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Refiguring the Postmaternal: Feminist Responses to the Forgetting of Motherhood
by Maria Fannin Maud PerrierThis book explores the concept of the ‘postmaternal’ as a response to changing cultural, political and economic conditions for motherhood and responds to Julie Stephens’ contention that gender-neutral feminism has led to a forgetting of the maternal within feminist memory. In Confronting Postmaternal Thinking: Feminism, Memory, Care (2011) Stephens identifies a significant cultural anxiety about care-giving, nurturing and human dependency she calls ‘postmaternal’ thinking. Stephens argues that maternal forms of care have been rejected in the public sphere and marginalised to the private domain through an elaborate process of cultural forgetting, in turn contributing to the current dominance of a degendered form of feminism. This book argues that refiguring postmaternalism requires opening up the maternal beyond the category of mothers and the nuclear family. The chapters in this edited volume contribute to the field of maternal studies by investigating the connections between maternalism, feminism and neoliberalism through diverse feminist theories, cases and methodologies. We challenge Stephens’ diagnosis of the ‘forgetting’ of certain forms of maternal practices from feminism’s history by highlighting the ongoing contested place of the maternal in feminist scholarship and activism for the last five decades. We argue that the memorializing of the maternal in feminist scholarship needs to reflect its diverse legacies in the analyses of black feminism, socialist feminism and ecofeminism in order to destabilise the association of the maternal with neoliberalism and the depoliticization of feminism. This book was originally published as a special issue of Australian Feminist Studies.
Refined Tastes: Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science #120)
by Wendy A. WolosonA look at sugar in 19th-century American culture and how it rose in popularity to gain its place in the nation’s diet today.American consumers today regard sugar as a mundane and sometimes even troublesome substance linked to hyperactivity in children and other health concerns. Yet two hundred years ago American consumers treasured sugar as a rare commodity and consumed it only in small amounts. In Refined Tastes: Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America, Wendy A. Woloson demonstrates how the cultural role of sugar changed from being a precious luxury good to a ubiquitous necessity. Sugar became a social marker that established and reinforced class and gender differences.During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Woloson explains, the social elite saw expensive sugar and sweet confections as symbols of their wealth. As refined sugar became more affordable and accessible, new confections—children’s candy, ice cream, and wedding cakes—made their way into American culture, acquiring a broad array of social meanings. Originally signifying male economic prowess, sugar eventually became associated with femininity and women’s consumerism. Woloson’s work offers a vivid account of this social transformation—along with the emergence of consumer culture in America.“Elegantly structured and beautifully written . . . As simply an explanation of how Americans became such avid consumers of sugar, this book is superb and can be recommended highly.” —Ken Albala, Winterthur Portfolio“An enlightening tale about the social identity of sweets, how they contain not just chewy centers but rich meanings about gender, about the natural world, and about consumerism.” —Cindy Ott, Enterprise and Society
Reflecting on Jane Eyre (Routledge Revivals)
by Pat MacphersonJane Eyre is a feminist Pilgrim’s Progress in which the heroine asserts the moral equality and responsibility of men and women—an outrageous claim for a female, and moreover a governess, to make. Pat Macpherson reads in Jane Eyre the dramatic dynamic of adolescence itself, as a Gothic landscape of battles and pacts, seductions and betrayals, transgressions and policings, where identity is forged in relation to social norms of class, gender, race, generation, and nationality. Her exuberant narration connects the personal to the political in Jane’s relations with Rochester, the rake in need of reformation, Bertha, his mad wife, and St John, the parson whose cross is paternalism.Pat Macpherson’s Reflecting on Jane Eyre (first published in 1989) shows how the novel itself can be the territory for women’s exploration of a morality of desire and power, alternative to the material and sexual double-standard of middle-class men. This book will be of interest to students and researchers of English literature, feminist studies, and sociology.
