It is an exciting time to consider changes in the field of comparative-historical sociology, as the discipline seeks to accommodate both old and new trends as well as the transforming spatial scales in which political power and social theory are increasingly embedded. Volume 20 of "Political Power and Social Theory" starts the ball rolling by showcasing articles that pursue similar themes. The question of what is old and what is new hovers over most of the contributions, particularly the peer-reviewed chapters in parts I and II, which consider such long-standing socio-historical concerns as power structure theory, class-based collective action, and empire - but examine them through new conceptual, methodological, and historical lenses. This year's volume also offers a critical treatment of the spatial or territorial dynamics of state hegemony, class power, ideologies of governance, and citizenship - with the latter theme most well developed in debate over the new geographies of citizenship in the Scholarly Controversy Section as well as in part-II's guest-edited section on Empire and Colonialism.

Volume 18 of the popular "Political Power and Social Theory" series is broken up into three parts examining political power, state formation, and economic development with examples from Africa, Russia, and Chile. It also looks at the status of opposition politics in America. It is suitable for graduate students and researchers in the field of political science and social theory. Part I examines political power, state formation, and economic development with examples from Africa, Russia, and Chile. Part II looks at the history and current status of opposition politics in America. Part III discusses scholarly controversy within the discipline with some of the field's leading thinkers authoring chapters. With its international scope, this volume is a valuable reference for graduate students and researchers in the field of political science and social theory.

According to media reports, Latin America is one of the most violent regions in the world - a distinction it held throughout the twentieth century. The authors of Violence and Crime in Latin America contend that perceptions and representations of violence and crime directly impact such behaviors, creating profound consequences for the political and social fabric of Latin American nations. Written by distinguished scholars of Latin American history, sociology, anthropology, and political science, the essays in this volume range from Mexico and Argentina to Colombia and Brazil in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, addressing such issues as extralegal violence in Mexico, the myth of indigenous criminality in Guatemala, and governments' selective blindness to violent crime in Brazil and Jamaica. The authors in this collection examine not only the social construction and political visibility of violence and crime in Latin America, but the justifications for them as well. Analytically and historically, these essays show how Latin American citizens have sanctioned criminal and violent practices and incorporated them into social relations, everyday practices, and institutional settings. At the same time, the authors explore the power struggles that inform distinctions between illegitimate versus legitimate violence. Violence and Crime in Latin America makes a substantive contribution to understanding a key problem facing Latin America today. In its historical depth and ethnographic reach, this original and thought-provoking volume enhances our understanding of crime and violence throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Volume 17 of "Political Power and Social Theory" showcases scholarship by historical, political, and economic sociologists grouped around three broad subjects with both contemporary and historical relevance. The first is the relationship between race, class, and urban politics, and specifically, how racial and class identities interact with each other to produce social and political power dynamics in 20th century American cities. The second subject, the interaction of citizens, states, and social movements in both colonial and transnational context, turns away from the sub-national level of the city and examines social and political dynamics at the level of nations and even empires, although racial identities, social movements, and citizenship concerns remain relevant in several of these papers as well. Both U.S. and European cases are examined. The final topic of inquiry is the social origins of corporate irresponsibility, a problem that is explored through the lens of organizational theory, state-society relations, and the history of labor-corporate relations. Overall, the volume aims to open new historical, methodological, and theoretical lines of inquiry for sociologists, organization theorists, political scientists, historians, and others who seek to understand some of the most pressing inequalities and injustices of our times.

This volume of "Political Power and Social Theory" addresses some of the most pressing questions of our times, from the origins and meaning of the war in Iraq to the transnational politics of immigration to the impact of race on labor organization to the historical underpinnings of corporate power. With careful attention to historical detail, with a keen eye for the value of inter-disciplinary social science inquiry, and with a view to various countries around the globe, this research annual once again unveils the complex dynamics of key contemporary and historical dilemmas that motivate citizens and scholars alike to struggle for a better future.

Volume 15 offers a series of critical articles and commentaries by some of the leading historically-oriented social scientists writing in academia today. Collectively, the articles examine issues ranging from the relations between class, power and history, to the role of states and culture in mediating those dynamics. Special attention is paid to race, gender, citizenship and civil society in the formation of such structures and processes. The countries or regions under study include the United States, Brazil, Chile, China, Mexico, Samoa and Southwest Africa.In keeping with the journal's commitment to inter-disciplinary, as well as historical inquiry, our nine contributors come from a variety of disciplines (sociology, political science, anthropology and history), all drawing on debates and themes that cut across the social sciences. The significance of the inter-disciplinary perspective is seen not only in the range of cases, literatures and methodologies brought to bear on the key issues under study; it also forms the substantive core of several contributions that call for a rethinking of conventional disciplinary boundaries and methodological frames.

