This book argues that the field of Intercultural Communication Education and Research (ICER) has often been compromised by uncritical, market-driven approaches that create an illusion of progress. The author demonstrates how hollow buzzwords, superficial models and a focus on harmony often mask power imbalances and prevent meaningful change. To counter this, the book proposes a practice of intercultural acrobatics - the creation and strategic use of new, provisional terms. These concepts act as deliberate disruptions to challenge stagnant thinking, expose contradictions and reclaim interculturality as a site for critical, justice-oriented work. The book provides a practical toolkit for scholars, educators and students to move beyond comfortable consensus and engage more honestly with the complex realities of difference.

This book critically examines the foundational assumptions of vaccine systems, challenging the dominant linear narrative of vaccine creation and production, regulation, and distribution. Rather than treating these components as isolated and sequential, the project adopts a holistic approach to unpack their dynamic interrelations. The volume is organized into three parts-Creation and Production, Regulation, and Distribution-each showcasing how broader social, political, cultural, and economic processes shape the inter-relationships between these components.

It offers a unique contribution by reframing the understanding of vaccine systems through an interdisciplinary lens that draws on law, public health, innovation studies, psychology and science and technology studies. It is distinct in combining theoretical analysis with empirical insights from diverse national and socio-cultural contexts to examine how these systems operate in practice. In doing so, it supports the call for more inclusive, transparent, and context-sensitive models of vaccine governance, which is particularly important in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and in preparation for future public health challenges.

Sustainable development is now considered one of the major narratives shaping society's future. At the same time, it is proving to be an area of conflict where expectations, morals, politics, and ideas of scientific evidence collide. This book shows why current discourses on sustainability are reaching their limits. But it also shows how a new, openly conceived approach to sustainable development can emerge. Based on Richard Rorty's neopragmatism and Ralf Dahrendorf's concept of life chances, Olaf Kuehne, Karsten Berr, and Irina Silina develop an innovative perspective: sustainable development is not understood as a teleologically defined goal but as a contingent, dialogical process that must be constantly reshaped, in which people generate life chances. The focus is on questions such as how people create meaning, how conflicts can become productive, and how individual freedom can be linked to collective responsibility. The book combines theoretical foundations, from vocabulary analyses to various forms of criticism of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a comprehensive redescription of sustainable development. Following the guiding principle of liberal ironist Richard Rorty, an approach is developed that understands freedom from humiliation, compassion, processes of understanding, and the expansion of the "we" as prerequisites for a resonant culture of sustainability.

The book is a committed and reflective plea for sustainability research that does not cover up conflicts but takes them seriously-and thinks of the future as a shared, open possibility, giving high priority to individual life chances.

This book is about psychiatric nursing in Bangladesh. Bangladesh, a densely populated South Asian nation with around 170 million people, has recently transitioned to a lower-middle-income country, yet it faces a significant dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. There is an extreme shortage of nurses in Bangladesh where currently (as of February 2023) 77,838 registered nurses are available. As per a cautious projection, the demand for nurses will be 483,000 in 2030. The latest estimate revealed that there are 0.43 psychiatric nurses for every 100,000 patients. Currently, no textbook is available in Bangladesh specifically focused on psychiatric nursing, despite the country's urgent need for mental health education. This book would provide basic insights and culturally relevant skills to help bridge the health services in the country. Offering localized content, practical case studies, and context-specific interventions will equip the next generation of nurses to better serve the mental health needs of Bangladeshi communities. There is no similar book in the market on psychiatric nursing in Bangladesh. Hence this will be the first book of its kind according to the curriculum of BSc Nursing in Bangladesh.

What have been the causes and consequences of poverty in society through the ages? How has poverty been portrayed and understood? And how has this understanding differed according to time and place?

In a work that spans 2,500 years these ambitious questions are addressed by 55 experts, each contributing their overview of a theme applied to a period in history. With the help of a broad range of case material they illustrate broad trends and nuances of the culture of poverty in world history from antiquity to the present. Individual volume editors ensure the cohesion of the whole, and to make it as easy as possible to use, chapter titles are identical across each of the volumes. This gives the choice of reading about a specific period in one of the volumes, or following a theme across history by reading the relevant chapter in each of the six.

The six volumes cover: 1. Antiquity (500 BCE to 800 CE); 2. Medieval Age (800 to 1450); 3. Dawn of the World Economy (1450 to 1650); 4. Age of the Emerging Atlantic World (1650 to 1800); 5. Age of Empire (1800 to 1920); 6. Modern Age (1920 to the present).

Themes (and chapter titles) are: defining poverty; poverty, charity, and spirituality; representations of need and want; poverty, race, and ethnicity; poverty and gender; community and exclusion; poverty and economic thought; and poverty and the body politic.

The page extent for the pack is approximately 1728pp. Each volume opens with notes on contributors and an introduction, and concludes with notes, bibliography, and an index.

Special introductory offer (valid up to 3 months after publication): GBP395 / $550 (full price: GBP440 / $610)

The Cultural Histories Series
A Cultural History of Poverty is part of The Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available both as printed hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a one-off purchase and tangible reference for their shelves, or as part of a fully-searchable digital library available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access (see www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com).

