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      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        June 2026

        Instruments of international order

        Internationalism and diplomacy, 1900-50

        by Th. W. Bottelier, Jan Stöckmann

        During the first half of the twentieth century, world politics was reshaped in pursuit of a new international order. The ideological foundations of the 'new diplomacy' (and its fate during the interwar period) are well known. This book instead examines the practices of internationalism and diplomacy from the First Hague Conference of 1899 to the aftermath of the Second World War. By focusing on these practices, such as disarmament regimes or public diplomacy, and their use as instruments to build international order(s), it emphasises the constructed, contested, and experimental character of what subsequently became a standard repertoire of international politics. Essays from a range of interdisciplinary scholars address well-established principles such as self-determination, and also less prominent practices such as small arms control or parliamentary inquiry. The book makes a major contribution to the growing historiography on twentieth-century internationalism.

      • Business, Economics & Law
        April 1905

        The Acquisitive Society

        by R.H. Tawney

        This 1926 survey, written by a distinguished social and economic historian, examines the role of religion in the rise of capitalism. Arguing that material acquisitiveness is morally wrong and a corrupting social influence, the author draws upon his profound knowledge of labor and politics to show how concentrated wealth distorts economic policies. Colorful but credible, this study offers a timeless vision of alternative means toward a just economic, social, and intellectual order.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        March 2026

        Negotiating identity conflicts in a fragmenting world order

        by Paul Willem Meerts, Mark Anstey

        At every level of human interaction new levels of identity-based tension are in evidence. Contributors to this book explore facets of fragmentation processes within systems of state and interstate organisation, how they influence the use of negotiation, and how negotiation might be used to effect renewed coherence. Following Anstey's (Ch1) introductory chapter framing the nature and shape of fragmentation dynamics, Zartman (Ch 2) argues that the use of negotiation as a process of conflict resolution is deeply shaped by identity groups whose internal coherence is dependent on sustaining a negative identity of others. International relations are no longer solely the realm of experienced diplomats but are shaped as Meerts (Ch3) points out by politicians seeking to be responsive to voting publics rather than wider concerns. Anstey digs into problems of fragmentation (Ch. 4) and Troitskiy (Ch 5) points out how a reluctant acceptance of the power of 'the other' can lead to a form of strategic stability in relations. Anstey and Meerts (Ch 6) point out in their analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian case as an identity conflict turned very bad. Guggenbuhl (Ch 7 ) reveals how structures and processes have been designed within the EU to prevent, contain and regulate conflicts to limit risks of confrontation and fragmentation. Schuessler (Ch 8) to advocates a shift away from a template or roadmap approach to EU membership to a cohesion based on non-dominance. There is still a strong desire on the part of some states, like Northern Macedonia, to become EU members, as reflected in Manton's (Ch 9). Paula Garzon and Frans Schram explain the success of the Colombia Peace Negotiations (Ch 10), while Odigie and da Rocha (Ch 11) analyse the struggle faced by ECOWAS to influence coup leaders in Mali to return to constitutional government and changes of government by constitutional means. Liang (Ch12) discusses how the internet as the modern vehicle of inter-state, inter-group and interpersonal communication has become weaponised. In Ch 13 Anstey draws some lessons from contributions to the compilation.

      • Trusted Partner
        2019

        History of the Throw-Away Society

        The drawback of consumption

        by Wolfgang König

        Sooner or later everything is thrown away. In the consumer society, however, usable and serviceable products that may be as good as new are also thrown away. Such behaviour is the result of a long-term process that has developed over a period of one-and-a-half centuries. The change was led by the USA, and the Federal Republic of Germany followed. It started at the turn of the last century with personal hygiene: articles such as toilet paper, sanitary towels, nappies and paper handkerchiefs. After the Second World War, a large number of other disposable articles were soon added, such as paper cups and plastic dishes, nylon stockings and pens, razor blades, beverage cans and much more besides. Wolfgang König shows how business and consumers have together made throwing things away perfectly normal – and discusses how the throwaway society may be overcome.

      • Trusted Partner
        March 2021

        Right to Dementia

        A plea

        by Thomas Klie

        People are living longer, and people are developing dementia. But our consumer society, which is optimised for working silently, is helpless in the face of those who have gone mad from its midst. The burden of caring for them is borne largely by their dependants and by carers from Eastern Europe. In his extremely stirring book, Professor Thomas Klie argues that we should include people with dementia as part of our lives and recognise that it is possible to live a happy and fulfilled life even with dementia – under the right conditions. Especially in the light of societal conflicts over income distribution fuelled by the corona pandemic, Klie is convinced that the dominant culture is measured by how it treats the subject of dementia.

