Trousson, Raymond / Vercruysse, Jeroom (dir.), Dictionnaire general de Voltaire. (Champion classiques, references et dictionnaires 18) 1272 p. 2020:10 (Champion, FR) <670-9>
ISBN 978-2-38096-016-7 paper ¥7,064.- (税込) EUR 38.00

Itzhaki, Ruth F., Honour and Shame: Mistreatment of, Violence against, and Attitudes toward Women in the Developing World. 250 pp. 2026:3 (World Scientific, SI) <762-759>
ISBN 978-981-9819-36-2 hard ¥12,951.- (税込) US$ 58.00 *

This book explores the systemic treatment of women in various countries - especially in the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, and in sub-Saharan Africa - highlighting why these areas are amongst the most dangerous places in the world for women to reside. Drawing on global data and real-world observations, the author investigates the cultural, societal, and political factors that perpetuate gender-based violence and discrimination.The writing of this book was inspired by stark realities: about one in three women world-wide has suffered violence, usually from a husband or partner during her lifetime; 200 million have been subjected to female genital mutilation in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia; 130 million are 'demographically missing' across the low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) due to gender bias; nearly half the women in 57 LMIC are denied autonomy over reproductive health decisions and the right to seek health care, and 12 million live births worldwide are among girls aged 15-19 years. Drawn from data from the World Health Organisation, these sobering figures lay the foundation for a broader examination of deeply ingrained societal norms and systemic failures.While acknowledging that gender-based violence is a global issue - including in wealthier nations - the book pays particular attention to how public attitudes in many LMIC often tolerate, excuse, or even endorse harmful practices. Yet, amid the grim statistics and persistent injustices, the book also charts the slow but steady progress being made though through education, advocacy, and policy reforms aimed at empowering women and securing their rightful place in society.

Kladnik, Ana (ed.), Visions and Practices of Democracy in Socialist and Post-Colonial States. (Palgrave Studies in Political History) 370 pp. 2026:2 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <762-760>
ISBN 978-3-032-07772-1 hard ¥13,196.- (税込) EUR 49.99

This open access book explores how socialist and post-colonial states envisioned and practised democracy for themselves after the Second World War. While scholarship on democracy has tended to focus on Western political traditions, this book demonstrates that the alternatives to liberal parliamentary democracy were not only widely debated in the countries of the 'second' and 'third' world, but also put into practice. Contributing to a fertile area of research, this edited collection explores what democracy meant in socialist and post-colonial countries. The chapters focus on the period following the Second World War, when beliefs about democracy included the notion that popular sovereignty should extend beyond the nation-state, that social justice should be enhanced, and that working people were the true bearers of sovereignty. The thirteen chapters in this volume, written by an international team of scholars, examine countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, and adopt a wide array of methods, ranging from political and social history, social anthropology, and the history of political thought, in order to explore how various meanings and practices of democracy have shaped historical experiences and political order.

Takyiakwaa, Dorothy / Makoni, Sinfree et al. (eds.), Critical Perspectives on Decoloniality: Southern Epistemologies and Epistemologies of the Souths. (Global Forum on Southern Epistemologies) 298 pp. 2025:9 (Multilingual Matters, UK) <762-761>
ISBN 978-1-83668-073-4 hard ¥36,812.- (税込) GB￡ 119.95 *
ISBN 978-1-83668-072-7 paper ¥13,181.- (税込) GB￡ 42.95 *

This book is both a deep dive into and a critique of foundational decolonial concepts and epistemologies, engaging both historical, theoretical analyses of social issues and conditions, and standpoints from activism. The chapters are situated within multiple, plural and shifting force fields within the academy, and present a pathway to critically engage political or academic practices within and outside the university. The authors specifically engage contestations and harmonies in approaches of decoloniality, epistemic injustices, Southern epistemologies and epistemologies of the Souths. Alongside the theoretical chapters sit interventions on self-liberation, healing, reconstitution of human life, embracing interdependence and defying boundaries. The book represents a critical intervention in the development of decolonial theories and methodologies, and will be of interest to scholars, students and activists within and outside of academia.

