Around the globe, democracy is under assault. For a dozen years, global freedom has followed a downward slope, according to Freedom House. Once viewed as the world's model of freedom, the United States has slipped in world ratings of democracy. For a rising portion of the world's population, faith in democracy is flagging. At the same time, a wave of nationalism and xenophobia is rising in the West, questioning democracy's ability to meet the needs of its citizens. The contributors to this volume examine democracy's discontent from a variety of perspectives. What forces have produced the extreme partisanship and polarization roiling America's civic life and politics? How has today's populist movement challenged democratic norms and institutions? What role has social media played in democracy's discontent and its defense? How do we overcome persistent racism in the face of emboldened White supremacist and anti-immigrant agitation? Across the pages of this book, teachers, teacher educators, and education policy makers will recognize a common theme in responding to democracy's discontent - the need to rebuild the nation's civic infrastructure. Research on best practices in civic learning and engagement serve as a guide to transforming how we prepare citizens for democratic deliberation and civic action. Creative and effective teaching materials and approaches await only the will to invest the needed time and support. Repairing our civic infrastructure will help to restore confidence in our civic capabilities and trust in our ability to work together for the public good. Without a serious recommitment to the civic mission of schools, the nation will be ill prepared to defend against those within and beyond our borders who are intent on undermining democracy.

Romanticism and the Rural Community investigates the representation of the rural village and country town in a range of Romantic texts. The proper organisation of rural communities was central to political and social debates at the turn of the eighteenth century, and featured strongly in 1790s political polemic. This book considers works by Jane Austen, Robert Burns, John Clare and William Wordsworth, as well as less well-known writers (Robert Bloomfield, George Crabbe and Ebenezer Elliott). It is informed by ideas derived from recent study of communitarian social development and the role of human links and networks in sustaining adaptable community structures. Through its focus on the search for local solutions to what were perceived to be large-scale or national problems of sustainability, the book is relevant to recent developments in eco-criticism within Romantic studies. It also links into the ongoing contemporary debate about the make-up and function of rural communities.

An international collection of papers focused on media, culture and society in postcommunist Russia. Contributors deploy a wealth of primary data in examining the kinds of issues that are central to our understanding of the kind of system that has been established in the worlds largest country after a period of far-reaching change.

There is little consensus about the nature of the political system that has emerged during the Putin presidency. This collection considers the issues arising in this connection, focusing more closely on institutions such as the presidency and the security police, and on the socioeconomic dimensions of political power.

This is a book about political values - socialist, nationalist, liberal and democratic values - in five former communist countries: Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Based on eleven surveys involving extended interviews with 7350 members of the public and 504 Members of Parliament it provides an authoritative account of the extent to which politicians and the public in East Central Europe and the Former Soviet Union have rejected communist ideals and adopted nationalist and/or liberal democratic values.

This collection of essays examines New Labour's claim to stand in the vanguard of a new form of progressive politics. By examining the ideology of New Labour, the major policy initiatives of Labour government, and the record and prospects of social democratic and progressive governments in the USA and elsewhere in Europe, the contributors attempt to disentangle the progressive and conservative aspects of New Labour politics and the possibilities for genuine progressive advance in Britain and other advanced capitalist countries.

In September 2009 Dmitrii Medvedev unveiled the term that was to become the defining objective of his presidency: 'modernization.' The contributors to this book, drawn from the leading scholars in Russian affairs, focus on the contested nature of the concept of modernization and the obstacles that arose in attempting to carry it out.

As a study of the greatest middle class party of Imperial Germany, "The Splintered Party" is inevitably, in its broadest aspect, an inquiry into the weaknesses of liberalism in the Empire of Bismarck and Wilhelm II. How did the National Liberals, the dominant force in the Reichstag of the 1870s, become by 1914 a spent and divided power? Professor White explores this question from a new perspective, emphasizing regional circumstances as primary agents of the party's decline. The resulting portrait underscores the paradox of the National Liberals: a party with strength in all areas of the Empire, a rarity before 1914, yet a party whose impact was undermined by divisions among its regional branches.

In "The Splintered Party" the former Grand Duchy of Hessen serves as a testing ground where the regional foundations of National Liberalism can be exposed. As Professor White points out, the party's reversals on the Imperial plane after 1878--rejection by Bismarck, electoral defeats, internal splits--not only ended its early primacy in German affairs but also shifted political initiative from Berlin and the Reichstag delegation to the National Liberal branches in the states and provinces, which had maintained unity, power, and alliances with local government in spite of the upheaval above them. The consequences of this change become visible through close examination of the political and social structure in Hessen. On the regional level a liberalism based on the claim to majority representation by the notables ("Honoratioren") of bourgeois society, a creed no longer plausible in national politics, remained defensible. Through the Heidelberg Declaration of 1884 the National Liberals of the German Southwest attempted to buttress this approach with an economic and social platform and, simultaneously, to make it the impulse of the national party's revival. But they succeeded only in deferring National Liberalism's adjustment to democratic politics and in subordinating their movement to the clash of regional and constituency interests. The result was a chronically splintered party.

Against the backdrop of this main theme, White delineates several additional features of the changing political and social scene in Imperial Germany--the local power of the notables, Bismarck's skills as a political manager, the character of agrarian discontent and rural anti-Semitism, the steady advance of socialism. The uniquely German element in National Liberalism's failure is assessed in a concluding comparison with the development of liberal politics in Britain and Italy.

