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The Poet-historian Qian Qianyi (Academia Sinica on East Asia)
By Lawrence C.H Yim. 2009
This book is the first English language study of Qian Qianyi (1582-1664) - a poet and literary critic during the…
Ming-Qing dynastic transition. Although Qian’s works constitute some of the greatest achievements in pre-modern Chinese lyric poetry, they have been largely understudied and are poorly understood. Qian was reputed for his own aesthetic that changed the character of late Ming and early Qing poetry. His name, however, was branded with infamy for his disloyalty to the Ming dynasty when it dissolved. Consequently, his works were censored by the Qing court and have been forgotten by most critics until recently. Lawrence C.H Yim focuses on Qian’s poetic theory and practice, providing a critical study of Qian’s theory of poetic-history (shishi) and a group of poems from the Toubi ji. He also examines the role played by history in early Qing verse, rethinking the nature of loyalism and historical memory in seventeenth-century China. Poetry of the Ming-Qing transition is distinguished by its manifest historical consciousness and the effort and give meaning to current historical events, an effort characterized by the pathos of introspection and mourning for the past..This pathos translates into what can be called a poetics of Ming loyalism, exemplified and championed by, intriguingly, the later works of Qian Qianyi himself.Gendering Global Transformations: Gender, Culture, Race, and Identity (Routledge Research in Gender and Society)
By Chima J. Korieh, Philomina E. Okeke-Ihejirika. 2009
The authors collected in Gendering Global Transformations: Gender, Culture, Race, and Identity probe the effects of global and local forces in reshaping notions of gender,…
race, class, identity, human rights, and community across Africa and its Diaspora. The essays in this unique collection employ diverse interdisciplinary approaches--drawing from subjects such as history, sociology, religion, anthropology, gender studies, feminist studies--in an effort to centralize gender as a category of analysis in developing critical perspectives in a globalizing world. From this approach come a host of exciting insights and subtle analyses that serve to illuminate the effects of issues such as international migration, globalization, and cultural continuities among diaspora communities on the articulation of women’s agency, community organization, and identity formation at the local and the global level. Bringing together the voices of scholars from Africa, Europe and the United States, Gendering Global Transformations: Gender, Culture, Race, and Identity, offers a multi-national and wholly original perspective on the intricacies of life in a globalized era.Reconciling Indonesia: Grassroots agency for peace (Routledge Studies in Asia's Transformations)
By Birgit Bräuchler. 2009
Indonesia has been torn by massive internal conflicts over the last decade. The absence of functioning national tools of reconciliation…
and the often limited success of an internationally established ‘reconciliation toolkit’ of truth commissions and law enforcement, justice and human rights, forgiveness and amnesty, requires us to interrogate commonly held notions of reconciliation and transitional justice. Reconciling Indonesia fills two major gaps in the literature on Indonesia and peace and conflict studies more generally: the neglect of grassroots agency for peace and the often overlooked collective and cultural dimension of reconciliation. Bringing together scholars from all over the world, this volume draws upon multi-disciplinary theoretical perspectives, extensive fieldwork and activists' experience, and explores the ways in which reconciliation connects with issues like civil society, gender, religion, tradition, culture, education, history, displacement and performance. It covers different areas of Indonesia, from Aceh in the West to the Moluccas in the East, and deals with a broad variety of conflicts and violence, such as communal violence, terrorist attacks, secessionist conflicts, localized small-scale conflicts, and the mass violence of 1965-66. Reconciling Indonesia offers new understandings of grassroots or bottom-up reconciliation approaches and thus goes beyond prevalent political and legal approaches to reconciliation. Reconciling Indonesia is important reading for scholars, activists and anyone interested in current developments in Indonesia and the broader region and in new approaches to peace and conflict research.Governance and Regionalism in Asia (Politics in Asia)
By Nicholas Thomas. 2009
In the decade since the Asian financial crisis the ten states of Southeast Asia that form ASEAN, together with China,…
Japan and South Korea have formed the basis of a community intended to support the well-being of its member states, markets and peoples. This highly successful regionalisation was not anticipated by the region’s leaders, however, and as a result, policy makers are increasingly talking about ‘meeting fatigue’ and the need to find a better way to govern regional affairs. Among the reforms being considered is a shift towards a more rules-based culture as well as the more explicit incorporation of both private sector and civil society organisations into the policy processes. In short, ASEAN+3 is seeking to develop new norms and processes for its networks and institutions. This book explores the pressures currently influencing East Asian regionalist policy debates, analysing the trend towards deeper integration and the emergence of a governance model for managing regional processes. Combining state and subnational perspectives in conjunction with an examination of the role of the business community and civil society organisations, this book highlights the policy challenges confronting regionalism and governance in East Asia, including key issues such as the rule of law, financial cooperation and a case study on disaster management.Economic Reform and Employment Relations in Vietnam (Routledge Studies in the Growth Economies of Asia)
