This text reconsiders established interpretations of ethnic factors in the former Soviet Union and in contemporary Russia, arguing that: ethnicity is a complex phenomenon playing a multi-faceted role; ethnicity is the most accessible and understandable basis for political mobilization; ethnicity is a means of access to power and resources in a ......
An introduction to the notion of intersubjectivity as a central concern of philosophy, sociology, psychology and politics. The main purpose of this volume is to provide a coherent framework for this concept against which the various and contrasting debates can be more clearly understood. Beyond this, the author provides a critical discussion of intersubjectivity as an interdisciplinary concept to shed light on our understanding of selfhood, communication, citizenship, power and community. The author traces the contributions of many key thinkers engaged with the intersubjectivist tradition, including Husserl, Buber, Kojeve, Merleau-Pony, Mead, Wittgenstein, Schutz and Habermas.
This contribution to the expanding area of globalization in sociological and cultural studies has two organizing themes: social theory and social change. The contributors, who include Zygmunt Bauman, Jonathan Friedman, Anthony King, Ann Game and Goran Therborn concentrate on the spatialization of social theory, and offer a critique of previous positions on the study of modernity which have tended to prioritize history. This study argues for a self-reflexive approach to modernity, stresses the fluid character of interdependence and movement, and provides a commentary on the interplay between the local and the global, showing how global processes structure personal and social consciousness.
Introduction to Politics and Society provides an accessible, up-to-date introduction to, and evaluation of, the contribution of key social theorists to our understanding of power and politics. Shaun Best works through the key concepts and theoretical contributions in the study of politics, dealing with such topics as: power, authority, coercion, surveillance and legitimacy. He: * explains the ideas of Weber, Marx, Foucault, Bauman, Sennett, Habermas, Baudrillard and Giddens with outstanding clarity and precision * traces the central tendencies in the movement from modern to post-modern society * details the significance of 'Third Way' politics and its strengths and weaknesses * places the decline of organized politics and the development of new social movements in the proper historical and theoretical context Unfussy and unpretentious, the book draws on examples from popular political culture in order to convey how politics operates in the contemporary world. Well chosen examples illustrate the meaning of theories and show the relevance of central theoretical debates.
This book provides a thorough introduction to East Central Europe and its renewed emergence since the momentous changes in the former Soviet bloc. By carefully differentiating between Central Europe, East Central Europe and the Balkans, Attila [ac]Agh shows how the term `Eastern Europe' was a political misnomer of the Cold War. Drawing on ......
This contribution to the expanding area of globalization in sociological and cultural studies has two organizing themes: social theory and social change. The contributors, who include Zygmunt Bauman, Jonathan Friedman, Anthony King, Ann Game and Goran Therborn concentrate on the spatialization of social theory, and offer a critique of previous positions on the study of modernity which have tended to prioritize history. This study argues for a self-reflexive approach to modernity, stresses the fluid character of interdependence and movement, and provides a commentary on the interplay between the local and the global, showing how global processes structure personal and social consciousness.
Theorizing European Integration provides a comprehensive introduction to theories of European integration in the contemporary study of Europe, the European Union and European integration. Dimitris Chryssochoou presents a complete overview of the many competing approaches that have sought to capture and explain the evolving European polity. These ......
Offers an assessment of democracy in America that charts the strengths and weaknesses of the nation's democratic mechanisms and outlines the challenges that lie ahead. This title focuses on the quality of American political life, the representativeness of its governing institutions, and the issues of racial and economic equity.
Over the years, Democrats and Republicans each have received about fifty percent of the votes and controlled about half of the government, but this has not resulted in policy deadlock. This title analyzes policy outcomes in light of the frequent alternation in power among evenly divided parties.
