This book analyses the political transition in West Bengal, India, which witnessed longest democratically elected Left regime of the world. It examines and compares micro-dynamics of political practices in India and delineates underlying political themes of state politics. The author explores the politics of land reform and the anti-land-acquisition movements which were critical points in the contemporary history of Bengal in independent India. The volume further delves into the caste and communal politics which had been latent until the Left Front's loss in the state, as well as the what sets apart politics in West Bengal from other Indian states. Based on thorough ethnographic research, this volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of South Asian studies, politics and political processes, sociology and social anthropology.

War Hecatomb. International Effects on Public Health, Demography and Mentalities in the 20th Century, offers new insights on the impact of wars (namely, but not exclusively, World War I), by underlining its social and psychological consequences, particularly in public health, demography, and mentalities in different countries. Therefore, it is not just another book on World Wars, since it does not focus primarily on political, diplomatic, military or economic aspects. Instead, the work offers a brand new approach on these wars' consequences, and especially on the civilizational significance of the Great War of 1914-1918. This original view over societies coping with the aftermath of the two world wars reveals how states and different agents were compelled to act and to face the new post-war reality, bringing to light an innovative social agenda while simultaneously trying to cope with the overwhelming phenomenon of physically and mentally scarred multitudes of veterans and their families. The book focuses on the consequences of conflicts in different perspectives and geographic locations. In twelve chapters, several aspects and effects of wars are analysed through different lens.

’n Asteroïde so groot soos Tafelberg tref meer as twee miljard jaar gelede die plek wat uiteindelik Suid-Afrika sou word. Ná dié slag volg ’n onstuimige geskiedenis.

Die storie begin in die tyd toe die aarde se rykste goudneerslae gevorm is. Van hier strek die verhaal tot verby die geboorte van demokrasie in 1994 – ’n ander gebeurtenis wat die wêreld se asem weggeslaan het. Langs die weg kom ’n mens die oudste dinosourusse wat ooit gelewe het teë, asook die planeet se heel eerste mense en vroegste kulture. Inkomelinge het die geskiedenis gevorm – jagterversamelaars, landbouers en kuddewagters, ystersmede vanuit die noorde, en immigrante vanuit Europa en Asië.

Suid-Afrika se mense het oorlog gemaak en vrede gesluit, goud en diamante ontdek, glorieryke hoogtes bereik en in die dieptes van onderdrukking verval – totdat almal op ’n dag as gelykes in ’n ry ingeval het om vir ’n regering te stem wat hulle as demokratiese volk die een-en-twintigste eeu sou binnelei. Dit is die verhaal van dinosourusse, diamante en demokrasie.

This exciting new book presents the field of social demography, animating the study of population with a vibrant sociological imagination. Gregg Lee Carter provides multiple demonstrations of how taking a demographic perspective can give us a better understanding of social phenomena once thought to be largely the products of culture, politics, or the economy. Five key chapters concentrate on (1) the social and individual determinants of fertility, mortality, and migration; (2) the social and individual impacts of changing levels of fertility, mortality, and migration; and (3) the impacts of overpopulation on the environment, and how changes in the environment, in turn, impact the human condition, especially regarding migration. What gives these analyses coherence is how each emphasizes the ways in which demographic forces both reflect and limit individual choices. Written in a straightforward and engaging style, and without getting bogged down in academic debates, this concise book is the ideal introduction and primer for courses in social demography and population and society.

This book is a volume in the Penn Press Anniversary Collection. To mark its 125th anniversary in 2015, the University of Pennsylvania Press rereleased more than 1,100 titles from Penn Press's distinguished backlist from 1899-1999 that had fallen out of print. Spanning an entire century, the Anniversary Collection offers peer-reviewed scholarship in a wide range of subject areas.

Conservation biology has emerged as one of the most important areas of ecology; using concepts from traditional resource management and modern population biology to preserve biological diversity. In order to really understand the problems of decreasing diversity and the solutions to maintaining it, the attention of ecologists must be focussed on larger spatial and temporal scales than they are traditionally used to. The book discusses methods and statistical techniques that can be used to analyze spatial patterns in geographic populations. These techniques incorporate ideas from fractal geometry to develop measures of geographic range fragmentation, and can be used to ask questions regarding the conservation of biodiversity.

