Racial history has always been the thorn in America's side, with a swath of injustices--slavery, lynching, segregation, and many other ills--perpetrated against black people. This very history is complicated by, and also dependent on, what constitutes a white person in this country. Many of the European immigrant groups now considered white have also had to struggle with their own racial consciousness.

In A Great Conspiracy against Our Race, Peter Vellon explores how Italian immigrants, a once undesirable and "swarthy" race, assimilated into dominant white culture through the influential national and radical Italian language press in New York City. Examining the press as a cultural production of the Italian immigrant community, this book investigates how this immigrant press constructed race, class, and identity from 1886 through 1920. Their frequent coverage of racially charged events of the time, as well as other topics such as capitalism and religion, reveals how these papers constructed a racial identity as Italian, American, and white.

A Great Conspiracy against Our Race vividly illustrates how the immigrant press was a site where socially constructed categories of race, color, civilization, and identity were reworked, created, contested, and negotiated. Vellon also uncovers how Italian immigrants filtered societal pressures and redefined the parameters of whiteness, constructing their own identity. This work is an important contribution to not only Italian American history, but America's history of immigration and race.

Explores key sociological concepts and theory in relation to European crises, identity, inequality and social order. It offers a firm understanding of the modernization of Europe and everyday European life, while not neglecting the historical context. Essential reading for students of sociology in European contexts.

While 'space' and 'place' appear as key concepts in the study of culture, their complexity and mutability require ever-new frameworks when approaching them critically. Including chapters by authors from different fields, career stages, and geopolitical backgrounds, the contributors in this edited collection scrutinize the changing dynamics of space and place in relation to current political, social, and environmental urgencies across the globe. With chapters investigating both real and imaginary spaces and places, the diversified discussions included in this collection provide a cohesive study for disclosing latent understandings of multiple phenomena characterizing the world in which we live. From the protests in Egyptian and Turkish squares, to the power-related narratives embedded in institutional buildings, from the development of the commercial arena in Victorian and Edwardian London, to the effects of current environmental concerns on the evaluation of urban and rural locations, the volume ultimately serves as a progressive connection of fields, minds, and outlooks through an innovative, pluralistic vision. This interdisciplinary focus not only emphasizes the centrality of spaces and places when disentangling the complexities comprising our past and present, but also suggests a more pluralistic approach for exploring fundamental concepts in future spaces and places studies.

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.

Social movements have shown themselves to be one of the most dramatic and effective forms of political action. America, founded as the result of a challenge to one kind of political order, has been, in part, recreated as a result of movements of collective protest.

Social movements continue to arise in America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. In the present age, when such social movements abound, it is crucial to investigate the theoretical similarities and underpinnings of older and current collective protests. With chapters on AIDS, the Iranian revolution, the New Left, environmentalism, and many other subjects, as well as essays delineating classical and contemporary theories, Social Movements provides a well-rounded and provocative perspective on this most compelling form of political expression.

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.

Manana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Part one of the book critically explores the mindset Cubans have developed living under a totalitarian system and introduces modern concepts of choice architecture and governance that can be employed Manana in Cuba to foster a democratic civil society. Part two turns to a discussion of the principles that should guide sociopolitical and economic transition policies in line with Cuban culture and history. Manana in Cuba offers a sophisticated analysis of the challenges and opportunities that will be present in post-Castro Cuba with an eye to intelligent, nuanced, and often "outside the box" solutions to aid business and government policymakers interested in Cuba's future. A unique aspect of this book is that it does not seek to unnaturally mend a decimated civil society, but rather, it offers policy approaches anchored on current Cuban ethos and society. This is a book about finding ways to facilitate the Cuban transition from totalitarianism and a centrally planned economy to liberal democracy and a free-market economic system. As the author argues, the alternative visions presented for Cuba's future matter because one of them will crystallize into the sociopolitical and economic narrative of the country for generations to come.

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.

Drawing on a wide range of case studies, Cultures of Financialization argues that, in our age of crisis, the global economy is more invested than ever in culture and the imagination. We must take the idea of 'fictitious capital' seriously as a way to understand the power of finance, and what might be done to stop it.

Nick Buckley MBE came to international attention in June 2020 when he was fired by the board of The Mancunian Way, a charity he had founded, for criticizing the far-left policies of Black Lives Matter. He then mounted a successful fightback that resulted in his reinstatement and the resignation of the board who had fired him. Buckley had spent two decades preventing youth crime, homelessness, and antisocial behaviour in the UK's toughest neighborhoods. In 2019 he was awarded the MBE for his work with Mancunian Way, which promotes early intervention and personal responsibility. Buckley was a social campaigner for issues that keep people in poverty feeling victimized. But when he found himself cancelled, he felt his life was destroyed. Slowly becoming poisoned by the toxicity of self-pity, he decided he needed to give himself a good talking to. He was lucky. It had been his career to give people a good talking to, and he was good at it. He took his own medicine and got his life back within weeks. In Lessons in Courage, Buckley argues that in our febrile cultural climate we increasingly need people to be courageous and to do what is right, not what is convenient or acceptable to fashionable ideologues. Buckley sets out a series of lessons learned throughout his life, not having realized that he was in training for a life-defining battle. These are the tough but inspiring lessons he wants to offer the next person to face an angry and intolerant mob and to others who self-censor or hold back for fear of drowning in turbulent waters.

