The Handbook on Tourism Imaginaries explore how literature, film, and cultural practice co-produce and contest these imaginaries. Chapters form three complementary parts to chart the dynamic interplay between fiction and spatial experience. The first examines fictions of places, investigating how literary and artistic texts construct spatial identities that later become tourist destinations. The second explores fictions of tourists, turning to the travellers themselves as narrative subjects who embody the desires, contradictions, and ethics of modern mobility. The third, fictional tourism, explores how tourism becomes a fictional object by the ways it is practiced or by the mediation of virtual and augmented reality. In synthesising these dimensions, this Handbook argues for an integrated study of the imaginaries that sustain tourism as a cultural system.

The Handbook on Tourism Imaginaries is an essential resource for students and academics in tourism studies and cultural geography, as well as cultural studies, heritage studies, visual arts, communication and literature.

This book offers a historical and critical analysis of mutualism in Chile between 1920 and 2020, challenging the conventional view that regards it as a residual phenomenon following the consolidation of the welfare state.

Drawing on an approach that integrates social, cultural, and economic history, the book demonstrates that mutual aid societies not only persisted but also underwent cycles of crisis, recomposition, and transformation throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It examines the relationship between mutualism and the state, its role in the provision of health, welfare, and sociability, as well as the construction of collective assets and networks of solidarity. It also incorporates underexplored dimensions, such as female mutualism and the projection of mutualism beyond its classical institutional forms. Extending into the neoliberal period, the analysis shows how these organizations faced processes of displacement, adaptation, and reconfiguration, without disappearing as a social practice.

Aimed at scholars, advanced students, and specialists in history and the social sciences, this volume proposes a rethinking of mutualism as a historical form of social security and as a potential alternative, or complement, to contemporary market-based welfare systems.

A Humanities Pedagogy Approach to Modern Masculinity examines how classroom-based practices from across the humanities can counter the anti-egalitarian narratives shaping contemporary manosphere discourse.

Drawing on 12 essays that traverse literature and related fields, this volume explores critical and empathetic pedagogical strategies that illuminate the socio-economic and cultural forces contributing to young men's growing alienation. By offering alternative narratives to the harmful ideals promoted by influential manosphere figures, the collection moves beyond theoretical critique to propose pragmatic, implementable approaches for educators teaching at primary, secondary, and university levels. Its contributions demonstrate how humanities pedagogy can foster inclusive understandings of masculinity while equipping students to question and resist exclusionary ideology.

A Humanities Pedagogy Approach to Modern Masculinity is essential reading for educators, researchers, and students in education, gender studies, and the humanities seeking effective frameworks to respond to the manosphere's expanding influence in diverse classroom contexts.

The History of Education as History of Knowledge brings together international scholars to explore how the emerging field of the history of knowledge can enrich the well-established history of education. While recent research in the history of knowledge has examined actors, practices, and institutions of knowledge, this volume is the first to focus systematically on sources and methodologies within the context of education.

Covering the modern period, the chapters investigate a wide range of case studies-from kindergartens and teachers' associations to philosophical societies and transnational transfers of solidified knowledge. Together they demonstrate how shifting perspectives on sources and methods allow historians to examine knowledge in its plural forms: produced, mediated, contested, and circulated within and beyond educational institutions.

Emphasising how knowledge is bound up with power relations, this book shows how hierarchies of gender, class, race, and ethnicity have shaped what counts as educational knowledge and how it is transmitted. In addition to empirical studies, contributors critically reflect on methodological approaches drawn from intellectual history, sociology of knowledge, praxeology, discourse analysis, and science and technology studies.

This book will appeal to scholars, students, and teachers in educational history, the history of knowledge, and related fields and will serve as an orientation for early-career researchers.

Grounded in frontline experience and global research, this work unpacks the complexities of defining behavioural health, the challenge of crisis cycling, and the evolving roles of law enforcement and community partners. Written from the unique perspective of a seasoned police officer embedded in the world of behavioural health crisis response, this work offers an insider's examination of the evolving landscape of public safety and mental health intervention.

