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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political activism > Pressure groups & lobbying
This book studies the phenomenon of altruistic suicide which was a
form of political protest. The authors investigate the
self-immolation of German pastor Oskar Brusewitz and compare it
with other politically motivated suicides. They portray both life
and pastoral activity of Brusewitz and analyse the motives of his
suicide. Furthermore, they evaluate the judgement of this tragic
event by confreres in faith and other witnesses. Besides the
thorough analysis of Oskar Brusewitz's case, the book inspects the
genesis of self-immolation and locates it in the tradition of
Buddhism and Hinduism. It depicts cases of self-immolations in
Vietnam, the USA, India, Tibet, China, Iran, and particularly in
Middle-Eastern Europe (Czechoslovakia, Poland and Lithuania). The
analysis also covers cases of self-immolations that occurred during
the Arab Spring (2011-2012) and in Bulgaria in 2013.
France is a bellwether for the postcolonial anxieties and populist
politics emerging across the world today. This book explores the
dynamics and dilemmas of the present moment of crisis and hope in
France, through an exploration of recent moral panics. Taking stock
of the tensions as they have emerged over the last quarter of a
century, Paul Silverstein looks at urban racial violence, female
Islamic dress and male public prayer, anti-system gangster rap, and
sporting performances in and around which debates over France's
multicultural future have arisen. It traces these conflicts to the
unresolved tensions of an imperial project, the present-day effects
of which are still felt by many. Despite the barriers, which
include neo-nationalist racism and Islamophobia, French citizens of
various backgrounds have found ways to build flourishing lives.
Silverstein shows how they have responded to urban marginalisation,
police violence and institutional discrimination in remarkably
creative ways.
This book describes the various tactics used in
counter-recruitment, drawing from the words of activists and case
studies of successful organizing and advocacy. The United States is
one of the only developed countries to allow a military presence in
public schools, including an active role for military recruiters.
In order to enlist 250,000 new recruits every year, the US military
must market itself to youth by integrating itself into schools
through programs such as JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers' Training
Corps), and spend billions of dollars annually on recruitment
activities. This militarization of educational space has spawned a
little-noticed grassroots resistance: the small, but sophisticated,
"counter-recruitment" movement. Counter-recruiters visit schools to
challenge recruiters' messages with information on non-military
career options; activists work to make it harder for the military
to operate in public schools; they conduct lobbying campaigns for
policies that protect students' private information from military
recruiters; and, counter-recruiters mentor youth to become involved
in these activities. While attracting little attention,
counter-recruitment has nonetheless been described as "the military
recruiter's greatest obstacle" by a Marine Corps official.
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