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Empireworld: How British Imperialism Shaped the Globe
by Sathnam SangheraBestselling author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera explores the global legacy of the British Empire, and the ways it continues to influence economics, politics, and culture around the world. 2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies. The empire's influence upon the quarter of the planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound: from the spread of Christianity by missionaries to the shaping international law. Even today, 1 in 3 people drive on the left hand side of the road, an artifact of the British empire. Yet Britain's idea of its imperial history and the world's experience of it are two very different things. Following in the footsteps of his bestselling book Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain, Empireworld explores the ways in which British Empire has come to shape the modern world Sanghera visits Barbados, where he uncovers how Caribbean nations are still struggling to emerge from the disadvantages sown by transatlantic slavery. He examines how large charities--like Save the Children and the World Bank--still see the world through the imperial eyes of their colonial founders, and how the political instability of nations, such as Nigeria, for instance, can be traced back to tensions seeded in their colonial foundations. And from the British Empire's role in the transportation of 12.5 million Africans during the Atlantic slave trade, to the 35 million Indians who died due to famine caused by British policy, the British Empire, as Sanghera reveals, was responsible for some of the largest demographic changes in human history. Economic, legal and political systems across the world continue to function along the lines originally drawn by the British Empire, and cultural, sexual, psychological, linguistic, demographic, and educational norms originally established by imperial Britons continue to shape our lives. British Empire may have peaked a century ago, and it may have been mostly dismantled by 1997, but in this major new work, Sathnam Sanghera ultimately shows how the largest empire in world history still exerts influence over planet Earth in all sorts of silent and unsilent ways.
Empire’s Labor: The Global Army That Supports U.S. Wars
by Adam MooreIn a dramatic unveiling of the little-known world of contracted military logistics, Adam Moore examines the lives of the global army of laborers who support US overseas wars. Empire's Labor brings us the experience of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who perform jobs such as truck drivers and administrative assistants at bases located in warzones in the Middle East and Africa. He highlights the changes the US military has undergone since the Vietnam War, when the ratio of contractors to uniformed personnel was roughly 1:6. In Afghanistan it has been as high as 4:1. This growth in logistics contracting represents a fundamental change in how the US fights wars, with the military now dependent on a huge pool of contractors recruited from around the world. It also, Moore demonstrates, has social, economic, and political implications that extend well beyond the battlefields.Focusing on workers from the Philippines and Bosnia, two major sources of "third country national" (TCN) military labor, Moore explains the rise of large-scale logistics outsourcing since the end of the Cold War; describes the networks, infrastructures, and practices that span the spaces through which people, information, and goods circulate; and reveals the experiences of foreign workers, from the hidden dynamics of labor activism on bases, to the economic and social impacts these jobs have on their families and the communities they hail from. Through his extensive fieldwork and interviews, Moore gives voice to the agency and aspirations of the many thousands of foreigners who labor for the US military.Thanks to generous funding from UCLA and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellopen.org) and other repositories.
Empire’s Twin: U.S. Anti-imperialism from the Founding Era to the Age of Terrorism
by Jay Sexton Ian TyrrellAcross the course of American history, imperialism and anti-imperialism have been awkwardly paired as influences on the politics, culture, and diplomacy of the United States. The Declaration of Independence, after all, is an anti-imperial document, cataloguing the sins of the metropolitan government against the colonies. With the Revolution, and again in 1812, the nation stood against the most powerful empire in the world and declared itself independent. As noted by Ian Tyrrell and Jay Sexton, however, American "anti-imperialism was clearly selective, geographically, racially, and constitutionally." Empire's Twin broadens our conception of anti-imperialist actors, ideas, and actions; it charts this story across the range of American history, from the Revolution to our own era; and it opens up the transnational and global dimensions of American anti-imperialism. By tracking the diverse manifestations of American anti-imperialism, this book highlights the different ways in which historians can approach it in their research and teaching. The contributors cover a wide range of subjects, including the discourse of anti-imperialism in the Early Republic and Civil War, anti-imperialist actions in the U.S. during the Mexican Revolution, the anti-imperial dimensions of early U.S. encounters in the Middle East, and the transnational nature of anti-imperialist public sentiment during the Cold War and beyond. Contributors: Laura Belmonte, Oklahoma State University; Robert Buzzanco, University of Houston; Julian Go, Boston University; Alan Knight, University of Oxford; Ussama Makdisi, Rice University; Erez Manela, Harvard University; Peter Onuf, Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, Monticello, and University of Virginia; Jeffrey Ostler, University of Oregon; Patricia Schechter, Portland State University; Jay Sexton, University of Oxford; Ian Tyrrell, University of New South Wales
Empirical Bayes Methods (Routledge Library Editions: Econometrics #12)
by J. S. Maritz T. LwinOriginally published in 1970; with a second edition in 1989. Empirical Bayes methods use some of the apparatus of the pure Bayes approach, but an actual prior distribution is assumed to generate the data sequence. It can be estimated thus producing empirical Bayes estimates or decision rules. In this second edition, details are provided of the derivation and the performance of empirical Bayes rules for a variety of special models. Attention is given to the problem of assessing the goodness of an empirical Bayes estimator for a given set of prior data. Chapters also focus on alternatives to the empirical Bayes approach and actual applications of empirical Bayes methods.
