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Maimonides and Jewish Theocracy: The Human Hand of Divine Rule (Elements in Comparative Political Theory)
by Charles H. LeschTheocratic movements are on the rise. But what does it actually mean for God to rule? This Element offers one answer by recovering the theocratic project of medieval Judaism's most important thinker, Moses Maimonides. Theocracy is often thought to quash human agency, evoking an overpowering deity and clerical domination. Yet by reconsidering Maimonides' debt to the Islamic philosopher al-Fārābī, and challenging Leo Strauss' influential reading, the author argues that among Maimonides' aims was to elevate humanity's role in divine rule. In its highest form reason is identical with revelation, action with providence. God's governance is delegated: theocracy requires human agency-the imitation of God. Maimonides focuses on philosophical-religious leaders. But he also broadens imitatio dei to anyone whose knowledge of God inspires love of God: By emulating God's goodness, we can become agents of divine rule. In this way, Maimonides' ideas suggest ways by which theocracy and democracy might, counter-intuitively, be reconciled.
The Impact of College Diversity: Struggles and Successes at Age 30
by Elizabeth AriesIn 2005, Elizabeth Aries chronicled what 58 Amherst College freshman—Black and white, affluent and lower-income—learned from racial and class diversity. Her study emphasized the value of campus diversity at elite colleges. Four years later, Aries interviewed the same students about their diversity experiences as they graduated. Now, eight years later, she re-interviews her participants to see how and to what extent race and class continue to play a role as they move into adulthood. The Impact of College Diversity details how exposure to diversity in college helped shape Black and white graduates process issues of economic and racial privilege and inequality at age 30. She investigates how college diversity experiences also facilitate the attainment of upward social mobility in lower-income students and the role that mobility played in their relationships with family and friends in their home communities. Aries further examines how interactions with peers of another race and class influenced development of citizenship skills and civic engagement, as well as Black students’ ability to cope with the challenges they faced in the professional world. Aries concludes her study with a discussion of why elite colleges have been beneficial in promoting upward mobility in lower-income students, and the importance of achieving equity and inclusion in making diversity initiatives successful.
Before Crips: Fussin', Cussin', and Discussin' among South Los Angeles Juvenile Gangs (Studies in Transgression)
by John C. Quicker Akil S. Batani-KhalfaniThis groundbreaking book opens the door on the missing record of South Los Angeles juvenile gangs. It is the result of the unique friendship that developed between John Quicker and Akil Batani-Khalfani, aka Bird, who collaborated to show how structural marginality transformed hang-out street groups of non-White juveniles into gangs, paving the way for the rise of the infamous Crips and Bloods. Before Crips uses a macro historical analysis to sort through political and economic factors to explain the nature of gang creation. The authors mine a critical archive, using direct interviews with original gang members as well as theory and literature reviews, to contextualize gang life and gang formation. They discuss (and fuss and cuss about) topics ranging from the criminal economy and conceptions of masculinity to racial and gendered politics and views of violence. Their insider/outsider approach not only illuminates gang values and organization, but what they did and why, and how they grew in a backdrop of inequality and police brutality that came to a head with the 1965 Watts Rebellion. Providing an essential understanding of early South Los Angeles gang life, Before Crips explains what has remained constant, what has changed, and the roots of the violence that continues.
Disability Services in Higher Education: An Insider's Guide
by Kirsten T. Behling Eileen H. Bellemore Lisa B. Bibeau Bridget A. McNameeDisability Services in Higher Education is the first comprehensive guide for people working in the field of ADA compliance in higher education. The authors examine how disabilities are supported to ensure students receive appropriate accommodations throughout their collegiate experience as well as provide guidance on overall campus accessibility. This volume provides an overview of the responsibilities of a Disabilities Service professional through an examination of relevant literature, laws and regulatory language, case law, and narrative on established practices. It also offers resources that current professionals can modify for use in their day-to-day practice immediately. The authors explore the complexities of accessibility, paying careful attention to the nuances of disability evaluation, accommodation decisions, management of a disability service office, advocating for resources and collaboration within and outside of higher education institutions. This practitioner-friendly book will help newcomers and seasoned professionals explore and evaluate best practices in the field through questions, examples, and functional job aids available for immediate use.
