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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions
A "sharp and entertaining" (The Wall Street Journal) exploration of
fashion through the ages that asks what our clothing reveals about
ourselves and our society. Dress codes are as old as clothing
itself. For centuries, clothing has been a wearable status symbol;
fashion, a weapon in struggles for social change; and dress codes,
a way to maintain political control. Merchants dressing like
princes and butchers' wives wearing gem-encrusted crowns were
public enemies in medieval societies structured by social hierarchy
and defined by spectacle. In Tudor England, silk, velvet, and fur
were reserved for the nobility, and ballooning pants called "trunk
hose" could be considered a menace to good order. The
Renaissance-era Florentine patriarch Cosimo de Medici captured the
power of fashion and dress codes when he remarked, "One can make a
gentleman from two yards of red cloth." Dress codes evolved along
with the social and political ideals of the day, but they always
reflected struggles for power and status. In the 1700s, South
Carolina's "Negro Act" made it illegal for Black people to dress
"above their condition." In the 1920s, the bobbed hair and
form-fitting dresses worn by free-spirited flappers were banned in
workplaces throughout the United States, and in the 1940s, the
baggy zoot suits favored by Black and Latino men caused riots in
cities from coast to coast. Even in today's more informal world,
dress codes still determine what we wear, when we wear it--and what
our clothing means. People lose their jobs for wearing braided
hair, long fingernails, large earrings, beards, and tattoos or
refusing to wear a suit and tie or make-up and high heels. In some
cities, wearing sagging pants is a crime. And even when there are
no written rules, implicit dress codes still influence
opportunities and social mobility. Silicon Valley CEOs wear
t-shirts and flip-flops, setting the tone for an entire industry:
women wearing fashionable dresses or high heels face ridicule in
the tech world, and some venture capitalists refuse to invest in
any company run by someone wearing a suit. In Dress Codes, law
professor and cultural critic Richard Thompson Ford presents a
"deeply informative and entertaining" (The New York Times Book
Review) history of the laws of fashion from the middle ages to the
present day, a walk down history's red carpet to uncover and
examine the canons, mores, and customs of clothing--rules that we
often take for granted. After reading Dress Codes, you'll never
think of fashion as superficial again--and getting dressed will
never be the same.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE KIDS WHO FOUND A FERRARI BURIED IN THEIR
GARDEN? WHAT ABOUT THE MAN WHO SUED SATAN? DO YOU KNOW THE LEGEND
OF THE BUNNY MAN? Strange happenings, unsolved mysteries and
seemingly supernatural events have gripped and shocked us for
centuries, passed from person to person in whispers in classrooms,
tales around the campfire and idle gossip among friends. Whether
they're based on a grain of truth or a complete flight of fancy,
the myths, legends and weird tales contained within this book will
take you on a fascinating journey to the outer limits of
plausibility, and dare you to believe the unbelievable.
This state-of-the-art Research Handbook provides a challenging and
critical examination of the complex issues surrounding sports in
contemporary societies. Featuring contributions from world-leading
scholars, it focuses upon the impact of their research, together
with significant social issues and controversies in sport.
International and comprehensive, the Research Handbook is organised
around the key themes of governance, economics, events, the
athletes and the future. Chapters examine the various theoretical
and methodological approaches undertaken by the contributors and
outline the current state of knowledge, to demonstrate the social
and economic impact of academic research, as well as the
constraints on research influence. Written during the global
coronavirus pandemic, chapters also reflect on the way in which the
public health crisis has exposed social issues and fragilities. The
Research Handbook on Sports and Society will be a beneficial read
for students of all levels studying sports science, sociology and
public policy. The insights offered by established researchers will
aid students in further understanding key methodologies, and
opportunities and challenges for research. They also include
recommendations for future policy and practice grounded in
substantial research evidence.
This unique and insightful book provides a comprehensive
examination of contemporary cultural policy and its discourses,
influences, and consequences. It examines the factors that have led
to a narrowing of cultural policy and suggests new ways of thinking
about cultural policy beyond economics by reconnecting it with the
practices of work, value, and the social. With a particular focus
on Australia and the UK, and with reference to transnational bodies
including UNESCO, this book identifies and examines influential
national and international factors that have shaped cultural
policy, including its implementation of an economic agenda. Deborah
Stevenson retraces the foundations of contemporary cultural policy,
with chapters exploring the hierarchies of legitimacy that form the
basis of value and excellence, the increased hegemony of the
economy within the art world complex, and the notions of class and
gender as two key factors of social inequality that shape access to
the arts. Analysing cultural value, work, and the social as
important points of tension and potential disruption within
contemporary cultural policy, this book will be essential reading
for students and scholars of arts and cultural management, cultural
policy studies, cultural sociology, economics, and leisure and
urban studies. It will also be of interest to students, scholars,
and practitioners across the humanities and the social sciences.
Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful
introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and
law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to
be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of
the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject
areas. Leading mobilities theorist Mimi Sheller offers an
up-to-date, comprehensive analysis of the complex mobility
disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath in this
timely Advanced Introduction. It outlines the formation of the
interdisciplinary field of mobility studies, arguing that
mobilities theory is crucial to planning post-pandemic recovery,
sustainable communities, and low-carbon transitions. From tourism
to migration to urban infrastructure, to informal and reproductive
mobilities, Sheller reveals how multiple im/mobilities are
interconnected, as the novel coronavirus reminds us as it
hitchhikes across the globe through its human hosts. Key features:
Centres mobility justice as a key topic throughout, revealing the
vast inequities in im/mobilities, structured by gender, race and
nationality Challenges existing approaches to social science,
calling for the extension of critical mobility studies to address
complex contemporary challenges Offers up-to-date analysis of key
policy programs such as the Green New Deal, and a comparative
analysis of differing visions of alternative mobilities futures.
This innovative Advanced Introduction will be a beneficial read for
students and scholars of mobilities research, tourism studies,
migration studies, human geography, urban studies and
sustainability.
A practical workbook from the New York Times-bestselling author of Come
As You Are that will radically transform your sex life.
In Come As You Are, sex educator Dr Emily Nagoski revealed the true
story behind female sexuality, uncovering the little-known science of
what makes us tick and, more importantly, how and why.
Now, in The Come As You Are Workbook, she offers practical tips and
techniques that will help women to have the mind-blowing sex that they
deserve (and that men have been having all along).
This collection of worksheets, journaling prompts, illustrations, and
diagrams is an engaging companion for anyone who wants to further their
understanding of their own bodies and sexuality.
Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder provides an engaging womanist reading
of mother characters in the Old and New Testaments. After providing
a brief history of womanist biblical interpretation, she shows how
the stories of several biblical mothersHagar, Rizpah, Bathsheba,
Mary, the Canaanite woman, and Zebedee's wifecan be powerful
sources for critical reflection, identification, and empowerment.
Crowder also explores historical understandings of motherhood in
the African American community and how these help to inform
present-day perspectives. She includes questions for discussion
with each chapter.
In Frankenstein Was a Vegetarian: Essays on Food Choice, Identity,
and Symbolism, Michael Owen Jones tackles topics often overlooked
in foodways. At the outset he notes it was Victor Frankenstein's
"daemon" in Mary Shelley's novel that advocated vegetarianism, not
the scientist whose name has long been attributed to his creature.
Jones explains how we communicate through what we eat, the
connection between food choice and who we are or want to appear to
be, the ways that many of us self-medicate moods with foods, and
the nature of disgust. He presents fascinating case studies of
religious bigotry and political machinations triggered by rumored
bans on pork, the last meal requests of prisoners about to be
executed, and the Utopian vision of Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of
England's greatest poets, that was based on a vegetable diet like
the creature's meals in Frankenstein. Jones also scrutinizes how
food is used and abused on the campaign trail, how gender issues
arise when food meets politics, and how eating preferences reflect
the personalities and values of politicians, one of whom was
elected president and then impeached twice. Throughout the book,
Jones deals with food as symbol as well as analyzes the link
between food choice and multiple identities. Aesthetics, morality,
and politics likewise loom large in his inquiries. In the final two
chapters, Jones applies these concepts to overhauling penal
policies and practices that make food part of the pains of
imprisonment, and looks at transforming the counseling of diabetes
patients, who number in the millions.
Providing original insights into the factors causing early job
insecurity in European countries, this book examines the short- and
long-term consequences. It assesses public policies seeking to
diminish the risks to young people facing prolonged job insecurity
and reduce the severity of these impacts. Based on the findings of
a major study of nine European countries, this book examines the
diverse strategies that countries across the continent use to help
young people overcome employment barriers. The authors present
recommendations for governments to improve the job market
environment and to support young people in finding suitable and
stable employment. A vital tool for European policymakers, this
book provides new knowledge that will help improve existing
policies, at both national and European levels. The detailed
analysis of original data collected through innovative methods will
prove highly useful to public policy and European studies scholars.
Contributors include: M.-L. Assmann, P. Boyadjieva, M. Bussi, I.
Dingeldey, O. Hora, M. Horakova, B. Hvinden, C. Hyggen, P.
Ilieva-Trichkova, C. Imdorf, M. Karamessini, P. Michon, J.
O'Reilly, D. Parsanoglou, S. Sacchi, R. Samuel, M.A. Schoyen, L.P.
Shi, T. Sirovatka, G. Stamatopoulou, L. Steinberg, R. Stoilova, M.
Symeonaki, A. Yfanti, G. Yordanova
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