Reflecting on The Bell Jar (Routledge Revivals)
by Pat MacphersonIn the 1950s, America was in the grip of Cold War paranoia and McCarthyism. Communism and ‘gender maladjustment’ were twin threats to the social ideals of family and security. Yet, previous readings of Plath and her heroine have ignored much of the social context of this era.Reflecting on The Bell Jar (first published in 1991) acknowledges this repressive post-war regime of social hygiene. Pat Macpherson’s reading takes into account the fundamental rearrangement of the social contract between citizen and state, built on the newly made connections between national security and mental health. She investigates the trial of the Rosenbergs and its connections with the electrotherapy Plath and her heroine both experience. Macpherson also evaluates the coercive effects of society’s self-imposed inquisitional attitude of surveillance and explores its role in forming female identity. Esther Greenwood, says Macpherson, is the first heroine of our own era of popularized therapeutic culture.As challenging and thought provoking as the novel itself, this book provides a new approach to one of feminism’s most difficult heroines. It will be a fascinating read for students of women’s studies, literature, and cultural studies, and for all those intrigued by the writings of Slyvia Plath.
Reflecting on and with the ‘More-than-Human’ in Education: Things for Interculturality (SpringerBriefs in Education)
by Fred Dervin Mei YuanThis book examines today’s central and yet often misunderstood and misconstrued notion of interculturality. It specifically focuses on one aspect of intercultural awareness that has been ignored in research and education: the presence and influence of things on the way we experience, do, and reflect on interculturality. This book provides the readers with opportunities to engage with interculturality by reflecting on how our lives are full of things and entangled with them. It urges teachers, teacher educators, scholars, and students to open their eyes to the richness that the more-than-human, with which we can reflect, has to offer for intercultural communication education.
Reflection and Intuition in a Crisis-Ridden World: Thinking Hard or Hardly Thinking? (Global Perspectives in Political Psychology)
by S. Adil Saribay Onurcan YilmazThis book provides a definitive guide to the value of reflective thinking in the modern world, showing how today’s most fundamental problems are, to an important degree, based on citizens’ thinking styles.The authors highlight the importance of reflection by systematically revealing the causes underlying differences in people’s thinking styles and the consequences of thinking in different ways. These different ways of thinking contribute to socio-political views, and can result in misunderstandings of complex issues such as beliefs in conspiracy theories and fake news, anti-vaccine attitudes, and even fundamentalism and extremism. By training and strengthening reflective thinking in society, via education and other means, we can encourage individuals to challenge misinformation, and their own belief systems around controversial topics. The book also explores the idea that reflection is not enough on its own and examines the shortcomings of reflection and the other skills that complement it positively, especially holistic and systems thinking. In doing so, the authors highlight how implementing a solid, science-based understanding of key issues in education and society at large, can contribute to the solution of problems, from climate change to economic inequality.By showing how we can put our reflective capacity to good use, alongside critically examining reflection in relation to modern problems experienced by humanity, this book is a fascinating reading for students, researchers, and academics in psychology, politics, and the broader social sciences.
Reflections of Dance along the Brahmaputra: Celebrating Dance in North East India (Celebrating Dance in Asia and the Pacific)
by Debarshi Prasad Nath, Ralph Buck, and Barbara SnookThis volume brings a critical lens to dance and culture within North East India. Through case studies, first-hand accounts, and interviews, it explores unique folk dances of Indigenous communities of North East India that reflect diverse journeys, lifestyles, and connections within their ethnic groups, marking almost every ritual and festival. Dance for people of North East India, as elsewhere, is also a way of declaring, establishing, celebrating, and asserting humans' relationship with nature. The book draws attention to the origins and special circumstances of dances from North East India. It discusses a range of important folk-dance forms alongside classical dance forms in North East India, with a focus on Sattriya dance. The chapters examine how these dance forms play an important role in the region’s socio-cultural, economic, and political life, intertwining religion and the arts through music, dance, and drama. Further, they also explore how folk dance cultures in North East India have never been relegated to the background, never considered secondary, aesthetically, or otherwise, but have become expressions of political and cultural identity. An evocative work, this volume will be of interest to students and researchers of pedagogy, choreography, community dance practice, theatre and performance studies, social and cultural studies, aesthetics, interdisciplinary arts, and more. It will be an invaluable resource for artists and practitioners working in dance schools and communities.
