the man. In many marriages partnership has replaced patriarchy, providing an enriching relational experience in family life. The author presents a new relational paradigm which includes both heterosexual and homosexual couples seeking a lifelong committed relationship. Marriage of male and female and the union of same gender couples will share the title, partnership safeguarded by the same legal standards. For male and female, their title will be a marital partnership; for same gender couples their title will be a same gender partnership.

Interdisciplinarity has seemingly become a paradigm for modern and meaningful research. Clearly, the interdisciplinary modus of deliberation enables to unfold relevant but quite different disciplinary perspectives to the reflection of broader scientific questions or societal problems. However, whether the comprehensive results of interdisciplinary reflection prove to be valid or to be acceptable in trans-disciplinary terms depends upon certain preconditions, which have to be fulfilled for securing scientific quality and social trust in advisory contexts. The present book is written by experts and practitioners of interdisciplinary research and policy advice. It analyses topical and methodological approaches towards interdisciplinarity, starting with the current role of scientific research in society. The volume continues with contributions to the issues of knowledge and acting and to trans-disciplinary deliberation. The final conclusions address the scientific system as substantial actor itself as well as the relevant research and education politics.

Multiple Normalities enhances sociological understandings of normality by illustrating it with the help of British novels. It demonstrates commonalities and differences between the meanings of normality in these two periods, exemplifying the emergence of the multiple normalities and the transformation of ways in which we give meaning to the world.

This book brings together the latest literature and European experiences on preventing youth violent radicalisation and violent actions in intergroup relations. Youth violent radicalisation is a significant problem within the European context, and requires an exploration of how various social actors can play an active role in preventing radicalisation in minors and young adults. This complex issue needs to be explored through a multidisciplinary approach, and effective operational models are needed in order to tackle it. This book describes the theoretical framework for such an approach in all its facets. The book's originality lies in its psychosocial and participatory approach, aimed at improving results through professional training and community empowerment for building trusting relationships and educational activities. It also proposes "alternative narratives", which are a way of representing people and groups within a social context, thereby overcoming stereotyped visions and stigma. This book focuses on participation and communication among stakeholders, social inclusion, strengthening democratic values, and pursuing a proactive instead of a reactive approach to preventing radicalisation. Highly topical, the book will appeal to researchers and students of the social and behavioural sciences interested in youth radicalisation, including social work and social policy, as well as practitioners working within the juvenile justice system.

Originally published between 1968 and 1989, the volumes in this set: Present a coherent body of information on the inter-relation between nutrition, health and disease in its social context. Examine various aspects of disease ecology relating socio-geographical contrasts to a dichotomy between infectious and non-infectious diseases. Investigate certain large-scale demographic phenomena in India - among others the experience of bubonic plague, influenza, cholera and famine. Discuss how social and psychological factors influence the treatment process. Explain why so many people suffer behavioural changes in later life; how this affects those around them and the challenges of providing health services for ageing populations. Provide historical perspective on contemporary difficulties and invite debate about the future development of health services. Offer international comparisons, particularly between the UK and US health care systems. Explore how the NHS confronts perennial stresses and problems, in particular the allocation of scarce resources. Investigate policy and legislation in the area of the provision of medicines. Chart the dramatic changes in the US mental health system during the 20th Century.

This book uses a case study of a low-cost home ownership initiative at the margins of renting and owning provided by social landlords - known as shared ownership - to challenge everyday assumptions held about the 'social' and the 'legal' in property. The authors provide a study of the construction of property ownership, from the creation of this idea through to the present day, and offer a fresh consideration of key issues surrounding property, ownership, and the social. Analysing a diverse range of sources (from archives to micro-blogs, observation of housing providers, and interviews with shared owners), the authors explain the significance of the things (from the formal documents like leases, to odd materials like sweet wrappers and cigarette butts) commonly found in the narratives around shared ownership which are used to construct it as private ownership in everyday life. Ultimately, they uncover how this dream of ownership can become tarnished when people's identities as 'owners' come under threat, and as such, these findings will provide fascinating insight into the intricacies of so-called home ownership for scholars of Law, Criminology, and Sociology.