      • Trusted Partner
        Business, Economics & Law
        January 2024

        Welcome to the club

        The life and lessons of a Black woman DJ

        by DJ Paulette

        In Welcome to the club, Manchester legend DJ Paulette shares the highs, lows and lessons of a thirty-year music career, with help from some famous friends. One of the Haçienda's first female DJs, Paulette has scaled the heights of the music industry, playing to crowds of thousands all around the world, and descended to the lows of being unceremoniously benched by COVID-19, with no chance of furlough and little support from the government. Here she tells her story, offering a remarkable view of the music industry from a Black woman's perspective. Behind the core values of peace, love, unity and respect, dance music is a world of exclusion, misogyny, racism and classism. But, as Paulette reveals, it is also a space bursting at the seams with powerful women. Part personal account, part call to arms, Welcome to the club exposes the exclusivity of the music industry while seeking to do justice to the often invisible women who keep the beat going.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        April 2026

        Elites in civil society

        A comparative perspective

        by Niklas Altermark, Malin Arvidson, Jayeon Lee, Roberto Scaramuzzino

        Where civil society is often seen as a driving force for equality, this book addresses a challenging topic: civil society elites. Drawing on a comprehensive study of Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the UK, this ground-breaking research investigates the often-overlooked power structures within civil society. By combining elite studies with civil society research, the book uncovers how a distinct civil society elite emerges and how it interacts with leaders in politics and business. The findings reveal a fascinating paradox. While this elite may be a powerful engine for social change, its integration into wider power circles risks reproducing the very inequalities it seeks to dismantle. By exploring how this elite can become disconnected from its grassroots, the book provides essential insights into the future of civil society and its democratic promise.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        January 2018

        Noble society

        Five lives from twelfth-century Germany

        by Jonathan R. Lyon

        This book provides scholars and students alike with a set of texts that can deepen their understanding of the culture and society of the twelfth-century German kingdom. The sources translated here bring to life the activities of five noblemen and noblewomen from Rome to the Baltic coast and from the Rhine River to the Alpine valleys of Austria. To read these five sources together is to appreciate how interconnected political, military, economic, religious and spiritual interests could be for some of the leading members of medieval German society-and for the authors who wrote about them. Whether fighting for the emperor in Italy, bringing Christianity to pagans in what is today northern Poland, or founding, reforming and governing monastic communities in the heartland of the German kingdom, the subjects of these texts call attention to some of the many ways that noble life shaped the world of central medieval Europe.

      • Trusted Partner
        September 2004

        Boarding Home

        Roman

        by Guillermo Rosales, Christian Hansen

        "»Außen am Haus stand BOARDING HOME, aber ich wußte, daß es mein Grab sein würde. Es war eins jener Heime für Menschen, die das Leben aussortiert hat. Für Idioten vor allem. Manchmal aber auch für alte Leute, die von ihren Familien hier abgegeben wurden, damit sie vor Einsamkeit sterben und den Siegern nicht in die Suppe spucken.« William Figueras, ein kubanischer Schriftsteller, den die Revolution nicht gefressen, aber seiner Illusionen beraubt hat, ist auf der Flucht vor »der Kultur, der Musik, der Literatur, dem Fernsehen, den Sportereignissen, der Geschichte und der Philosophie Kubas«. In der Tasche nicht mehr als seine zerlesene Ausgabe englischer Romantiker, wird er von seinen Verwandten in Miami bald nach seiner Ankunft dort ins Heim abgeschoben; mehr könne man nicht tun, das werde er verstehen. Er versteht.Das Heim ist eine höllische Zuflucht, in der alle Opfer sind und doch jeder, so gut er kann, als Täter agiert. Kein Entrinnen scheint es zu geben, weil jenseits ihrer offenen Türen die Freiheit droht. Eines Tages erscheint Francis unter den Idioten und mit ihr die Erinnerung an menschliche Gefühle. Die beiden versuchen, die überfahrt in die allerletzte Heimat abzubrechen."

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        January 2013

        Crime, Law and Society in the Later Middle Ages

        by Anthony Musson, Edward Powell

        This book provides an accessible collection of translated legal sources through which the exploits of criminals and developments in the English criminal justice system (c.1215-1485) can be studied. Drawing on the wealth of archival material and an array of contemporary literary texts, it guides readers towards an understanding of prevailing notions of law and justice and expectations of the law and legal institutions. Tensions are shown emerging between theoretical ideals of justice and the practical realities of administering the law during an era profoundly affected by periodic bouts of war, political in-fighting, social dislocation and economic disaster. Introductions and notes provide both the specific and wider legal, social and political contexts in addition to offering an overview of the existing secondary literature and historiographical trends. This collection affords a valuable insight into the character of medieval governance as well as revealing the complex nexus of interests, attitudes and relationships prevailing in society during the later Middle Ages.

