'The Book Collectors of Daraya celebrates the political and therapeutic power of the written word . . . defiant and cautiously optimistic' Financial Times '[An] incredible chronicle . . . The book tells the kind of story that often gets buried beneath images of violence' LitHub In 2012 the rebel suburb of Daraya in Damascus was brutally besieged by Syrian government forces. Four years of suffering ensued, punctuated by shelling, barrel bombs and chemical gas attacks. People's homes were destroyed and their food supplies cut off; disease was rife. Yet in this man-made hell, forty young Syrian revolutionaries embarked on an extraordinary project, rescuing all the books they could find in the bombed-out ruins of their home town. They used them to create a secret library, in a safe place, deep underground. It became their school, their university, their refuge. It was a place to learn, to exchange ideas, to dream and to hope. Based on lengthy interviews with these young men, conducted over Skype by the award-winning French journalist Delphine Minoui, The Book Collectors of Daraya is a powerful testament to freedom, tolerance and the power of literature. Translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud.

This comprehensive Commentary presents a contemporary legal perspective on the inherently interdisciplinary field of children's rights. Chapters analyse each article of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, along with its Optional Protocols, providing contextualised information on the interpretation and implementation of the children's rights provisions therein. A detailed introduction examines the history of the Convention and places it within the wider landscape of human rights and other disciplinary approaches such as the sociology of childhood. The Commentary critically engages with the text of the Convention, exploring commonly used concepts and defining pertinent terminology. The authors draw on multiple perspectives and refer to disciplines outside of law to enrich the analysis of the articles, their interpretation and the study of children's rights as a discipline. Featuring examples of case law from regional human rights systems this Commentary provides a well-rounded insight into the status of children's rights on a global scale. Written in an accessible style, this Commentary will be a valuable reference work for students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers alike. The Commentary will be of great interest to those working within children's rights law and human rights law. Researchers in politics, sociology and international studies who are seeking further information and insight on the rights of children will also find this Commentary to be a useful point of reference.

An urgent and timely exploration of a British political system in peril – and what we must do to save it. For centuries, British identity has been shaped by ideas of exceptionalism, grandeur and competence. Yet British democracy is failing. Governments supported by a minority of voters are elected with enormous majorities under a deeply unrepresentative first-past-the-post system. The result has been failed leaders delivering wounding blows to the country's economy, prosperity and international image. Britain Is Better Than This explores what lies beneath this sense of malaise, revealing the structural and constitutional failures at the heart of a sclerotic political system. It sheds light on a culture of lies, distrust and corruption. It reveals fundamental flaws in core institutions, including the media, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It draws on events such as the MP expenses scandal, Brexit, 'Partygate' and the farcical premiership of Liz Truss, as symptoms of a great nation at a turning point yet unsure of which way to turn. And it looks ahead, offering practical solutions to answer the key question of our time: What do we need to do to build a better future? 'The most compelling, lacerating description of the Muppet Show that is British public life I have yet read.' Will Hutton 'There can be no book more urgently needed than this one.' Steve Richards

Time correspondent Simon Shuster delivers the unmissable account of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, written and reported from inside the presidential compound in Kyiv, based on Shuster's unparalleled access to President Zelensky and his top aides.

