Essays Reflecting the Art of Political and Social Analysis

Essays Reflecting the Art of Political and Social Analysis PDF

Author: Lawrence Davidson

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-08-27

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 331998005X

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In 2011, Lawrence Davidson founded his website, tothepointanalyses.com, as a home for his brief essays on contemporary issues touching on US domestic and foreign policy. Over the last few years, Davidson's analytic reflections on contemporary politics have garnered over six million views. Now, for the first time, these essays are collected together to form a coherent, punchy look at American Politics in 2018. Contextualized by a new prologue and new conclusion, as well as updated with new material throughout, these essays provide a cogent demonstration of the power of analytical thinking to create clear and understandable descriptions of issues that impact us all, but are most often obfuscated by propaganda, lying by omission, or other forms of distortion. For those who encounter this work, it is hoped that they will come away with a clearer, if not happier, idea of what sort of world we are all living in.

Muslim Women Seeking Power, Muslim Youth Seeking Justice

Muslim Women Seeking Power, Muslim Youth Seeking Justice PDF

Author: Mahmoud Abubaker

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2019-06-20

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 1527536203

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This volume explores the two themes of equity in employment for Muslim women, and the identity and aspirations of Muslim youth in an age of Islamophobia in Western countries through conceptual and empirical studies of employment discrimination and alienation in the UK and the Netherlands. To these accounts are added a worldwide perspective on how women (and especially ethnic minority and Muslim women) experience, and try to overcome ethno-religious discrimination in entry to employment. The themes of Muslim women and youth struggling to survive are illustrated by accounts of teachers from Gaza who are providing ‘alternative families’ for children traumatised and orphaned through Israeli attacks. The idea of peaceful resistance, and Islamic patience in the face of persecution is developed throughout the book, and applied in a variety of settings.

The Sovereign

The Sovereign PDF

Author: Stephen Eric Bronner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-06-15

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 1000090582

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Sovereignty is among the most important phenomena for making sense of political life. But there are many mistaken assumptions associated with the concept. This book provides a new and somewhat unorthodox interpretation of it from the standpoint of a theory of practice. The Sovereign responds to pressing political issues of our time, like immigration and refugees, transnationalism and populism, the prospects for democracy, and the relationship between civil society and the state. The chapters trace the concept of sovereignty from its origins in political theory, providing perspective and insights that leave the reader with a phenomenological sketch of the sovereign. Bronner transforms our ideas about political power, what it is, how it has been used, and how it can be used. His new theory of sovereignty concludes with twenty-five provocative theses on the sovereign’s role in modern capitalist society. The Sovereign is a novel and unparalleled overview of a crucial concept by an influential thinker. It is especially and particularly recommended to scholars and student of comparative politics, international relations, contemporary political theory, and the wider general public.

Why I Write

Why I Write PDF

Author: George Orwell

Publisher: Renard Press Ltd

Published: 2021-01-01

Total Pages: 15

ISBN-13: 1913724263

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George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. 'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' — Irish Times

Approaches to the Study of Politics

Approaches to the Study of Politics PDF

Author: Roland Young

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2017-11-11

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 9781528536547

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Excerpt from Approaches to the Study of Politics: Twenty-Two Contemporary Essays Exploring the Nature of Politics and Methods by Which It Can Be Studied Shall OM IT the usual disclaimers concerning the tenta tiveness and crudeness of the focus for political analysis suggested in this paper. At this stage in the development of political science those who take a flying leap toward more ambitious targets are bound to leave portions of their intellectual anatomy exposed or awkwardly posed. Nor should it be necessary to deny any intention to argue that the decision-making approach is the white hope of a more systematic political science. I believe this ap proach has never been fully explored and I am convinced that its rigorous development will substantially aid the search for unifying concepts. My own feeling - indeed it is one Of the assumptions upon which my in terest in decision-making rests - is that the major areas of future growth in political science will be: community political analysis (not local govern ment in the usual sense), the formulation and execution of public policy, the description and comparison of political systems on a high level of gener alization, and the theory Of complex administrative organizations. Even if we only agree that these are some of the directions of potential intellectual progress in our discipline, the question arises: What kinds of analytical tools and skills will be required? That the Northwestern experiment should lead ultimately to an inquiry into the nature of political science and to the quest for unifying concepts illustrates the depth and breadth of our needs provided one is courageous and skillful enough to face up to the $64 questions. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Key Debates in Social Work and Philosophy

Key Debates in Social Work and Philosophy PDF

Author: Tom Grimwood

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-09-16

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1317800206

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In order to practice effectively in today’s complex and changing environment, social workers need to have an understanding of how contemporary cultural and philosophical concepts relate to the people they work with and the fields they practice in. Exploring the ideas of philosophers, including Nietzsche, Gadamer, Taylor, Adorno, MacIntyre, Zizek and Derrida, this text demonstrates their relevance to social work practice and presents new approaches and frameworks to understanding social change. Key Debates in Social Work and Philosophy introduces a range of concerns central to social work and social care, with chapters looking at questions such as: - What is the ‘self’? - How are communities formed? - Why is ‘choice’ important? - Are certain rights really applicable to all humans? - What are the political and ethical implications of documenting your practice? - What does it mean to be a professional social worker? Each chapter focuses on a particular area of dispute, presenting the relevant philosophical theories, and considering how relevant social work examples and research can be used to further inform theoretical debate, and includes questions to prompt discussion and reflection. The only book to examine the philosophical ideas that underlie and inform contemporary issues for social work and social care practitioners, this is a useful resource for those studying social work theory, policy and practice.

Beginning Postmodernism

Beginning Postmodernism PDF

Author: Tim Woods

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 1999-08-20

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 9780719052118

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"Postmodernism" has become the buzzword of contemporary society. Yet it remains baffling in its variety of definitions, contexts and associations. Beginning Postmodernism aims to offer clear, accessible and step-by-step introductions to postmodernism across a wide range of subjects. It encourages readers to explore how the debates about postmodernism have emerged from basic philosophical and cultural ideas. With its emphasis firmly on "postmodernism in practice," the book contains exercises and questions designed to help readers understand and reflect upon a variety of positions in the following areas of contemporary culture: philosophy and cultural theory; architecture and concepts of space; visual art; sculpture and the design arts; popular culture and music; film, video and television culture; and the social sciences.

Cultural Studies

Cultural Studies PDF

Author: Lawrence Grossberg

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 802

ISBN-13: 0415903459

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First Published in 1992. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Elucidating Social Science Concepts

Elucidating Social Science Concepts PDF

Author: Frederic Charles Schaffer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-07-24

Total Pages: 134

ISBN-13: 1136710655

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Concepts have always been foundational to the social science enterprise. This book is a guide to working with them. Against the positivist project of concept "reconstruction"—the formulation of a technical, purportedly neutral vocabulary for measuring, comparing, and generalizing—Schaffer adopts an interpretivist approach that he calls "elucidation." Elucidation includes both a reflexive examination of social science technical language and an investigation into the language of daily life. It is intended to produce a clear view of both types of language, the relationship between them, and the practices of life and power that they evoke and sustain. After an initial chapter explaining what elucidation is and how it differs from reconstruction, the book lays out practical elucidative strategies—grounding, locating, and exposing—that help situate concepts in particular language games, times and tongues, and structures of power. It also explores the uses to which elucidation can be put and the moral dilemmas that attend such uses. By illustrating his arguments with lively analyses of such concepts as "person," "family," and "democracy," Schaffer shows rather than tells, making the book both highly readable and an essential guide for social science research.