Drawing on lived experiences, operational insights, and contemporary best practices, the author advocates that police are one component within a broader collaborative, systems-based approach to crisis. Beginning with a foundational understanding of what forms a behavioural health crisis, the book guides readers through a range of response models - from nonpolice crisis lines and paramedic teams to police co-responder models and police call diversion programs. It critically examines the limitations of police training, the harsh realities of non-clinical outcomes such as tactical disengagement and use-of-force, and broader systemic pressures that shape crisis intervention. Each section ends with a reflective commentary, blending academic insight into frontline pragmatism. The final chapters look ahead, proposing integrated frameworks and collaborative strategies to proactively manage crisis cycling and building more responsive, humane systems.

With a focus on real-world application, informed by both practice and research, this book is an essential resource for policing professionals, behavioural health professionals, policymakers, and students seeking a grounded yet progressive approach to behavioural health crisis intervention.

The crisis of liberal democracy is clearly visible today, manifesting itself, inter alia, in the declining interest of citizens in participating in elections; the disappearance, or at least weakening, of the traditional axis of social conflict between labour and capital; the growing importance of populism; attacks on democratic institutions; and the efforts of leaders in many countries to centralize power. Across the globe, anti-establishment, anti-system, anti-elite and populist sentiments are on the rise, accompanied by the increasing prominence of anti-democratic parties. This volume aims to identify universal mechanisms of de-democratization using the example of Poland, by searching for reliable indicators of these processes. The authors examine and analyse the weakening of democratic institutions, the limitation of civil liberties, and the growth of authoritarian tendencies and political polarization, seeking out indicators of de-democratization phenomena in the legal-institutional, political-social and economic spheres, while also looking into actions that strengthen and protect de-democratization, which take place in the symbolic, social, political and economic domains.

The authors thus seek to expand the existing analyses of de-democratization processes in a volume which will be of great use to those researching and studying democracy, the rule of law, contemporary politics and de-democratization in Poland and beyond.

Rented Worlds examines the hidden yet ubiquitous world of bedsits, boarding houses, service flats, subdivided terraces, and other forms of private rented housing that continued to dominate post-war London, numerically as well as culturally, well into the 1960s.

While the rise of council housing and suburban homeownership have both been thoroughly documented, it was this other kind of housing - declining yet highly contested - that formed the ideological substrate of many key debates about the post-war politics of welfare, 'race,' class, and gender. Covering from the end of the Second World War to the end of the first post-war Conservative government, and drawing on a range of untapped archival sources, including rent tribunals, valuation lists, exhibitions, and photography, the book traces a sequence of specific 'problems' as they coincided with key moments in post-war British history: from the 1946 squatting movement and the problem of displacement after the Blitz; to the question of social isolation and new policies around mental health; to the chronic issue of overcrowding and a growing fire safety crisis in inner London.

Told through the experience of tenants and proprietors, this new history of post-war London challenges architectural history's ability to account for the unexpected after-lives of built spaces; spaces that were re-made from the inside out through processes of speculation, regulation, and grassroots spatial practices.

Sharing tacit knowledge gained from extensive experience, each interviewee offers counsel across core themes ranging from generating research ideas and attracting funding to balancing personal and professional lives. This set of highly insightful perspectives from a diverse range of experts illustrates the complexity of a changing academic environment and the opportunities this affords. An integrated discussion brings together key reflections to highlight the similarities and differences in experiences and offers valuable guidance and insight. The book also includes a self-assessment exercise to help readers apply the unwritten rules to their own academic journey.

This book is a vital resource for research students and early-career researchers in transport studies looking to confidently navigate an academic career. Transport practitioners contemplating a move to academia will also benefit from the diverse range of perspectives offered.

NextGen Strategies and Tools: Pioneering Innovations in Agriculture is a systematic, application-oriented examination of next-generation strategies and technologies that drive innovation in agriculture. The book focuses on integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), deep learning, robotics, and smart sensing technologies to address challenges in sustainability, precision farming, and agricultural productivity.

The book presents information on AI-based decision support frameworks, IoT-enabled precision agriculture, smart sensor networks for crop monitoring, and vision-based systems for disease and pest detection. Contributions explore deep learning and computer vision models applied to real-world agricultural scenarios, emphasizing scalability, accuracy, and deployment feasibility in both large-scale and resource-constrained environments. Practical implementations such as Agrobots, Raspberry Pi-based agricultural platforms, and automated fertilizer dispensing systems further demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methods.