Reflections of Our Past: How Human History is Revealed in Our Genes (2nd Edition)
by John H. Relethford Deborah A. Bolnick<p>The rise of the multi-billion dollar ancestry testing industry points to one immutable truth about us as human beings: we want to know where we come from and who our ancestors were. John H. Relethford and Deborah A. Bolnick explore this topic and many more in this second edition of <i>Reflections of Our Past</i>. <p>Where did modern humans come from and how important are the biological differences among us? Are we descended from Neandertals? How should we understand the connections between genetic ancestry, race, and identity? Were Native Americans the first to inhabit the Americas? Can we see evidence of the Viking invasions of Ireland a millennium ago even in the Irish of today? <p>Through engaging examination of issues such as these, and using non-technical language, <i>Reflections of Our Past</i> shows how anthropologists use genetic information to suggest answers to fundamental questions about human history. By looking at genetic variation in the world today and in the past, we can reconstruct the recent and remote events and processes that have created the variation we see, providing a fascinating reflection of our genetic past.</p>
Reflections on Commercial Life: An Anthology of Classic Texts from Plato to the Present
by Patrick MurrayReflections on Commercial Life, an anthology of writings, from the ancient Greeks to contemporary thinkers, provides students, scholars, and general readers an opportunity to develop a more self-conscious and critical relationship to commercial life. Selections are drawn from seminal works of high intellectual and literary quality. Through an inquiry into history, nature, and outcomes, this volume offers the opportunity to explore, as never before, alternatives to modern commercial life.
Reflections on Criticality in Educational Philosophy: Critical Traditions, Freire and Wittgenstein (Palgrave Studies in Educational Philosophy and Theory)
by Marc James DeeganThis book navigates global educational policy concerning critical thinking skills and competencies. The author explores the concept of criticality from the perspectives of several critical traditions, and draws on the works of Paulo Freire and Ludwig Wittgenstein. The diverse and intricate ideas, methods and ways of thinking that emerge are examined in the new perspectival space of ‘criticality scholarship’. Pursuing his own political and philosophical aspirations, the author endeavours to link a critical education with the promotion of democracy and social justice. Opportunities for further empirical and theoretical research are signposted. The book will be of interest to scholars in educational philosophy.
Reflections on Gender and Science
by Evelyn Fox KellerThis groundbreaking work explores the possibilities of a gender-free science and the conditions that could make such a possibility a reality.
Reflections on Identity: Narratives from Educators
by Carol Thompson Neil HopkinsThis book seeks to extend perspectives on professional identity in education. Chapters consider the notion of expertise, the impact of managerial approaches, the importance of communities of practice, and the effects of increasingly marketised approaches.By using narratives, the book opens up a ‘conversation’ about this important topic. Educators and leaders from a variety of settings will explore their professional experiences and the impact these have had on forming values in the professional role. By drawing on personal experience, individual authors will consider some of the challenges they have encountered as part of identity formation. The significance of organisational cultures is discussed throughout the book and explores the ways in which individual autonomy is both threatened and claimed. Issues discussed include the frequent changes imposed through government initiatives and the social perception of education professionals when compared to other professional roles. Contributions have been drawn from teachers and leaders in schools, colleges, universities and specialist training. Chapter authors have a variety of experiences offering a multi-perspective approach. This will include strategic leadership, operational management and classroom practice, all of which offer insights of interest to educators at various points on the professional journey. The narrative approach adopted by authors provides the opportunity for readers to engage with others’ experiences, enabling personal reflection on their own professional identity.
Reflections on Imagination: Human Capacity and Ethnographic Method (Anthropological Studies of Creativity and Perception)
by Mark Harris Nigel RapportIn this innovative volume, anthropologists turn their attention to a topic that has rarely figured as a focus of concerted investigation and yet which can be described as an intrinsic aspect of all human knowing and part of all processes by which human beings process information about themselves, their identities, their environments and their relations: the imagination. How do anthropologists use imagination in coming to know their research subjects? How might they, and how should they, use their imagination? And how do research subjects themselves understand, describe, justify and limit their use of the imagination? Presenting a range of case studies from a variety of locations including the UK, US, Africa, East Asia and South America, this collection offers a comparative exploration of how imagination has been conceptualized and understood in a range of analytical traditions, with regard to issues of both methodology and ethnomethodology. With emphasis not on abstraction but on imagination as activity, technique and subject situated in the middle of lives, Reflections on Imagination sheds new light on imagination as a universal capacity and practice - something to which human beings attend whenever they make sense of their environments and situate their life-projects in these environments - the means by which worlds come to be.