Now in a 25th anniversary edition, featuring a foreword from bestselling author Rob Henderson of the Manhattan Institute and a new postscript from Theodore Dalrymple.

"A classic for our times. It is as fundamental for understanding the world we live in as the three R's." -Thomas Sowell

As a British psychiatrist who treated the poor in a slum hospital and a prison in England, Theodore Dalrymple had seemingly seen it all. Yet, in listening to and observing his patients, he has been continually astonished by the latest twist of depravity that exceeds even his own considerable experience. Dalrymple's key insight in Life at the Bottom is that long-term poverty is caused not by economics but by a dysfunctional set of values, one that is continually reinforced by an elite culture searching for victims. This culture persuades those at the bottom that they have no responsibility for their actions and are not the molders of their own lives. Drawn from the pages of the cutting-edge political and cultural quarterly City Journal, Dalrymple's book draws upon scores of eye-opening, true-life vignettes that are by turns hilariously funny, chillingly horrifying, and all too revealing--sometimes all at once. And Dalrymple writes in prose that transcends journalism and achieves the quality of literature.

This book sheds light on metrics as a key element of power relations in the EU anti-poverty policy, not least because the calculative infrastructure underlying them actively shapes the distribution of power. These metric-based power dynamics are linked to the fundamental lines of division in the EU, namely the tension between the vested interests of Member States and of supranational bodies, as well as between economic and social policy objectives. The analysis also points to the blurring of the boundaries between the technical and political (interest-based) aspects of the policy-making process. Actors are surprisingly often not only aware of, but openly talk about, the normative choices and negotiations involved in creating indicators and the trade-off between cognitive value and alignment of interests. Many also believe that it is better to use "imperfect" but "commonly agreed" indicators than none at all. By unpacking these hidden infrastructures and everyday practices, this book brings a new perspective to the study of EU policy-making. Drawing on extensive empirical research, it provides a robust empirical account of how Europe governs through numbers.

This book offers an alternative narrative of the global history of political economy. From ancient civilizations to modern times, zero-sum logic has been a fundamental, yet often ignored, driving force behind political and economic systems worldwide. The authors reveal the contradictions within various ideologies -particularly liberalism and neoliberalism- that claim win-win scenarios while in fact relying on zero-sum principles.

By examining systems from mercantilism to digital economies, the book shows how zero-sum logic underpins diverse economic and political doctrines, including authoritarianism, democracy, and policies like austerity. It combines economic history, political philosophy, historical sociology, and geopolitics in an interdisciplinary approach and comprehensive analysis. The book uncovers how zero-sum logic has historically informed both ideology and practice, challenging prevailing narratives and highlighting the paradoxes within our global economic system.

The book will appeal to students, scholars, and researchers from these disciplines, interested in a better understanding of the economic dynamics that shape our world, and the need for a new, cooperative approach to global political economy.

This book addresses the theme of peace- and state-building through a comparative study of the intervention of the European Union (EU) in Somalia and Mali between 2006 and 2022, as well as an analysis of the reorientation of the EU's external action post 2022. The main objective was to understand and analyse the EU's intervention under the stabilisation banner and focus on state-building and support to the security sector in countries marked by polycentric governance. It analyses the normative and regulatory role of the EU as an agent of the liberal interventionary order (as per O. Richmond's concept). The research contributes to the emergent post-liberal approach in peace and conflict studies by putting forward context-based knowledge. The theoretical framework is framed around the critique of peace as governance and the broader focus of state-building associated with stabilisation. The author further analysed the EU's attempts at growing actorness, particularly in the post-Lisbon Treaty. The research contributes to the fundamental critique of peacebuilding (critical turn), including through societal perspectives on EU's intervention and informing the local turn. By also encompassing the global turn in International Relations, the research confirmed the growing challenge of maintaining a global order based on multilateral rules and exposed how polycentricity outwitted the EU's normative aspirations.

Taking Robert O. Keohanes neoliberal institutionalism as its theoretical keynote, this book aims to delve deep into the theoretical, policy, and practical aspects of global climate governance over these thirty years, providing readers with a comprehensive and systematic overview from the perspective of sustainable human development. Climate change and its associated crises represent one of the most critical challenges facing the world today. Since the establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, the international community has dedicated three decades to relentless efforts in formulating and implementing climate policies and objectives.

By adopting the research methods of combining literature research and field research, combining quantitative research and qualitative research, combining case analysis and universal promotion, and by conducting in-depth interviews with experts and scholars in related fields, to conduct an in-depth analysis of the global climate governance process and representative cases over this time period, this book seeks to offer policymakers, scholars, and the public a clear picture to better understand the evolution and changes in global climate governance, and how to address this global challenge within the framework of sustainable development.

Sociology of Religion, Fourth Edition introduces students to the nature and function of religious institutions and practices while asking sociological questions about the changing role of religion in today's "post-traditional" world. Broken into three parts, the book opens with the basics of religious history and a review of key theories for its study. Part II, "Religion and Social Differentiation," examines the intersections of ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality with spirituality today, and Part III, "Religion, Culture, and Change," explores religious inspirations for, or impediments to, social change. Throughout the text, boxes illuminate key concepts and suggestions for further reading allow for ongoing exploration of key themes and topics.

