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Books > Earth & environment > Geography > Human geography > Political geography
'Narratives of the European Border' examines the representation of shifting European borders in 20th century narrative. A work of literary geography, the book draws together an unusual grouping of texts from different national canons, comparing how fictional settings transmute European placelessness into narrative.
This book addresses the social, political and economic turbulence in which the UK is embroiled. Drawing on Cultural Studies, it explores proliferating crises and conflicts, from the multiplying varieties of social dissent through the stagnation of rentier capitalism to the looming climate catastrophe. Examining arguments about Brexit, class and ‘race’, and the changing character of the state, the book is underpinned by a transnational and relational conception of the UK. It traces the entangled dynamics of time and space that have shaped the current conjuncture. Questioning whether increasingly anti-democratic and authoritarian strategies can provide a resolution to these troubles, it explores how the accumulating crises and conflicts have produced a deepening ‘crisis of authority’ that forms the terrain of the Battle for Britain.
"Eurasia" offers a wide-ranging and original interpretation of
territory, boundaries and borderlands in Europe, Asia and the Far
East. The articles examine issues such as: the establishment and
abolishment of the inner-German boundary, peace and conflict in the
Thai-Malaysian border region, and the Hong Kong-China border.
"The Americas" provides an original and far-ranging interpretation
of issues relating to territory, boundaries and societies in the
American continent. The articles examine issues such as: the border
crossing between Mexico and the United States, transborder
pollution between California and Baja California, the Ecuador-Peru
dispute, and the Argentine-Chile frontier.
"Global Boundaries" considers conceptual, legal and geopolitical
aspects of international borders and borderlands. It also presents
a detailed discussion of Antarctica as a case of global territorial
dispute. The articles examine issues such as: the changing role and
functions of international boundaries, peacekeeping and
peacebuilding along borders, and the future of the Antarctic
Treaty.
"Maritime Boundaries" presents a variety of cases illustrating the
implications of recent changes in maritime territorial
jurisdiction. The articles examine issues such as: the history of
maritime boundaries, sea level rise and maritime boundaries, the
United States-Russia maritime boundary, and the stability of land
and sea boundary delimitations in international law.
Much of the world's economic activity takes place in between cities and nations - the geographical containers that we have taken for granted for hundreds of years now. In this book Nicholas Phelps provides a guide to this uncharted territory within urban and economic geography. He highlights the importance of intermediary actors and processes in shaping this economy in between. From the airports, shopping malls, and office parks that have sprung up on the road between cities, to work done on the move in cars and trains, to the decisions made by internationally mobile networks of experts in conferences and negotiations. The geography of the economy in between is revealed as one involving four recurring and coexisting economic geographical formations - the agglomeration, the enclave, the networks, and the arena. Phelps sets out a multidisciplinary perspective and agenda on the question of the how, why, and where much contemporary economic activity takes place.
With a government plagued by systemic ills and deep ideological divides, democracy, as we know it, is in jeopardy. Yet, ironically, voter apathy remains prevalent and evidence suggests standard civic education has done little to instill a sense of civic duty in the American public. While some are waiting for change to come from within, trying to influence already polarized voters, or counting down the days until the "next election," leading child and adolescent development experts Daniel Hart and James Youniss are looking to another solution: America's youth. In Renewing Democracy in Young America, Hart and Youniss examine the widening generation gap, the concentration of wealth in pockets of the US, and the polarized political climate, and they arrive at a compelling solution to some of the most hotly contested issues of our time. The future of democracy depends on the American people seeing citizenship as a long-term psychological identity, and thus it is critical that youth have the opportunity to act as citizens during the time of their identity formation. Proposing that 16- and 17-year-olds be able to vote in municipal elections and suggesting that schools create science-based, community-oriented environmental engagement programs, the authors expound that by engaging youth through direct citizen-participatory experiences, we can successfully create active and committed citizens. Political scientists, media commentators, and citizens alike agree that democratic processes are broken across the nation, but we cannot stop at simply showing that our political system is dysfunctional. Refreshingly lucid and unabashedly hopeful, Renewing Democracy in Young America is an impeccably timed call to action.
An island's boundary - where it meets the sea - is self-evident and non-negotiable. But a land boundary is contestable: it can be changed and shifted to suit, reflecting power politics, the outcome of victor and vanquished in warfare, or negotiated compromise. There are today only ten inhabited islands where both these dynamics pan out. This text is the first to focus on the intriguing political economy of these rare, shared island spaces. It examines the fascination, and obsession, with islands as unitary geographies and polities; and explores the tensions in contemporary 'divided islands' - as in the case of formal and informal, legal and illegal 'border crossings' and practices - from both 'island studies' and 'international relations' perspectives.
