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A number of contemporary theorists and political commentators, including Ernesto Laclau, Chantal Mouffe, Judith Butler, William Connolly, Jacques Rancière, Claude Lefort, Sheldon Wolin, Michael Hardt, Antonio Negri, and Giorgio Agamben, have a particular approach to radical democracy. By examining their techniques, this volume advances a more egalitarian and inclusive theory of radical democracy. Contributors conceptualize democracy as a fugitive condition open to perpetual disruption and reinvention, the intersection of the state and civil society being the site in which the open-ended "promise" of democracy works itself out. Emphasizing questions of political renewal while maintaining a deep suspicion of identity-based political claims, the contributors to this volume see politics as the space in which identity takes place, as well as the mechanism through which that identity is made. For them, democratic politics provoke contestation and disagreement and are not necessarily the ideal method for eradicating violence and conflict. This volume clarifies the concept of radical democracy by critically engaging with the works of its key proponents. In addition, it draws on the insights of radical democratic theory to explore a range of concrete political cases (e.g. the struggles of indigenous peoples, same-sex marriage, societies emerging from prolonged social and political strife, and the role of social movements in opposing processes of globalization) and illustrate its practical nature.

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Discusses the rise of China's Falun Gong and its sociological implications to China.Softcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The First Major Scholarly Book on Falun Gong
With estimates for membership ranging between 2-100 million, it issurprising that there have not been more book-length scholarly accounts ofthis movement. While this book is rather short and at times slightlyquestionable in terms of the sources which it relies on, it is certainlywelcome by scholars and the general public who are looking to learn moreabout this movement from a scholarly point of view. It is well worth theprice and is a very useful volume. ... Read more

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This book explores the relationship between gender, religion and political action in Indonesia, examining the patterns of gender orders that have prevailed in recent history, and demonstrating the different forms of social power this has afforded to women. It sets out the part played by women in the nationalist movement, and the role of the women's movement in the structuring of the independent Indonesian state, the politics of the immediate post-independence period and the transition to the authoritarian New Order. It analyses in detail the gender relations of the New Order regime, focused around the unitary family form supposed by the family system expounded in the New Order ideology and the contradictory implications of the opening up of the economy to foreign capital and ideas, for gender relations. It examines the forms of political activism that were possible for the women's movement under the New Order, and the role it played in the fall of Suharto and the transition to democracy. The relationship between Islam and women in Indonesia is also addressed, with particular focus on the way in which Islam became a critical focus for political dissent in the late New Order period.Overall, this book provides a thorough investigation of the relationship between gender, religion and democracy in Indonesia, and is a vital resource for students of gender studies and Indonesian affairs. ... Read more

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What makes women executives tick? How do they get to the top in predominantly male dominated cultures and business environments? These and other compelling questions are answered in this book.We provide guidelines for aspiring young women who want to excel in their chosen professional field and exhibit strong business and organizational leadership. Listening to the words and ideas of the incredibly successful and inspirational women in these pages will assist you to develop a strategy for establishing a personally meaningful professional life and successful career.Contents include: * Strategies for success* Inspirational women of Singapore: Their stories* Inspirational women of Malaysia: Their stories* Inspirational women of Hong Kong: Their stories* Preparation for leadership* Career background and experience* Resources and references ... Read more

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An exploration of the effects of US propaganda on America's Western allies - particularly France, West Germany, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand - from the time when the Vietnam War began to escalate in February 1965 to the American withdrawal and its immediate aftermath. One of its main aims is to assess the amount and veracity of information passed on by the US administration to allied governments and to compare this with the level of public information on the war in allied countries. ... Read more

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This book provides new perspectives on transnational activism with a specific regional focus on Asia. By offering an innovative approach, its theoretical chapters and empirical case studies examine macro as well as micro aspects of power and how cross-border activities of civil society groups are related to problems of democracy. ... Read more

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US and international officials are hopeful that Afghanistan is emerging from over 22 years of warfare and instability, although substantial risk to Afghan stability remains. This new book examines Afghanistan's historical past and the future of a post-Taliban Afghanistan, along with the US role in reconstructing a stable and moderate state. Also, this book reviews the economy of Afghanistan and the obstacles it must overcome. ... Read more

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In this special issue, top researchers from a diversity of disciplines provide an overview of and insights into the major social, cultural, and structural variables that play a role in Black women's poor health, and differential morbidity and mortality. The articles focus on the major threats to Black women's health such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, violence, and AIDS, and utilize a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods from medicine, psychology, sociology, and feminist analysis. Among the articles are:
* An examination of the role of Black women's cultural and ethnomedical beliefs in their use of cancer screening by Laurie Hoffman-Goetz and Sherry Mills of the National Cancer Institute;
* An empirical analysis of Black women's utilization of health services entailing more than 18,000 women by Lonnie Snowden and his colleagues at the University of California-Berkeley Center for Mental Health Services Research;
* A comprehensive review and empirical analysis of the role of violence in Black women's health by Nancy Felipe Russo (Arizona State University), Mary Koss (University of Arizona), and Gwen Keita (APA Office on Women);
* An empirical investigation of the role of social and contextual variables in HIV risk among low-income Black women by Kathleen Sikkema, Timothy Heckman, and Jeffrey Kelly of the Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Medical College of Wisconsin.