In addition to technological advancements, the book examines the sustainability and environmental implications of adopting AI and IoT in agriculture. Key considerations such as efficient resource utilization, climate resilience, and environmentally responsible farming practices are discussed to provide a balanced and holistic perspective. By bridging theoretical foundations with practical deployment, the book supports the development of intelligent agricultural ecosystems.

As part of the NextGen Agriculture: Novel Concepts and Innovative Strategies series, this book is intended for postgraduate students, researchers, academicians, and professionals in computer science, AI, data science, electronics and communication engineering, agricultural engineering, and smart farming technologies. It also serves as a reference for policymakers and practitioners seeking to advance sustainable and intelligent agricultural systems.

This book recenters the agrarian question within contemporary capitalism, examining social differentiation in rural societies through a rigorous historical-comparative lens. It positions agrarian transformation as a critical prism for understanding capital's evolution, territorial reconfigurations, and the production of inequality on a global scale.

Through a comparative framework spanning Europe and Latin America-including post-Soviet Russia, Bolivia, and Argentina-the chapters integrate theoretical analysis with empirical evidence using diverse methodological approaches: historical-structural analysis, case studies, ethnographic research, and socio-spatial methods. The book examines key processes including the reconfiguration of land ownership, labor market transformations, the persistence and mutation of communal forms, and resource commodification. It demonstrates how distinct phases of capitalist development generate specific class configurations that resist reduction to linear proletarianization narratives, while illuminating the pivotal role of state-territory-accumulation dynamics in producing and reproducing inequalities.

Class Differentiation in Contemporary Rural Societies is essential reading for researchers, educators, and graduate students in sociology, history, geography, and agrarian studies, as well as professionals engaged with rural development and public policy. It provides sophisticated analytical frameworks for interpreting contemporary rural transformations while contributing substantively to both academic debates and critical reflection on the social and political conditions shaping rural life under contemporary capitalism.

The book provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities presented by AI across the insurance value chain. As insurers rapidly integrate machine learning, deep learning, and predictive analytics into underwriting, claims processing, fraud detection, and pricing, the need for robust ethical frameworks and responsible AI governance has become paramount. Algorithmic structures and data pipelines that shape modern insurance systems, that review potential sources of bias, opacity, and inequality are examined. The book addresses technical, legal, and organizational dimensions of ethical AI adoption-ranging from explainability and accountability mechanisms to data privacy, informed consent, and inclusion. The book serves as a foundational guide for developing AI systems in insurance that are not only efficient but also equitable and socially responsible. The book will be invaluable for professionals, scholars, data scientists, actuaries, and policymakers.

Key Features:

• Explores cutting-edge applications of AI across underwriting, claims processing, fraud detection, and dynamic pricing in the insurance industry.
• Reviews the latest advances in algorithmic fairness, explainability (XAI), and bias mitigation techniques tailored to insurance models.
• Analyzes global regulatory and ethical frameworks, including GDPR, AI Act, and sector-specific policies, shaping responsible AI adoption.
• Provides real-world case studies and technical insights into building accountable, transparent, and inclusive AI systems for insurers.
• Equips practitioners, data scientists, and policymakers with strategic tools to design, govern, and audit ethical AI in insurance operations.

David Chandler's Hope offers a compelling exploration of the politics of hope against the backdrop of a broken world grappling with global crises, from political disillusionment to catastrophic climate change, where alternative futures seem difficult to imagine in positive terms.

Examining hope as an ethicopolitical praxis, Chandler offers a highly readable analysis of how hope can sustain alternative futures amidst widespread uncertainty and disillusionment, critically engaging with hope's transformative potential, and challenging conventional political approaches and envisioning new ways of thinking about trust, care and relational politics. It traces the concept of hope through diverse critical traditions, including the Frankfurt School, Black Radical Tradition, Queer Utopianism, Critical Indigenous Studies and contemporary Critical Black Studies, and delves into the social and historical contexts of hope, analysing its role in communities of survivance, struggle and experimentation. Crucially, and uniquely, the author emphasises the human subject's centrality to hope, exploring how unconscious desires and liberated imaginations can foster new political imaginaries and connecting theoretical insights with practical applications for navigating today's critical challenges.