Extensively revised, the second edition of Geographies of Postcolonialism introduces the principal themes and theories related to postcolonialism. Written from a geographical perspective, the text includes extended explanations of the cultural and material spaces of the colonial and postcolonial power and representation. Exploring postcolonialism through the geographies of imagination, knowledge and power, the text analyses the history of western representations of the "Other" and engages with the important conceptual contributions of postcolonial theory. Comprehensive, accessible and illustrated with learning features throughout, Geographies of Postcolonialism will be the key resource for students interested in the geographical and spatial dimensions of colonialism and postcolonialism. Jo Sharp is Professor of Geography at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
This book explores the role of place names in the formation and maintenance of individual and group identities in multilingual and multi-ethnic situations. Using examples from Austria and Czechia as case studies, the authors examine the power of place names through an interdisciplinary and multi-methods approach that draws from the fields of anthropology, geography, sociolinguistics and toponomastics. The book contextualises both places within their social and political histories, and probes recent debates in the social sciences relating to place names, identity and power. It will be of interest to scholars and students focusing on place names and naming practices, minority communities and languages, and linguistic landscapes.
The foreign policy agenda and behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a critical challenge for the world. But where do the principal Iranian regime actors come from in terms of political background, experiences and interests? Which types of ambitions or policy conflicts have dominated and shaped foreign policy debates since 1979? This book explains the internal policy process in Tehran by following two regime personalities, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who before his death in January 2017 amassed some of the most powerful political positions in Iran. No two men have been more influential in dictating the regime's decision-making processes since 1979. Yet little is known about how their competing worldviews and interests, their key moments of dispute - both personal or policy-based - or their personal ambitions have informed the trajectory of Iranian politics. The book analyzes Khamenei and Rafsanjani's own words and writings - and accounts of them given by others - to reveal how the domestic policy contest has shaped Tehran's actions on the regional and international stage. Comprising primary and secondary Iranian sources - including untapped memoirs, newspaper reports, and Iranian electronic media and personal interviews - the book highlights the principal rivalries over the lifespan of the Islamic Republic and offers new insights into the present and future of Iranian foreign policy.
The 2012 presidential elections represented the second consecutive defeat for the Republican Party, and the fourth defeat out of the last six presidential elections. In recent years both Republican and Democratic strategists and pundits have spoken of an emerging Democratic Party "lock" on the Electoral College and speculated that even in the wake of Republican victories in Congress, presidential candidates are still at a major disadvantage due to the party's increasing demographic and geographic isolation. This prediction flies in the face of population shifts of the last several decades from Democratic regions (Upper-Midwest and Northeast) to Republican-leaning regions (South and Southwest); at the same time, it seems to follow from demographic changes favoring an increase in the minority vote. In fact, there is an initiative to convert Texas to a Democratic state by mobilizing Latino and Black voters. In Altered States, Thomas Holbrook looks at electoral change in presidential elections since 1972, documenting the magnitude, direction, and consequences of changes in party support in the states. He finds that the Democrats do not have a "lock" on the Electoral College, but that their position has improved dramatically over the past forty years in a number of formerly competitive or Republican-leaning states in the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest. Republican candidates have made many fewer gains, mostly improving their position in "misplaced," formerly Democratic states, such as Kentucky and West Virginia, or in already deeply Republican states in the Plains and Mountain West. Holbrook looks at the ways that changes in the racial and ethnic composition of the state electorates, migratory patterns from large Democratic states to Republican-leaning states, and changes in the public's level of education and occupational status, state party identification, and ideology drive these changes. Additionally, he explores the extent to which the Republican "problem" stems from the geographic concentration of party support. While Democratic concentration in major metropolitan areas tends to put them at a disadvantage in House races, as Republican votes increasingly are concentrated in fewer states where they win by wider margins, they may be "wasting" more Electoral College votes than Democrats, whose supporters are more efficiently distributed.
The Handbook on the Geographies of Corruption is a comprehensive overview of corruption, exploring the immense variation of corruption among nations, and how this reflects levels of wealth, the centralization of power, colonial legacies, and different national cultures. In this Handbook, Barney Warf brings together a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collection of original new chapters from established researchers and leading academics to examine corruption from a spatial perspective. The Handbook opens with a series of thematic chapters on the causes and consequences of corruption, its geography, the connection between corruption and gender, and the role of e-government in mitigating current corruption issues. Further chapters offer a series of national case studies, on countries including Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Russia, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and the Philippines from which to draw lessons. This Handbook will be a valuable read for human geography scholars and corruption researchers, wishing to gain a more in depth understanding of how and why corruption levels differ across the world. Practitioners concerned with combatting corruption would also greatly benefit from reading this given its real-world insights. Contributors include: A. Batory, S. Bayraktar, C. Calimbahin, S. Dabbous, D. Danieli, E. Dimant, N.G. Elbahnasawy, D.H. Enste, M. Eren, A. Guizani, C. Heldman, A. Jimenez, F.F. Khan, J. Leitner, J.M. Luiz, M. Marktanner, H. Meissner, K.Z. Meyer, M. Mietzner, S. Morris, M. Nurunnabi, V. Pesque-Cela, G.G. Schulze, K. Senters, A. Sghaier, H.O. Stensoeta, L. Wangnerud, B. Warf, M. Wilson, M.S. Winters, N. Zakharov
This dictionary is the very first to cover the whole span of geopolitics from 1870 to the present. The editor and the contributors, noted specialists, clarify what lies behind the theories and the widespread use and misuse of geopolitical doctrines. The 219 entries are fairly lengthy essays about the major schools, doctrines, strategies, people, controversies, and policies of geopolitics in the main countries practicing geopolitics. These experts provide a complete picture of how geographic thinking has influenced statecraft and world politics. The entries are cross-referenced and accompanied by over 660 bibliographical citations. Academic and professional geographers and political scientists will find this volume invaluable.
