In the late 20th and 21st centuries, the meteoric rise of countless social media platforms and mobile applications have illuminated the profound need friendship and connection have in all of our lives; and yet, very few scholarly volumes have focused on this unique and important bond during this new era of relating to one another. Exploring such topics as friendship and social media, friendship with current and past romantic partners, co-workers, mentors, and even pets, editors Mahzad Hojjat and Anne Moyer lead an expert group of global contributors as they each explore how friendship factors within our lives today. What does it mean to be a friend? What roles do friendships play in our own development? How do we befriend those across the race, ethnicity, gender, and orientation spectrums? What happens when a friendship turns sour? What is the effect of friendship - good and bad - on our mental health? Providing a much needed update to the field of interpersonal relations, The Psychology of Friendship serves as a field guide for readers as they shed traditional definitions of friendship in favor of contemporary contexts and connections.

Against a broader backdrop of globalization and worldwide moves toward political democracy, The New Politics of Inequality in Latin America examines the unfolding relationships among social change, equity, and the democratic representation of the poor in Latin America. Recent Latin American governments have turned away from redistributive policies; at the same time, popular political and social organizations have been generally weakened, inequality has increased, and the gap between rich and poor has grown. Hanging in the balance is the consolidation and the quality of new or would-be democracies; this volume suggests that governments must find not just short-term programmes to alleviate poverty, but long-term means to ensure the effective integration of the poor into political life. The New Politics of Inequality in Latin America bridges the intellectual chasm between, on the one hand, studies of grassroots politics, and on the other, explorations of elite politics and formal institution-building. It will be of interest to students and scholars of contemporary Latin American politics and society and, more generally, in the vicissitudes of democracy and citizenship in the late twentieth-century global system.

This book analyses case studies of heritage-rich cities that hosted mega-events to discuss emerging challenges, controversies, and accomplishments. The future of mega-events has never been more uncertain. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has introduced an unparalleled level of doubt regarding the kind of mega-events that will take place in the coming years. This book arrives at a quite unique moment of reflection. Prior to 2020, cities were already questioning the traditional format of mega-events (e.g. Olympics and Expo) while other cultural mega-events have been spreading and gaining popularity, thanks in part to typically lower costs of infrastructures and venues, far more adaptable arrangements, spatial distribution and time frame for hosting. In these ways, they have already been demonstrating higher flexibility in which to respond to future health and safety constraints. When it comes to the relation to the existing city, cultural mega-events have been planned, implemented, and studied far more than any other. By leveraging the richness of cultural mega-events, this multidisciplinary collection deepens the intersection between events and cultural heritage. The chapters in this book provide a new theoretical framework, critical questions, and relevant case studies to argue that the nexus between mega-events and heritage is a key challenge for many cities in Europe and beyond. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of European Planning Studies.

Creating Digital Exhibits for Cultural Institutions will show you how to create digital exhibits and experiences for your users that will be informative, accessible and engaging. Illustrated with real-world examples of digital exhibits from a range of GLAMs, the book addresses the many analytical aspects and practical considerations involved in the creation of such exhibits. It will support you as you go about: analyzing content to find hidden themes, applying principles from the museum exhibit literature, placing your content within internal and external information ecosystems, selecting exhibit software, and finding ways to recognize and use your own creativity. Demonstrating that an exhibit provides a useful and creative connecting point where your content, your organization, and your audience can meet, the book also demonstrates that such exhibits can provide a way to revisit difficult and painful material in a way that includes frank and enlightened analyses of issues such as racism, colonialism, sexism, class, and LGBTQI+ issues. Creating Digital Exhibits for Cultural Institutions is an essential resource for librarians, archivists, and other cultural heritage professionals who want to promote their institution's digital content to the widest possible audience. Academics and students working in the fields of library and information science, museum studies and digital humanities will also find much to interest them within the pages of this book.