As the European Union continues to struggle to establish a common agenda on tackling social problems, this compelling book presents a set of comparative sociological studies in southern European countries from leading scholars working in the region. While political and sociological discussion is frequently focused on northern EU member states, this book widens the debate by looking at a series of specific social problems of southern Europe. Contributors examine pressing social issues, such as social unrest, Islamophobia, childhood and educational needs, deindustrialization, unemployment and environmental degradation, addressing not only the implications of these issues but also their societal perception and their impact on national and regional identities. Chapters highlight shared trends and critical regional disparities that may improve our understanding of social problems in Mediterranean welfare states. Featuring key research from leading academics in the field, this book is crucial reading for scholars of sociology and social policy working in the field of social problems, particularly those focused on southern Europe. It will also be beneficial to policymakers working in the region who are in need of fresh empirical insights into the social fabric of southern European societies. Contributors include: T. Alvarez Lorente, H. Baldan, A. Barros Cardoso, F. Barros Rodriguez, J.F. Bejarano Bella, I. Benali Tahiri, S. Bertolini, F.J. Canton Correa, P. Cardon, F.F. Castano, E. Dominguez, R. Duque-Calvache, F. Entrena-Duran, M. do Nascimento Esteves Mateus, R. Fajardo Fernandez, C. Fuentes-Lara, N. Fuster, P. Galindo Calvo, J.M. Garcia Moreno, A. Gentile, S.M.A. Gozzo, J. Iglesias de Ussel, E. Igorra Canillas, B. Jimenez Roger, J. Lopez Doblas, L.F. Lopez Garcia, B. Mahmud, R. Manzanera Ruiz, C. Marciano, A. Martinez Lopez, R. Martinez Martin, I. Palomares-Linares, L. Pellizzoni, T.T. Rodriguez Molina, F. Sadio Ramos, M. Sanchez Martinez, M.J. Santiago Segura, R.M. Soriano Miras, J.L. Sousa Soares de Oliveira Braga, J. Susino, J.M. Torrado, A. Torres Rodriguez, A. Trinidad Requena, J.M. Valdera-Gil

Ethnography is at the heart of what researchers in management and organization studies do. This crucial book offers a robust and original overview of ''doing'' organizational ethnography, guiding readers through the essential qualitative methods for the study of organizations. Preparing students to enter the field with a confident outlook and a toolkit of skills, chapters present a series of action-learning projects to arm readers with practical exercises that will hone the abilities of the organizational ethnographer. Expert contributors offer crucial outlines into a variety of essential skills, including shadowing, autoethnography, interviews, media analysis and storytelling. The book concludes with a chapter by a doctoral student, providing unique insights into the development of the ethnographic understanding of organizational realities. Featuring useful exercises and an accessible style, this book is critical reading for PhD and Masters students in business administration and organizational theory, as well as social science students undertaking qualitative methodology programmes. It will also be useful for students on MBA courses in need of a humanistic approach to organizations.

Synthesising diverse research avenues for politics, discourse, and political discourse, this cutting-edge Handbook examines the formative traditions, current theoretical and methodological landscape, and genres and domains over which political discourse extends. Drawing on rich and dynamic models in critical cognitive linguistics, pragmatics, metaphor analysis, context, and multimodality studies, leading scholars provide tools to analyse a broad range of traditional and modern genres of political communication. Taking a historical dive into formative traditions in political discourse, including rhetoric and social and poststructuralist theories, this Handbook revises these classical models of political communication against new empirical contexts, to offer the most fruitful, objective and universal methodologies to date. Examining propaganda, advertising, political speeches and election campaigns, this Handbook pays particular attention to newly arising genres and discourses which reflect the momentous changes in the public domain, fuelled by recent and developing events including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. Drawing diverse insights from a wide array of disciplines, this Handbook will prove invaluable to students and scholars of political theory, sociology, philosophy, linguistics, discourse analysis and communication studies who are looking for innovative methodologies with which to analyse political discourse.

Compiling the experience and expertise of over 50 leading international scholars, this Handbook of Teaching Public Administration provides critical insights into the questions, issues, and challenges raised by teaching practitioners and aspiring professionals. Its global scope ensures a comprehensive overview of the diversity of current practice in teaching public administration. Featuring international examples of curriculum design and practice, the Handbook positions public administration against a backdrop shaped by global politics, history, philosophy, and social change. Applied case studies on teaching public administration and in-depth analyses of critical pedagogical concepts illuminate the diverse and multidisciplinary approaches to public administration across the globe, as well as emphasising the widely contested nature of its teaching. Contributions from field professionals explore questions of accreditation, curriculum design, assessment, innovation, and practice, ultimately serving to inform and inspire readers' pedagogical decisions. Theoretical, empirical, and practice-focused, this incisive Handbook will be an essential resource for public administration students, educators, and practitioners at any stage in their study or career. It will also serve as an engaging reference text for public administration accreditation and approvals organisations.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the opportunity to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Space policy is now a top priority in international relations. This timely Research Agenda takes the definition of space policy itself as an object of analysis rather than as an unquestioned premise. It presents the multi-faceted spectrum of elements combined within space policy which are crucially relevant to security, welfare and modern society. Chapters demonstrate why space matters and how space policy research has reflected this during the past half-century. Expert international contributors set out a forward-looking research agenda for the 2020s, identifying key problems and conflicts related to the topic and exploring policy, regulatory approaches and diplomatic mechanisms to reach possible solutions. The types of actors and institutions playing a key role in space policy are also examined through an interdisciplinary lens. Scholars and students of political science, international relations and law will find this to be a sophisticated, cutting-edge resource for analysing and understanding the multi-dimensional impacts of space policy.