Reflections on Inequality (Routledge Library Editions: Inequality #1)
by Stanislav AndreskiOriginally published in 1975, this anthology of essays focusses on the historical dimension of class inequality which has long concerned both sociologists and social philosophers but has often been neglected in literature. Although Marx is the first name to come to mind when social inequality and class struggles are mentioned, most of the authors included here precede him. Each analyses and discusses the problems of class conflict as they understood them in the light of their own times. Taken together these writers treat stratification as essentially a pecking order where position is determined by relative power – a notion which subsumes rather than contradicts the economic interpretation of social inequality because wealth is a form of power. The relation between the views of these authors and the well-known theory of Marx is discussed in the Introduction.
Reflections on Knowledge, Learning and Social Movements: History's Schools (Routledge Advances in Sociology)
by Aziz Choudry Salim VallyHow do educators and activists in today’s struggles for change use historical materials from earlier periods of organizing for political education? How do they create and engage with independent and often informal archives and debates? How do they ultimately connect this historical knowledge with contemporary struggles? Reflections on Knowledge, Learning and Social Movements aims to advance the understanding of relationships between learning, knowledge production, history and social change. In four sections, this unique collection explores: • Engagement with activist/movement archives • Learning and teaching militant histories • Lessons from liberatory and anti-imperialist struggles • Learning from student, youth and education struggles Six chapters foreground insights from the breadth and diversity of South Africa’s rich progressive social movements; while others explore connections between ideas and practices of historical and contemporary struggles in other parts of the world including Argentina, Iran, Britain, Palestine, and the US. Besides its great relevance to scholars and students of Education, Sociology, and History, this innovative title will be of particular interest to adult educators, labour educators, archivists, community workers and others concerned with education for social change.
Reflections on Life in Higher Education
by Ward Rick D. Saucier Nora Ganim Barnes Kimberly K. Folkers Frederick B. Hoyt Lisa M. Lindgren Lori L. Lohman Michael J. Messina Stephanie Jacobsen FarrisThis book explores the challenges of an academic teaching career. The authors discuss the issues that may arise in the tenure process, scholarship activities, publishing, and providing service to their academic communities as well as how to keep teaching lessons relevant and fresh.
Reflections on Memory and Democracy
by Merilee S. Grindle Erin E. GoodmanWhat is the role of history in the life of new democracies? In this volume, twelve reflections-the work of journalists, writers and poets, literary critics, political scientists, historians, philosophers, economists, and linguists-explore legacies of authoritarian political regimes noted for repression and injustice, questioning how collective experiences of violence shape memory and its relevance for contemporary social and political life in Latin America. The past matters deeply, the essayists agree, but the past itself is debatable and ambiguous. Avoiding its repetition introduces elusive and contested terrain; there are, indeed, many histories, many memories, and many ways they can be reflected in democratic contexts. In much of contemporary Latin America, this difficult past has not yet been fully confronted, and much remains to be done in reconciling memory and democracy throughout the region. As this is done, the lessons of the past must contribute not only to the construction of democratic institutions, but also to the engagement of democratic citizens in the collective work of governance and participation.
Reflections on Myanmar: Identity, Heritage, Aspirations
by Reshmi BanerjeeMyanmar is known for its engaging history, rich cultural heritage, and diverse ethnic communities. Its tumultuous political past has been discussed by academics and policy makers for decades; however, the land of the Shwedagon cannot only be defined by conflict and contestation. Myanmar is complex and multi-layered with innumerable issues shaping its identity and manifold interpretations creating its distinctiveness. A deeper comprehension of its past glory with thoughtful deliberation on its socio-economic challenges helps to understand the country better. This book fills this gap by focusing on four broad themes––reminiscence, restoration, re-evaluation, and resurrection. It studies interconnected issues ranging from nostalgia and belonging to Myanmar’s contribution to art and heritage (through its museums, cinema, folk traditions); from the problems of landlessness, resource dispossession, and climate change to the experience of marginalized groups. The author weaves these themes into a common narrative of discovering Myanmar through a holistic lens. The book aims to explore the country through its history, culture, communities, and challenges. A unique contribution, the book highlights the myriad facets of Myanmar by contemplating on its inherent strengths and visible weaknesses. It would be indispensable for scholars and researchers of Southeast Asian studies, Asian studies, area studies, Myanmar studies, political studies, cultural studies, and sociology.