This volume of "Political Power and Social Theory" deliberately grapples with some of the weightiest subjects in the contemporary social sciences: race and class and their impact on political and economic organization. Three historical papers on Cuba, Tanzania, and Mexico open the volume by exploring the complex relations between race, class, ethnicity, and nationalism. Two subsequent papers, which draw on the contemporary case studies of Chile and South Africa, focus on the intersection of class, race, ethnic and generational identities in the contested appropriation of space and territory.The volume concludes with a dynamic debate structured around the question 'Whither Class?' in which the eminent sociologist Alejandro Portes makes a deliberately provocative call to arms. Portes urges a rethinking of class and proposes a new type of class analysis in light of some of the recent social, political, and economic changes of our times. He is rejoined by a distinguished interdisciplinary panel of scholars including Richard Sennett, Edna Bonacich, Richard Ratcliff, Zine Magubane and David Grusky, each of whom examine his position and offers their own view of the continuing relevance of class-based theories. With their contributions, the volume circles back to complex questions of race and other multifaceted forms of identity that increasingly capture the imagination of social scientists in the modern world.

"Political Power and Social Theory" continues its longstanding run as a premier volume of comparative and historical social science. The volume focuses on a variety of questions relating to states, citizenship, and power, common themes examined with divergent analytical entry points and through deep knowledge of country cases as diverse as Russia, the United States, El Salvador, South Africa, and Israel. Whether examined with a focus on revolutions and political parties, or cities and their physical and social transformation, or through development of the concept of the 'familial state', which marries a preoccupation with lineage and micro-cultures to that of national-state institutions, these articles expand our theoretical and methodological imagination of how citizens become included or excluded in local and national structures of power.

Cities have long been associated with diversity and tolerance, but from Jerusalem to Belfast to the Basque Country, many of the most intractable conflicts of the past century have played out in urban spaces. The contributors to this interdisciplinary volume examine the interrelationships of ethnic, racial, religious, or other identity conflicts and larger battles over sovereignty and governance. Under what conditions do identity conflicts undermine the legitimacy and power of nation-states, empires, or urban authorities? Does the urban built environment play a role in remedying or exacerbating such conflicts? Employing comparative analysis, these case studies from the Middle East, Europe, and South and Southeast Asia advance our understanding of the origins and nature of urban conflict.

Violent acts over the past fifteen years have profoundly altered civil rituals, cultural identity, and the meaning of place in Tel Aviv. Three events in particular have shed light on the global rule of urban space in the struggle for territory, resources, and power: the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin in 1995 in the city council square; the suicidal bombing at the Dolphinarium Discotheque along the shoreline in 2001; and bombings in the Neve Shaanan neighborhood in 2003. Tali Hatuka uses an interdisciplinary framework of urban theory and sociopolitical theory to shed light on the discourse regarding violent events to include an analysis of the physical space where these events take place. She exposes the complex relationships among local groups, the state, and the city, challenging the national discourse by offering a fresh interpretation of contesting forces and their effect on the urban environment. Perhaps the most valuable contribution of this book is its critical assessment of the current Israeli reality, which is affected by violent events that continually alter the everyday life of its citizens. Although these events have been widely publicized by the media, there is scant literature focusing on their impact on the urban spaces where people live and meet. In addition, Hatuka shows how sociopolitical events become crucial defining moments in contemporary lived experience, allowing us to examine universal questions about the way democracy, ideology, and memory are manifested in the city.

Existing models of state formation are derived primarily from early Western European experience, and are misleading when applied to nation-states struggling to consolidate their dominion in the present period. In this volume, scholars suggest that the Western European model of armies waging war on behalf of sovereign states does not hold universally. The importance of 'irregular' armed forces - militias, guerrillas, paramilitaries, mercenaries, bandits, vigilantes, police, and so on - has been seriously neglected in the literature on this subject. The case studies in this book suggest, among other things, that the creation of the nation-state as a secure political entity rests as much on 'irregular' as regular armed forces. For most of the 'developing' world, the state's legitimacy has been difficult to achieve, constantly eroding or challenged by irregular armed forces within a country's borders. No account of modern state formation can be considered complete without attending to irregular forces.

Revealing that the key to successful economic development in late industrializers rests in the state's capacity to discipline capitalists, this study sheds light on why certain countries (South Korea and Taiwan) have the capacity to discipline capitalists, while others (Mexico and Argentina) find themselves at the receiving end of industrialists' political and economic power. Closer examination of middle classes, especially rural middle classes, reveals the extent to which they achieve sufficient political sway in politics and society, and thus are able to impose such discipline.

Revealing that the key to successful economic development in late industrializers rests in the state's capacity to discipline capitalists, this study sheds light on why certain countries (South Korea and Taiwan) have the capacity to discipline capitalists, while others (Mexico and Argentina) find themselves at the receiving end of industrialists' political and economic power. Closer examination of middle classes, especially rural middle classes, reveals the extent to which they achieve sufficient political sway in politics and society, and thus are able to impose such discipline.

This book examines a variety of comparative and historical experiences in which irregular armed forces (ranging from militias, paramilitaries, guerrillas, bandits, mercenaries, vigilantes, and police forces to armed veteran groups) have struggled against or on behalf of national states. The study hopes to raise questions about the new political relevance of these types of armed forces. It considers the conditions under which they are more significant than conventional military personnel in supplanting or undermining states, and their broader role in national political development.