This collection addresses human rights and development for researchers, policymakers and activists at a time of major challenges. 'Critical issues' in the title signifies both the urgency of the issues and the need for critical rethinking. After exploring the overarching issues of development and economic theory, gender, climate change and disability, the book focuses on issues of technology and trade, education and information, water and sanitation, and work, health, housing and food. The chapters then examine how to operationalize human rights in development through accountability, the right to development, indicators and the Sustainable Development Goals. The conclusion proposes international standards and social mobilization for human rights and sustainable development as normative and policy-oriented tools for addressing the climate emergency, the coronavirus pandemic, social inequality, racial injustice, and the rise of populist authoritarianism and for advancing social justice and the equal value of all human beings. This book is of interest to students of development and human rights studies, international relations, international law and contemporary social issues, as well as professionals working at government, intergovernmental and civil society organizations dealing with these issues.

At a time when political representation can be said to be facing its ultimate crisis, this crucial work clarifies the terms of the debate, providing an up-to-date analysis of the main conceptual and institutional controversies that have arisen surrounding this topic. Written by leading scholars in the field, contributions focus on how representation is conceptualised and its relation to democracy, examining how political institutions in different historical periods (ranging from the middle ages to the modern day) have ensured representation based on demands of various social forces. This Research Handbook also encapsulates the directions taken by the main strands of empirical research in political representation within the context of liberal democracies and beyond. Overall, this provides a major contribution to the growing understanding of one of the most important institutional inventions of contemporary politics. The Research Handbook on Political Representation is a comprehensive and agile guide to the main bodies of literature on representation for academic researchers in political science, sociology and history. It will also guide post-graduate and graduate students of the same fields in the exploration of the crucial research questions arising from the concept and reality of political representation.

Based on the author's first-hand experience as a UN Special Rapporteur, this thought-provoking and original book examines the values of Eastern civilisations and their contribution to the development of the UN Human Rights agenda. Offering an authoritative analysis of Hindu and Buddhist traditions, Surya P. Subedi, KC, focuses on the norms underpinning these two seminal Eastern philosophies to assess the extent to which the ancient civilisations already have human rights values embedded in them. Chapters explore the expression of values in the scriptures and practices of these philosophies, assessing their influence on the contemporary understanding of human rights. Rejecting the argument based on ''Asian Values'' that is often used to undermine the universality of human rights, the book argues that secularism, personal liberty and universalism are at the heart of both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The unique perspective offered by Human Rights in Eastern Civilisations will appeal to students, academics and researchers in a wide range of disciplines, including human rights, international law and relations, and religious studies.

In his family, "Let's not talk about the past," has always meant "Let's not talk about anything at all." But now in his middle age, Alasdair has a burning need to know about his parents' lives in Ceylon and the way in which his father died. So when, nearing the end of her life, his mother gives him a bundle of wartime letters, he soaks up every word, piecing together the glamorous expat lives of his parents and his own childhood, even returning to Ceylon to see where his father is buried. But while much is revealed in the letters, much is concealed too and Alasdair is rocked by what he finds out. Why did his mother never mention his older sister? Why, to the very end, had she not talked about her past? Why were the circumstances surrounding the death of his father so mysterious? And what exactly had happened to her in South Africa during World War Two? Baggage Reclaimed is in turn comic and tragic, inspiring and heart-breaking, a powerful evocation of the recent colonial past and a richly engaging story of discovery.