Reflections on Play, Sport, and Culture: Introduction to the Play Field Theory (Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society #141)
by Felix LebedThe psychological dependence of humanity on playing is huge. Its nature and functional utility are unclear. These linked yet contradictory issues have created the intrigue that has fed philosophical thought for more than two hundred years. During this period, philosophy transferred many of the subjects of its analysis to the aegis of the humanities that it spawned. Each of them pays close attention to human play and studies it with its own methods of theoretical and experimental research. Thus, what was once a general philosophical comprehension of human play has branched out into different directions, definitions, and theories. This new book represents a renewed general view of human play. The unique quality of the volume lies in its fairly rare interdisciplinary methodology, encompassing a broad spectrum of the humanities: philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and the history of play, and behavioral analysis of playing, which have been done by the author. As a result, the volume ends with the proposition of a new general approach to human play that is named by the author “play field theory”. Such an approach makes reflections on play, sport, and culture a source for all scholars studying play, by widening their knowledge through both a new general view and their familiarization with notions from neighboring fields and disciplines.
Reflections on Polarisation and Inequalities in Brexit Pandemic Times: Fractured Lives in Britain
by Katharine Tyler Cathrine Degnen Susan BanducciThis is the first interdisciplinary edited collection that examines the manifestation of social inequalities and polarisations in Britain throughout the dual crises of the Brexit vote and the Covid-19 pandemic. The volume demonstrates that Brexit and the pandemic are not self-contained events but rather are major ongoing processes that have impacted all aspects of British social and political life. Drawing on an array of empirical case studies conducted in the wake of the Brexit vote and during pandemic lockdowns, chapters trace how these processes illuminate, consolidate, and amplify existing and entrenched social inequalities and polarisations that shape the fabric of British society, including racial, ethnic, class, migrant, national, and gendered inequalities.The volume is divided into three parts centred on (a) the nation; (b) the community; and (c) the media. Each section draws on diverse analytical frameworks and methodological approaches from across the social sciences, arts, and humanities to provide empirically grounded critiques of reductive media-led narratives with the goal of accounting for and explaining the reproduction of social inequalities and emergence of polarisations in these Brexit pandemic times. In so doing, the case studies include critical analysis of lockdown novels; the speeches of political elites from across the political spectrum; ‘ordinary’ people’s everyday traditional and social media practices; as well as their opinions based on the findings of large-scale surveys and in-depth place-based ethnographic fieldwork conducted across rural, urban, and suburban areas of England. Each chapter also includes artwork by contemporary artist Helen Snell that complements, develops, and extends the book’s core themes and arguments.This collection will be insightful reading for students and academics across the social sciences, arts, and humanities (especially from the disciplines of sociology, politics, social anthropology, human geography, sociolinguistics, contemporary art, and literature) concerned with questions of social inequality and polarisation.Chapters 1, 2, 7 and 11 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.
Reflections on Process Sociology and Sport: 'Walking the Line' (Sport in the Global Society – Contemporary Perspectives)
by Joseph MaguireThe book focuses on the distinctive contribution that Joseph Maguire has made to process sociology and the study of sport. Maguire’s work over the past three decades highlights how process sociology has a unique perspective on the relationship between sport, culture and society, and to the body, globalisation and civilisational analysis.Reflecting on this body of work and the use of process sociology, Maguire captures the research dynamic of ‘walking the line' between involvement and detachment, theory and observation, and engagement and critique. The book is structured around four broad sections: Theory, Sport and Society; The Meaning of Sport, Body and Society; Case Studies in Sport and Process Sociology; Globalisation, Sport and Civilisational Analysis.Providing an introduction to, and key examples of, a process sociology approach to the study of sport, the body, civilising processes and globalisation, this book will appeal to undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in sport studies / sports science degrees, sociology, cultural studies and to those studying migration, globalisation and cross cultural civilisation relations.This book was previously published as a Special Issue of Sport in Society.