Gender and Violence against Political Actors
by Elin Bjarnegård Pär ZetterbergThere has been an increase in testimonies from women politicians who have been targets of violence and from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. The editors and contributors to of Gender and Violence against Political Actors seek to understand how gender influences both physical and psychological forms of violence and how sexual violence affects both men and women. Chapters focus on theoretical approaches demonstrating how different disciplinary starting points—e.g., politics, violence and gender—give rise to different lenses. Essays examine violence carried out during conflict and peacetime, and relate to the continuum of violence—physical, sexual, psychological, and online. In addition, six country case studies reveal how different types of political actors have been targets of violence. Gender and Violence against Political Actors ends by providing various approaches to responding to the problem of gendered violence in politics while also evaluating policy responses. Contributors: Kerryn Baker, Julie Ballington, Gabrielle Bardall, Gabriella Borovsky, Cheryl N. Collier, Sofia Collignon, Maria Eriksson Baaz, Eleonora Esposito, Nicole Haley, Rebekah Herrick, Sandra Håkansson, Roudabeh Kishi, Anne-Kathrin Kreft, Mona Lena Krook, Rebecca Kuperberg, Robert U. Nagel, Louise Olsson, Jennifer M. Piscopo, Tracey Raney, Juliana Restrepo Sanín, Paige Schneider, Maria Stern, Sue Thomas, and the editors
State, Security, and Cyberwar: The Quest for Digital Peace
by Thangjam K. Singh Sanjay K. JhaThis book examines the complex interactions amongst states and security apparatuses in the contemporary global order, and the prospect of peace with the emergence of cyberwarfare. Analysing why states consider cyberspace as a matter of security and strategic concerns, it looks forward to a possible foundation of ‘cyberpeace’ in the international system. It examines the idea of cyber-territory, population, governance, and sovereignty, along with that of nation states referring to great, middle, and small powers.The book explores the strategic and security aspects of cyberspace along with the rational behaviours of states in the domain. It explains the militarisation and weaponisation of cyber technologies for strategic purpose and traces the progression of cyber war and its impact on global stability. The last section of the book examines the possibility of building peace in che cyber domain with the endeavours of the international community to safeguard cyber sovereignty and promote stability in the digital sphere.It also discusses India’s position on digital security, cyberwarfare, and the pursuit of cyberpeace. The book offers valuable insights for students, researchers, practitioners, stakeholders working in and on military and strategic affairs, peace and conflict studies, and global politics, as well as interested general readers.
People-led Urban Development in Vietnam: Interstitial Practices and the Production of Differential Spaces in Hanoi (Routledge/City University of Hong Kong Southeast Asia Series)
by Ngai Ming Yip Hoài Anh TrầnThis book provides an analysis of urban development in Vietnam with a focus on activities carried out by ordinary people. Using Hanoi as a case study, this book offers a rich ethnographic account of people‑led development emphasising spatial practices of the emerging middle/lower‑middle and small entrepreneurial classes.In this book, the concept practice is integrated with Lefebvre’s framework of the production of differential space to conceptualise the diverse and seemingly ad‑hoc space‑making activities of urban residents, situating these in relation to the state’s disciplining projects through housing and urban planning. Moving beyond a simplistic, dichotomised discussion of informality and formality, temporality and permanence, this book highlights the tensions between the state visions of modernised urbanisation and the everyday space‑making practices of ordinary people. It offers a substantive narrative and an in‑depth analysis of the power relations, social hierarchies and complex interactions that are embedded within the differential spaces created by diverse interstitial practices in Hanoi.As a novel contribution to the literature highlighting the entrepreneurialism of the subaltern and the role of ordinary people in urban development, this book will be of interest to researchers of Vietnam’s urban development, Southeast Asian Studies, Urban Studies and the Global South.
Old Age in Ancient Judaism, Early Christianity, and Their Contexts: Senescence and Its Significations
by Albertina Oegema and Seth A. BledsoeThe collection of chapters in this volume explores the significance of old age for Jews and Christians as well as Greeks and Romans in antiquity.By examining a diverse range of sources, the authors in this volume elaborate on the manifold ways that old age functioned as a social discourse in ancient Jewish, Christian, Greek, and Roman contexts. The discussions herein demonstrate how perceptions of old age were closely intertwined with notions of authority and wisdom, gender and social dynamics, social and familial anxieties, and the body and disability. They show that conceptualizations of old age are far more prevalent and significant to ancient social and political structures, rhetorical discourse, and religious imagination than one might expect. By including studies on old age in different religious and cultural contexts, the volume highlights the commonalities, as well as the many differences, that existed among various communities in antiquity.This volume is of interest for students and scholars of religion, particularly for those working on Jews, Christians, Greeks, and Romans in the ancient Mediterranean, as well as scholars in classical studies and ancient history. It is also a valuable resource for gerontologists who wish to explore the historical background of present-day notions of old age.