This book provides a detailed understanding of how different types of engagements impact upon the reform and EU integration of the Western Balkan region. It examines the influence of Russia, China, Turkey and the UAE in the region and analyses the range of existing links. Contributors offer an academic and multifaceted perspective of the role of external and non-Western actors in the region that goes beyond, on the one hand, the tendency of some Western decision makers to perceive all engagement by third powers as a sinister threat and, on the other, the view of regional governments of all external involvement as a boon coming at a time of Western neglect and reduced foreign investments. By looking at the importance of Russia, Turkey, China and the UAE in the Western Balkans, the book sheds light on one key arena of global competition, offers new insights on the strengths and weaknesses of Euro-Atlantic integration and advances our knowledge of foreign policy and its economic, social and security dimensions for small and medium-sized countries. It will be of interest to academics, postgraduate and research students, and think-tankers with research interest in IR and Southeast European Studies. European decision makers will also gain an insight into the extent of non-Western influence in the region.
Known as 'the land of fire', Azerbaijan's politics are materially and ideologically shaped by energy. In the country, energy security emerges as a mix of coercion and control, requiring widespread military and law enforcement deployment. This book examines the extensive network of security professionals and the wide range of practices that have spread in Azerbaijan's energy sector. It unpacks the interactions of state, supra-state, and private security organizations and argues that energy security has enabled and normalized a coercive way of exercising power. This study shows that oppressive energy security practices lead to multiple forms of abuse and poor energy policies.
This excellent reference source brings together hard-to-find information on the constituent units of the Russian Federation. The introduction examines the Russian Federation as a whole, followed by a chronology, demographic and economic statistics, and a review of the Federal Government. The second section comprises territorial surveys, each of which includes a current map. This edition includes surveys covering the annexed (and disputed) territories of Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as updated surveys of each of the other 83 federal subjects. The third section comprises a select bibliography of books. The fourth section features a series of indexes, listing the territories alphabetically, by Federal Okrug and Economic Area. Users will also find a gazetteer of selected alternative and historic names, a list of the territories abolished, created or reconstituted in the post-Soviet period, and an index of more than 100 principal cities, detailing the territory in which each is located.
Will the European Union survive the global economic crisis? Will the Arab Spring trigger new forms of regional cooperation in North Africa? Will Asian regionalism prevail? This volume investigates the intimate relationship between regional governance processes and global crises. Starting with a thorough analysis of the so-called Eurocrisis and its impact on the European Union, the contributors look at how regional cooperation and integration in the Arab world, Africa, Asia and Latin America have been improved or challenged by local and global crises. Through a selection of topical studies dealing with economic, humanitarian and democratic crises, they discuss the future evolutions of regional governance and call for a new paradigm to put 'citizens' at the centre of regionalism.
'Pop-up' is a fully-fledged, new urbanism. Celebrated as a flexible and exciting new form of place making, pop-up culture includes temporary or nomadic sites such as cinemas, container malls, supper clubs, even pop-up housing and is now ubiquitous in cities across the world. But what are the stakes of the 'pop-up' city? Traversing a wealth of fascinating case studies, Rebranding Precarity shows how pop-up works to rebrand insecurity and encourages us to embrace precarity as the new normal. Revealing how urban crisis has particular temporal and spatial characteristics, defined by uncertainty, instability, fractures and gaps, it illuminates how those markers of crisis have been optimistically reimagined over the last few years, through an examination of seven logics that rebrand insecurity including within housing, labour economies and gentrifying areas. In doing so, it paints a frightening picture of how crisis conditions have become not just accepted, but are in fact desired, in today's metropolis.
Moving beyond state-centric and elitist perspectives, this volume examines everyday security in the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and written by scholars from Central Asia and beyond, it shows how insecurity is experienced, what people consider existential threats, and how they go about securing themselves. It concentrates on individuals who feel threatened because of their ethnic belonging, gender or sexual orientation. It develops the concept of 'securityscapes', which draws attention to the more subtle means that people take to secure themselves - practices bent on invisibility and avoidance, on disguise and trickery, and on continually adapting to shifting circumstances. By broadening the concept of security practice, this book is an important contribution to debates in Critical Security Studies as well as to Central Asian and Area Studies. |
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