In the 12 chapters of this book the authors argue for the universal presence of music in public space and social relations. The examples of American, British, Hungarian, Polish and Russian music serve to elucidate two functions of political music, that of legitimizing and contesting political power. Both satirical songs with their ironic commentary on specific events and people as well as protest songs undermining the system corroborate the universal character of the legitimizing and delegitimizing function of music. The book is addressed to readers interested in countercultural movements and politically engaged music, especially to students of political studies, sociology and cultural studies.

The volume explores the influence that music exerts on emotions and on social and electoral mobilization. Music shapes social moods, which is crucial both in times of political stabilization and crisis. As corroborated by the presented research results, music enhances group solidarity, loyalty toward the ruler and toward ideas. The authors of individual chapters argue that both in past and present contexts, a specific type of music can be distinguished, namely political or engaged music. The volume aims to address various uses of music in politics in differing political and social circumstances. For this reason, the authors of the texts included in the volume - political scientists, media scholars, sociologists and historians - analyze Polish political music in various historical periods.

This collection of essays offers a comprehensive analysis of the political systems of post-Yugoslav states. The first three chapters constitute a necessary introduction to subsequent analyses of individual states, reflecting on the specificity of the Balkan region, its political history, and the character of political transformations that are still taking place. In their analyses of the political systems of individual nation-states, the authors follow a similar pattern, focusing on the following aspects: the evolution of the political system, the constitution and basic principles of the political system, the parliament, the head of state, the government, the judiciary, and the system of political parties.

The essays included in this collection offer an overview of literary works, films, TV series, and visual art which reflect the current (post-)millennial fascination with theorizing ends and beginnings. The contributions intend to x-ray the most crucial aspects of contemporary North-American literature and culture. Addressing a variety of media, the authors of the essays gathered in the book wonder at the ongoing spectacle of exhaustion and regeneration which is playing itself out on the American stage.

This anthology of essays, deliberates chiefly on the notion of locating home through the lens of the mythical idea of Trishanku, implying in-between space and homing, in diaspora women's narratives, associated with the South Asian region. The idea of in-between space has been used differently in various cultures but gesture prominently on the connotation of 'hanging' between worlds. Historically, imperialism and the indentured/ 'grimit' system, triggered dispersal of labourers to the various colonies of the British. Of course, this was not the only cause of international migratory processes. The partition of India and Pakistan led to large scale migration. There was Punjabi migration to Canada. Several Indians, particularly the Gujaratis travelled to Africa for business reasons. South Indians travelled to the Gulf for employment. There were migrations to East Asian countries under the kangani system. Again, these were not the only reasons. The process of demographic movement from South Asia, has been complex due to innumerable push-pull factors. The subsequent generations of migrants included the twice, thrice (and likewise) displaced members of the diaspora. Racial denigration and Orientalist perceptions plagued their lives. They belonged to various ethnicities and races, inhabited marginalized spaces and strived to acculturate in the host society. Complete cultural assimilation was not possible, creating layered and hyphenated identities. These intricate social processes resulted in amalgamation and cross-pollination of cultures, inter-racial relationships and hybridization in all terrains of culture-language, music, fashion, cuisine and so on. Situated in this matrix was the notion of Home-a special personal space which an individual could feel as belonging to, very strongly. Nostalgia, loss of home, culture shock and interracial encounters problematized this discernment of belongingness and home. These multifarious themes have been captured by women writers from the South Asian region and this book looks at the various aspects related to negotiating home in their narratives.

Diaspora and Cultural Negotiations: The Films of Gurinder Chadha explores critical and theoretical conceptualizations of identity, globalization, intersectionality, and diaspora, among other topics, in the films of Gurinder Chadha. This book argues that Chadha's work offers relevant and sensitive portrayals of the members of the diaspora community that make these films of contemporary and enduring value, highlighting their challenges in hybridization and acculturation in the societies they migrate to and the historical and political exigencies that influence their everyday existence. Contributors analyze Chadha's films in the context of cultural milieus including multiculturalism, narration and representation, ethnicity, literary adaptation, and intercultural negotiations, while also exploring Chadha's own role as an auteur. Scholars of film studies, Indian cinema, diaspora studies, sociology, and cultural studies will find this book particularly useful.

The essays included in this book offer an overview of literary works, films, TV series, and computer games, which reflect current social and political developments since the beginning of this century. The contributions intend to x-ray the most crucial aspects of contemporary North-American literature and culture. Addressing a variety of media, the authors of the essays probe the many ways in which repression and expression are the primary keywords for understanding contemporary American life and culture.