Artificial Historians
by Anne Martin Marnie Hughes-Warrington Lewis Yarlupurka O'BrienThis book offers readers an introduction to the world of artificial histories and historians. It looks behind the interfaces of AI and explores everyday platforms and prize-winning history books to identify how people and algorithms make histories and how they might make histories in the future.Every moment around the globe, histories are made about ordinary people who use digital devices. These histories are not made by professional historians or even by humans but by artificial intelligence that scours our digital footprints for patterns. AI histories not only shape recommendations about what we might buy or stream but also our access to education, healthcare, and justice. The outcomes of recommendation systems are not just a technology problem or an ethics problem. This book argues that this is also a history problem, and it needs to be understood as one if we are to make fairer or more just systems. It shows us that the deep history of history making—including Australian Aboriginal and First Nations histories—can help us to navigate the future of history in AI.Presenting readers with a range of familiar and accessible examples, Artificial Historians is a valuable resource for students, scholars, and all those interested in global historiography, technology, and artificial intelligence.
Trolling Democracy: How Trolls Distort Digital Discourse (Routledge Research in Political Communication)
by J. Benjamin Taylor Sean RicheyThe Internet is a hub for gathering political information and accounts for significant political activity; however, social interactions online are often disrupted by trolling. As digital democracy continues to evolve, understanding trolling is crucial for developing strategies to foster a healthier online environment conducive to democratic engagement. Understanding the objective of posting deceitful, inflammatory content is crucial. Trolling Democracy offers both academic and practical insights into one of the most pressing challenges of the digital age. By leveraging theoretical insights, empirical evidence from new surveys, and innovative experiments, J. Benjamin Taylor and Sean Richey offer a comprehensive understanding of trolling’s effect on the public sphere and its implications for democratic processes. Furthermore, they address the broader societal concerns raised by the proliferation of trolling, including the spread of misinformation, the erosion of trust in online platforms, and the exacerbation of political polarization. Enhancing our knowledge of trolling by bridging gaps in previous research and proposing new avenues for future study, Taylor and Richey equip us with the tools to counteract its negative effects more effectively.
Freedom of Religion, Minority Rights and the Law: The Status of Jewish and Muslim Minorities in Europe and Beyond
by Aleksandra Gliszczyńska-Grabias Aviad HacohenThis book provides an in-depth, scholarly reflection on the challenges that arise in guaranteeing religious freedom and protection of the rights of religious minorities in law and practice. Currently, the protection of religious minorities constitutes one of the foundations of the international human rights protection systems and is provided for in the constitutions of all democratic states. The volume identifies, analyses, and assesses the legal status of religious freedom and protection of religious minorities, with special focus on Jewish and Muslim minorities in the European and Israeli legal environments. It compares the discourses on the scope and boundaries of religious freedom with the actual treatment of religious freedom in legal regulations, the case law, and in practice by the general society. The book employs the resources of comparative law and national and international law, as well as legal theory. Extensive use is also made of decisions of the international courts, including the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union. The book will be a valuable resource for academics, researchers, and policymakers working in the areas of law and religion, international human rights law, comparative constitutional law, and religious studies.
Working Through Planetary Breakdown: Labour, Skill and the Changing Climate (Routledge Explorations in Environmental Studies)
by Jesse Adams Stein Chantel CarrThis book offers a genuinely interdisciplinary engagement with the future of paid and unpaid work in the context of the twin challenges of decarbonisation and the growing impacts of an unstable climate.It is innovative in its grounding of such discussions in the everyday realities of workers’ experiences with an empirical focus on skill, occupational shifts and technological change at the workplace level. Part I: Skills and Training delves into how workers gain crucial skills across their lifetimes. From survivalist “preppers” to local microgrid operators, the chapters reveal practical and often unrecognised but essential expertise. Case studies include air-conditioning technical educators and construction trades leveraging tacit knowledge of sustainable practices. Part II: Industrial Transformation draws on empirical studies from coal mining, manufacturing, defence and construction to highlight workers’ experiences of climate shifts, heat and industrial transition. Theoretical contributions explore novel legal strategies such as fossil fuel “cessation” and examine the role of health and safety frameworks in addressing worker democracy and climate-change mitigation.This collection will resonate with scholars, students, policymakers and trade unionists interested in environmental labour studies, just transitions and the future of work. It offers vital lessons for navigating complex industrial transformations.Key features: Detailed case studies in critical sectors such as energy, construction, defence and manufacturing; A dynamic interdisciplinary fusion of human geography, political economy, sociology, industrial relations and law; Emphasis on worker agency, practical skill and grassroots adaptability amid intensifying climate impacts.
