This open access book investigates human-environment relations in the context of the anthropocenic Arctic. Through an archaeological and anthropological study of landscape, it wields "weirding" - a creative mode of engagement with the world - as a means of coming to terms with the stranger, experiential dimensions of a planet populated by diverse non-human entities often bearing monstrous characteristics. Such entities are exemplified by climate change itself, at once human-induced and a force of its own volition that maintains an elusive "presence" as a co-inhabitant of the Anthropocene. The book focuses on the landscape of Ritnicohkka, a fjell in Sapmi, Finnish Lapland. Ritnicohkka is erstwhile home to a diminutive "glacier", whose "weird", anomalous characteristics crowned the fjell until it several years ago melted into history. Taking a broadly autoethnographic approach, it considers perceptions of, and affective experiences in, this rough and relatively remote, "otherworldly" environment, discussing diverse ways of encountering and relating to the Arctic in the context of scientific fieldwork.

This book critiques creativity as a 'keyword' in contemporary society. This is illustrated through an analysis of the uses of creativity within cultural, urban and educational policy. While there have been critiques and debates of the uses of creativity within these fields, the author innovatively bridges these disciplines by providing both an overview of the philosophical and ideological underpinnings of these debates and illustration of how they manifest in these distinct, yet interrelated policy spheres. Drawing on Raymond Williams' theory of culture as social communication and keyword approach, the book illustrates how the creative turn in contemporary policy can divert attention from structural analysis and provide a rhetorical gloss for inequitable social policies. It will appeal to academics, students and practitioners involved in education, cultural and urban studies.

Focusing on the street as a socio-spatial catalyst, this book fosters a comprehensive conversation on the past, present, and future of streets and public space. While 'the street' is commonly associated with urban form or the metropolitan context of social dynamics and design practices, this interdisciplinary anthology highlights that urban design challenges are global, multidimensional, and transcalar.

This critical survey of the city collects a broad scope of practices and phenomena in urbanism, architecture, activism, and participatory design. Individual chapters examine the histories, theories, geographies, architecture, and design of streets offering essential reading for scholars, professionals, students, and enthusiasts of urbanism, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, planning, geography, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, economics, and the arts. Over 50 chapters, authored by an international and diverse group of leading academics, theorists, historians, and practitioners, expand the discourse on streets and public space.

This book retraces the intellectual career of committed sociologist and maverick, Charles Wright Mills (1916-1962), whose work is considered "classic" in the USA. Unlike some existing works that focus primarily on Mills' theoretical contributions or political commitments, this book weaves together the personal, intellectual, and political dimensions of Mills' life, providing readers a comprehensive point of view. The authors show how Mills developed a coherent intellectual framework against which he could undertake an analysis of the unequal distribution of power. They re-read the works of C. Wright Mills within an epistemological framework that gives pride of place to classical sociology and its great authors. They also build bridges between the critical sociology of Pierre Bourdieu and the "politics of truth" proposed by Mills. The book emphasizes the contemporary relevance of Mills' ideas. By drawing parallels between Mills' insights and current sociological works, it offers readers reading grids for a better understanding of today's world. Rediscovering the sociological work of C. Wright Mills allows us to revisit the history of American sociology and to identify research orientations for today: on power, institutions, social stratification and the methods used to study them.

The book is crafted in an engaging, narrative style making complex sociological concepts accessible without sacrificing depth.

Today, Critical Theory is no longer tied to a specific place in the world. Rather, genuine developments of Critical Theories can be observed in many academic contexts around the world. The contributions collected in this book show that the various projects of Critical Theory have not always and not exclusively emerged from the reception of the so-called Frankfurt School, but that the successful global expansion of capitalist modernity has triggered developments of Critical Theories in many parts of the world as an appropriate academic and intellectual endeavor of critique.

Whether or not the tradition of the Frankfurt School is followed, Critical Theories are always about an undogmatic reading of Marxist theory, the critique of global capitalist modernity, the question of how this critique should be normatively grounded and how different academic disciplines should complement each other in a common endeavor of critical social and cultural research. The book provides an overview of debates and variants of critical theories in selected countries.