This book explains the concept of social cohesion in the context of a comparative sociological study. It proposes an innovative approach to the measurement of social cohesion, considering as constitutive elements social trust, institutional trust, and societies' degree of openness. Aruqaj observes these elements across time and on multiple social levels: individual (socio-economic inequalities and ethno-linguistic diversification); group (social categorisations and regional statistics of religious, gender, social status and migration differences); and societal (reflecting the quality of life and human capabilities). This book provides an analysis of social cohesion not only between, but also within European societies. It will appeal to students and scholars interested in solidarity and social integration working in sociology, social psychology and development studies.

This book is considered to be one of the pioneering studies in this area. Theoretical research on picture books and empirical research on children reading picture books greatly increased, in many cases as a result of the influence of the previous editions of this book, and continues to be a growing field Includes case studies, new and old, draws readers' attention to all the significant theoretical work in the field, provides structured advice for teachers and for those who wish to carry out their own research of this kind. Considers competing technologies and looks ahead to future developments of the picturebook on the internet, in the classroom, in the museum/gallery and in publishing. Includes a new focus on art museum education Whilst many books about picturebooks, few others explore children's response to picture books

Understanding Authenticity in Chinese Cultural Heritage explores the construction of "authenticity" and its consequences in relation to Chinese cultural heritage - those objects, texts, and intangible practices concerned with China's past. Including contributions from scholars around the world reflecting on a range of different materials and time periods, Understanding Authenticity emphasizes the situatedness and fluidity of authenticity concepts. Attitudes towards authenticity change over time and place, and vary between communities and object types, among stakeholders in China as they do elsewhere. The book examines how "authenticity" relates to four major aspects of cultural heritage in China - Art and Material Culture; Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation; Living and Intangible Heritage; and Texts and Manuscripts - with individual contributions engaging in a critical and interdisciplinary conversation that weaves together heritage management, art history, archaeology, architecture, tourism, law, history, and literature. Moving beyond conceptual issues, the book also considers the practical ramifications for work in cultural heritage management, museums, and academic research. Understanding Authenticity in Chinese Cultural Heritage provides an opportunity for reflection on the contingencies of authenticity debates - not only in relation to China, but also anywhere around the world. The book will be of interest to scholars and students in a variety of fields, including heritage studies, Asian studies, art history, museum studies, history and archaeology.

Valuable for Global South countries that are currently hosting multiple adaptation and mitigation policies, such as Asian and Latin America countries, and/or Global South countries that are extractive hubs. Explores the intersection of environmental resource grabbing and extractivism, in an intersectorial approach, based on a multiscale level of analysis (macro/global dynamics and its implications to micro level rural livelihoods).

This book builds on the work of anthropologists, designers and ethnographers to develop an original methodology and framework for Indigenous engagement and designer/non-designer collaboration in the field of social design. Following a collaborative case study conducted over a five-year period between the author, project team and Indigenous artisans in Mexico, the book outlines the practical challenges of design research, including funding, logistics, relationships between designers and communities, failures, successes, and pivots. Social design literature has often focused on introducing important questions to the design research process, but fails to deeply interrogate and demonstrate how these theories inform research projects in action, which can then be open to misinterpretation, bias and unintended harmful consequences. Centering the Indigenous communities, this book provides a detailed and clear example of not just why, but how design and designers can work authentically and responsibly through different approaches and systems. The book examines the specific cultural, epistemological and socio-political history of Mexico as it relates to colonization and Indigenous peoples, exploring the systemic influences of globalization and grounding the research in its unique context. It includes field notes, conversations with the Indigenous artisan communities, workshops and prototypes to offer unique insight into a detailed, collaborative social design initiative. This book intersects with the growing awareness of the necessity of decolonial approaches to design across the world and will be an important and useful study for academics, students and researchers in social design, sustainable development, cultural studies and anthropology.

A comprehensive and authoritative collection which provides thorough coverage on religion and the body with contributions from leading figures in the field. The handbook is essential reading for any student of religious studies and is also very useful for those in related fields, such as philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, history, cultural and gender studies. An outstanding reference source to key topics, problems, and debates within a cutting-edge field which is gaining traction.