Flattening the Medieval Earth: Seeking the Early Modern Origins of the Idea of an Historical Conflict between Science and Christianity (Routledge Science and Religion Series)
by Pablo de FelipeFlattening the Medieval Earth explores the origin of the ‘flat error’, i.e. the false accusation that ancient and medieval Christians believed in a flat Earth, and what this implies in terms of a conflict between science and Christianity. Engaging with scientific and religious debates, this book includes a reception study of two key figures of the 4th century AD, Lactantius and Augustine. This study demonstrates that the mistaken ‘dark’ image of medieval scholars as flat-earthers started very early, c. 1600, as an internal Christian debate in the context of new geographical and astronomical views. The author draws on extensive research including many primary and secondary sources from different countries and languages not previously put into conversation. Combining history of science, church history, science and religion, history of navigation, and historiography, this book gives the most updated explanation of the origin of the flat error, finding paradoxes and unexpected answers along the way to understand the past and to reflect on some current approaches in science and religion.
Global Climate Change, Dams, Reservoirs and Related Water Resources / Changements climatiques, Barrages, Réservoirs et Ressources en eau associées: ICOLD Bulletin 169 (ICOLD Bulletins Series)
by CIGB ICOLDThe purpose of ICOLD Bulletin 169 is to assess the role of dams and reservoirs in adapting to the effects of global climate change, determine the threats, and potential opportunities, posed by global climate change to existing dams and reservoirs, and then recommend measures to mitigate against or adapt to the effects of global climate change. This bulletin is organized in chapters that include the following: a description of what is at risk when considering dams, reservoirs and related water resources facts and uncertainties with climate evolution, mainly based on past observations analysis framework and method for assessing climate induced impacts and risk at watershed scale other drivers besides climate change that can affect the balance between resources and needs: demography, technology, sedimentation climate-driven opportunities for new storage emissions of greenhouse gases associated to reservoirs and water resources adaptation strategies and case studies from different regions of the world and illustrating different water resources systems situations recommendations ICOLD recommendations (chapter 10) address three broad themes:Recommendation 1: Adopt a whole-of-system approach.Recommendation 2: Apply an adaptive management process.Recommendation 3: Collaborate with a wide range of disciplines, interest and stakeholders (including engineers alongside decision makers, politicians, natural resource scientists, social scientists, economists and the greater community) in the assessment of enduring and effective adaptation options.L’objectif de ce ICOLD Bulletin 169 est d’évaluer le rôle des barrages et réservoirs dans l’adaptation face aux effets du réchauffement climatique, de déterminer les risques de même que les opportunités potentielles, imposées par le réchauffement climatique aux reservoirs et barrages, puis recommander des mesures d’atténuation ou d’adaptation aux effets du changement climatique mondial.Le présent bulletin est structuré en plusieurs chapitres comprenant les éléments suivants: la caractérisation des risques pour les barrages et réservoirs, et pour la gestion des ressources en eau associées les constats et incertitudes liés à l’évolution du climat, principalement fondés sur l’analyse des observations antérieures les principes méthodologiques des études d’évaluation des impacts et des risques induits par l’évolution du climat à l’échelle du bassin versant d’autres facteurs que le changement climatique qui peuvent affecter l’équilibre entre les ressources et les besoins : démographie, évolution technologique, sedimentation l’opportunité de créer de nouvelles réserves de stockage pour augmenter la résilience des systèmes aux effets climatiques un point sur les émissions de gaz à effet de serre imputables aux réservoirs et aux ressources en eau des principes de stratégie d’adaptation et des études de cas provenant de différentes régions du monde, illustrant différentes situations des systèmes de gestion des ressources en eau des recommandations. Les recommandations générales portent sur trois grands thèmes :Recommandation 1: adopter une approche systémique d’ensembleRecommandation 2: Appliquer un processus adaptatif de gestionRecommandation 3: Collaborer avec un large éventail de disciplines, et de parties prenantes (ingénieurs, décideurs, élus, spécialistes des ressources naturelles, spécialistes des sciences sociales, économistes et la collectivité dans son ensemble) dans l’évaluation des options d’adaptation durables et efficaces.
