This book examines some of the social dimensions of Indian society and the challenges therein. It explores various themes, including the rules and norms governing people's lives, the rhythm of village life, mythology and folk narratives, as well as social structures, institutions, and processes like caste, class, gender, religion, family formation, conjugality, dialect-language dichotomy, and the Indian diaspora.

Written in honour of Professor Hetukar Jha, renowned for his pioneering contributions to historical sociology and the integration of historical methods with sociological analysis, this collection presents theoretical and empirical articles examining India's complex social landscape. The contributors explore fundamental questions about Indian society's cultural dynamics, the interplay between tradition and modernity, evolving norms and values, and the manifestation of social cohesion and conflict across gender, caste, class, and religion. The book addresses transformations in key social institutions like marriage and language while representing India's spatial diversities and distinct regional cultural practices across its vast geographical expanse. The chapters take a long view on social transformations since India confronted Western "modernity" during British rule and the post-independence period up to the present era of globalisation and liberalisation.

The book will be of interest to research scholars and faculty in the fields of sociology, social anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, Dalit studies, literature, South Asian studies, and political science.

This book examines ten of the most common myths surrounding the Korean Wave in relation to its histories, theories, and practices.

Dal Yong Jin explores several major misconceptions that are frequently encountered in relation to Hallyu, with each chapter examining one major myth. Through discussion of these myths, this book offers a foundation for students, scholars, and global Hallyu fans to reflect more critically on these issues. The book extends the empirical and theoretical boundaries of the existing studies of Hallyu by critically investigating its global circulation and reception across different geo-cultural locations, and theoretically develops an evidence-based, critical framework for understanding the complexities and contradictions of cultural globalization, rather than perpetuating a mythologized perception of the Hallyu phenomenon. The discussions in this book comprehensively and historically shed light on the current debates on the role of Hallyu in the global cultural sphere-from political, economic, and cultural studies perspectives-and make a significant theoretical and empirical contribution to media studies, Asian studies, and globalization studies.

This book will be highly appealing to students, scholars, as well as general readers who are interested in the Korean Wave, media globalization, and contemporary digital culture.

Political Realism: An Evolutionary Theory of International Relations offers a bold reinterpretation of realist international relations (IR) theory that considers human evolution. It introduces five fundamental concepts (a realist core), twenty-four original laws of realism and normative visions of international relations, which are illustrated with fascinating case studies.

The new political realism, which the author calls evolutionary realism, is an original theory that connects realist thinking with the possibility of conscious human evolution and normative world transformation. By integrating the advanced human evolution into IR, the book challenges static assumptions and opens new pathways for diplomatic understanding, peaceful development, ethical engagement and progressive policy.

Accessible and thought-provoking, Political Realism is designed for students, scholars and practitioners seeking fresh perspectives on realism and complements core IR curricula while pushing the boundaries of the discipline.

Translating Cultures in the Arab World: New Histories and Geographies significantly expands translation studies by unearthing overlooked discussions and reconceptualizing the history and movements of translation. It moves beyond a Western-centric and Anglonormative research perspective by beginning with the Middle East and the Arabic language, critically engaging with scholarship from the Arab world, including the Gulf region and the Global South. This provides a more inclusive and representative theorization of translating cultures for the twenty-first century. It features contributions from leading scholars that challenge previous interpretations and highlight translation's crucial role in reshaping the translational humanities and Middle Eastern studies.

The text addresses critical issues, including the philosophy of translation, the dialectical relationship between translation and culture, the complexities of untranslatability, and the pivotal role of translation within specific historical and cultural contexts, such as Medieval Islamic cookbooks, the Arab world in sixteenth-century Islamic Spain, epistemic translation in the Arab Renaissance (Nah?a), the first Saudi Opera, Zarqa Al Yamama, and the contemporary proliferation of translational spaces within the Gulf region. The volume thus serves as an essential intervention, urging scholars to interrogate how knowledge is constructed, contested, and reconfigured in global and translational contexts.

As a comprehensive examination of translating cultures at the intersection of historical analysis, theoretical exploration, and global cultural exchange, this volume serves as an essential resource for scholars and students in translation studies, comparative literature, Middle Eastern studies, and related fields.