This book discusses the ethical dimension of the interpretation of texts and events. Its purpose is not to address the neutrality or ideological biases of interpreters, but rather to discuss the underlying issue of the intervention of interpreters into the process of interpretation. The author calls this intervention the "ethical" aspect of interpretation and argues that interpreters are neither neutral nor necessarily activists. He examines three models of interpretation, all of which recognize the role that interpreters play in the process of interpretation. In these models, the question of the truth or validity of interpretation is dependent upon the attitude of interpreters. These three models are: (1) the principle of charity in interpretation in the two different versions defended by Hans-Georg Gadamer and Donald Davidson; (2) the production of truth, as developed by Paul Ricoeur and Michel Foucault; and (3) the regulative principle in interpretation as formal validity claims-as presented by Karl-Otto Apel and Jurgen Habermas-and as benevolence or love as an epistemic virtue-as defended by Friedrich Schlegel and Friedrich Schleiermacher. The critical discussion of these three models, which brings to the fore the different manners in which interpreters intervene in the process of interpretation as persons, lays the foundations for an ethics of interpretation. The Ethics of Interpretation will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in hermeneutics, 19th- and 20th-century philosophy, literary theory, and cultural theory.

This book analyses the key livelihood and governance challenges that the urban poor experience while navigating public spaces in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Using data collected through extensive fieldwork in Bangladesh, the book contributes to the emerging scholarship of resilient cities, gendered space, spatial justice, and poverty in cities of the Global South. The book assesses the everyday politics of survival for the urban poor; how the poor negotiate different levels of formal and informal modes of power and governance; and the dynamics of gender. It explores how tenuous counterspaces are created when these factors combine to provide a valuable framework for work in other urban contexts in the Global South beyond Bangladesh. Using cross-disciplinary perspectives, this book investigates the issues of human development, urban governance, urban planning and the gendered nature of urban space to outline how these issues enable or constrain poor people's livelihood practices and their rights to be in the city. Exploring debates surrounding placemaking and inclusive cities and their connection to poor people's livelihoods, this book will be of interest to scholars in the field of Sociology, Development Studies, Planning, Geography and Anthropology.

Against a broader backdrop of globalization and worldwide moves toward political democracy, this collection of essays examines the unfolding relationships among social change, equity, and the democratic representation of the poor in Latin America.

This book is a socio-legal study of counter-piracy. It takes as its case the law enforcement efforts after 2008 to suppress piracy off the coast of Somalia. Through ethnographic fieldwork, the book invites the reader onto a Danish warship patrolling the western Indian Ocean for piracy incidents and into the courtroom in Seychelles, where more than 150 suspects were prosecuted. The aim is to understand how counter-piracy worked in practice. The book uses assemblage theory to approach law as a social process and places emphasis on studying empirical enforcement practices over analysing legal provisions. This supplements existing scholarship on the legal aspects of counter-piracy. Scholarship has mainly examined applicable law governing counter-piracy. This book steps into the field to examine applied law. Its methodology renders visible areas of legal ambiguity and identifies practices which suggests impunity and questions legal certainty. It thus contributes with new policy-relevant knowledge for international security governance. The relevance is one of urgency. Counter-piracy off Somalia has served as a governance paradigm, which is replicated in other maritime domains. Consideration of the implications for policy is therefore needed. The book will be of interest to policy-makers, security practitioners and scholars, who share a methodological commitment to practice.

This book scrutinizes the role of Hong Kong in the expansive, and contested, vision of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In two main sections, it first discusses the defining features of the BRI and the evolving expectations of the role of Hong Kong in the BRI from the perspectives of policy makers and the professional sectors of accountancy-finance and the law. The second section contemplates the potential opportunities for Hong Kong from the perspectives of recipient countries of Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. Utilizing an action research approach and engaging the views of a broad spectrum of actors, the authors observe the critical role of agency and innovations in a context of institutional contradictions, the impact of BRI governance structure for the deficits in international participation, gaps between grand state visions and commercial interests, and the salience of effective communication in navigating complex policy initiatives. Taking these together unpacks the complex processes shaping Hong Kong's participation and role in the BRI. This book will appeal to students and researchers interested in the BRI and Hong Kong, in the contexts of institutional contradictions, agency innovations and political dynamics as well as sustainable development.