There has been, of late, a growing realisation that the pace and pattern of economic development of a country can hardly be understood and explained comprehensively in terms of the straitjacket of economics discipline alone. India is a prime example of the importance of the part played by a country's history, culture, sociology, and socio-cultural-religious norms, values, and institutions in its development process. This book, with its assorted essays of varying depths of scholarship and insightful reflections, attempts to drive home this point more forcefully than ever before. In its search for the non-economic roots of India's overall sloth and murky progress in its broad-based economic and human development, the book illuminates major oddities deep inside a unique mental make-up full of perceptual and ideational dilemmas, many of which are arguably shaped by the long-lasting and dominant influence of what could be called the Brahminical lines of thinking and discourse. With India's hazy and dodgy world of perceptions as a backdrop, the book also addresses - through its intelligent essays - the deep and sometimes dire ramifications of the historic advent and the dramatic advance of neoliberal market ideology today.

This book is the first collection of original research to explore links between demographics and media coverage of emerging human rights issues. It covers cross-national reporting on human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, water contamination, and child labour; and same-sex marriage, Guantanamo detainee rights, immigration reform, and post-traumatic stress disorder in the United States. The research asks questions such as: What are the principal catalysts that propel rights issues into media agendas? Why do some surface more quickly than others? And how do the demographics of cross-national reporting differ from those driving multi-city US nationwide coverage of rights claims? Using community structure theory and innovative Media Vector content analysis, the eight chapters of this book reveal three striking patterns that show how differences in female empowerment, social or economic vulnerability, and Midwestern newspaper geographic location, link powerfully with variations in coverage of rights issues. The patterns connecting demographics and rights claims confirm that coverage of human rights can mirror the concerns of stakeholders and vulnerable groups, contrary to conventional assumptions that media typically serve as "guard dogs" reinforcing the interests of political and economic elites. This book was originally published as a special issue of The Atlantic Journal of Communication.

This book aims to provide empirical evidence regarding the consequences of changes in European societies, focussing on migration and related phenomena of discrimination and xenophobia. The comparative analyses cover all countries of the European Social Survey in the period 2002-2014. They reveal that native members of so-called vulnerable groups, such as the unemployed, retired, permanently sick or disabled and the elderly, were more likely to experience threats and to exhibit anti-immigration attitudes. The contributors further examine social openness defined in terms of marital homogamy, social trust in the context of legitimization and social conditions of sleeplessness. A final methodological section presents the results of a mixed mode experiment involving the face-to-face mode.

The introduction to this English translation of a selection from Van Vollenhoven's study of indigenous Indonesian law outlines the historical significance of his work, showing its background in the complex administrative and legal system of the Dutch East Indies, the trends in Dutch colonial legal and economic policy, and the development of adat law scholarship from the early 1900s onwards. The chapters chosen concentrate almost entirely on the adat law of some of the indigenous peoples of Indonesia.

A few years aga the European Centre for Population Studies took the initiative in organizing a regular series of seminars which had the study of the demographie situation in Europe as goal. The First European Population Seminar took place in September of World Population Year 1974 in Karpacz, Poland and had as its topic "Urbanization and Population Growth in Europe" . A grant from the United Nations Fund for Population Aetivities made organizing this first seminar possible. In December 1976 the Seeond European Population Seminar was held in the Hague, The Netherlands. The ehoiee of topie for this seminar was a eombination of themes from the World Population Year 1974 and the International Women' s Year 1975. In both the World Population Plan as adopted at the World Population Conferenee in Bucharest and the World Plan of Action of the World Conferenee of the International Women's Year in Mexieo City, one finds the point of departure that a relation exists between demographie phenomena and the status of women. The subjeet of the seeond seminar was therefore formulated as: "Demographie Aspeets of the Changing Status of Women in Europe" . The Netherlands Demographie Soeiety, the Belgian Demographie Soeiety (Duteh-speaking seetionl and the European Centre for Population Studies ae ted as organizers, while two Duteh and one Belgian ministry provided subsidies. Finally, the institutional support of the Netherlands Interuniversity Demographie Soeiety and the Nether1ands Central Bureau of Statisties simplified organizing the seminar a great deal.