Other articles include comprehensive and critical analyses and reviews of diabetes, breast cancer risk perceptions, and obesity among Black women, as well as analyses of Black women's exclusion from research in medicine, women's health, health psychology, and behavioral medicine.

The first issue of any psychology journal to be devoted to the health of Black women, this special issue is a step in the direction of redressing the long-overdue neglect of Black women's health. It provides a cogent overview of the state of Black women's health, numerous empirical investigations, and clear suggestions for future research.
... Read more

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Most books on the Caucasus and Central Asia are country-by-country studies. This book, on the other hand, fills a gap in Central Eurasian studies as one of the few comparative case study books on Central Eurasia, covering both the Caucasus and Central Asia; it considers key themes right across the two regions highlighting both political change and continuity.  Comparative case study chapters, written by regional experts from a variety of methodological backgrounds, provide historical context, and evaluate Soviet political legacies and emerging policy outcomes. Key topics include: the varied types and sources of authoritarianism; political opposition and protest politics; predetermined outcomes of post-Soviet economic choices; social and stability impacts of natural resource wealth; variations in educational reform; international norm influence on gender policy and the power of human rights activists.  Overall, the book provides a thorough, up-to-date overview of what is increasingly becoming a significant area of concern.

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In December 1982, a congressionally created commission concluded that the incarceration of 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II was the result of racism, war hysteria, and failed political leadership. This book offers a case study of the political, institutional, and external factors that led to the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which demanded redress for the surviving internees. ... Read more

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Fascinating and Engaging
Hatamiya has put together a book that is educational but doesn't skimp on the passion. It's an analysis of the factors that came together that led to passage of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act which apologized to the JapaneseAmericans who were interned during WWII. Besides an official letter ofapology from the President, every surviving internee received a $20,000payment. The payment was meaningless in terms of the freedoms taken away(not to mention businesses and real financial losses), but of greatsymbolic importance. Hatamiya examines the crucial question of how, with aconservative President and a time of economic down turn (the latter half ofReagan's second term, leading into Bush's Administration), did a bill whichled to payments of $20,000 to a special segment of the population could bepassed. Hatamiya also draws out the various factions among JapaneseAmericans who disagreed over tactics to win redress, as well as the variouscommunities (Asian Americans more widely, WWII veterans, US Senate andCongress) who stood on either side of the debate.

The book is also agood introduction into the personal side of legislation and lawmaking, howand why representatives do what they do. I use it for a class onAsian/Pacific American legal issues and the book is great both for itssubject matter as well as its general analysis of factors involved insuccessful legislation. Japanese Internment is not just a JapaneseAmerican, or even an Asian American issue. The fundamental injusticesinvolved in the relocation of loyal citizens for no other reason than skincolor is a vivid lesson that our Constitutional freedoms are not protectedby the document itself, but by the sentiment and agreement of all thepeople who live under it. This is a necessary object lesson for allAmericans. ... Read more

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With the region of the Caucasus with its ongoing, and even deteriorating, crisis and instability and its strategic and economic importance increasingly at the front of the world's attention, this volume presents and discusses some of the complexities and problems arising in the region such as Islamic terrorists and al-Qaida.

Scholars from different disciplines who specialise in the Caucasus analyze key topics such as:

• discussions of grass root perceptions
• the influence of informal power structures on ethnic conflicts in the Caucasus
• Russian policies towards Islam and their destabilising influence
• the influence of Islamic revival on the legal and social situations
• nationalism and the revival of pre- and sub-national identities
• shifts in identity as reflected in demography
• reasons for the Chechen victory in the first Chechen war
• the involvement of Islamic volunteers in Chechnya.

With the situation in Chechnia likely to spread across the entire North Caucasus, this cutting edge work will be of great value in the near future and will interest political scientists and regional experts of Russia, Central Asia, Caucasus, Middle East and Turkey, as well as NGOs, government agencies and think tanks.

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This volume of essays by scholars and activists examines recent urban rebellions and riots in terms of the political relations between Blacks, Latinos, and Asians. It describes the particular status of relations between these communities of color, factors explaining conflict and consensus, and future prospects for these groups in urban America. ... Read more

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Although more than half of the world's Muslims live in Asia, most books on contemporary Islam focus on the Middle East, giving short shift to the dynamic and diverse presence of Asian Islam in regional and global politics. The Muslims of Asia constitute the largest Muslim communities in the world - Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Central Asia. In recent years, terrorist bombings in Bali, separatist conflicts in Thailand and the Philippines, and opposition politics in Central Asia, all point to the strategic importance of Asian Islam.

