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In this work, the author contends that we should create a comparative framework for the study of imaginary worlds in the social sciences. Making use of extended examples from both science fiction and fantasy fiction, as well as the living movement of steampunk, the reader is invited to an argument about how best to define imaginary worlds and approach them as social locations for qualitative research. It is suggested in this volume that increasing economic and existential forms of alienation fuel the contemporary surge of participation in imaginary worlds (from gaming worlds to young adult novels) and impel a search for more humane forms of social and cultural organization. Suggestions are made about the usefulness of imaginary worlds to social scientists as places for both testing out theoretical formulations and as tools for teaching in our classrooms. Wayne Fife is Professor of Anthropology at Memorial University, Canada and the author of Doing Fieldwork and Counting as a Qualitative Method, as well as many journal articles on heritage and eco-tourism, economic inequality and education, play as politics, social alienation, ethnographic research methods, and implicit forms of religion

This book suggests the importance of examining alternative discourses in the social sciences, in this case economics, beyond western-centric cultural milieu. The account attempts to unveil the existence of a post Second World War economic approach developed in Latin America. The perspective questioned the dominant economic science disseminated within and outside the Anglo-Saxon or Eurocentric countries (western-centric academia) during the 1950´s. Today, after the appalling cataclysms in welfare and equality generated by neoclassical economics, an alternative economics seems order in the Northern and Southern hemisphere. The rebirth of Latin American Structuralism within the developing countries, and the widely publicized names of Raúl Prebisch, Celso Furtado among others, within the western-centric audiences requires an up to date of the vocabulary and concepts. Retrospectively these authors discussed can be examined as the original sources in Latin America among those who developed the basis of decolonial thought. The book problematizes the domestication of Latin American Structuralism in the Northern or Southern hemisphere alike and discusses its potential similarities to Post-Keynesian perspectives related to power asymmetries among countries, firms, and heterogenous agents.

A significant reinterpretation of Sarawak history, Power and Prowess explores the network of power, economic and ritual relationships that developed on the northwest coast of Borneo in the mid-nineteenth century, from which a coalition led by James Brooke established the state of Sarawak. Where many authors placed Brooke in the context of nineteenth century British imperialism, this study perceives him in the context of Bornean cultures and political economies. Brooke emerges from the historical record as a 'man of prowess', with the author identifying important ritual sources of Brooke's power among Malays, Bidayuh and Ibans, sources which derived from and expressed indigenous cultural traditions about fertility, health and status.Drawing on conceptual frameworks from political science, as well as recent southeast Asian historiography, Power and Prowess offers a detailed political history of the period and new interpretations of Brooke's career. This study also retrieves from the historical sources previously concealed narratives which reflect the interests, priorities and activities of Sarawak people themselves.J.H. WALKER lectures in political science at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy.

"In this timely book, Barbara Czarniawska and Bernward Joerges examine the hopes and fears around work and job security inspired by automation, from the original coining of the term 'robot' to the present day media fascination. Have these hopes and fears changed or do they remain the same? This discerning book investigates whether these changes in perception correlate to actual changes taking place in the field of robotics. Exploring several streams of popular culture, including ground-breaking science fiction novels and films, the impact of these globally renowned works on public opinion regarding robotics is assessed. Detailed media analysis identifies the frequency and complexity of common views that stem from the ideas found in both fiction and scientific research results disseminated by the news. Recent social science works dedicated to the study of robotziation are then reviewed, illustrating current and future debates surrounding the phenomenon of the 'robot revolution'. Robotization of Work? will be a key resource for students and scholars studying the organization of work, IT and digitalization, and cultural studies. It will also be of interest to anyone engaged with the concepts of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotization"--

African Footballers in Europe traces the social and economic evolution of African football and examines the strategies and resources that players mobilise in their migrations, with a particular focus on Give Back Behaviours' (how players contribute to their countries or communities of origin). It shines new light on contemporary migrations, labour markets in sport, and processes of development in Africa. Using a multidisciplinary approach and Weberian methodology to analyse players' 'Give Back' behaviour, the book highlights the complex rationale behind this behaviour, based on a combination of social, cultural, and economic elements. It features interviews with former and current African professional players, providing a vivid picture of the role of communities in players' migration projects, the allure of the European football market, and investment initiatives that can contribute to local and regional development. This is a vital read for academics, researchers, and students of sport sciences, sociology of sport, sport management, sociology, geography, political sciences, management, sociology of Africa, migration studies, sociology of the labour market, and economic sociology. It is also an important resource for professional organisations, NGOs, football agents, football administrators, federations, confederations, and governments.

