These twelve original essays by geographers and anthropologists offer a deep critical understanding of Allan Pred's pathbreaking and eclectic cultural Marxist approach, with a focus on his concept of "situated ignorance": the production and reproduction of power and inequality by regimes of truth through strategically deployedmisinformation, diversions, and silences. As the essays expose the cultural and material circumstances in which situated ignorance persists, they also add a previously underexplored spatial dimension to Walter Benjamin's idea of "moments of danger." The volume invokes the aftermath of the July 2011 attacks by far-right activistAnders Breivik in Norway, who ambushed a Labor Party youth gathering and bombed a government building, killing and injuring many. Breivik had publicly and forthrightly declared war against an array of liberal attitudes he saw threatening Western civilization. However, as politicians and journalists interpreted these events for mass consumption, a narrative quickly emerged that painted Breivik as a lone madman and steered the discourse away from analysis of theresurgent right-wing racisms and nationalisms in which he was immersed. The Breivik case is merely one of the most visible recent examples, say editors Heather Merrill and Lisa Hoffman, of the unchallenged production of knowledge in the public sphere. In essays that range widely in topic and setting-for example, brownfield development in China, a Holocaust memorial in Germany, an art gallery exhibit in South Africa-this volume peels back layers of "situated practices and their associated meaning and power relations." Spaces of Danger offers analytical and conceptual tools of a Predian approach to interrogate the taken-for-granted and make visible and legible that which is silenced.

Precariousness has become a defining experience in contemporary society, as an inescapable condition and state of being. Living with Precariousness presents a spectrum of timely case studies that explore precarious existences – at individual, collective and structural levels, and as manifested through space and the body. These range from the plight of asylum seekers, to the tiny house movement as a response to affordable housing crises; from the global impacts of climate change, to the daily challenges of living with a chronic illness. This multidisciplinary book illustrates the pervasiveness of precarity, but furthermore shows how those entanglements with other agents, human or otherwise, that put us at risk are also the connections that make living with (and through) precariousness endurable.

Exploring the importance of megacities and megacity-regions as one of the defining features of the 21st century, this Handbook provides a clear and comprehensive overview of current thinking and debates from leading scholars in the field. Highlighting major current challenges and dimensions of megaurbanization, chapters form a thematic focus on governance, planning, history, and environmental and social issues, supported by case studies from every continent. Analysing vital questions for contemporary urban research, this Handbook looks at: what place megacities and megacity-regions occupy in a world of cities; how they interrogate current thinking about urban society, theory, and policy; and what role these largest of urban areas will play in shaping humanity's future. Key contributions reveal that research needs to further focus a critical and analytical lens on the particularities and distinctive issues associated with megaurbanization. A timely and essential read for urban studies, urban geography, and public policy students, the interdisciplinary nature of this Handbook provides a thorough view into the features and importance of megacities and megacity-regions. Public policy-makers and planners will also benefit from the wide-ranging case studies included.

Irish migrants in new communities: Seeking the Fair Land? comprises the second collection of essays by these editors exploring fresh aspects and perspectives on the subject of the Irish diaspora. This volume, edited by Mairtin O Cathain and Micheal O hAodha, develops many of the oral history themes of the first book and concentrates more on issues surrounding the adaptation of migrants to new or host environments and cultures. These new places often have a jarring effect, as well as a welcoming air, and the Irish bring their own interpretations, hostilities, and suspicions, all of which are explored in a fascinating and original number of new perspectives.

Illustrated with pioneering maps and country analyses by a network of researchers from across the Mediterranean, this book takes a territorial approach as a way toward a shared vision for a truly integrated Euro-Mediterranean region. At a time when the region is undergoing rapid change, the main goal of the book is to challenge misconceptions with common geographic data, on issues such as transport, energy, agriculture and water. The book suggests avenues for Europe to regain a part of the influence it has lost on its Mediterranean neighbourhood and policies common to Europe and its southern neighbours. The wide range of geographic country analyses, from Morocco to Turkey and including the occupied Palestinian territory and Jordan, are complemented with new maps at the scale of the wider Euro-Mediterranean region. The contributions contend that cross-border cooperation, common transport networks and shared environmental management can foster partnership when diplomatic relations are stalling. The Gibraltar case study shows that while competition is rising between the two sides of the strait their potential complementarity is also very high. The book calls for a Euro-Mediterranean local data collaborative platform to drive a common 'Neighbourhoods Territorial Agenda' for North-South shared vision and action. This timely and enlightening book is essential reading for those studying regional, European, Mediterranean and Arab world issues. It will appeal to policymakers and actors involved in cross-border cooperation, territorial development, environment, cultural knowledge and networking. Contributors include: M. Ababsa, P. Beckouche, N. Ben Cheikh, P. Besnard, Y. Cohen, G. Faour, J. Hilal, O. Isik, E. Larrea, J.-Y. Moisseron, Z. Ouadah-Bedidi, D. Pages El Karoui, H. Pecout, R. Tabib, A. Ulied, G. Van Hamme, I. Zboun

The learning region offers a new perspective on the dynamics of change which shape the economy. This book examines the transformation of the modern economy into one in which knowledge is the most important resource and learning the most important process for economic growth. In the modern economy, successful firms, as well as governments, are those which have control over and access to flows of information and knowledge of technologies, markets, and organizational and managerial practices. In order to examine this, the authors apply innovation, industrial network and institutional theories to the many factors which together constitute learning regions: regional innovation policy, geographical clusters of collaborating firms and the role of research centres in the innovative potential of regions. They find that the learning region paradigm opens new possibilities for research and policy and use case studies in Germany, Holland and Belgium to illustrate these possibilities. The authors also examine European Union and regional government policy on innovation and regional development. Finally, they examine inter-firm and intra-firm collaboration and regional business and innovation systems. This innovative new book will prove invaluable to regional scientists, economic geographers and regional planners.

In the post-industrial network economy, international gateway regions are becoming increasingly important. These gateway regions are the nodes (defined as a city or a city region) that act as saddle points between a region and the global economy. While gateway regions have existed ever since inter-regional trade was first practised, new non-trade networks, and the wider global economy, have made these regions more complex. The book includes discussions of infrastructure networks such as the internet and air transport, as well as networking activities such as long-distance scientific cooperation, financial networks and direct investments. The contributors have expertise in fields such as regional economics, economic geography, institutional economics and business administration. The book offers in-depth analysis of both existing and developing gateway regions in three sections: * North America * Asia-Pacific * Europe Economists and researchers with an interest in regions, the knowledge economy and institutions will find this book of great value. It will also be of interest to economic geographers, regional planners and development agencies.