A thought-provoking examination of how struggles to keep futural possibilities alive in the present strive to move beyond a politics that can only reproduce more of the same, Hope is essential reading for students and scholars of environmental humanities, politics and the social sciences.

Chapters highlight how increasing heterogeneity, across multiple dimensions, including education, family structure, migration history, health and gender identity, impacts wider societal and economic changes. Using diverse case studies, they show how divisions matter as they enable organization around identities and widen distances between groups. They demonstrate how demographic shifts, population aging, over-population, depopulation, or migration, critically influence the chances of a prosperous future for humanity. The Handbook also recommends avenues for future study, including obstacles facing non-heterosexual partnering and parenthood and integrated policies combining public security and social inclusion.

The Research Handbook on Population Heterogeneities is an invaluable resource for scholars and students of development studies, human geography, sustainable development and sociology. Policymakers focusing on social demography issues will also benefit from its astute analysis and practical suggestions.

Recent years have seen renewed interest in classical political economy. The essays in this collection, presented in honour of Christian Gehrke, explore the central tenets of classical political economy, its comeback in the aftermath of Sraffa's works and the engagement of major economists.

The chapters in the opening section present a gradual elaboration of what became known as the "classical" approach to political economy, with the theory of value and distribution as its core piece. It concerns what Sraffa called the "standpoint" of the classical economist, which revolves around the concept of "social surplus", its distribution mainly as property incomes, and how "physical real costs" together with income distribution governs relative prices in conditions of free competition. The classical authors dealt with include Francois Quesnay, Richard Cantillon, David Hume, Adam Smith and especially David Ricardo. The second section explores the resurgence of classical political economy. Major elements of this comeback were, first, a new interpretation of the role of the labour theory of value, which especially Ricardo had adopted as a makeshift solution in the absence of a coherent theory of value; and, secondly, the demonstration that relative competitive prices and the general rate of profits can be ascertained in terms of the givens in the classical approach to value and distribution. The implication of the findings within a classical framework of the analysis for marginalist theory are drawn. Finally, there are contributions dealing with the works of major economists, who at different times and in various contexts interacted with and intervened in the debates alluded to or tackled entirely novel problems. This applies especially to the problem of cyclical economic development or business cycles, which was particularly addressed by economists such as Otto Bauer, Friedrich August Hayek, and Joseph A. Schumpeter.

The book will be of great interest to readers in political economy, history of economic thought and economic theory.

This book presents a compelling analysis of the historical development of income tax in modern China, interweaving the themes of war, taxation, and fiscal state-building into a rich and nuanced narrative.

Through a multidimensional approach that bridges "top-down and bottom-up" perspectives, the book examines the introduction, institutionalization, and localization of income tax. It uncovers the emergence of a cyclical system linking taxation, government borrowing, economic growth, and fiscal credibility, while highlighting the transformative role of income tax reforms in shaping China's fiscal capacity and governance. By tracing the evolution of tax structures and their interplay with fiscal borrowing, the study offers fresh insights into the broader dynamics of state-building and economic modernization.

This work will appeal to scholars and students of economic history and Chinese studies, particularly those interested in taxation, fiscal systems, and governance in modern China.

This incisive Research Agenda examines the opportunities and constraints facing young people as they transition from education to work. Leading scholars detail how scientific understandings of school-to-work transitions have evolved and identify the multiple conditions which affect and influence them.

Chapters discuss the increasing uncertainties and challenges faced by young adults trying to enter the workforce. They outline how a variety of factors such as personal attributes, individual resources, artificial intelligence and the green economy, are leading to new realities which will further influence access to quality jobs. A Research Agenda for School-to-Work Transitions advocates for stronger attention to place-based research, greater cross-sector coordination and improved balance between broad and targeted policies, emphasising the positive impact of including young people in governance co-design.

A Research Agenda for School-to-Work Transitions is an essential resource for scholars and students in sociology, social policy, education, work and employment. Policymakers and practitioners will equally benefit from insights into strategic planning, training, lobbying activities and sustainable development goals.

This book investigates public corruption in Africa and the attempts to curb it, moving from histories and legacies through to the challenging conditions in which anti-corruption agencies operate today.