This edited volume discusses the rise, positioning and role of small-scale, voluntary development organisations in the Global North. This book presents and reflects upon unique data and analyses of a growing global community of researchers involved in this field of study located in a diverse set of countries in the Global North and South. This book presents a multi-cited perspective on this alternative development actor. The first part of the book starts from a northern perspective and from an analysis of how and why citizens actively engage in the field of international development. Starting from this understanding of this particular development actor, the second part will delve into the role of these actors in the global south, particularly related to topics as partnerships, embeddedness, legitimacy, accountability, exit strategies, sustainability and solidarity; all themes central to debates in the field of development. Through examples from different countries in the Global South, part 2 explores these themes from different standpoints and thus also provides the reader with thick descriptions.

Economic development depends heavily on the growth of social sectors like education, healthcare, gender equality, as well as factors like income, consumption, investment and trade. This book examines the interlinkages between development, good governance and spending on social growth. The book focuses on different areas of social growth, public welfare and poverty reduction including managing human resource, corruption in public institutions, public spaces as well as health and welfare measures. The chapters in the volume highlight the role of government interventions in boosting human development - particularly in developing countries in Asia and Africa and many developed countries in the post-COVID scenario. The book also examines the foundations of government spending on development and effective governance while underlining the impact which social growth has on the economy. Rich in theoretical and empirical perspectives, this book will be useful for students and researchers of economics, sociology, political studies, public finance, development studies as well as for policy makers and think tanks working in the areas of human development.

Digital Approaches to Inclusion and Participation in Cultural Heritage brings together best examples and practices of digital and interactive approaches and platforms from a number of projects based in European countries to foster social inclusion and participation in heritage and culture. It engages with ongoing debates on the role of culture and heritage in contemporary society relating to inclusion and exclusion, openness, access, and bottom-up participation. The contributions address key themes such as the engagement of marginalised communities, the opening of debates and new interpretations around socially and historically contested heritages, and the way in which digital technologies may foster more inclusive cultural heritage practices. They will also showcase examples of work that can inspire reflection, further research, and also practice for readers such as practice-focused researchers in both HCI and design. Indeed, as well as consolidating the achievements of researchers, the contributions also represent concrete approaches to digital heritage innovation for social inclusion purposes. The book's primary audience is academics, researchers, and students in the fields of cultural heritage, digital heritage, human-computer interaction, digital humanities, and digital media, as well as practitioners in the cultural sector.

MICHAEL J. POLIGNANO first came to national attention in 2000 when, as an undergraduate at Emory University, he ignited a storm of controversy by writing in the school newspaper about the scientifically established fact that racial differences are largely genetic. TAKING OUR OWN SIDE is a collection of 45 short essays, editorials, reviews, and satires. These lucidly written, carefully reasoned essays are profound, poignant, and occasionally prophetic. They are also sometimes brutally frank and hilariously funny. Michael Polignano shows how to make the most radical positions seductively reasonable. TAKING OUR OWN SIDE establishes him as one of the most compelling and versatile writers in the North American New Right.

In a time of worldwide turmoil and pervasive social displacement, universities and communities have come together to meet these urgent challenges in order to support the academic and social development of displaced young people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. It is crucial to understand and review how institutions, as well as individuals and collaborative groups, have worked together to expand institutional culture and practice in a process of cross-institutional expansive learning. A Cultural Historical Approach to Social Displacement and University-Community Engagement: Emerging Research and Opportunities focuses on university-community collaborative engagement as a strategic response to widespread social displacement and its implications for the educational and social development of underserved young people from displaced communities. Using a cultural historical perspective, the book offers a comparative study of collaborative engagement in multiple programs involving university and community partners in long-term efforts to address the social displacement and educational development of local young people. Specifically, it examines University-Community Links (UC Links), an international network of partnerships between universities and communities that has been addressing the educational implications of social displacement for over 20 years. This book is ideal for school faculty, students, university administrators, local community leaders, community-based organization leaders, local political leaders, teachers, and school partners, as well as researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders interested in discourse on university-community engagement in higher education, K-12, and local and state decision-making arenas.