Empirical Futures: Anthropologists and Historians Engage the Work of Sidney W. Mintz
by George BacaSince the 1950s, anthropologist Sidney W. Mintz has been at the forefront of efforts to integrate the disciplines of anthropology and history. Author ofSweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern Historyand other groundbreaking works, he was one of the first scholars to anticipate and critique "globalization studies. " However, a strong tradition of epistemologically sophisticated and theoretically informed empiricism of the sort advanced by Mintz has yet to become a cornerstone of contemporary anthropological scholarship. This collection of essays by leading anthropologists and historians serves as an intervention that rests on Mintz's rigorously historicist ethnographic work, which has long predicted the methodological crisis in anthropology today. Contributors to this volume build on Mintzean interdisciplinarity to provide productive ways to theorize the everyday life of local groups and communities, nation-states, and regions and the interconnections among them. Consisting of theoretical and case studies of Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, and Papua New Guinea,Empirical Futuresdemonstrates how Mintzean perspectives advance our understanding of the relationship among empirical approaches, the uses of ethnographic and historical data and theory-building, and the study of these from both local and global vantage points. Contributors: George Baca, Goucher College Frederick Cooper, New York University Virginia R. Dominguez, University of Illinois Frederick Errington, Trinity College Deborah Gewertz, Amherst College Juan Giusti-Cordero, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras Aisha Khan, New York University Samuel MartÍnez, University of Connecticut Stephan PalmiÉ, University of Chicago Jane Schneider, City University of New York Graduate Center Rebecca J. Scott, University of Michigan Since the 1950s, anthropologist Sidney W. Mintz has been at the forefront of efforts to integrate the disciplines of anthropology and history. Author ofSweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern Historyand other groundbreaking works, he was one of the first scholars to anticipate "globalization studies. " Yet a strong tradition of epistemologically sophisticated and theoretically informed empiricism of the sort advanced by Mintz has yet to become a cornerstone of contemporary anthropological scholarship. This collection of essays by leading anthropologists and historians serves as an intervention that rests on Mintz's rigorously historicist ethnographic work, which has long predicted the methodological crisis in anthropology today. Contributors to this volume build on Mintzean interdisciplinarity to provide productive ways to theorize the everyday life of local groups and communities, nation-states, and regions and the interconnections among them. Consisting of theoretical and case studies of Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, and Papua New Guinea,Empirical Futuresdemonstrates how a Mintzean approach advances the study of culture, power, and identity. The contributors are George Baca, Frederick Cooper, Virginia R. Dominguez, Frederick Errington, Deborah Gewertz, Juan Giusti-Cordero, Aisha Khan, Samuel MartÍnez, Stephan PalmiÉ, Jane Schneider, and Rebecca J. Scott. The editors are George Baca, Aisha Khan, and Stephan PalmiÉ. -->
Empirical Legal Analysis: Assessing the performance of legal institutions (The Economics of Legal Relationships)
by Yun-Chien ChangThis innovative volume explores empirical legal issues around the world. While legal studies have traditionally been worked on and of letters and with a normative bent, in recent years quantitative methods have gained traction by offering a brand new perspective of understanding law. That is, legal scholars have started to crunch numbers, not letters, to tease out the effects of law on the regulated industries, citizens, or judges in reality. In this edited book, authors from leading institutions in the U.S., Europe, and Asia investigate legal issues in South Africa, Argentina, the U.S., Israel, Taiwan, and other countries. Using original data in a variety of statistical tools (from the most basic chi-square analysis to sophisticated two-stage least square regression models), contributors to this book look into the judicial behaviours in Taiwan and Israel, the determinants of constitutional judicial systems in 100 countries, and the effect of appellate court decisions on media competition. In addition, this book breaks new ground in informing important policy debates. Specifically, how long should we incarcerate criminals? Should the medical malpractice liability system be reformed? Do police reduce crime? Why is South Africa’s democratic transition viable? With solid data as evidence, this volume sheds new light on these issues from a road more and more frequently taken—what is known as "empirical legal studies/analysis." This book should be useful to students, practitioners and professors of law, economics and public policy in many countries who seek to understand their legal system from a different, and arguably more scientific, perspective.
Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind: Reading Wilfrid Sellars' Empiricism And The Philosophy Of Mind, Including The Complete Text Of Sellars' Essay (The 1984 Reith lectures #1984.)
by Wilfrid SellarsThe most important work by one of America's greatest twentieth-century philosophers, Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind is both the epitome of Wilfrid Sellars' entire philosophical system and a key document in the history of philosophy. First published in essay form in 1956, it helped bring about a sea change in analytic philosophy. It broke the link, which had bound Russell and Ayer to Locke and Hume--the doctrine of "knowledge by acquaintance." Sellars' attack on the Myth of the Given in Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind was a decisive move in turning analytic philosophy away from the foundationalist motives of the logical empiricists and raised doubts about the very idea of "epistemology." With an introduction by Richard Rorty to situate the work within the history of recent philosophy, and with a study guide by Robert Brandom, this publication of Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind makes a difficult but indisputably significant figure in the development of analytic philosophy clear and comprehensible to anyone who would understand that philosophy or its history.
Empiricism at the Crossroads
by Thomas UebelRather than a monolithic movement of naïve empiricists, the Vienna Circle represented a discussion forum for what were sometimes compatible, sometimes conflicting philosophical approaches to empirical evidence. The Circle's protocol-sentence debate - here reconstructed and analyzed - provides an exceptional vantage point from which to survey the various options and choices of the participants. Author Thomas Uebel mines the diaries, letters, and notes of the group's leading philosophers to show how their ideas emerged from real-world arguments, personal relationships, and historical settings.
Empiricist Devotions: Science, Religion, and Poetry in Early Eighteenth-Century England
by Courtney Weiss SmithFeaturing a moment in late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England before the disciplinary divisions that we inherit today were established, Empiricist Devotions recovers a kind of empiricist thinking in which the techniques and emphases of science, religion, and literature combined and cooperated. This brand of empiricism was committed to particularized scrutiny and epistemological modesty. It was Protestant in its enabling premises and meditative practices. It earnestly affirmed that figurative language provided crucial tools for interpreting the divinely written world. Smith recovers this empiricism in Robert Boyle's analogies, Isaac Newton's metaphors, John Locke's narratives, Joseph Addison's personifications, Daniel Defoe's diction, John Gay's periphrases, and Alexander Pope's descriptive particulars. She thereby demonstrates that "literary" language played a key role in shaping and giving voice to the concerns of eighteenth-century science and religion alike. Empiricist Devotions combines intellectual history with close readings of a wide variety of texts, from sermons, devotional journals, and economic tracts to georgic poems, it-narratives, and microscopy treatises. This prizewinning book has important implications for our understanding of cultural and literary history, as scholars of the period's science have not fully appreciated figurative language's central role in empiricist thought, while scholars of its religion and literature have neglected the serious empiricist commitments motivating richly figurative devotional and poetic texts.Winner of the Walker Cowen Memorial Prize for an Outstanding Work of Scholarship in Eighteenth-Century Studies
Empiricist Theories of Space: Space and Experience in Early Modern Philosophy (Studies in History and Philosophy of Science #54)
by Laura BerchielliThis book explores the notions of space and extension of major early modern empiricist philosophers, especially Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Condillac. While space is a central and challenging issue for early modern empiricists, literature on this topic is sparse. This collection shows the diversity and problematic unity of empiricist views of space. Despite their common attention to the content of sensorial experience and to the analytical method, empiricist theories of space vary widely both in the way of approaching the issue and in the result of their investigation. However, by recasting the questions and examining the conceptual shifts, we see the emergence of a programmatic core, common to what the authors discuss. The introductory chapter describes this variety and its common core. The other contributions provide more specific perspectives on the issue of space within the philosophical literature. This book offers a unique overview of the early modern understanding of these issues, of interest to historians of early modern philosophy, historians and philosophers of science, historians of ideas, and all readers who want to expand their knowledge of the empiricist tradition.