This book investigates the historical trajectory of postcolonial Sierra Leone, especially the persistence of a culture of political violence and autocratic tendencies.

Regarded as a litmus test for the consolidation of democracy in postwar Sierra Leone, the 2023 national polls instead became a stark reminder of the persistence of elite bickering, electoral malfeasance, autocratic political machinations, and violence. This book investigates how a culture of corruption, political violence, and autocracy crystallized in the decades following independence and has persisted into the modern day. Beginning with the colonial legacy and the turbulent SLPP government of Albert Margai and the NRC junta of Andrew Juxon-Smith following independence, the book goes on to consider how Siaka Stevens harnessed Sierra Leone's political problems for his own advantage. Stevens's APC regime inflicted a culture of political violence that led to the eleven-year civil war and has persisted despite popular, national and international protests.

Drawing on extensive archival research as well as the author's own interviews, this book will be an important read for researchers of West African history and politics.

This book examines the social, environmental, and political sustainability of Peru's mining industry as it seeks to garner the benefits of the energy transition between now and 2050.

As the global shift toward net-zero emissions accelerates, Peru is uniquely positioned to play a vital role in the energy transition, thanks to its abundant reserves of critical minerals. This growing global demand presents an unprecedented opportunity for the country to harness its natural wealth to support sustainable development. Yet, the experiences of the past 25 years have shown that maximizing these benefits requires more than resource abundance alone. Social and environmental challenges have too often accompanied mining expansion, leading to significant conflicts around new projects. This book moves the conversation forward by offering a deeper understanding of the structural challenges posed by modern industrial mining and identifying the public policies needed to address them. It goes beyond the traditional 'resource curse' narrative to explore how mining can serve as a driver of inclusive growth - provided it is responsibly managed, transparently governed, and aligned with the needs of affected communities. A key message is that the future of mining in Peru depends on building a stronger, more democratic, and participatory state: one capable of representing all sectors of society, not just corporate interests. By learning from past missteps and committing to institutional reforms that promote dialogue, accountability, and equitable development, Peru can chart a new path. The goal is not simply to avoid conflict, but to contribute to a governance model and the building of institutional mechanisms capable of meeting and resolving variant interests in society, and that enable mining to contribute meaningfully to national well-being and long-term sustainability. While Peru provides key examples of the problems arising from mining development, it typifies problems encountered elsewhere not just in Latin America but further afield. It will therefore be of interest to a far wider readership concerned with the extractive industries.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of mining and the extractive industries, Latin American development, and natural resource management more widely, as well as those involved in government and NGOs.

Protest Music in Latin America: Politics, Faith, and Social Justice addresses the impact of protest music in Latin America between the late 1950s and the 2000s. This was a time of continental fervor for revolutionary change and social transformation. This book analyzes the interplay between faith and politics in the music of social protest across the region. It places these songs in historical context and offers a window into the religious and cultural life, language, and thought of social actors in Latin American history.

This vital resource for teaching students about Latin American cultures and societies offers in-depth analysis of twelve songs from different countries. An opening section provides the theoretical framework and historical background for understanding Latin American protest music and its relationship to faith and social change. Each of the remaining chapters focuses on one key song. The chapters move chronologically from the 1950s to the 2000s in their analysis of the composers and performers, historical and political contexts, lyrics, musical elements, religious themes, and messages of social change. Discussion questions and further resources at the end of each chapter allow readers to engage more deeply with the music. The full lyrics of each song are included in the original language with an English translation. Broadening the resources available for courses in Latin American music, history, culture, and language, while offering new insights for researchers and academics, Protest Music in Latin America: Politics, Faith, and Social Justice is an essential resource for scholars of sociology, religion, world music, and Latin American studies.

Centering diverse contributions written by scholars from the regions themselves - many of whom represent a new generation born after the Soviet collapse - this edited volume presents one of the most comprehensive studies of Central Asia and the South Caucasus to date.