In this pathbreaking collections of essays, Canada-based Chinese scholar Simin Li explores the latest insights into information, knowledge, political communication, and identity in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and their neighbors, friends, and adversaries. Discourses of Asian Societies follows the social dynamics of these East Asian nations and reflects their recent political discourses and civil practices, grouped into four themes: memory and diaspora, civil practice and discourse in China, political discourses in Hong Kong, and youth identity and nationalism in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The theme of memory and diaspora uses interpretive narratives to present, in one study, the motivations of five Chinese immigrants to leave their homeland. Data was collected from Zhihu, the Chinese version of the popular internet site Quora, as used in Singapore, Canada, Brazil, Finland, and Australia. The second study explores how international students enrolled in Taiwan's universities relieved homesickness by searching for information online. The book's appreciation of civil practice and discourse emerges from a study of how a Chinese rural library developed under the leadership of a non-government organization and an analysis of the relations between a think tank's research and social agenda, as presented in its publications and related news reports. The third theme's focus on Hong Kong uses Facebook to observe an opinion leader's routine communication and dissemination of political issues. A supplementary study assesses opinion leaders' online behavior during legislative council elections. Finally, the book offers an understanding of modern youth through a comparative study of expression and performance in Taiwan and Hong Kong, via social media and a more traditional comparative analysis of the similarities and differences of national groups of young people via big data.

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.

Drawing from work in a wide range of fields, this book presents novel approaches to key debates in thinking about and defining disability. Differing from other works in Critical Disability Studies, it crucially demonstrates the consequences of radically rethinking the roles of language and perspective in constructing identities.

The term new atheism has been given to the recent barrage of bestselling books written by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens, and others. These books and their authors have had a significant media presence and have only grown in popularity over the years. This book brings together scholars from religious studies, science, sociology of religion, sociology of science, philosophy, and theology to engage the new atheism and place it in the context of broader scholarly discourses. This volume will serve to contextualize and critically examine the claims, arguments and goals of the new atheism so that readers can become more informed of some of the debates with which the new atheists inevitably and, at times unknowingly, engage. Contributors include Richard Harries, Reza Aslan, Amarnath Amarasingam, Robert Platzner, Jeffrey Robbins, Christopher Rodkey, Rory Dickson, Steve Fuller, William Sims Bainbridge, William A. Stahl, Stephen Bullivant, Michael Borer, Richard Cimino, Christopher Smith, Gregory R. Peterson, Jeff Nall, Ryan Falcioni, and Mark Vernon. "Studies in Critical Research on Religion," vol. 1

Globalization and dynamic transnational migrations are bringing remarkable demographic differences to Europe and the United States. Transnational immigration flows from Eastern Europe, Africa and elsewhere are creating economical and educational inequities that are forcing EU nation- states to reflect on these differences and imagine solutions. Immigrants bring cultural practices, forms of art, and perspectives on all aspects of human experience that transform and enrich the cultures of host countries. Dichotomies between natives and newcomers emerge, as well as new forms of identities and distinctions between "them" and "us". In addition, schools are not prepared to educate diverse children with varied educational backgrounds and languages. Societal inequities cannot be understood in isolation but rather need to be understood from a global perspective. This book gathers researchers from across the globe to examine paradigms, policies, and practices for developing an inclusive intercultural and transnational framework to reduce inequities. This is necessary to positively integrate culturally-diverse families, children and adolescents into schools and societies.

Straight from the streets of the mid-1960s Bronx comes a book about one of the borough's most feared gangs - The Ducky Boys. While their unusual name alone might contradict their reputation, in the Norwood/Bainbridge section of the Bronx their appearances provoked an ominous dread. So much so, that when Richard Price needed inspiration for a terrifying gang in his novel (and later movie) The Wanderers, he knew exactly which gang to choose. Lost Boys of the Bronx tells the story of the Ducky Boys in their own words. It is a story of how a few pre-teen kids in the Botanical Gardens turned into a gang of hundreds - and a gang so alarming that rumors of their arrival would shut down local schools. This is also a study of the mostly Irish Bronx neighborhood in which the Ducky Boys were born, and where so many of the Ducky kids got caught up in the tumultuous times of the '60s where their fierce loyalty was the only thing that got them through. This is not your typical gang book. It neither praises nor demonizes the gang for the things they did, but rather simply reports what happened - warts and all. You'll see the truth behind the Ducky Boys' gang - their lives, their loves, their pranks and crimes, and so much more. To borrow from a particular product's slogan - with a name like the Ducky Boys, you knew they HAD to be tough.

Health professionals have shown a growing interest in the therapeutic value of 'hope' in recent years. However, hope has been examined mainly from psychological and biomedical perspectives. Importantly, Hope in Health explores how hope manifests and is sustained in various arenas of health, medicine and healthcare.