Contributors include leading scholars, as well as policymakers and civil society practitioners and workers in anti-corruption agencies, in order to build a picture which is both evidence-based and grounded in real-world experience. Taking case studies from across the continent, the book seeks to build an integrated picture of the issue. Key themes include the challenges posed by public theft and fraud, the urgent need for transparency and accountability in public figures, and the work of anti-corruption agencies in developing measures and laws to combat and prevent corruption.

At a time when corruption in many parts of the continent remains rife despite most countries having ratified the UN convention on preventing and combatting corruption, this book will be an important guide for researchers across the fields of African Studies, Political Science, and Global Development.

This key resource assists stakeholders within any educational institution to provide effective support that is bespoke to the special educational or additional support needs of children and young people and their families and carers. By considering what is possible within the current educational and legislative context, Janice Wearmouth presents a host of evidence-based practical examples of ways to address barriers to learning and achievement across a range of commonly experienced difficulties, as well as highlighting personal lived experiences of those teaching in schools, students and learners.

Janice Wearmouth contextualises current practices and policymaking with discussion of themes that have resonated across the years in the field of special, and, as now, inclusive education and situates these within the often controversial historical and political contexts of treating young people who experience barriers to learning differently. She goes on to guide readers through the very latest legislation, theory and practice across the UK and in doing so provides resource material that will engage and support children and their families in the often-complex world of assessment and planning.

Teachers, SENCOs, Headteachers, families, carers, and anyone else with responsibilities for, or interest in, supporting children and young people who experience special educational or additional support needs will find this an essential and, above all useful, companion.

Leading experts explore key concepts, theories, empirical methods and groundbreaking studies and shed new light on central figures who have paved the development of the field. They demonstrate how economic sociology has become a powerful lens for scholarship throughout the social sciences and documents how the core programme has been supplemented, expanded and challenged by other approaches and contemporary methodologies.

The Elgar Encyclopedia of Economic Sociology is an essential resource for scholars and students of sociology, social policy, economics, finance and political science. Economists and policymakers will also benefit from its comprehensive coverage of the field.

Key Features:

• Easily navigable alphabetised entries written in an accessible style
• Features over 80 entries from a diverse array of international scholars
• Outlines central theoretical concepts, crucial methods and empirical studies
• Cross-referencing and index encourage new perspectives and critical though
• Presents a complete overview of classic themes as well as cutting-edge lines of thinking

Leading experts integrate decades of scholarship with recent advances in the field, addressing foundational questions such as why firms merge, how value is created and distributed between stakeholders, how markets and regulators respond to acquisitions, and how mergers affect innovation, labor markets, and industry structure. The chapters combine diverse empirical approaches and theoretical perspectives, from classic event-study evidence to behavioral economics, cross-border institutional research, activist investors, and structural estimation, highlighting both enduring findings, including persistent gains to targets and the mixed performance of acquirers, and emerging research frontiers shaped by globalization, private capital, and data-driven methods.

This Companion offers researchers and students in business, economics, finance, and management an authoritative guide to what we know about mergers and acquisitions and where the field is heading. Practitioners and policymakers will likewise benefit from its insights into how M&A continue to shape corporate organization and economic activity in an era of technological and geopolitical change.

This book examines how Ukrainian refugees experience learning, transition, and transformation as they adapt to life after displacement. Drawing on interviews and photographic data, it follows the journeys of 21 women forced to flee their homes after the 2022 Russian invasion.

The text explores the practical and emotional challenges that refugees face: navigating language barriers, processing trauma, finding new ways to work and care for family, and integrating into unfamiliar cultures. These narratives are elicited from personal objects the women brought with them as they fled-physical items that serve as tools for memory, reflection, and learning. By focusing on material culture, the book shows how the objects that surround us are tied to our social and cultural identities. They are more than just possessions; they act as symbolic connections to home, security, loss, and the ongoing process of change.

This collection will be highly valuable for researchers in Adult and Continuing Education, Transformative Learning, Migration Studies, Trauma-Informed Education, and Comparative Education, as well as professionals and policymakers working with refugees.

Chapters present key methodological approaches to investigate the structure of race and racism across both historical and contemporary America. Contributors trace the evolution of racial identity from the earliest moments of constitutional formation to current topical issues, such as indigenous rights, racioreligious professional identities, wage justice, the impact of race on drug control laws and profiling in immigration policing. The Research Handbook sheds light on the bureaucratization and management of race and racism in US law and legal practice, developing new frameworks for research and identifying new areas of study.