世界史の形成におけるモンゴル帝国と清の知識
Mosca, Matthew W., The Khan and the Unicorn: Mongol Empire and Qing Knowledge in the Making of World History. (Harvard East Asian Monographs) 446 pp. 2026:4 (Harvard Univ. Asia Center, US) <762-767>
ISBN 978-0-674-30345-4 hard ¥14,514.- (税込) US$ 65.00

The Mongol Empire changed the world, but early chronicles of its conquests, written from regional perspectives and widely dispersed, could not convey its far-reaching significance. The Khan and the Unicorn details how historians from different cultures collectively rediscovered their common past and transformed the scattered records of Chinggis Khan's conquests into world history. Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, as new empires competed for control of Eurasian lands once ruled by the Mongols, historians encountered a wealth of unfamiliar materials previously unknown to them. Aided by methodological innovations, they created more coherent and multifaceted accounts of Mongol power. Drawing on sources in Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian, and European languages, Matthew Mosca tracks this process of rediscovery from the vantage of Beijing. The Qing court led the transformation by assigning multilingual staff to integrate historical information into pioneering studies. Mosca reconstructs the emergence of a knowledge circuit linking Beijing to other scholarly centers, notably Paris, St. Petersburg, and Tokyo. As conflicting appraisals of the Mongol Empire came into contact, debates flared over how to interpret the collision of nomadic and sedentary societies, often cast as a clash between civilization and barbarism. Whether valorized or villainized, Mongol imperial power came to be recognized as a driving force in world history.

Kemmerling, Achim / Pedroza, Luicy / Bokhari, H. (eds.), Policy Innovations from the Global South: Will the North Ever Learn? (International Series on Public Policy) 298 pp. 2026:2 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <762-672>
ISBN 978-3-032-11060-2 hard ¥36,956.- (税込) EUR 139.99

This book challenges the conventional North-to-South direction of policy diffusion by examining how policy learning flows from the Global South to the Global North. Through a series of global case studies, it reveals successful, failed, and often concealed instances of policy innovation in the Global South influencing systems in the Global North. Exploring real-world examples from Latin America, Africa, and Asia across various sectors, the chapters demonstrate how solutions in the Global South are frequently adopted yet rarely acknowledged. The volume progresses from analysing missed opportunities and repackaged ideas to explicit transfers, arguing that recognising innovation in the Global South is not just about equity but is essential for effective global governance. It is essential for scholars and practitioners in public policy, international relations, and development studies, filling a critical gap in the literature on global policy learning.

アジア太平洋の形成－先駆的指導者とそのグローバルな影響
Tan, Alexander C. / Tan, Orson Wei Kann, Shaping the Asia-Pacific: Trailblazing Leaders and Their Global Impact. 210 pp. 2026:2 (World Scientific, SI) <762-735>
ISBN 978-1-80061-849-7 hard ¥17,417.- (税込) US$ 78.00 *

Shaping the Asia-Pacific studies some of the most important political leaders in the region. It shows how they and their different approaches to domestic and foreign affairs have shaped the region, as well as the impact that these leaders have had on international politics across the world. The scholars featured in this book are a diverse group of renowned subject-matter experts from both within and outside the Asia- Pacific region.Leaders matter. The role of leaders should not be underestimated when it comes to a state's international relations. As agenda-setters, they play a crucial role in shaping and influencing a nation's foreign policy - forging alliances, negotiating treaties, and representing their countries on the global stage. They impact the world through the ideas they bring and the actions they take. This is no different in the Asia- Pacific. Since the end of the Second World War, this part of the world that was once marginalized in global politics has emerged as a crucial geopolitical and economic player. The strategic trajectory of the region has been defined and shaped by the visionary policies, leadership, and influence of voices such as Shinzo Abe, Bob Hawke, Kim Dae-jung, Narendra Modi, Deng Xiaoping, Xi Jinping, Lee Kuan Yew, Mahathir Mohamad, Fidel Ramos, and Lee Teng-hui. This study analyzes their leadership styles, their policy initiatives, and the effects they have had on international affairs, highlighting the enduring significance of individual agency in foreign policy.