The book's dual-regional scope is unique: by examining Central Asia and the South Caucasus side by side, the volume enables comparative insights into how different societies grapple with shared legacies of empire, contested borders, energy economies, religion, migration, and environmental crises. The first part of the volume provides in-depth country profiles that blend history, political analysis, and social dynamics, while the second part analyzes thematic issues ranging from the role of social media and grassroots activism to the role of religion in everyday lives and environmental degradation. Chapters introduce fresh approaches to understanding historical trajectories, authoritarian resilience, social movements, and decolonial debates. The volume also interrogates Russia's ongoing influence, China's rising role, and the regions' complex positioning between East and West.

The collection offers an indispensable resource for students, policymakers, and academics seeking to understand the evolving politics, societies, and identities of these neighboring regions.

In a world where culture evolves at an unprecedented pace, Story Systems and Cultural Research provides researchers, analysts, and strategists with a groundbreaking methodology for decoding cultural shifts through language. This book introduces a systematic research approach that blends semiotics, linguistics, and AI-driven analysis to map subcultural narratives and anticipate emerging trends.

Designed as both a practical research tool and a theoretical framework, it offers a structured way to abstract language, revealing the forces shaping societal change. Using a mixed-methods approach, Story Systems and Cultural Research equips readers with tools for analyzing subcultures, identifying patterns in discourse, and applying foresight techniques to predict cultural trajectories. It features real-world case studies, interactive AI exercises, and innovative cultural mapping techniques to help researchers move beyond retrospective analysis and into future-focused inquiry.

Ideal for researchers in cultural studies, marketing, sociology, policy analysis, and business foresight, this book serves as an essential guide for academics, professionals, and students who seek to harness the power of language and narrative in research methods. Whether used in qualitative analysis, strategic forecasting, or interdisciplinary studies, Story Systems and Cultural Research provides the critical tools needed to navigate and shape the future of cultural research.

This innovative book examines the ways in which African photography, film, and literature are resisting environmental extractivism, using themes of interrelationality. Reminding us that we are all part of an interdependent collective, this book challenges us to act to reverse the extractivist plunder poised to render extinct most of what is presently known as the world.

In their work, African photographers, filmmakers, and writers are increasingly resisting global capitalism's extractivist ransacking of the African continent. In a continent responsible for only 3-4 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions yet destined to face some of the harshest effects of the climate crisis, artists are taking as their starting point a sense of kinship with the nonhuman. Drawing on these African ecocritical works, this book invites another way of seeing our interconnectedness with the African cosmological perception of the living, dead, unborn, human, and nonhuman. Each chapter considers what is missing, to give voice to that which has been extracted by the global capitalist pursuit of raw materials. Considering in turn extracted memory, stone, oil, fish, and world, this book straddles a diverse range of works, from Nollywood to multi-channel video, from documentary photography to self-portraiture, and from Arabic prose poetry to the postcolonial novel. The final chapter, the extracted world, uses the concept of recycling to challenge us to return the missing world to itself to secure its survival. This powerful and evocative book ranges across the continent, connecting stories of resistance from across countries and artforms.

It will be of interest to readers from across disciplines such as African Studies, Black Studies, Philosophy, Photography, Film Studies, and the Environmental Humanities.

The ongoing global mass extinction of biotic life threatens the institutional foundations of many developed nations, which have historically depended on exploiting natural resources. As we enter the global Age of Ecosystem Restoration, a transformative governance paradigm emerges that could guide societies through the current biodiversity crisis.

This institutional shift requires states to fundamentally reimagine their relationship with nature. In this groundbreaking book, Dr Nick Kirsop-Taylor presents a compelling framework for state transformation grounded in socio-ecological practice and contemporary theories of governance and institutions. This book argues that nature-depleted regions must evolve into 'Nature Restoration States' - entities where place-based ecological restoration becomes the central organising principle of mission-driven governance. This represents a radical departure from extractive models towards regenerative institutional frameworks designed to navigate our ecological future.

This book is essential reading for scholars and researchers covering environmental conservation and protection, environmental policy, and socio-ecological practices.

This book systematically examines Chinese astroarchaeology from the Neolithic period onward, aiming to reconstruct premodern knowledge systems and articulate the intellectual foundations of traditional Chinese culture.