Designing the Complex City: A Systemic Approach to Spatial Design
by Elena PorquedduHow can designers address the emergent self-organizing nature of complex urban environments? Designing the Complex City highlights how both an excess and a lack of design control might contrast the lively complexity of cities, their adaptive and evolutionary capacity. By using key concepts from systems thinking, complexity sciences, life sciences, cognitive sciences, and social sciences, the book frames a systemic spatial design approach aimed at enhancing the potential of different spatial design disciplines to navigate place-specific emergent transformations without overdetermining their formal outcome. A range of heterogeneous case studies, developing at different scales, show how embracing a design approach that is embodied, open-ended, contextually responsive, incremental and adaptive does not question the relevance of designers’ specific skills in shaping the physical structure of cities; it may rather increase their potential to effectively intervene in complex adaptive cycles of urban decay and self-regeneration.Designing the Complex City provides insights for students, researchers, and academics in architecture, interior design, urban and landscape design, planning theory, and urban studies. It is essential reading for all designers who seek to proactively and meaningfully intervene in spontaneous socio-spatial dynamics.
Designing Virtual Worlds Volume I
by Richard A. BartleDesigning Virtual Worlds, authored by a true pioneer, stands as the most comprehensive examination of virtual-world design ever written. This seminal work is a tour de force, remarkable for its intellectual breadth, encompassing the literary, economic, sociological, psychological, physical, technological, and ethical foundations of virtual worlds. It provides readers with a profound, well-grounded understanding of essential design principles.This first volume presents a rich, well-developed exploration of the foundational concepts underpinning virtual worlds. Tracing the evolution of such games from their inception, it draws upon examples ranging from the earliest MUDs to today's expansive MMORPGs. It elucidates fundamental design precepts often forgotten in the development of new games.No other book on online games or virtual worlds matches the level of detail, historical context, and conceptual depth found in Designing Virtual Worlds.
Medical Ethics in the Catholic Tradition: Perspectives from Philosophy, Theology, Medicine, and the Law (Routledge Annals of Bioethics)
by Margaret M. Hogan Edward M. Hogan Annique K. Hogan Matthew J.D. HoganThis book is a comprehensive survey and a sustained treatment of the major topics in contemporary medical ethics from within the Roman Catholic tradition. It brings together perspectives from philosophy, theology, medicine, and law to explore the traditions that undergird Catholic medical ethics.The authors of this book are, respectively, a philosopher, theologian, physician, and attorney. Their commitment to the Roman Catholic tradition provides the foundational principles for addressing a wide range of issues in contemporary medical ethics. These topics include abortion, reproduction, cloning to produce children, cloning for biomedical research, embryonic stem cell use, genetics as screening, testing, therapy, enhancement, engineering, specific special relations such as maternal/fetal, physician/patient, mentally ill/caretakers, health care, and end of life issues. Furthermore, the book elaborates on the ways in which the authors’ professions and disciplines act in service to medicine as an instrument for real human flourishing.Medical Ethics in the Catholic Tradition is for the physician who would like to know more about the philosophical/theological/legal traditions that undergird the Catholic position. It is for the attorney who would like to know more about the philosophical/theological/medical traditions that undergird the Catholic position. Similarly, the philosopher or theologian can find here the appropriate information to understand how science and law contribute to the development of the Catholic position on major issues in medical ethics.
Circus for Social Change: Social Circus in Context (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)
by Katie Lavers Jon Burtt Emmanuel BochudIn this volume Social Circus is explored in depth by three Circus Studies scholars working with the aim of creating new ways of engaging with the field.Lavers, Burtt, and Bochud investigate the way that Social Circus transforms in response to its immediate environment, and particularly its social, political, and cultural context. Extensively illustrated, with photos of different Social Circuses around the world, and extensively annotated, Circus for Social Change: Social Circus in Context provides a portal into ways of seeing today’s Social Circus and is of interest to practitioners and scholars. Social Circuses explored in this volume include Cirqiniq in far North Canada; Galway Community Circus in the Republic of Ireland; Zip Zap Circus in Cape Town, South Africa; Circus Harmony in St. Louis, Missouri; Circus Laheto in Central Brazil; Women’s Circus in Melbourne, Australia; the Mobile Mini Children’s Circus (the MMCC) in various locations across Afghanistan; Cirque Hors Piste in Montreal, Canada; Sencirk in Dakar, Senegal; the Slow Circus Academy in Yokohama, JDS/Juggling de Shinshu, and the Moon Night Project in Nagano, Japan; Ponleu Selpak’s Performing Arts School and Phare Circus in Cambodia; Sirkus Magenta in Helsinki, Finland; and Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde in Bagneux in the outskirts of Paris, France.This book will be of great interest to the general reader, to practitioners working within Social Circus or arts for social change, and to scholars, teachers, and students in schools, colleges, and universities.