Empirische Bildungsforschung
by Birgit SpinathSind Jungen die neuen Bildungsverlierer? Werden die Deutschen immer dümmer? Hat PISA die Schulen besser gemacht?Entscheiden sich die Richtigen für ein Lehramtsstudium? Diese und weitere Themen sind gesellschaftlich hoch relevant. Täglich berichten Medien über Bildung - mal mehr, mal weniger fundiert. Oft wird dabei ein überpointiertes, verzerrtes Bild gezeichnet, so dass es schwer ist, sich eine eigene Meinung zu bilden. Das vorliegende Buch greift aktuelle Themen aus Bildungsforschung und Bildungspraxis auf und stellt in kurzer, übersichtlicher Form den Forschungsstand dar. Sie lernen nicht nur die Fakten, sondern auch die Personen kennen, die sich diesen Fragen in Forschung und Praxis widmen. Zu diesem Zweck wurden Interviews mit Expertinnen und Experten geführt, die in diesem Buch nachzulesen sind, aber auch als Videos angeschaut werden können. Zu Wort kommen führende Bildungsforscherinnen und -forscher aus Psychologie, Erziehungswissenschaft, Soziologie und Bildungsökonomie. Zielgruppe Das Buch kann von allen mit Gewinn gelesen werden, die sich für Bildung interessieren. Studierende verschiedener Fachrichtungen, Referendarinnen und Referendare sowie Lehrerinnen und Lehrer finden in diesem Buch viele Themen, die ihre Arbeit direkt betreffen. Die Lektüre kann auch Grundlage für eine Seminargestaltung in Fächern sein, die sich mit Bildungsforschung beschäftigen (Psychologie, Erziehungswissenschaft, Soziologie, Bildungsökonomie, Empirische Bildungsforschung etc. ). Durch den Interview-Stil ist das Buch angenehm zu lesen und daher auch als Freizeitlektüre geeignet.
Employers and Labour in the English Textile Industries, 1850-1939 (Routledge Library Editions: The Labour Movement #19)
by J. A. Jowitt A. J. McivorFirst published in 1988. This collection of essays examines aspects of labour and industrial relations history in the textiles sector of Northern England during the mature phase of industrialisation before World War One and the period of retrenchment during the interwar economic recession. There are chapters on wool, worsted, silk, cotton spinning and weaving, and cotton finishing. The volume includes contributions by historians interested in employers’ organisations and management strategies, labour, trade union and women’s history. As such it provides a broader framework in which relationships between capital and labour are analysed. The book also incorporates some of the recent research on particularly neglected areas of social history, most notably on women workers and on the industrial relations policies of employers in textiles.
Employing Land-Based Anti-Ship Missiles in the Western Pacific
by Terrence K. Kelly Anthony Atler Todd Nichols Lloyd ThrallLand-based anti-ship missiles (ASMs) feature prominently in the capabilities of many island nations in the Western Pacific, but the United States currently lacks such systems. This report illustrates the potential strategic advantages of the United States working with partners to build a coalition ASM capability, particularly in the event of a conflict with China, and includes an assessment of logistical challenges and positioning approaches.
Employment Relations in Financial Services
by Gregor GallThis book describes and analyses the impact of the 2007-2008 financial crisis upon the working conditions of employees in the financial services sector in Britain. It tells the story of workers being made to pay the price for a crisis that was not of their own making, but nevertheless caused a deleterious impact on their employment security, remuneration and working conditions. Evidence of fighting back against this has been sparse so that the response of employees is best characterised as 'fright' (grudgingly working harder and longer), 'flight' (leaving the sector through redundancy), and 'falling in line' (accepting the diktat of performance managements systems). Through this book we learn the reasons behind this acquiescence, with its detailed attention to topics such as the stunted development of labour unionism, the prevalence of union-management partnerships, and the occurrence of employment insecurity and labour shedding. Providing a valuable insight into the effects of the financial crash, Employment Relations in Financial Services will be useful to academics, students and also trade unionists.
Employment and Income Distribution in the African Economy (Routledge Library Editions: Work & Society)
by James FryZambia is one African country which has evolved from being a classic example of a colonial economy to become an independent state with a large export enclave. The economy has had to face structural problems that have at one time or another, characterised other African economies. This study therefore throws light upon many aspects of the labour markets elsewhere in Africa. Originally published in 1979, this book analyses 3 stages of development in the Zambian labour force: the first running up to 1930 when the Copperbelt was opened up, was followed by over 30 years of economic and employment growth, leading to the emergence of a wage and skill structure that differentiated strongly between Africans and non-Africans. Finally there is the period since the early 1960s when the racial basis for employment and earnings restrictions have been lifted but where inequalities remain. Each of these stages is examined in detail and complemented by a theoretical discussion of the factors affecting the development of the wage structure and earnings differentials within Zambia. The impact of government policy income distribution is also discussed and illustrated by means of a comparative study of government income policies in Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya.