The world is changing. Human population is surging towards 10 billion, food, water, climate and energy security are all at risk. Nitrogen could be our life raft in this global 'perfect storm'. Get it right and it can help to feed billions, fuel our cars and put a dent in global warming. Get it wrong and it will make things a whole lot worse.

This book examines the way Chinese academics returning from the US re-establish their academic identities and professional practices at China's research universities in the context of higher education internationalization in China. It goes beyond economic accounts of academic mobility based on the notions of brain drain, brain gain, and brain circulation. Instead, it uses a cultural approach to explore the everyday experiences of the returning scholars concerning the issues of their sense of identity, as well as their ways of connecting and bringing about changes in their work communities. It will appeal anyone interested in 1) globalization and academic mobility; 2) China's talent policies and strategies; and 3) the internationalization of Chinese universities.

As academics in postcolonial Caribbean countries, we have been trained to believe that research should be objective: a measurable benefit to the public good and quantifiable in nature so as to generalize findings to develop knowledge societies for economic growth. What happens, however when the very word "research" connotes a derogatory term or semblance of distrust? Smith (1999) speaks towards the distrustful nature of the term as a legacy of European imperialism and colonialism. Against this backdrop, how do Caribbean researchers leverage recognized and valued (indigenous) methods of knowing and understanding for and by the Caribbean populace? How do we learn from indigenous research methods such as Kaupapa Maori (Smith, 1999) and develop an understanding of research that is emancipatory in nature? Decolonizing qualitative methods are rooted in critical theory and grounded in social justice, resistance, change and emancipatory research for and by the Other (Said, 1978). Rodney's (1969) legacy of "groundings" provides a Caribbean oriented ethnographic approach to collecting data about people and culture. It is an anti-imperialist method of data collection focused on the socioeconomic and political environment within the (post) colonial context. Similar to Rodney, other critical Caribbean scholars have moved the research discourse to center on the notions of resistance, struggle (Chevannes, 1995; Feraria, 2009) and decolonoizing methodologies. This proposed edited volume will provide a collective body of scholarship for innovative uses of decolonizing qualitative research. In order to theorize and conduct decolonizing research, one can argue that the researcher as self and as the Other needs to be interrogated. Borrowing from an autoethnographic ontology, the researcher or investigator recognizes the self as the unit of measure, and there is a concerted effort to continuously see the self, seeing the self through and as the other (Alexander, 2005; Ellis, 2004). This level of interrogation may require frameworks such as Reasonable Humanism in which there is a clear understanding of the role of the researcher and researched from a physiological and psychosocial standpoint. Thereafter, the researcher is better prepared to enter into a discourse about decolonizing methodologies. The origins of qualitative inquiry in the Caribbean can be traced to political and economic discourses - Marxism, postcolonialism, neocolonialism, capitalism, liberalism, postmodernism- which have challenged ways of knowing and the construction of knowledge. Evans (2009) traced the origins of qualitative inquiry to slave narratives, proprietor's journals, missionaries' reports and travelogues. Common to the Caribbean is an understanding of how colonial legacies of research have ridiculed oral traditions, language, and ways of knowing, often rendering them valueless and inconsequential. This proposed edited volume acknowledges the significance of decolonizing approaches to qualitative research in the Caribbean and the wider Caribbean diaspora. It includes an audience of scholars, teacher/ researchers and students primarily in and across the humanities, social sciences and educational studies. This proposed volume would provide much needed knowledge and best practice strategies to the community of researchers engaged in decolonizing methodologies. Additionally, this volume will allow readers to think of new imaginings of research design that deconstruct power and privilege to benefit knowledge, communities and participants. It will spark key objectives, directions and frameworks for deeper discussions and interrogations of normative, westernized and hegemonic approaches to qualitative research. Lastly, the volume will welcome empirical studies of application of decolonizing methodologies and theoretical studies that frame critical discourse.

Culture, Politics, and Governing: The Contemporary Ascetics of Knowledge Production is a critical, interdisciplinary approach to how the practices that govern the production of knowledge and culture have material consequences for how we experience everyday life.