The Research Handbook on Law and Race in the US is a valuable resource for legal scholars and students seeking to understand the construction of racial identity. It is particularly relevant to those in the fields of criminal, immigration, labour and US law, as well as critical race studies.

The author eschews traditional, single-country approaches and adopts a comparative perspective. The Modern Guide explores the economics of happiness, examining why some middle-income economies score higher on the happiness index than recent economic success stories. It also investigates the nature and quality of democratic governance, economic growth, poverty and inequality, and the labour market across Asia. The book assesses Asian economies from the perspective of the Millenium Development Goals and UN Sustainable Development Goals, evaluating how countries across Asia are managing climate change.

A Modern Guide to Developing Asian Economies is a pivotal resource for scholars and students seeking to broaden their understanding of Asian economics and development studies. Economists and NGO workers will also benefit from its comprehensive lens and timely suggestions.

This book offers a pioneering and comprehensive examination of entrepreneurial leadership as an emerging and transformative approach to leadership theory and practice. Moving beyond traditional leadership models that emphasise innate personality traits and end outcomes, this book advances a dynamic, holistic perspective that foregrounds leadership development across diverse and often underexplored organisational contexts, including corporations, higher education institutions, and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Addressing the fragmented nature of existing scholarship, this book consolidates theoretical and empirical perspectives on entrepreneurial leadership, outlining its core attributes, antecedents, and developmental pathways. It adopts a multi-level lens, examining entrepreneurial leadership development at the individual, team, and organisational levels, and proposes practical development strategies such as experiential, reflective, and social learning, leadership development programmes, and digital and e-learning platforms.

A defining strength of this book lies in its integration of theory with practice. It identifies key entrepreneurial leadership capabilities and illustrates their application through practical case studies. This book also critically engages with contemporary challenges, incorporating ethics, contextual diversity, and technological orientation in an AI-driven world. It bridges theory and practice, offers actionable insights, and provides a roadmap for developing entrepreneurial leaders equipped to navigate complexity, uncertainty, and change in the twenty-first century.

The right business model is essential for success in a fast-moving and interconnected world, and it starts with concept development.

The Company Soul is the in-depth manual to building and executing strategy amidst complex external and internal driving forces. Building on the foundation of his first book, international business leader and consultant Staffan Heden clarifies and expands his unique business model framework, showing how to create, build, and retain value while strengthening relationships with all stakeholders. The book offers important insights on navigating a tumultuous sociopolitical and economic environment, dealing with issues such as regional conflicts, cyber risk, climate change, and AI and other technological developments. Introducing the tools SETAI and SOAP, it presents a detailed roadmap for alternative paths for product and service development, recognizing the need for global organizations to constantly map new customer groups, find new ways to sell and price their products, and set up new collaborations.

This thought-provoking book is an ideal resource for owners, board members, and managers at medium to large companies, as well as MBA and advanced business students.

Combining both empirical and theoretical analyses, this insightful book presents a clear, research-informed model for running classroom discussions that are both intellectually rigorous and genuinely inclusive.

Building on feminist analyses of how gendered norms shape who speaks, who is heard, and what counts as "good" reasoning, the book shows why conventional formats often privilege assertive, adversarial styles and marginalise other valuable repertoires of thinking and communicating. Introducing a novel pedagogical tool, Critical Collaborative Dialogue (CCD), it offers a practical framework that specifies a democratic setup, problem-posing questions that matter, open questioning, personal engagement, and teacher facilitation that shares epistemic authority. This model is adaptable across subjects and year levels, and is grounded in dialogic traditions such as exploratory dialogue and philosophy for and with children (P4wC). Readers see how these design choices redistribute talk, deepen reasoning, and lift students' sense of meaning and belonging, with evidence from student interviews and focus groups.

Written for scholars, researchers, and teacher educators interested in oracy, dialogic pedagogy, and gender equity, it offers ready-to-use structures, language moves, and routines that help build classrooms where diverse voices contribute to high-quality thinking and where all students experience discussion as a place to learn, belong, and lead.