Women In, and Beyond, Business Schools (EFMD Management Education)
by Howard Thomas Matthew Wood Eric Cornuel Nicola KleynThis important book in the EFMD series shines a light on women (and sometimes the absence of them) within business schools, as well as their contributions and impact across multiple spheres within and beyond their schools.Despite the clear rationale for promoting sustainable gender equity, the experiences of women in business schools differs relative to male counterparts across geographies, student populations, faculty, professional staff and leaders in business schools. In this book, contributions from leading business school thinkers provide deep insight on gender equity to determine what hinders and accelerates progress in creating gender diverse and inclusive schools. Chapters both celebrate the progress of women in business schools and provide rich narratives that deepen insights into the lived experiences of women contributing both to, and beyond, business schools. At the same time, the volume serves as a sobering reminder business schools still have a long way to go before they can be used as exemplars in attracting diverse talents in all their forms and creating inclusive, equitable environments that role model the ideals that we advocate for business and society.The breadth and depth of contributions made by women as leaders, scholars and practitioners serve as an inspiration and guide as to how business schools can become more gender equitable for business school deans and professors.
Critical Health and Learning Disabilities: An Exploration of Erasure and Social Murder (Critical Approaches to Health)
by Sara RyanThis empirically grounded book presents a critical, interdisciplinary perspective on social and cultural issues related to the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities. Through an exploration of healthcare, love and intimacy, pregnancy and childbirth, housing, employment and food the book highlights the enduringly impoverished lives and premature deaths people labelled with learning disabilities experience globally and suggests that such structural violence amounts to social murder.Through the lens of critical disability studies, the book links the debates around learning disabilities to the larger framework of deinstitutionalisation. It takes a closer look at the label “learning disability”, which remains associated with stigma and shame, and advances comprehension of how and why it is that the lives of this group of people are systematically constrained and shortened. The book further identifies recommendations that can be utilised for challenging and changing these circumstances.It is essential reading for those involved in social and cultural issues related to the lives of people with learning disabilities, and also beneficial for advanced students in sociology, anthropology, psychology, allied health sciences and other related disciplines. It will also be valuable for researchers and health and social care professionals seeking critical insights about their work.
Inequality, Education, and Social Exclusion in the Welfare State: Pedagogical Responses from the Nordic Countries (Routledge Research in the Sociology of Education)
by Kirsten Elisa Petersen Niels Rosendal JensenFocusing specifically on educational contexts, this volume sheds light on how the increasing inequalities and issues of social exclusion found in the processes and systems of Nordic welfare states have a detrimental impact on the well-being and development opportunities of children and young people.Presenting a broad range of empirical and theoretical research conducted within a variety of institutional contexts – such as day care, school, and leisure pedagogy, as well as in more domestic, disadvantaged settings – chapters analyse problems and issues which foster inequality within pedagogy and education in predominantly Danish, and more broadly Nordic, welfare state contexts. Using insights from various scientific disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, the volume discusses how these processes are acted out not only within welfare education systems but more broadly within social and educational policy legislation, directly affecting decisions made for children and young people. Ultimately the volume looks to the wider international context to argue that inequality cannot be analysed solely in relation to income and discusses different forms of inequality stemming from liberal, conservative, and social democratic welfare state regimes in order to recommend implications for future research.This book will be of interest to researchers, academics, and postgraduate students in the fields of sociology of education, childhood education, and social inequalities within education more broadly. Policymakers in these fields will also find the book useful.