Reflections on Qualitative Research in Language and Literacy Education
by Seyyed-Abdolhamid MirhosseiniThis book discusses aspects of the theory and practice of qualitative research in the specific context of language and literacy education. It addresses epistemological perspectives, methodological problems, and practical considerations related to research involvements in areas of language education and literacy studies rather than generic issues of other fields of social sciences. The volume starts with Theoretical Considerations in the first part and raises some epistemological and theoretical concerns that are rarely debated in the specific context of research on language and literacy teaching. The second part, Methodological Approaches explores issues of the design and implementation of language and literacy education research within the framework of some of the major established qualitative research traditions. Finally, the part on Research in Action discusses practical aspects of a few actual instances of qualitative research on language and literacy education in different contexts.
Reflections on Socialism in the Twenty-First Century: Facing Market Liberalism, Rising Inequalities and the Environmental Imperative
by Claes BrundeniusIn this volume, the authors reflect on the question “what is socialism” as it pertains to today’s economy. There is particular emphasis on democratic socialism models as a potential alternative to classic authoritarian socialism. A number of topical questions are addressed such as: What is democratic socialism and is it feasible, or even viable? What can be learnt from existing democratic socialist experiences? What would an ideal democratic socialist society look like today? Under what circumstances, and where, could such a model emerge today? In exploring these questions, several themes arise within these chapters such as the role of socialist values and inspirations in capitalist societies; and how capitalism and socialism relate to the knowledge economy. The contemporary world is showing many contradictions with uncertain future scenarios that preoccupy mankind. The global capitalist system as we know it is in deep crisis—and some even predict its slow death, because of its inability to handle the environmental imperative. At the same time, classic socialism as experienced in the Soviet Union and its proxies is a stone dead alternative to capitalism today. So what options remain? The book considers this question as it examines a range of countries where socialism (in one form or another) has arisen, or where democratic socialism could be possible, including Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Sweden and the United States.
Reflections on a United Nations' Career: An Insider's Account (Springer Biographies)
by Ian HowieThis book is more than an autobiographical account of the career of a young graduate from Australia who spent his life working as a United Nations official. It is in fact, a critical, indispensable debriefing of a UN insider’s account as it follows the life of a development practitioner for more than three decades within the global aid sector.It also goes where few others have dared to go before, providing first-hand insights into the realities of a UN career official’s life. While many throughout the world may wish to join the “UN family” or have already become part of the development sector, it is presumed they all have a vision to act as vehicles for positive social change. However, expectations can and may differ once realities have sunk in. The book opens a unique space in the international aid sector – particularly, population security – around elements of personal and professional rewards and costs.
Reflections on metaReality: Transcendence, Emancipation and Everyday Life (Classical Texts in Critical Realism (Routledge Critical Realism))
by Roy BhaskarReflections on meta-Reality is now widely regarded as a landmark in contemporary philosophy. It initiates the philosophy of meta-Reality, the third main phase of Roy Bhaskar’s philosophical thoughts, after original or basic critical realism and dialectical critical realism. Originally published in 2002 and based on talks given in India, Europe and America, Roy Bhaskar presents his new philosophy of meta-Reality as a radical extension, systematic development and proleptic completion of critical realism. This brilliant series of studies contains seminal and far-reaching discussions of critical realism and the nature of being; an incisive and limpid account of modernity, modernism and post-modernism; a sublime discourse on the nature of the self and compelling considerations on the relationship between social science and self-realization. Together, they demonstrate the ubiquity of transcendental phenomena in everyday life and the orientation of enlightenment towards collective human emancipation and universal self-realization. A new introduction to this edition by Mervyn Hartwig, founding editor of The Journal of Critical Realism and editor of A Dictionary of Critical Realism (Routledge, 2007), describes the context, significance and impact of Reflections on meta-Reality, and supplies an expert guide to its content. This book is essential reading for students and practitioners in both philosophy and the human sciences.