1. The book provides practical guidance that will support the reader as they develop and deliver a costumed-interpreted character of their own. 2. The book provides a variety of examples for the reader to draw upon in their own practice. Comprehensive guidance on verbal techniques, such as voice tone and the use of accents, is provided. The importance of non-verbal communication is also covered, ensuring that the book will be useful to practitioners working at museum and heritage sites around the world. 3. This is the first practical guide to provide a non-US approach to costumed interpretation. The author demonstrates how it is possible to enhance visitor experience and on-site engagement through the use of costumed interpretation.

1. The book provides practical guidance that will support the reader as they develop and deliver a costumed-interpreted character of their own. 2. The book provides a variety of examples for the reader to draw upon in their own practice. Comprehensive guidance on verbal techniques, such as voice tone and the use of accents, is provided. The importance of non-verbal communication is also covered, ensuring that the book will be useful to practitioners working at museum and heritage sites around the world. 3. This is the first practical guide to provide a non-US approach to costumed interpretation. The author demonstrates how it is possible to enhance visitor experience and on-site engagement through the use of costumed interpretation.

Volume 2: Objects, People and Texts explores the movement of individuals and peoples and the circulation of material objects and books and texts. Through a series of short chapters, mobility is employed as an elastic, inclusive and multifaceted concept across various disciplines to shed light on a geographically and chronologically broad range of issues and case studies. In doing so, the concept of mobility is positioned as a powerful catalyst for historical change and as a fruitful approach to research in the humanities and social sciences. Like its sister volume, this volume is edited and written by members of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Mobility and the Humanities (MoHu) at the Department of Historical and Geographical Sciences and The Ancient World (DiSSGeA) of the University of Padua, Italy. The structure of the book mirrors the Theories and Methods, and Ideas thematic research clusters of the Centre. Afterwords from leading scholars from other institutions synthesise and reflect upon the findings of each section. This volume, together with Volume 1: Theories, Methods and Ideas, makes a compelling case for the use of mobility studies as a research framework in the humanities and social sciences. As such, it will be of interest to students and researchers in various disciplines.

Archiving Cultures defines and models the concept of a cultural archives focusing on how diverse communities express and record their heritage and collective memory and why and how these often-intangible expressions are archival records. Analysis of oral traditions, memory texts and performance arts demonstrate their relevance as records of their communities. Key features of this book include definitions of cultural heritage and archival heritage with an emphasis on intangible cultural heritage. Aspects of cultural heritage such as oral traditions, performance arts, memory texts and collective memory are placed within the context of records and archives. Presents strategies for reconciling intangible and tangible cultural expressions with traditional archival theory and practice. Offers both analog and digital models for constructing a cultural archives through examples and vignettes. Audience includes archivists and other information workers who challenge Western archival theory and scholars concerned with interdisciplinary perspectives on tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Relevant to scholars involved with non-textual materials. Will appeal to a range of academic disciplines engaging with 'the archive'.

This book investigates the relationship of secrecy as a social practice to contemporary media, news cultures and public relations. Drawing on Georg Simmel's theorisation of how secrecy produces a 'second world' alongside the 'obvious world' and creates and reshapes social relations, Anne Cronin argues for close analysis of the PR industry as a powerful vector of secrecy and an examination of its relationship to news cultures. Using case studies and in-depth interviews, as well as recent research in media and cultural studies, sociology, journalism studies and communication studies, the book analyses how PR practices generate a second, shadow world of the media sphere which has a profound impact on the 'obvious world'. It interrogates both the PR industry's and news culture's role in shaping social relations for a digital media landscape, and those initiatives promoting transparency of data and decision-making processes. An insightful, interdisciplinary approach to debates on media and power, this book will appeal to students of public relations, sociology, media studies, cultural studies and communication studies. It will also be of interest to scholars and practitioners working at the intersections of media, social relations and public trust.