Tricksters of Gotham: The Joker, The Batman, and The Christopher Nolan Trilogy (Routledge Studies in Rhetoric and Communication)
by Robert E. TerrillTricksters of Gotham explores the "trickster" tale through an in-depth look at Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises.The trickster figure is an ancient and variable figure, versions of which populate the myths and folklore of many human cultures worldwide. Conceptualising the trilogy as a single aggregate text with a clear narrative arc, the author explores the variety of trickster figures present in the films and draws clear parallels with the surrounding social and political context. Departing from the central argument that the Batman trilogy shows a variety of trickster characters, even Batman himself, this book shows contemporary trickster figures to be rich and relevant cultural resources that can focus our attention on those elements of the social order that have become too rigid, hierarchical, or exclusionary. The author argues that they can model tactics for engaging with tricksters when they inevitably arise in civic culture, offering insights about how to manage interactions with these figures who can be both productively disruptive and potentially destructive. This book pays close attention to the characters portrayed in the Nolan Batman trilogy—not only the Batman and the Joker but the more minor characters as well—to discover what trickster-like tactics they may offer. In this way, the book intends to render these films as a sort of equipment for civic life and to encourage similar analyses of other contemporary cultural artifacts.Through close readings of these films, the book renders the Nolan Batman trilogy as what rhetorical theorist Kenneth Burke refers to as “equipment for living.” This book will interest scholars and students of rhetoric and public culture, film studies, and communication.
Student Belonging in Higher Education: Perspectives and Practice
by Edward Venn Tom Lowe Mi Young AhnProviding sector leading, scholarly informed critical explorations on students’ sense of belonging in higher education settings, this key text explores invaluable considerations for contemporary issues to inform institutional policy, pedagogic practice, student education support, and diversity and accessibility practices.Drawing on the research and practical expertise of an international authorship, alongside vital insights from student contributors, this book is both timely and necessary. It provides critical reflections and discussion of the complexity of students’ sense of belonging, focusing on the challenges for those now implementing, exploring, and researching student belonging initiatives in higher education. Responding to the urgent need to understand diverse student populations, chapters explore the dynamics of student experiences at the individual, social, academic, and institutional levels and recognise underlying issues to create solutions to overcome barriers and tensions. Topics such as the multidimensionality of belonging, and its relation to social capital, the role of context, and measurement of belonging are critically discussed in this collection to provide lessons learnt and knowledge from the field, to make practice with students more considered and robust for the challenges ahead in the contemporary and future university.Student Belonging in Higher Education: Perspectives and Practice is a must-read for all those interested and invested in the topic of student belonging. It offers evidence-based critical reflections and recommendations for those implementing, exploring, and researching student belonging initiatives to create more inclusive, supportive, and thriving academic communities.
Families, Pre-School Sport, and Physical Activity: Critical Perspectives
by Philippa Velija Georgia Allen-BakerBringing together international authors writing from a social science perspective on babies, toddlers and pre-school sport and physical activity, this book explores the social and cultural context in which children under five take part in sport and physical activity.The book provides a wider understanding of how under-five sport and physical activity (PA) can be understood and how parents’ decisions are shaped by economic, cultural, and changing family, work, and social settings. As early childhood is increasingly understood as a time when children are impacted by inequality, poverty and unequal access to opportunities, the text considers how access to enrichment activities may exacerbate inequalities in a post pandemic society and during a cost-of-living crisis. The book is organised into three parts, covering theoretical concepts of childhood and parenting, and then presents parent perspectives, and inclusion in pre-school sport and PA from a UK and international perspective respectively.This is an excellent introduction to the key trends and patterns in under-fives sport and PA for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying sport studies, sport management, sport science, sociology, and cultural studies. It helps students to consider how these patterns can be understood through a socio-cultural lens on equality, families, childhood, and parenting. It is also a valuable resource for academics and researchers in sport, sociology, and social sciences more broadly.
Casualisation, the Gig Economy, and Piece Work in Education: Dilemmas for Leaders in Times of Increasing Precarity
by Jess Harris Jill Blackmore Nerida Spina Kathleen Smithers Sarah K. GurrThis book examines a range of ethical complexities associated with precarious work across educational sectors internationally.Our aim is to examine the experiences of the increasing reliance on casual and temporary employment in education settings for all educators. This volume brings together academic chapters, focused on the affective, ethical, and practical challenges faced by all educators working in highly casualised contexts, while working to provide quality education for all students. These chapters are complemented by reflections from a variety of educators and educational leaders who have navigated ethical dilemmas related to precarious employment across sectors from early childhood to higher education.When viewed together, the chapters and reflections highlight the impacts of neoliberal market-driven policies on the education sector and work to present a series of possible ‘pathways forward’ for education workers navigating this precarious terrain.