帝国の周辺での交易－1600年頃のフランチェスコ・カルレッティの世界
Brege, Brian / Findlen, Paula / Mola, Luca et al. (eds.), Trading at the Edge of Empires: Francesco Carletti's World, ca. 1600. (I Tatti Research Series) 500 pp. 2026:4 (Harvard U. Pr., US) <762-252>
ISBN 978-0-674-29618-3 paper ¥10,941.- (税込) US$ 49.00

In narrating his circumnavigation of the world at the turn of the seventeenth century, the Florentine Francesco Carletti became the first European merchant to leave an account of travel on existing commercial routes. A repentant ex-slave trader and smuggler turned dealer in Chinese goods, Carletti travelled "at the edge of empires," providing a unique perspective on the promise and peril of a connected globe. With his long stays in Lima, Mexico City, Manila, Nagasaki, Macao, and Goa, as well as travels across the Americas, the Pacific, and Asia, Carletti documents a changing world in which European powers and traders interacted and often clashed with other empires and polities. Trading at the Edge of Empires brings together 24 scholars to situate and unpack how Carletti's travels illuminate our understanding of trade, slavery, empire, religion, language, ethnography, cartography, cosmography, and material culture in the early modern world.

Fernando, Tamara Surani, Shallow Blue Empire: A History of Pearl Diving in the Indian Ocean, 1850-1930. (Harvard Historical Studies) 288 pp. 2026:7 (Harvard U. Pr., US) <762-266>
ISBN 978-0-674-29414-1 hard ¥8,919.- (税込) US$ 39.95

Ali, Md Isahaque / Arunachalam, Dharmalingam et al., Extreme Weather Events and Vulnerability of Older People: Experiences from Bangladesh and Other Asian Countries. 150 pp. 2026:1 (Springer, GW) <762-245>
ISBN 978-3-032-11255-2 hard ¥26,396.- (税込) EUR 99.99

This book examines the critical intersection of demographic ageing and climate change in Bangladesh, including comparison with other Asia countries. Located in the dynamic delta system of Southeast Asia, Bangladesh is constantly exposed to extreme weather events, the frequency and intensity of which are exacerbated by climate change. Although these disasters affect the entire population, this book argues that older people are at a distinct and disproportionate risk due to their reduced ability to adapt to severe climate-related shocks. Drawing on extensive qualitative field research, the book provides a detailed account of the vulnerability of older adults in a coastal sub-district in Bangladesh. The analysis draws on in-depth interviews with older men and women, whose narratives provide a powerful perspective on life before, during, and after catastrophic weather events. These accounts reveal an ongoing cycle of vulnerability in which cyclones and floods not only destroy material assets such as homes and livelihoods but also cause profound physical and psychological trauma. The resulting disruption of social support networks, loss of income, and forced migration to survive further exacerbate their insecurity. The study identifies several major causes of vulnerability, including the geophysical exposure of the coastal region, the prevalence of non-resilient housing, profound income insecurity, and a high degree of dependence on family support systems. The analysis carefully distinguishes between formal state initiatives, such as the Old Age Allowance, and informal support systems rooted in community and kinship. It shows how formal programmes can strengthen financial stability and ensure access to essentials, while informal networks provide immediate support and practical assistance in the aftermath of a disaster. By synthesising the concepts of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptation, this book offers evidence-based insights into one of the critical challenges of our time. The findings and recommendations are essential for researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the fields of gerontology, disaster management, and climate adaptation, and are an important resource for efforts to protect vulnerable older populations in Bangladesh and other climate-affected regions around the world, in particular in other Asian countries.

Jablonski, Ryan, Dependency Politics: How Foreign Aid Shapes Electoral Behavior. 200 pp. 2026:7 (Cambridge U. Pr., UK) <762-144>
ISBN 978-1-009-78913-4 hard ¥24,552.- (税込) GB￡ 80.00
ISBN 978-1-009-78908-0 paper ¥7,672.- (税込) GB￡ 25.00

Ryan Jablonski's Dependency Politics examines how democracy works in aid-dependent countries. He draws on over six years of fieldwork to investigate relationships between donors and politicians, showing how politicians make policy and how aid dependency changes voters' assessments of politician performance. He reveals that voters don't simply reward politicians for aid, rather they condition their votes on beliefs about how politicians influence aid delivery. This leads to a 'visibility-uncertainty' paradox where aid can either enhance or erode democratic accountability. Revisiting assumptions about the effects of foreign aid on political behavior, he also explains how aid can cause citizens to vote against their interests and sometimes benefit opposition candidates over incumbents. Drawing on surveys, interviews, focus groups, and field experiments, Jablonski challenges conventional wisdom about foreign aid and offers lessons for balancing trade-offs over aid effectiveness, political capture and capacity-building. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.