Employment and the Depressed Areas (Routledge Library Editions: Work & Society)
by H. Powys GreenwoodOriginally published in 1936 during the Great Depression this book analyses the efforts of the British Government to relieve the rampant unemployment in the most distressed areas and discusses why these efforts were ineffective. The book put forward a number of proposals to help ease unemployment and encourage investment in depressed areas, such as the development of trading estates, investment in transport and social services.
Emporia (Images of America)
by Steven F. Hanschu Darla Hodges MalleinEstablished in February 1857, Emporia's founding fathers named their new business venture Emporia after a flourishing market center in Ancient Carthage. Located in the east-central part of Kansas, Emporia is known as the "Front Porch to the Flint Hills." William Allen White, publisher and editor of the Emporia Gazette, brought national attention to Emporia in the early 1900s. Known for his fiery political essays, White became an advisor to many US presidents, five of whom visited his home, Red Rocks. Emporia is home to Emporia State University, the state's first normal school, founded in 1863. Located on the university campus are the National Teachers Hall of Fame and the Memorial to Fallen Educators, honoring those who lost their lives teaching and working in America's schools. Honoring fallen heroes is a long-standing tradition in Emporia, as it is also the founding city of Veterans Day.
Emporia Rose Appliqué Quilts: New Projects, Historical Vignettes, Classic Designs
by Barbara Brackman Karla Menaugh“Inspired by the still astonishing quilts made from the 1920s through the 1940s in Emporia, Kansas . . . world-renowned for their design and workmanship.” —Publishers Weekly Between 1925 and 1945, women from Emporia, Kansas, created some of the twentieth-century’s most memorable appliqué quilts. Their designs were the modern quilts of their day. They earned both international renown and permanent places in museum collections. Now bestselling quilt historian Barbara Brackman and writer Karla Menaugh bring you seven spectacular new quilts based on those ground-breaking originals, plus the fascinating history of the women and times that produced the Emporia style. Seven projects include a nine-block appliqué sampler, featuring flowers, swags, and festoons.Timeless designs work with any appliqué technique. Mix and match elements into your own new classics.
Emporialism: Department Store Fictions and the Politics of the Mediterranean
by Amr KamalThis book examines what Amr Kamal calls the phenomenon of emporialism, or the convergence between the spaces and imaginaries of empires and emporia in the context of a modern Mediterranean divided among the British, French, and Ottoman empires. By "emporia," Kamal refers to the commercial network of nineteenth-century department stores, which gained prominence after the Suez Canal project. Taking as a focal point French and Egyptian department stores, the author examines emporialism as a set of phenomenological experiences, discursive and social praxes, and mechanisms of control and resistance, born from the intersection of modernity, colonialism, and mass consumption. Drawing on archival evidence, Kamal reads iconographic and literary representations of emporia in English, French, Arabic, and Hebrew, from the nineteenth century to the present, addressing works by Émile Zola, Huda Shaarawi, Jacqueline Kahanoff, and others. Emporialism, Kamal argues, served to rewrite the history of the Mediterranean, to reinvent national belonging, and to interrogate issues of modernity and social justice.
Emporium Department Store
by Anne EversThe Emporium--"California's Largest, America's Grandest Store"--was a major shopping destination on San Francisco's Market Street for a century, from 1896 to 1996. Shoppers flocked to the mid-price store with its beautiful dome and bandstand. Patrons could find anything at the Emporium, from jewelry to stoves, and it was a meeting place for friends to enjoy tea while listening to the Emporium Orchestra. Founded as the Emporium and Golden Rule Bazaar, the store flourished until the disastrous 1906 earthquake. Once it reopened in 1908, it dominated shopping downtown until mid-century. Many San Franciscans remember with great nostalgia the Christmas Carnival on the roof, complete with slides, a skating rink, and a train. Santa always arrived in grand style with a big parade down Market Street. After World War II, the Emporium, which had merged with H.C. Capwell & Co. in the late 1920s, began its push and opened branch stores throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. However, as competition increased, the company's financial situation worsened, and the Emporium name was no more in 1996.
