This book is a historical and critical assessment of contributions by American writer and lecturer John Lawson Stoddard (1850-1931). It is the first scholarly effort to provide visual and literary analyses of his illustrated travel works and political writings. It claims that Stoddard was a principle engine behind movements toward transforming tourism into a growing consumer culture, democratizing liberal arts education, and fueling anti-WWI campaigns. By the late 1870s, John Lawson Stoddard had played a major role in transforming the aristocratic Grand Tour into a mass cultural phenomenon. His photographs and accompanying public lectures on distant places and peoples caught the attention of decision makers in the U.S. government, but perhaps more importantly, his images and text were imprinted in the minds of millions of audience members. This book suggests how critical approaches borrowed from the interdisciplinary literature of visual culture are helpful in assessing the imagery and identity of a nineteenth-century American travel lecturer and author. It uncovers buried aspects of the personal and public life of Stoddard, and reveals his significant contributions to American political and social history.

This new edited collection illustrates the paradoxical power of social capital in creating and resolving conflict.

This is the first book to bring the two faces of social capital together in a single volume, and includes previously unpublished case studies, statistical analyses, and theoretical essays. The book is divided into three sections. The first investigates the role of social capital in inciting and/or furthering violence; the second examines the contributions of social capital to peace building; the third explores the complexities and ambiguities of roles social capital may play in peace and conflict. Policy implications and recommendations are included in many of the discussions in the chapters.

The volume tackles some key issues, such as: to what extent is social capital related to peace and conflict? What forms does social capital take in these associations, and how can the relationships be explained? What impact does this have on the state and/or state relations, and what policy prescriptions might be made in light of the link drawn between social capital and peace/conflict?

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Providing an overview of institutional developments and innovations in human rights politics, this volume discusses some of the most important current and emerging human rights issues. It takes stock of the initiatives, policy responses and innovations of past years to identify some of the challenges that will likely require bold and innovative solutions. The contributors focus on actors and/or issues that are outside the mainstream of international human rights politics; the chapters address issues that have only emerged as an important part of the international human rights agenda and generated much advocacy, diplomacy and negotiations since the end of the Cold War. These issues include: the International Criminal Court, the norm of Responsibility to Protect (R2P), the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and its human rights impact, truth commissions, and the rights of persons with disabilities. The contributions offer a direct challenge to entrenched notions of state sovereignty and represent a departure from established ways of policy making.

This book takes the reader into a thorny world of political dysfunction. The contributions to State of Corruption, State of Chaos speak to some of the most potent security threats facing us in the twenty-first century, and examine the degree to which our inability or unwillingness to curb the spread of political corruption may be responsible. Within this volume are unique contributions to the rich and growing literature on corruption and conflict, addressing a variety of issues germane to both domestic affairs and international relations. They each seek to dissect the often convoluted and contestable connections between corruption and conflict. Joining the quest to develop a coherent research programme, contributors undertake to explore social and political implications for various policy-making levels. The edited volume will serve as a particularly useful reference for practitioners, as well as for professors and students of public administration and public policy, international relations, international law, comparative politics, security studies, and conflict resolution. Political corruption and armed conflict touches nearly every aspect of our lives, and so the pursuit of a healthier society, state, and international community requires being informed about theoretical and empirical bases of these current challenges.

This new edited collection illustrates the paradoxical power of social capital in creating and resolving conflict.

This is the first book to bring the two faces of social capital together in a single volume, and includes previously unpublished case studies, statistical analyses, and theoretical essays. The book is divided into three sections. The first investigates the role of social capital in inciting and/or furthering violence; the second examines the contributions of social capital to peace building; the third explores the complexities and ambiguities of roles social capital may play in peace and conflict. Policy implications and recommendations are included in many of the discussions in the chapters.

The volume tackles some key issues, such as: to what extent is social capital related to peace and conflict? What forms does social capital take in these associations, and how can the relationships be explained? What impact does this have on the state and/or state relations, and what policy prescriptions might be made in light of the link drawn between social capital and peace/conflict?

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