As an interdisciplinary field, Chinese astroarchaeology explores cosmological frameworks and the origins of civilization in ancient China. The book unveils the remarkable astronomical accomplishments of the ancient Chinese and investigates the interplay between science, technology, and traditional culture. It also discusses how the origins of astronomy relate to the origins of civilization itself. Drawing on archaeological excavations, ancient artifacts, and historical documents, the study integrates research methods and findings from archaeology, paleography, the study of ancient literature, ethnology, and astronomy. Taking a theoretical and practical approach, the book establishes a framework for Chinese astroarchaeology, opening new avenues for studying the origins of Chinese civilization and providing insights into ancient Chinese political, religious, philosophical, and scientific history.

The book will appeal to scholars and students of ancient Chinese history, the history of science, archaeology, astroarchaeology, art history, and cultural heritage studies.

This book aims to uncover Neoplatonism as an entangled global philosophy that has connected Europe with India for centuries. To demonstrate that argument, it delves into two notable instances ofsolar cults during the long sixteenth century. Both cases are examined through the lens of the longue-duree Great Tradition of Neoplatonism, taking off from the sun cult designed by the Roman Emperor Julian in the fourth century. The book also includes:

• Comprehensive analysis of solar worship traditions across cultures and civilizations
• Detailed examination of Mughal cosmology and millenarian beliefs in India
• In-depth study of Barberini solar cult practices in Renaissance Rome
• Comparative approach to understanding sun worship in different historical contexts
• Scholarly investigation of the longue duree of solar religious traditions

By exploring the intriguing parallels between these coinciding solar cults, this book advocates a truly global intellectual history that transcends the conventional boundaries of world religions and civilizations.

This title has been co-published with Manohar Publishers & Distributors. T&F does not sell or distribute the print editions in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Bhutan.

In Slavery and Post-Apartheid Cultural Production in South Africa: Holding Memory, Nicola Cloete investigates the intricacies of memory, heritage, identity, and nation-building within the context of South Africa's history of slavery.

Combining theoretical, archival, and ethnographic research through an interdisciplinary use of memory, the author crafts new frameworks for analysing how memory is mobilised in recovering histories of slavery in post-apartheid South Africa. By examining wine farms, museums and memorials, walking tours, and ethnographic experiences, the book elucidates how memory is embodied and emplaced through affective encounters. Using diverse theoretical approaches to memory, Cloete devises a theory of 'holding memory' and ultimately argues that memory enables a validated claim for participation and belonging in the post-apartheid nation for a range of stakeholders through the mobilisation of a previously marginalised historic event.

An important contribution, this book shows how memories of slavery are negotiated and deployed between cultural identity and national discourses of race and reconciliation. It will be of interest to researchers in the fields of cultural and sensory studies and memory studies.

This book investigates the critical relationship and interactions between two major environmental agendas of this century: the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Through numerous global case studies, this book provides extensive evidence explaining the synergies and trade-offs that exist between these two agendas and illustrates the varying approaches employed by governments and institutions while implementing them. It highlights essential lessons learned, key policy and regulatory measures focused on potential mitigation and adaptation solutions, and the pivotal role played by a diverse range of stakeholders in achieving the goals of both agendas.

Features

• Explains how to create synergies among the SDGs and the Climate Goals for the betterment of the planet
• Raises awareness on urgent global issues through comprehensive analysis of policy measures and decision-making
• Provides in-depth case studies from various regions with diverse perspectives and successful implementation strategies
• Discusses financing gaps and solutions to guide financial planning and resource allocation
• Addresses monitoring and verification mechanisms that will enhance accountability and transparency

This book is an insightful, comprehensive reference for professionals, researchers, senior undergraduates, and graduate students working on projects in support of climate change and sustainable development. It's also an excellent book for policymakers and NGOs involved with UN SDGs.

Teresa Benguela and Felipa Crioula Were Pregnant examines the experiences of motherhood for enslaved African women and their descendants who navigated the realities of reproduction in nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro. Drawing on an extensive array of historical sources-including doctoral theses from the Faculty of Medicine of Rio de Janeiro, clinical case studies, manuals and treatises on popular medicine, commercial and runaway advertisements, baptismal records, and works by naturalists and ethnographers who traveled to Central and West Africa, as well as travel literature, fiction, memoirs, and a collection of watercolors and photographs-Telles illuminates the experiences of sexual autonomy, sexual violence, pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, and the care of enslaved and freed babies in Rio de Janeiro between 1830 and 1888. Teresa Benguela and Felipa Crioula Were Pregnant also details the sorrows and hopes of these enslaved women and illuminates their escapes, strategies of resistance and survival, and the social networks they built to cope with the harsh realities and limitations that slavery imposed on motherhood in nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro.