"The rediscovery of the thought of Giambattista Vico (1668-1774) - especially his New science - is a post-Revolutionary phenomenon. Stressing the elements that keep society together by promoting a sense of belonging, Vico's philosophy helped shape a new Italian identity and intellectual class. Poet and philosopher Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837) responded perceptively to the spreading and manipulation of Vico's ideas, but to what extent can he be considered Vico's heir? Through examining the reasons behind the success of the New science in early nineteenth-century Italy, Martina Piperno uncovers the cultural trends, debates, and obsessions fostered by Vico's work. She reconstructs the penetration of Vico-related discourses in circles and environments frequented by Leopardi, and establishes and analyses a latent Vico-Leopardi relationship. Her highly original reading sees Leopardi reacting to the tensions of his time, receiving Vico's message indirectly without a need to draw directly from the source. By exploring the oblique influence of Vico's thought on Leopardi, Martina Piperno highlights the unique character of Italian modernity and its tendency to renegotiate tradition and innovation, past and future" -- Page V

Cover -- SUSTAINABILITY -- Title -- Copyright -- CONTENTS -- Introduction -- PART I. INTERDISCIPLINARITY, PLACE, AND PRAXIS -- 1. Situating Sustainability from an Ecological Science Perspective: Ecosystem Services, Resilience, and Environmental Justice -- 2. Situating New Constellations of Practice in the Humanities: Toward a Just and Sustainable Future -- 3. Situating Sustainability against Displacement: Building Campus-Community Collaboratives for Environmental Justice from the Ground Up -- 4. Situating Global Policies within Local Realities: Climate Conflict from California to Latin America -- 5. Situating Urban Drought Resilience: Theory, Practice and Sustainability Science -- PART II. POSITIONALITY, POWER, AND SITUATED SUSTAINABILITIES -- 6. Indigenous Lessons about Sustainability Are Not Just for "All Humanity" -- 7. Situating Sustainability in the Luxury City: Toward a Critical Urban Research Agenda -- 8. Man Destroys Nature?: Gender, History, and the Feminist Praxis of Situating Sustainability -- 9. I Tano' i Chamorro/Chamorro Land: Situating Sustainabilities through Spatial Justice and Cultural Perpetuation -- 10. Equality in the Air We Breathe: Police Violence, Pollution, and the Politics of Sustainability -- Afterword: From More than Just Sustainability to a More Just Resilience -- Acknowledgments -- About the Editor -- About the Contributors -- Index.

"The threat of ecological collapse is a possibility that is increasingly becoming a reality for the world's populations, both human and nonhuman. Addressing this global challenge will require enormous cultural creativity and demand a diversity of perspectives, especially those that deal with religion and the human sciences. Toward this end, this volume draws from a variety of academic disciplines and positions to explore the role and nature of environmental responsibility, especially where these intersect with religious or theological viewpoints. The disciplines, including history, philosophy, literature, politics, peace studies, economics, women's studies, and the ecological sciences, to name a few, have begun to develop distinct perspectives on the urgent ecological issues of our day, as well as pointing toward specific practices at the local and global level. This volume provides a multidisciplinary point of departure for conversations on environmental responsibility that resist simplistic solutions but rather highlight the complex nature of the ecological issues and provide conversations about potential ways forward in what appears to be an intractable global problem of huge complexity."--

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- Preface -- Introduction -- SECTION 1: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION ENTERPRISES -- Introduction -- 1 Technological Change in Hungarian Industry after 1989 -- 2 Continuity Amidst Change Hungarian enterprises in the mid-1990s -- 3 Inward Investment and Structural Transformation -- SECTION 2: THE CHANGE OF ENERGY SYSTEMS -- Introduction -- 4 Restructuring Hungary's Electricity Sector Modernisation discourses and technological determinism -- 5 Energy Planning and the Ability to Change The East German example -- 6 Institutional Change and Electricity Sector Reform in Transition Economies -- SECTION 3: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN INDUSTRY -- Introduction -- 7 Knowledge and Innovation in Industry in Central and Eastern Europe -- 8 Competitiveness and Technological Capabilities in Baltic Industry Future potentials in a historical perspective -- 9 A Long Way to Go The Hungarian science and technology policy in transition -- SECTION 4: TRANSITION AND THE PATH DEPENDENCY OF INNOVATION STRATEGIES -- Introduction -- 10 Industrial Development and Institutional Diversity in Central and Eastern Europe The cases of Ukraine and Poland -- 11 Industrial Policy and Small Private Businesses in Extreme Situations The Hungarian case -- 12 Cultural Perspectives on Management Issues in Hungary Foreign-owned production companies in transition -- Index

Sustainability and social justice remain elusive even though each is unattainable without the other. Across the industrialized West and the Global South, unsustainable practices and social inequities exacerbate one another. How do social justice and sustainability connect? What does sustainability mean and, most importantly, how can we achieve it with justice? This volume tackles these questions, placing social justice and interdisciplinary approaches at the center of efforts for a more sustainable world. Contributors present empirical case studies that illustrate how sustainability can take place without contributing to social inequality. From indigenous land rights, climate conflict, militarization, and urban drought resilience, the book offers examples of ways in which sustainability and social justice strengthen one another. Through an understanding of history, diverse cultural traditions, and complexity in relation to race, class, and gender, this volume demonstrates ways in which sustainability can help to shape better and more robust solutions to the world's most pressing problems. Blending methods from the humanities, environmental sciences, and the humanistic social sciences, this book offers an essential guide for the next generation of global citizens. -- From back cover.