This book provides timely insights into the lives of Polish migrants who have been settling in Norway with their partners and children, especially over the last decade. It brings together Polish and Norwegian scholars who shed light on the key areas of migrant family practices in the transnational space. The contributors critically assess social capital of those living mobile lives, discuss the role of institutions, as well as engage with the broad problematics of caring - both with regard to migrant children raised in Norway, and the elderly kin members left behind in Poland. Further, the authors tackle the question of the possibilities and constrains of integration, pointing to several areas of policy implications of transnationalism for both Poland and Norway.

The roles of race and racism in explaining current controversies related to public schools in America is both understudied and misunderstood. Part of the problem is the absence of a critical paradigm that facilitates the development and application of ideas, theories, and methods that do not fit within the confines of mainstream scholarship. Race, Population Studies, and America's Public Schools: A Critical Demography Perspective explores the paradigm of critical demography-established in the late 1990s which articulates the manner in which the social structure differentiates dominant and subordinate populations. Moreover, critical demography necessitates explicit discussions and examinations of the nature of power and how it perpetuates the existing social order. Hence, in the case of race in education, it is imperative that racism is central to the analysis. Racism elucidates that which often goes ignored or unexplained by conventional scholars. Consequently, the critical demography paradigm fills an important void in the study of public education in American schools.

This book is the first collection of original research to explore links between demographics and media coverage of emerging human rights issues. It covers cross-national reporting on human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, water contamination, and child labour; and same-sex marriage, Guantanamo detainee rights, immigration reform, and post-traumatic stress disorder in the United States. The research asks questions such as: What are the principal catalysts that propel rights issues into media agendas? Why do some surface more quickly than others? And how do the demographics of cross-national reporting differ from those driving multi-city US nationwide coverage of rights claims? Using community structure theory and innovative Media Vector content analysis, the eight chapters of this book reveal three striking patterns that show how differences in female empowerment, social or economic vulnerability, and Midwestern newspaper geographic location, link powerfully with variations in coverage of rights issues. The patterns connecting demographics and rights claims confirm that coverage of human rights can mirror the concerns of stakeholders and vulnerable groups, contrary to conventional assumptions that media typically serve as "guard dogs" reinforcing the interests of political and economic elites. This book was originally published as a special issue of The Atlantic Journal of Communication.

Human populations, to a skilled analyst, tell a dramatic story: In what direction is a country headed? What are its strengths and weaknesses, its potential disaster areas, its most promising human resources? What do the changes observed here-from the early history of Singapore to the present time-mean to the future of the country and the region? In South Asian studies, which have suffered from a lack of data, Singapore Population in Transition is a major contribution. It is more than the best and latest statistical study of the area. The author writes with the insight of a resident observer and throws light on race and culture contacts, cultural accommodation among the peoples, separatism, urbanization and political history.

In her perceptive introduction to this Transaction edition, Irene Diggs sets this classic autobiography against its broad historical context and critically analyzes its theoretical and methodological significance. She explains the changes that occurred in DuBois' own attitudes and writings, tracing the development of his lifelong concern with the problem of race: how non-Whites might be openly and effectively admitted into the freedom of democracy.

The birth of Islam over fourteen centuries ago was a monumental event in human history with an everlasting effect on humanity. For centuries, researchers have contemplated the growth and distribution of Muslims throughout the world. This book presents a reliable estimate of the world Muslim population since the inception of Islam at the start of the seventh century to the end of the twenty-first century. In this book, the world is divided into five continents, each of which is further divided into non-overlapping regions, and these in turn are divided into current countries. A centennial data estimate for each region and current country from 600 AD to 2100 AD (approximately 1 H to 1500 H) of the total population, and the corresponding Muslim population and its percentage are provided. Furthermore, the same data in decennial order from 1790 to 2100 (or 1210 H to 1520 H) are provided for each region and country. These data are summarized to be an accurate reference for other studies and discussions related to the Muslim population. Written for demographers, researchers, historians, as well as general readers, this book is an essential reference to all aspects of the world Muslim population.

In the first book to explore the theory and practice of eugenics in the American South, Edward J. Larson shows how the quest for "strong bloodlines"expressed itself in state laws and public policies from the Progressive Era through World War II. Larson shows how the seemingly broad-based eugenics movement was in fact a series of distinct campaigns by small groups of determined individuals for legislation at the state level.