This illuminating book offers a timely assessment of the development and proliferation of precursor crimes of terrorism, exploring the functions and implications of these expanding offences in different jurisdictions. In response to new modes and sources of terrorism, attempts to pre-empt potential attacks through precursor offences have emerged. This book examines not only the meanings and effectiveness of this approach, but also the challenges posed to human rights and social and economic development. Featuring contributions from leading academic and practitioner experts in counter-terrorism law, the book covers the broad scope of activities tackled by these new legal interventions, including membership, collaboration, communications, training and financing. Taking a comparative approach that relies on extensive experience in various jurisdictions, including the UK and Spain, the chapters also discuss important related issues such as international cooperation, investigations and penology, offering insights into the context of policies and practices. Scholars and advanced students of criminal and human rights law with an interest in terrorism and terrorism offences will find this book essential reading. It will also benefit legal practitioners and policy makers in fields such as international criminal law cooperation and counter-terrorism.

This important book focuses on how newly emerging institutions for future generations can contribute to tackling large scale global environmental problems, such as threats to biodiversity and climate change. It is especially timely given the new global impetus for decarbonisation, as well as the huge growth of climate litigation and climate protest movements, often led by young people. Global environmental crises and reactions against short-term thinking have spawned new institutions aimed at giving a voice to future generations in policy-making, such as dedicated commissioners. This book looks at why we need such institutions using approaches from ethics, human rights, sustainable development, intergenerational justice and administrative law. How to design such institutions to maximise their effectiveness, operating principles for such institutions, and case studies from around the world are canvassed. A range of reform proposals are also explored, including mainstreaming future generations' voices in parliamentary processes, commissioners for future generations, human rights-based bodies and deliberative assemblies. This collection brings together philosophers, political and social scientists, lawyers and practitioners. It provides both an introduction to the field and a scholarly in-depth set of studies. It will appeal to academics, policymakers and civil society.

The Justitia Omnibus is the journal of the the Amnesty International society at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Written, designed and edited by students, the journal has become an annual endeavour for the society. The journal aims to provide a platform for students to express their views on human rights issues all over the world as well as to highlight the work our society undertakes to support Amnesty International on campus, such as campaigning and fundraising events.

Drawing critically on the UN concept of 'human security', this book offers a transformative understanding of security in responding to the Mediterranean refugee crisis. From a range of arts, humanities and social science disciplines, and through case studies incorporating key governmental, NGO and refugee perspectives, the book critiques the major geopolitical, economic and social issues of the crisis. It documents the prioritization of population management techniques that are underpinned by conventional territorial logics of security, before reflecting on the alternative priorities of human security that can facilitate an active human rights framework and a more holistic and humanitarian interventionism. In advancing a human security approach to the crisis, the book insists upon our interconnected global sense of precarity, interrogates the human consequences of the endless cycles of conflict and displacement, and challenges the impoverished thinking of statist security agendas that divide the world into zones of sanctuary and abandonment. Of broad appeal and relevance across the social sciences, from geography and migration studies to international relations and critical security studies, this book will also be a timely read for people working for NGOs and policy makers looking for a more holistic response to the ongoing refugee crisis. Contributors include: T. Bicchieri, A. Bilgic, J. Bloomer, M. Brehony, R. Browne, M. Brunicardi, V. Cirefice, C. Dorrity, L. Elliott, D. Estrada-Tanck, D. Gasper, T.J. Hughes, J. Hyndman, G. Kearns, V. Ledwith, J. Morrissey, A. Mountz, K. Reilly, C. Wilcock

This book looks at the inside deliberations that led to President George W Bush's space exploration initiative. The author team has been granted unprecedented access to senior policy makers as the plan was assembled during 2003 and 2004. Sietzen and Cowing will give exclusive details on the meetings between President George Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, and senior members of the White House staff as the planning process began. In addition Sietzen and Cowing will examine how policy was translated from paper into hardware designs including the first outline of the plan's new space vehicle and how the inspiration behind the architecture once used in the Apollo program was summoned back to guide 21st century space planners. Sietzen and Cowing will describe how the Columbia accident and the political outcry for a new central goal for the US space program gave rise to what would become the most far reaching change in US space policy in a generation. Readers will have the most comprehensive look available on what this new space vision will do for human exploration of the Solar System - and how nearly everything NASA does will change as a result.;New Moon Rising: The Making of America's Space Vision and the Remaking of NASA, by Frank Sietzen, Jr. and Keith L. Cowing, to be published July 2004. The team broke the story on the space plan in the pages of the Washington Times and in the United Press International wire service. Portions of the book were serialised in the Times in a multi-part background article called "Why Some Said the Moon: The Exclusive Inside Story of the Bush Space Vision" published in January 2004.