In Asian Islam in the 21st Century, terrorism and its effects are placed within the broader context of Muslim politics and how Islamic ideals and movements, mainstream and extremist, have shaped Asian Muslim societies. Democratization experiments -- successful and unsuccessful -- are examined. The rise of radical militant movements is analyzed and placed in historical perspective. The result is an insightful portrait of the rich diversity of Muslim politics and discourse that continue to affect Asian Muslim majority and minority countries.

Specialists and students of Islamic studies, religion and international affairs, and comparative politics as well as general readers will benefit from this sorely needed comprehensive analysis of a part of the world that has become increasingly important in the 21st century. ... Read more

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In a major new book, Lucian Pye reconceptualizes Asian political development as a product of cultural attitudes about power and authority. He contrasts the great traditions of Confucian East Asia with theSoutheast Asian cultures and the South Asian traditions of Hinduism and Islam, and explores the national differences within these larger civilizations.

Breaking with modern political theory, Pyebelieves that power differs profoundly from one culture to another. In Asia the masses of the people are group-oriented and respectful of authority, while their leaders are more concerned with dignity and upholding collective pride thanwith problem-solving. As culture decides the course of political development, Pye shows how Asian societies, confronted with the task of setting up modern nation-states, respond by fashioning paternalistic forms of power that satisfytheir deep psychological craving for security. This new paternalism may appear essentially authoritarian to Western eyes, but Pye maintains that it is a valid response to the people's needs and will ensure community solidarity andstrong group loyalties. He predicts that we are certain to see emerging from Asia's accelerating transformation some new version of modern society that may avoid many of the forms of tension common to Western civilization but may alsoproduce a whole new set of problems.

This book revitalizes Asian political studies on a plane that comprehends the large differences between Asia and the West and at the same time is sensitive to thesubtle variations among the many Asian cultures. Its comparative perspective will provide indispensable insights to anyone who wishes to think more deeply about the modern Asian states.

Customer Reviews (2)

Full of knowledge, judgement, and precision of thought
Books on regions and hence on plural cultures often turn into drivel. As a protection from or over-reaction to drivel others protect themselves by narrowness of model or approach.I get tired of both the drivel books and the tiny narrow rigid ones.

This book is full of breadth, comparison, judgement, wisdom, balance, precision and feeling out the boundaries of how ideas mean different things in different contexts and what to do about that.

If you live and work in East Asia or have done so, like myself, for 26 years, you rarely find anyone writing who is not taking a few beloved pieces mistakenly for the whole.Pye does not do this.He is careful, very professionally careful, to not mistake pieces for wholes.He has balance and judgement where others have bias and narrow approach.

You will get, quickly, in passing when reading particular of his sentences, insights that link phenomena in Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Bali, Tonga, in powerful ways that suggest all sorts of implications and changes in action and strategy for government, business, or career building. Entire books could be developed from single such of his sentences.

This is a wonderful book by a person with a wonderful mind. A hundred years from now, it will still tell those generations about East Asian forces, drives, motives, capabilities, and trends.

logic in this work is twisted
A lot of the logic in this work is twisted and convoluted (without historical or empirical evidence).For example:

"Asian countries have unity because they share similar hopes for the future." "Japan manifests the essence of the world culture." "Confucianism led to a bold, risk-taking style among the Koreans." "Confucianism led to a sense of nationalism among the Vietnamese."

Also, he argues that scholars do not have the right to impose their own culturally limited definitions of power on Asians.But how can we gain knowledge, ifprecision in terminology is considered ethnocentric?

Most of his arguments have no source.He makes broad and sweeping statements, without referring to historical documents.For example, "Most Asians respect authority to much to share the Western distrust of authority and power."

He argues that "power" in Asian society resided in successfully performing elaborate rituals.However, I would argue that power resided at the tip of a!samurai sword.But he would say my definition of power is ethnocentric, I suppose.Basically, he needs to throw out all his wishy-washy references to "myth and ritual" and focus on the reality of political life -- which was heavily influenced by conflict.For evidence of conflict in Japanese history see: Najita, Tetsuo and Koschmann, Victor J., Editors.Conflict in Modern Japanese History -- The Neglected Tradition. Princeton:Princeton University Press, 1982

He plays "semantic games" by arguing that in "in China power was defined by the ability to select the propitious moment for action.But in the West, this was not the case."Well, he who forms the question wins the argument; of course "good timing" was important in the West -- it just went by a different name.

Pye impresses me as a typical psychologist or anthropologist -- definitely not a mainstream sociologist or political scientist. ... Read more