In this unique edited collection, social scientists reflect upon and openly share insights gathered from researching people and the sea. Understanding how people use, relate to and interact with coastal and marine environments has never been more important, with social scientists having an increasingly vital contribution to make. Yet practical experiences in deploying social science approaches in this field are typically hidden away in field notes and unpublished doctoral manuscripts, with the opportunity for shared learning that comes from doing research often missed. There is a need for reflection on how social science knowledge is produced. This collection presents experiences from the field, its necessary reflexivity and innovation in methods, and the challenges and opportunities of translating across disciplines and policy. It brings to light the tacit expertise needed to study people and the sea and offers lessons which readers could employ in their own research. With a focus on the future direction of marine social sciences, the volume is highly relevant to masters and doctoral students and more experienced researchers engaged in studying people and the sea, as well as policy makers, practitioners and scientists wishing to understand the social dimension of marine and coastal environments. Chapters 2 and 3 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Civic Engagement of Asian American Student Leaders delves into the civic lives of Asian American youth, and analyzes their civic engagement through in-depth interviews with 15 student leaders from a Tier One university in Southeast Texas. The book provides a counter-narrative to the portrayal of Asian Americans as apolitical and less interested in civic matters. Such depictions arise from the characterization of Asian Americans as model minority who mainly focus on economic success and are socially and economically integrated in American society. However, the stories of the student leaders, cultivated by Wui and White, illustrate that their challenging racialized experiences inspired their civic involvement. Their civic engagement creates empowerment in terms of asserting their ethnic identity, imbibing leadership qualities, long-term commitment to civic engagement, and subverting stereotypes against Asian Americans. The book paints a more varied picture of Asian American youth civic engagement that is not entirely anchored in ethnic identity or non-political involvement, contrary to articulations of existing studies. Wui and White hope that the student leaders' narratives shed better light on the civic commitments of Asian Americans to American society especially in these times when there is increased bias and racial prejudice in the current atmosphere and culture.

This book presents an in-depth ethnographic case study carried out in the years following the 2010 Haiti earthquake to present the role of faith beliefs in disaster response. The earthquake is one of the most destructive on record, and the aftermath, including a cholera epidemic and ongoing humanitarian aid, has continued for years following the catastrophe. Based on dozens of interviews, this book gives primacy to survivors' narratives. It begins by laying out the Haitian context, before presenting an account of the earthquake from survivors' perspectives. It then explores in detail how the earthquake affected the religious, mainly Christian, faith of survivors and how religious faith influenced how they responded to, and are recovering from, the experience. The account is also informed by geoscience and the accompanying "complicating factors." Finally, the Haitian experience highlights the significant role that religious faith can play alongside other learned coping strategies in disaster response and recovery globally. This book contributes an important case study to an emerging literature in which the influence of both religion and narrative is being recognised. It will be of interest to scholars of any discipline concerned with disaster response, including practical theology, anthropology, psychology, geography, Caribbean studies and earth science. It will also provide a resource for non-governmental organisations.

Woodrow Wilson's presidency marked a seminal period in American history. Wilson's progressive reforms laid the foundation for FDR's New Deal and ushered the nation into its modern era. In foreign policy, his philosophy and the programs he implemented have influenced the United States' relationship with the rest of the world throughout the 20th-century. An extremely controversial president in his time, Wilson has grown in stature in the intervening years, though some remain critical of the direction in which he steered the United States. Complementing the 69-volume DEGREESIPapers of Woodrow Wilson DEGREESR, this book provides a comprehensive guide to the secondary literature on Wilson.

The complexity of Wilson's personality and the intricacies of his thought have become evident with the publication of each volume of his papers, compelling scholars to reassess the often polemical portrayals of his presidency. This bibliography provides access to the literature on one of the most fascinating individuals to occupy the White House.

New Techniques in Cardiothoracic Imaging emphasizes emerging methods in computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron-emission tomography, and similar technology. Effective use of these tools can facilitate the identification, analysis, and treatment of diseases and disorders commonly encountered in daily clinical practice. The contributors to this volume discuss: PET-CT Cardiac CT Multidetector-row helical CT High-resolution CT of the lungs Cardiac MR Functional MR Digital chest radiography Bringing readers to the forefront of the field with expert assessments of new and emerging technologies that are impacting cardiothoracic imaging, the book presents the work of seasoned experts who have developed a thorough clinical and basic knowledge in this evolving discipline and provide practical guidance on incorporating new techniques from the laboratory to the clinical practice. More than 250 highly-detailed scientific images enhance the text.

White's previously published articles and speeches (most presented after 1989) identify and address critical issues that range from library education, funding, and leadership to technology, ethics, and burnout. Although often delivered with humor, White's probing and sometimes controversial commentaries on the opportunities and dangers to the profession are certain to provoke serious thought. Divided into three sections, the book covers "Librarians, Their Self-Image, and the Perceptions That Define Their Preparation"; "Librarians and Their Role, As Defined by Them and by Others"; and "Librarians in the Cruel World of Politics and Money." The author introduces each section with general comments. A must for the library professional shelf and a useful supplementary text for management and issues courses in library schools.