We Are Not South African explores how national identity functions as a colonial tool of communication, control, and power. Author Rachel Lara van der Merwe examines how humans and the planet are integrally shaped by the idea of the nation and speculates on how different sociopolitical imaginaries, instead of the nation, could inform ways of being-together in the world.

Linking national identity to colonialism, the book broadens the idea of the nation to include its impact on all forms of life, human and more-than-human. Van der Merwe builds her argument on three central observations: that nations are made up of conflicting and fractured imaginaries, not unified, cohesive ones; the nation is divisive by nature, tracing back to its colonial origins; and the nation, along with the state, exploits both humans and more-than-humans. In order to build a more just and sustainable planetary society, she argues, liberation from such colonial formations is vital. In response, the book asks, How could we reimagine how we organize our societies through values of relationality and mutual care rather than rigid borders? What sociopolitical imaginaries do we need, or already possess, that might inform new configurations of community?

This book examines the nuances of how the media conveys environmental issues, drawing on scientific facts and documenting grassroots realities, and influencing popular perceptions. It provides a broad overview of the emerging field of environmental communication research. It is a valuable resource for scholars of environmental communication across various disciplines, including environmental studies and media and communication studies.

This book arises from the need to guide media academics undertaking research in environmental communication, as well as media professionals, environmental enthusiasts, and environmental non-governmental organisations. It discusses the issues, theories, and methods related to environmental communication research practised around the globe. It goes beyond the Green Revolution and its aftermath, and examines the mass media's coverage of agriculture. Case studies such as the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the Bhopal gas disaster provide an in-depth understanding of pollution policies and the role of the media in monitoring their implementation. Greta Thunberg's climate change movement and the depletion of the ozone layer are also discussed. The book covers how human-wildlife conflict revolves around protected areas. It focuses on how the media creates a platform for the exchange of eco-sensitive information and ideas. The book provides an in-depth account of ecocriticism and visual analysis. All chapters are intertwined with examples of media coverage of the environment.

This book has an advocacy approach, aiming to encourage people and governments to take action by promoting research in environmental communication. It will be an invaluable textbook for students, researchers, and educators studying environmental communication, media studies, environmental studies, disaster studies, and cultural studies. It will also serve as an essential resource for academics, policymakers, disaster management professionals, media practitioners, mental health experts, social workers, and general readers seeking a deeper understanding of ecology and environment, disaster narratives, memory, and resilience.

Green Thinking is about unlearning, discarding damaging, outdated ideas deeply rooted in our societies. It seeks to "compost" the views of dead white men (Rene Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith, Norman Borlaugh) and of some not white or dead (Francis Fukuyama, Richard Dawkins, Richard Thaler), and explores the flowering of probiotic Green thinking, and the rediscovery in the 21st century of powerful indigenous and other previously repressed thinking.

Natalie Bennett understands that the foundation of life is cooperation, not competition; that diversity is essential to resilience and health of systems; that humans are just one more species of animal, or, rather, holobiont; that reductionism has to be replaced by relational thinking; that financialising society has destroyed - as it was meant to do - relationships essential to wellbeing; and, perhaps most crucially of all, that we have to draw on the knowledge and wisdom of indigenous societies that have maintained themselves and their environments in healthy balance for tens of thousands of years. This means acknowledging that the time, energy and talents of all life must contribute to a new way for humans to live in balance with the more-than-human world.

This book will appeal to fans of David Graeber, Kate Raworth, Tyson Yunkaporta, Jason Hickel, Anna Tsing, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ursula Le Guin, Bruno Latour, Wangarii Maathai, Merlin Sheldrake, Vandana Shiva, Lynn Margulis, Kim Stanley Robinson, as well as listeners to the New Books Network, Past Present Future, and HPS podcasts.