This edited book explores the process of creating using the seven C's of creativity framework. It discusses the creative process as a collaboration between humans and Artificial Intelligence (AI), here identified as the cyber-creativity process. Through nine chapters written by leading scholars in the field, this collection delves into the rapidly emerging area of Generative-AI (Gen-AI) applications and sheds light on the parts of the creative process that will remain fundamentally human throughout the foreseeable future, as well as those that will benefit more from AI-augmentation.

Drawing on the dynamic definition of creativity, the contents encompass the Dynamic Universal Creative Process (DUCP) and the DA VINCI model, the design principles of Gen-AI algorithms, the cyber-creativity process in education, journalism, design, fashion, music, and its implications on intellectual property protection.

A timely reflection on the complex and evolving relation between creativity and technology, this volume will interest academics, researchers, and students alike across humanities, social and hard sciences.

The volume deals with the concept of art in relation to film, covering both aesthetic theory and concrete works. The spectrum includes feature films and documentaries. The focus is on the aesthetic innovations of the medium throughout its history and in the present. The development of visual ideas is related to the historical and social context of their creation and reception. The focus is on film authors, film artists and film movements that can be found not only in independent film but also in the mainstream.

The digital revolution has sparked a new wave of inequality, particularly in access to technology and its benefits. Understanding these disparities is vital for grasping their impact on contemporary society. One manifestation is through artificial intelligence, algorithms, and misinformation. AI-driven systems, used in decision-making like job applications and loan approvals, can exhibit biases due to skewed datasets. Algorithms also spread false information on social media platforms with minimal oversight.

Digital labor and the platform economy exacerbate inequality. While platforms like Uber and Airbnb offer income opportunities, workers lack basic protections like minimum wage laws. Additionally, personal data is often exploited without consent. Cybersafety and cybercrime further highlight digital inequalities. Some have access to robust security measures, while others lack basic knowledge, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. Economic barriers also hinder participation in gaming and other digital spaces. Big data collection practices can deepen existing disparities, especially regarding socioeconomic status and demographics. Public policies must address these issues to ensure equal access to technology for all.

This book aims to shed light on these disparities and develop solutions for a more equitable technological landscape.

How are Australian comics made and read? How do changes in comics and graphic storytelling over the past forty years intersect with our changing ideas about history, culture, community, creativity and technology?

In Folio: Essays on Australian Comics, interdisciplinary scholars and world-leading makers pose questions about Australian comics, including through visual essays, asking how comics move out into community, industry, society, and disciplines both cognate and distant.

It first examines the cultures and communities of Australian comics, from Indigenous cultural contexts to DIY zine fairs, and international markets to the graphic recording industry. It then focuses on practices and readings of individual comics, exploring individual practices and analysing Australian work, from government-commissioned comics with explicit social purpose to comics that employ augmented reality.

Chapter "Lessons from My Journey into Australian Comics" is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License via Springerlink.

Examines the barriers and benefits of diversity, offering a comprehensive framework for addressing systemic inequities and enhancing intergroup relations

The Psychology of Diversity: Beyond Prejudice and Racism provides a thorough exploration of how diversity influences individual and societal behavior. Now in its second edition, this fully revised textbook addresses the evolving challenges and opportunities of diversity in a world shaped by rapid demographic shifts, rising polarization, and the intensifying need for equity and inclusion. Integrating rigorous research, historical context, and actionable insights, the authors illuminate how understanding and embracing diversity can foster stronger communities and institutions.

Updated and expanded content responds to the evolving challenges of the past decade, such as rising political polarization, increasing resistance to equity initiatives, and the escalating diversity divide, while highlighting new opportunities for inclusion and mutual understanding. Entirely new chapters address health disparities, racial bias in policing, debates over affirmative action and Critical Race Theory, the historical and systemic roots of diversity challenges, and other contemporary issues.