      • Trusted Partner
        April 2021

        Among Fellow Primates

        Views of a monkey researcher

        by Volker Sommer

        Man brings apocalyptic plagues to the world and his fellow primates – from global warming to the destruction of forests. While millions of monkeys and apes lived on Earth only a few decades ago, today many species are strongly endangered. In this book the anthropologist and monkey researcher Volker Sommer calls on us to finally protect the fundamental rights such as the right to life, freedom and physical integrity of the great apes. For all his seriousness, Sommer is also a great storyteller who deals with his own profession with humour, sympathy and in a highly instructive way.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        July 2025

        A grand strategy of peace

        Britain and the creation of the United Nations Organization, 1939-1945

        by Andrew Ehrhardt

        A grand strategy of peace is the first detailed account of Britain's role in the creation of the United Nations Organization during the Second World War. As a work of traditional diplomatic history that brings in elements of intellectual history, the book describes how British officials, diplomats, politicians, and writers - previously seen to be secondary actors to the United States in this period - thought about, planned for, and helped to establish a future international order. While in the present day, many scholars and analysts have returned to the origins of the post- 1945 international system, this book offers an exhaustive account of how the statesmen and more importantly, the officials working below the statesmen, actually conceived of and worked to establish a post-war world order.

      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        September 2024

        The renewal of post-war Manchester

        Planning, architecture and the state

        by Richard Brook

        A compelling account of the project to transform post-war Manchester, revealing the clash between utopian vision and compromised reality. Urban renewal in Britain was thrilling in its vision, yet partial and incomplete in its implementation. For the first time, this deep study of a renewal city reveals the complex networks of actors behind physical change and stagnation in post-war Britain. Using the nested scales of region, city and case-study sites, the book explores the relationships between Whitehall legislation, its interpretation by local government planning officers and the on-the-ground impact through urban architectural projects. Each chapter highlights the connections between policy goals, global narratives and the design and construction of cities. The Cold War, decolonialisation, rising consumerism and the oil crisis all feature in a richly illustrated account of architecture and planning in post-war Manchester.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        November 2025

        The right in Latin America

        by Ariel Goldstein

        This book provides an in-depth analysis of the rise and influence of both radical and mainstream right-wing movements across Latin America. Through country-specific case studies, it explores the evolution of these groups and their impact on politics, culture, and governance, highlighting key figures and strategies shaping the political landscape in the region.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        March 2017

        Science and society in southern Africa

        by Saul Dubow

        This collection, dealing with case studies drawn from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Mauritius, examines the relationship between scientific claims and practices, and the exercise of colonial power. It challenges conventional views that portray science as a detached mode of reasoning with the capacity to confer benefits in a more or less even-handed manner. That science has the potential to further the collective good is not fundamentally at issue, but science can also be seen as complicit in processes of colonial domination. Not only did science assist in bolstering aspects of colonial power and exploitation, it also possessed a significant ideological component: it offered a means of legitimating colonial authority by counter-poising Western rationality to native superstition and it served to enhance the self-image of colonial or settler elites in important respects. This innovative volume ranges broadly through topics such as statistics, medicine, eugenics, agriculture, entomology and botany.

      • Trusted Partner
      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        February 2013

        Comedy, caricature and the social order, 1820–50

        by Brian Maidment

        Offering an overview of the marketplace for comic images between 1820 and 1850, this book makes a case for the interest and importance of a largely neglected area of visual culture. It considers the impact on the development of print culture of the emergent, but soon widespread, use of lithography and wood engraving, both capable of integrating texts and images cheaply and imaginatively on the printed page. Drawing on a wide range of commercially produced print genres, including song books, play-texts, comic annuals and magazines as well as single plate and series of caricatures, this book traces the ways in which Regency and early Victorian visual humour both sustains some of the characteristics of an earlier caricature tradition while also beginning to develop new ways of analyzing and coping with social change through comic forms and genres. ;

      • Trusted Partner
        January 1990

        Die Herausforderung des Wachstums

        Globale Industrialisierung: Hoffnung oder Gefahr? Zur Lage der Menschheit am Ende des Jahrtausends. Berichte internationaler Experten an den Club of Rome

        by Club of Rome

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