The original essays in this book address the influential writings of Peter A. French on the nature of responsibility, ethics, and moral practices. French's contributions to a wide spectrum of philosophical discussions have made him a dominant figure in the fields of normative ethics, meta-ethics, applied ethics, as well as legal and political philosophy. Many of French's deepest insights come from identifying and exploring the scope and nature of moral responsibility and human agency as they appear in actual events, real social and cultural practices, as well as in literature and film. This immediacy renders French's scholarship vital and accessible to a wide variety of audiences. The authors, recognized for their own contributions to the understanding of the nature of morality and moral practices offer new and unique positions while exploring, expanding and responding to those of French. The final chapter is written by French, in which he provides both new philosophical insight as well as some reflection on his own work and its influence. This book will appeal to philosophers, as well as advanced students and researchers in the humanities, social sciences, law, and political science

This volume addresses the need to focus on temporal adaptations of teams. Modern organizations have been relying on teams more often to cope with the changing economic and technological climate. An increase in the use of teams has led to more team research throughout the fields of cognitive science, human factors, organizational psychology, assessment, and behavioral science. How teams grow and change is important for their performance and their members' satisfaction with their work; therefore, the attention that this book lends to teams' temporal factors is much deserved. Editors Eduardo Salas, Lauren B. Landon and William B. Vessey have gathered some of the best and brightest team researchers to contribute to this book. The various chapters offer readers background information, temporal measurement tools, and implications for research and practice. The book covers such interesting perspectives as team leadership, trust, cultural implications, and temporal implications in long-duration, extreme situations, including space exploration. This book serves as a resource to researchers who study teams, managers who lead teams, and those who work in teams.

The original essays in this book address the influential writings of Peter A. French on the nature of responsibility, ethics, and moral practices. French's contributions to a wide spectrum of philosophical discussions have made him a dominant figure in the fields of normative ethics, meta-ethics, applied ethics, as well as legal and political philosophy. Many of French's deepest insights come from identifying and exploring the scope and nature of moral responsibility and human agency as they appear in actual events, real social and cultural practices, as well as in literature and film. This immediacy renders French's scholarship vital and accessible to a wide variety of audiences. The authors, recognized for their own contributions to the understanding of the nature of morality and moral practices offer new and unique positions while exploring, expanding and responding to those of French. The final chapter is written by French, in which he provides both new philosophical insight as well as some reflection on his own work and its influence. This book will appeal to philosophers, as well as advanced students and researchers in the humanities, social sciences, law, and political science.

Concepts of social capital play a well-established role in a number of academic disciplines and continue to grow in popularity in the discourses of the sciences, as well as those of civil society and social practice. As an element that is fundamental and constitutive of various forms of societal coexistence and wellbeing, social capital apparently generates positive effects. However, it also contributes to inequalities and unequal distribution of power, and is, consequently, a rather controversial subject. This collection of essays represents reflections and case studies from all over the world. They step out of well-known paths of discourse and discuss the phenomenon of social capital in manifold ways and from new perspectives. In addition to rethinking social capital theoretically and methodologically, the authors focus especially on issues and challenges of its practical application. The contributions come from researchers and practitioners of different backgrounds including sciences such as sociology, philosophy, social geography, economics, health studies, history, interpersonal communication studies and cultural studies, as well as social practice in development aid. The volume will appeal to a broad audience from diverse disciplines, both academic and practical.

This volume addresses the need to focus on temporal adaptations of teams. Modern organizations have been relying on teams more often to cope with the changing economic and technological climate. An increase in the use of teams has led to more team research throughout the fields of cognitive science, human factors, organizational psychology, assessment, and behavioral science. How teams grow and change is important for their performance and their members' satisfaction with their work; therefore, the attention that this book lends to teams' temporal factors is much deserved. Editors Eduardo Salas, Lauren B. Landon and William B. Vessey have gathered some of the best and brightest team researchers to contribute to this book. The various chapters offer readers background information, temporal measurement tools, and implications for research and practice. The book covers such interesting perspectives as team leadership, trust, cultural implications, and temporal implications in long-duration, extreme situations, including space exploration. This book serves as a resource to researchers who study teams, managers who lead teams, and those who work in teams.