Featuring timely coverage of diversity's complexities in the face of unprecedented societal changes, Psychology of Diversity: Beyond Prejudice and Racism:

• Explores diversity through psychological, historical, cultural, and institutional lenses while highlighting its broader societal impacts
• Provides evidence-based strategies and best practices for fostering inclusion, reducing bias, and building stronger intergroup relations
• Incorporates empirical research and case studies reflecting the latest findings in psychology, sociology, and neuroscience
• Contains new content on gender diversity, nonbinary identities, sexual orientation, and immigration as key diversity challenges and opportunities
• Integrates practical scenarios to illustrate key concepts and their application in everyday life
• Includes a wealth of teaching and learning tools and an online instructor's manual to support both independent study and classroom use

The Psychology of Diversity: Beyond Prejudice and Racism, Second Edition, is an excellent textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on social psychology, prejudice, intergroup relations, and multiculturalism. It is also a valuable reference for professionals working to address equity challenges in fields such as education, healthcare, public policy, and organizational leadership.

This book examines the gendered nature of business fraud by examining media representations of four entrepreneurs (Sam Bankman-Fried, Elizabeth Holmes, Bernie Madoff, and Anna Sorokin) who swindled money from wealthy investors and everyday people. From a feminist political economic perspective, the book asks how the intersections between gender, age, socioeconomic background, and the country of origin matter in media portrayals. By examining fictionalized television shows, films, and news reports about the four fraudsters, the book considers: what kinds of "truth" do media texts unveil through story narrative, character development, and mise-en-scene? How were financial crimes seen to disrupt an orderly and rational market? How were fraudsters redeemed or not in media texts? This book will interest media studies scholars who examine gender, finance, and economics.

In the last decade, Europe has welcomed numerous migrants and refugees from Arab countries. Their scholastic inclusion has been challenging, and the teaching staff had to sometimes deal with unfamiliar realities. The issue has been addressed by various perspectives, from sociology to psychology, insights from which are gathered in intercultural education. In it, there are scarcity of studies that delve into pupils' cultural backgrounds, and countries of origin's history is seldom regarded as a decisive factor in the formation of identity. Among Arabic-speaking communities the Moroccan and Syrian ones are the most significant and Morocco and Syria have interesting histories and education systems. Using Nussbaum's (2010) multifactorial analysis, this research aims to better understand the educational universe where Arabic-speaking pupils come from, focusing on humanities and religious education in the experience of pupils, especially from Morocco and Syria. Methodology comprehends qualitative empirical research conducted in Europe. Results show the differences experienced by pupils in their educational paths among diverse Arab and European countries and the more sensitive topics they encounter in their education in Europe in relation to their identity.

This study aims to understand political transnationalism through the political incorporation of migrants in the receiving country. With a qualitative analysis of the perceptions of transnational second-generation Turks towards the political opportunity structures in Germany and the Netherlands, it seeks an answer to the question 'How do political opportunity structures in the receiving country shape political transnationalism among Turkish migrants in Western Europe?' It suggests a causal explanation for the impact of political opportunity structures on political transnationalism through a model called 'constrained opportunities'. The empirical results reveal 'constraints' on political opportunity structures that lead to deficient immigrant political incorporation in the country of residence and reinforce political attachment with the country of origin.

This open access book is an innovative history of community health practitioners' responses to the seemingly intractable problem of men (and on rare occasions, women) sexually abusing children within the private family home. It is situated within a social history of the development of British community-based health professions in the last decades of the twentieth century. Drawing on archival research and newly gathered in-depth oral history interviews, the monograph argues that expectations placed upon community-based doctors, nurses and mental health staff since the 1980s in relation to predicting and preventing the sexual abuse of children by men they know are incongruous. Beneath a surface acquiescence to the need to protect children from such abuse or to intervene early lie cultural, social and structural barriers that prevent its fulfilment. The book is a first in specifically interrogating the recent history of the role of community health practitioners within the modern 'child protection workforce', and contributes to growing scholarship on the history of emotions in the medical professions.

This book explores pedagogical practices for early childhood education around the world in a collective of practices. The motivation for this book was to collect pedagogical practices from around the world to showcase the important work of early childhood teachers. Each country in this book shares unique features of their pedagogical work to show how they support young children's learning and development, and work with families and communities. This intention also allows the documentation of innovative and exemplary practices to build a repertoire of pedagogy and understand cultural and contextual differences. Across the countries, this book explores routines, transitions, intentional teaching, shaping the environment, and other important aspects of learning and care. This book also provides opportunities for the development of commonality of practice, and to explore variations that exist around supporting young children's learning and development.