A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year A riveting account of a forgotten holocaust: the slaughter of over one hundred thousand Ukrainian Jews in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. In the Midst of Civilized Europe repositions the pogroms as a defining moment of the twentieth century. 'Exhaustive, clearly written, deeply researched' - The Times 'A meticulous, original and deeply affecting historical account' - Philippe Sands, author of East West Street Between 1918 and 1921, over a hundred thousand Jews were murdered in Ukraine by peasants, townsmen, and soldiers who blamed the Jews for the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. In hundreds of separate incidents, ordinary people robbed their Jewish neighbours with impunity, burned down their houses, ripped apart their Torah scrolls, sexually assaulted them, and killed them. Largely forgotten today, these pogroms - ethnic riots - dominated headlines and international affairs in their time. Aid workers warned that six million Jews were in danger of complete extermination. Twenty years later, these dire predictions would come true. Drawing upon long-neglected archival materials, including thousands of newly discovered witness testimonies, trial records, and official orders, acclaimed historian Jeffrey Veidlinger shows for the first time how this wave of genocidal violence created the conditions for the Holocaust. Through stories of survivors, perpetrators, aid workers, and governmental officials, he explains how so many different groups of people came to the same conclusion: that killing Jews was an acceptable response to their various problems.

Including contributions from Charles Kennedy, Lord Steel, Sir Graham Watson and two former Scottish Ministers, "Unlocking Liberalism" is a new collection of essays on how the Liberal Democrats should re-establish themselves as the voice of radicalism in the UK after the 2015 General Election. It aims to re-establish the anti-establishment, challenging radicalism which characterised the Party prior to the 2010 coalition, and to reinvigorate the concept of the general interest. It centres on a brilliant essay on the nature of Liberalism by Nigel Dower, an academic philosopher who was President of the International Development Ethics Association from 2002 to 2006. Other sections focus on the financial crash and its aftermath; the place of the UK in Europe and the world; and how geographical justice can be attained within the UK.

This timely book explores the current state of EU-Africa relations from a multidisciplinary perspective, placing emphasis on recent developments in five areas that are crucial for EU-Africa relations: development cooperation, trade, migration, security and democratization. It considers how Africa's dependence on the EU has decreased due to the declining importance of development cooperation, and increasing cooperation with emerging powers, notably the BRIC nations. The book asks two key questions in relation to these areas: first, whether the EU effectively pursues a forward-looking strategy suggested in the official discourse or is following a strategy that still reflects asymmetrical postcolonial relations; and second, whether Africa will be able to push for a more balanced relationship with Europe by using the leverage provided by emerging powers. To answer these questions, expert contributors explore the impact of African migration on the domestic policy of EU member states, security and conflict resolution in Africa, EU trade policy and African economic development, and how local dynamics and international pressures affect democratisation in Africa. Offering new directions of research on EU-Africa relations, this book will be critical reading for scholars and students of international relations, European policy and international politics. It will also be a useful resource for policy makers, activists and civil society groups interested in EU-Africa cooperation.

This Research Handbook offers unparalleled insights into the large-scale resurgence of interest in Marx and Marxism in recent years, with contributions devoted specifically to Marxist critiques of law, rights, and the state. The Research Handbook brings together thirty-three scholars of Marx, Marxism, and law from around the world to offer theoretically informed introductions to the Marxist tradition of social critique, contemporary Marxist analyses of law and rights, and future orientations of Marxist legal analysis. Chapters testify to the strength of Marxist critical tools for understanding the role of law, rights, and the state in capitalist societies. Exploring Marxist critique across an extraordinarily wide range of scholarly disciplines, this Research Handbook is a must-read for scholars of law, politics, sociology, philosophy, and political economy who are interested in Marxism. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students in these and related disciplines will also benefit from the Research Handbook.