Knowledge of the origin and spread of farming has been revolutionised in recent years by the application of new scientific techniques, especially the analysis of ancient DNA from human genomes. In this book, Stephen Shennan presents the latest research on the spread of farming by archaeologists, geneticists and other archaeological scientists. He shows that it resulted from a population expansion from present-day Turkey. Using ideas from the disciplines of human behavioural ecology and cultural evolution, he explains how this process took place. The expansion was not the result of 'population pressure' but of the opportunities for increased fertility by colonising new regions that farming offered. The knowledge and resources for the farming 'niche' were passed on from parents to their children. However, Shennan demonstrates that the demographic patterns associated with the spread of farming resulted in population booms and busts, not continuous expansion.

It is becoming increasingly evident that the existence together, in a diminishing world, of rich nations and very poor nations, is the critical problem of our time; and indeed other questions of international relations are rapidly taking on the appearance of being merely aspects of this central crux. According to some authorities it may only be a matter of a few years before the food and population question takes on such alarming proportions as to make our present troubles on the international scene seem slight by comparison. It is only against this background that we can fully appreciate the significance of the United Nations institutions and procedures for the mediation of aid, whether financial or technical, to developing coun tries; and indeed also for the flow of credit and skills between countries generally, for few nations or none belong wholly to one side in this matter, and the whole question is one that vitally affects the immediate futures of every one of the members of the international community."

Are we living in a post-colonial world? A colonial one? An anti-colonial one? Lifting the veil from language and politics, Anti-Colonial Theory and Decolonial Praxis uses case studies from around the world to explore and untangle these concepts as they relate to education. The anti-colonial prism is very much connected to the postcolonial lens but these frameworks are not the same. Building upon earlier works, this book takes up the subject of anti-colonial praxis and its specific implications-the larger questions of schooling and education in global and, particularly, Diasporic contexts. The goal is to re-theorize the anti-colonial for the decolonial projects of transforming schooling and education in a broadly defined way. Beyond explaining these ideas, this book demonstrates ways communities are engaging in praxis as a form of anti-colonial change in a wide range of locations. Incorporating case studies from various locations and Diasporic communities-including Somalia, Canada, Nigeria, Jamaica, and St. Vincent-and provocative theoretical analyses, the book brings varied experiences of anti-colonial praxis to the reader in timely, culturally diverse, and engaging ways. This book could be used in upper undergraduate and graduate level courses in anthropology, Diaspora studies, education, environmental studies, ethnic studies, gender studies, law, multiculturalism studies, politics, social work, and sociology.

.J. c. Vergouwen's work, Het Rechtsleven der T'oba-Bataks, here presented in an English translation, was published in the autumn of 1933, a few weeks before the author's death at the early age of 44 from tuberculosis, from which he had suffered since 1930. During the time he spent in a sanatorium in Davos and later in the Netherlands, he began and completed his monograph on the customary law of the Toba-Batak. His book immediately became one of the outstanding works of Dutch scholarship on Indonesian customary law (Adat law). Jacob Cornelis Vergouwen began his career as an administrative officer in South Borneo (now Kalimantan) in 1913, after a brief prac- tical training. In 1921 he was given the opportunity for further study at the University of Leiden where a five-year scientific training for a career as an administrative officer in the Dutch East Indies had just been instituted. On obtaining his Master's degree, he was appointed to the Tapanuli Residency, from of old, the homeland of the Toba, Mandailing, Angkola, and Dairi or Pakpak Batak. As a young official, Vergouwen had already evinced great interest in the laws and customs of the Dayak people in Borneo. His studies at the University brought him into close contact with the founder of the science of Indonesian Adat law, Professor Cornelis van Vollenhoven, one of the greatest Dutch jurists of this century.

This book is a volume in the Penn Press Anniversary Collection. To mark its 125th anniversary in 2015, the University of Pennsylvania Press rereleased more than 1,100 titles from Penn Press's distinguished backlist from 1899-1999 that had fallen out of print. Spanning an entire century, the Anniversary Collection offers peer-reviewed scholarship in a wide range of subject areas.