Empowering Affected Interests: Democratic Inclusion in a Globalized World
by Archon Fung Gray, Sean W. D.Many demands for democratic inclusion rest on a simple yet powerful idea. It's a principle of affected interests. The principle states that all those affected by a collective decision should have a say in making that decision. Yet, in today's highly globalized world, the implications of this 'All-Affected Principle' are potentially radical and far-reaching. Empowering Affected Interests brings together a distinguished group of leading democratic theorists and philosophers to debate whether and how to rewrite the rules of democracy to account for the increasing interdependence of states, markets, and peoples. It examines the grounds that justify democratic inclusion across borders of states, localities, and the private sector, on topics ranging from immigration and climate change to labor markets and philanthropy. The result is an original and important reassessment of the All-Affected Principle and its alternatives that advances our understanding of the theory and practice of democracy. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Empowering China: Half a Century Since Nixon’s Opening to China
by Eugenio BregolatThe author enjoyed the exorbitant privilege of serving three times as Ambassador of Spain to China over a period of 25 years,between 1987 and 2013. He wondered about the US decisive role in empowering China,This book is the result of his review. The book starts with an in-depth analysis of China´s exponential economic development since 1978, adding a reflection on economic power as the crucial underpinning of military and geopolitical might. It underlines that when Nixon first visited China, in February 1972, he and Kissinger already understood that China would become a great power in a few decades and the ensuing risk "to be confronted, if our relations turn sour, with the most formidable enemy that has ever existed". The anticipated risk was taken to achieve short term benefits. Assessing the wisdom of this decision is the thrust of the book. Eight reasons are listed which might have given Nixon and Kissinger second thoughts when they decided to engage China. The contributions of the different US Presidents to the engagement and later containment of China are analyzed. A chapter is devoted to "Unfulfilled prophecies": China and democracy, and the elusive collapse of the Chinese economy. A European epilogue deals with the triangular relationship Europe - US - China. Will Europe be able to reach political union, engineering a renaissance from the ashes of 1945 and becoming again a great power? It is the existential question: to be or not to be. “The book also features a foreword by Javier Solana, former Secretary General of NATO and High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union.”
Empowering Collaborations: Writing Partnerships between Religious Women and Scribes in the Middle Ages
by Kimberley BenedictThis study examines partnerships between medieval women and scribes. Kimberly Benedict argues that medieval female visionaries often play prominent roles in collaboration while their male amanuenses serves as supports and foils.
Empowering Interactions: Political Cultures and the Emergence of the State in Europe 1300–1900
by Wim Blockmans Daniel SchläppiThe emergence of the state in Europe is a topic that has engaged historians since the establishment of the discipline of history. Yet the primary focus of has nearly always been to take a top-down approach, whereby the formation and consolidation of public institutions is viewed as the outcome of activities by princes and other social elites. Yet, as the essays in this collection show, such an approach does not provide a complete picture. By investigating the importance of local and individual initiatives that contributed to state building from the late middle ages through to the nineteenth century, this volume shows how popular pressure could influence those in power to develop new institutional structures. By not privileging the role of warfare and of elite coercion for state building, it is possible to question the traditional top-down model and explore the degree to which central agencies might have been more important for state representation than for state practice. The studies included in this collection treat many parts of Europe and deal with different phases in the period between the late middle ages and the nineteenth century. Beginning with a critical review of state historiography, the introduction then sets out the concept of 'empowering interactions' which is then explored in the subsequent case studies and a number of historiographical, methodological and theoretical essays. Taken as a whole this collection provides a fascinating platform to reconsider the relationships between top-down and bottom-up processes in the history of the European state.
Empowering Revolution
by Gregory F. DomberAs the most populous country in Eastern Europe as well as the birthplace of the largest anticommunist dissident movement, Poland is crucial in understanding the end of the Cold War. During the 1980s, both the United States and the Soviet Union vied for influence over Poland's politically tumultuous steps toward democratic revolution. In this groundbreaking history, Gregory F. Domber examines American policy toward Poland and its promotion of moderate voices within the opposition, while simultaneously addressing the Soviet and European influences on Poland's revolution in 1989. With a cast including Reagan, Gorbachev, and Pope John Paul II, Domber charts American support of anticommunist opposition groups--particularly Solidarity, the underground movement led by future president Lech Wa&322;&281;sa--and highlights the transnational network of Polish emigres and trade unionists that kept the opposition alive. Utilizing archival research and interviews with Polish and American government officials and opposition leaders, Domber argues that the United States empowered a specific segment of the Polish opposition and illustrates how Soviet leaders unwittingly fostered radical, pro-democratic change through their policies. The result is fresh insight into the global impact of the Polish pro-democracy movement.