New to the Fourth Edition:
? Chapter 9, "Politicized Religion and Conflict," presents a comparative look at religious extremism and its global risks
? Updated and expanded content on ethnicity and religion aids students in better understanding increasingly diverse societies
? Greater focus on religion's significance in current debates over gender roles and sexuality offers a framework for exploring contemporary conflicts.
? Updated and expanded discussion of religion and the media explores the history of their relationship and how it is being reconfigured in a media-saturated age.

This book argues that the future of resilient and liveable cities depends on making ecological systems not a supplement to design, but the scaffolding upon which urban life is built. As the final volume in this trilogy, this book advances the conversation from integrating nature into urbanism to embedding it as a primary design principle. The book explores how communities, engineers, planners, and architects can collaborate to regard streets as climate buffers, rooftops as pollinator habitats, and rivers as civic spaces, where each design choice benefits the ecosystem.

The book explores global case studies where the line between the built and natural environment is deliberately blurred. These examples demonstrate how design can be a tool for ecological recovery, from neighborhoods that use natural plants as a passive cooling system to cities that have completely remade districts around restored watersheds. It explores the technology tools that are allowing designers to forecast long-term ecological implications prior to construction.

Beyond infrastructure, the book explores the governance and cultural frameworks that enable these changes, demonstrating how community stewardship and innovative policymaking can lock in ecological gains over many years. It views nature as an active partner in forming urban futures rather than just an aesthetic effect or source of environmental services. The book presents a vision of urban settings in which every building, roadway, and public area is transformed into a location where nature can coexist peacefully with human activity.

This book provides a comprehensively understanding on urban water management's complexities and solutions. It addresses sustainable and resilient water management challenges amidst rapid urbanization and climate change. The book explores historical perspectives, current issues, and future trends, emphasizing integrating sustainable practices, technological innovations, and community engagement in urban planning. It guides urban planners, policymakers, environmentalists, and academicians, offering insights and strategies for developing healthier, more sustainable, and resilient cities. Designed as a pivotal resource, it highlights water's crucial role in urban ecosystems, balancing urban growth, environmental sustainability, and resilience. The book presents a multidisciplinary approach to urban water challenges, incorporating historical insights, technological innovations, and best practices in policy and community engagement. It fosters informed decision-making and strategic planning for sustainable, resilient, and healthy urban environments against climate change and urbanization.

Culture is the essential fourth pillar of sustainability. This book reveals why that matters and how to measure it in a changing world. Progressing from a critique of failing impact metrics in the UK to innovative solutions for retail, exhibition, and heritage spaces, it argues for a holistic approach integrating cultural, social, economic, and environmental dimensions. Beyond simple economics, it offers new methodologies for assessing cultural impact. A vital resource for researchers studying cultural policy and an essential toolkit for creatives seeking to secure funding and demonstrate the true value of their work.

This book offers a novel approach to the study of the Roman imperial cult, disrupting the traditional Eurocentric narrative and tendency to relativise the cult's religious dimension in favour of its political implications. Instead, this collection argues for understanding the imperial cult within diverse local contexts, where it evolved through intricate interactions with existing religious traditions and institutions. Consequently, this volume also contends that the often-promoted, singular narrative of the imperial cult fails to capture its complexity and multipolar nature, making it essential to speak of imperial cults in the plural.

This book examines the cult's flexibility and regional specificity through epigraphic numismatic, literary and archaeological evidence from Greece, Hispania (Baetica and Lusitania), Asia Minor, Italy, the Lower Danube region, Crete and Cyrene, Egypt and Germania, from the first century BCE to the fourth century CE. These sources reveal that the imperial cult was deeply embedded in local religious and social fabrics, while also engaging with distinct socio-political conditions and impacting various religious discourses, including those of Christian authors. By focusing on the local adaptations and religious innovations that characterised the imperial cult, the book advocates for a more nuanced and context-sensitive analysis.

Chapters 1, 2 and 13 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This edited volume critically examines the role of higher education institutions in the Arab Gulf States in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of the region's distinctive resource dependence, environmental vulnerability, and rapid socio-economic transformation. Drawing on original empirical research from across the region, the book analyses how universities are supporting sustainable development through teaching, research, and institutional governance. By combining system-level perspectives with institutional case studies, the volume offers insights into how sustainable development is being interpreted, implemented, and institutionalized within the region's higher education systems and institutions.
The book makes a distinctive contribution by focusing on the Arab Gulf as a highly developed yet under-researched region of the Global South, where universities operate within ambitious state-led sustainability frameworks and post-oil development transitions. Through detailed case studies, the chapters highlight innovative pedagogical and institutional approaches, including project-based learning, living laboratories, and interdisciplinary research collaborations that support progress toward the SDGs. The volume offers policy-relevant and practice-oriented insights for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners concerned with the role of higher education in advancing sustainable development in diverse national and regional contexts.