By Ngan Thuy Collins. 2009
The transformation of the Vietnamese economy from socialist planning to a market economy has led to Vietnam having one of…
the fastest economic growth rates in the world; and to also to Vietnam engaging much more with the international economy, joining the World Trade Organisation in 2006. This book fills a significant gap by surveying the economic reforms in Vietnam, where most studies have concentrated on other ‘young tiger’ economies. In particular it discusses the transformation of employment relations which have been a key part of the reforms and a necessary pre-condition to WTO membership. It examines the nature of employment reforms, analyses the motivation behind new policy initiatives and examines the detail of reforms in a range of business enterprises, reporting on extensive original research. Throughout it shows how several key forces have interacted – globalisation, government political interests, national cultural norms, market, managerial ideology and the special characteristics of particular firms – to produce a particular Vietnamese brand of post-communist market economy. Overall, this book illuminates the how employment relation practices are formed in transitional economies, and more broadly the economic and political transformation of socialist economies in the context of the global market.China’s history tends to be studied from a national perspective only. The Global and Regional in China’s Nation-Formation attempts to…
train our eyes to see the picture of China less as a self-contained entity, a "geobody", than as part of a broader set of global and regional processes; from the "outside-in". It covers the major historical problems of China in the twentieth century, namely imperialism, nationalism, state-building, religion and the role of history Part I views imperialism and nationalism in China from the perspective of global and regional circulations and interactions. It also examines the changing role of history over the twentieth century from the same perspective. Part II focuses on how myth, religion and Chinese conceptions of society and polity are re-shaped by external influences and forces, as well as how these internal practices themselves shape the external impact. Part III is a comparative section, examining how global processes become unique developments in China. The Global and Regional in China’s Nation-Formation is an ideal resource for anyone studying China’s history, society and culture.The Novels of Oe Kenzaburo (Routledge Contemporary Japan Series)
By Yasuko Claremont. 2009
Ôe Kenzaburô was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1994. This critical study examines Ôe’s entire career from 1957…
– 2006 and includes chapters on Ôe’s later novels not published in English. Through close readings at different points in Ôe’s career Yasuko Claremont establishes the spiritual path that he has taken in its three major phrases of nihilism, atonement, and salvation, all highlighted against a background of violence and suicidal despair that saturate his pages. Ôe uses myth in two distinct ways: to link mankind to the archetypal past, and as a critique of contemporary society. Equally, he depicts the great themes of redemption and salvation on two levels: that of the individual atoning for a particular act, and on a universal level of self-abnegation, dying for others. In the end it is Ôe’s ethical concerns that win out, as he turns to the children, the inheritors of the future, ‘new men in a new age’ who will have the power and desire to redress the ills besetting the world today. Essentially, Ôe is a moralist, a novelist of ideas whose fiction is densely packed with references from Western thought and poetry. This book is an important read for scholars of Ôe Kenzaburô’s work and those studying Japanese Literature and culture more generally.Taiwan's Relations with Mainland China is the first book to deal with the role of Taiwan’s leadership politics, including the…
personal political styles of Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian, in the development of Taiwan’s mainland policy and the consequences for U.S.-Taiwan relations. Including analysis of the critical and volatile 1988-2004 period, the Taiwan Straits crisis and cross-strait tension associated with the 2004 Taiwan presidential campaign, Su Chi weaves in his personal participation in Taiwan policy making during critical periods in Taiwan’s diplomatic history to provide insight and information on cross-strait relations that is not available elsewhere As a study of Taiwan’s mainland and US policy this will be a fascinating read for students and scholars of Taiwan Politics, Chinese Foreign Policy and East Asian Security studies alike.Consciousness in Indian Philosophy: The Advaita Doctrine of ‘Awareness Only’ (Routledge Hindu Studies Series)
By Sthaneshwar Timalsina. 2009
This book focuses on the analysis of pure consciousness as found in Advaita Vedanta, one of the main schools of…
Indian philosophy. According to this tradition, reality is identified as Brahman, the world is considered illusory, and the individual self is identified with the absolute reality. Advaitins have various approaches to defend this argument, the central one being the doctrine of 'awareness only' (cinmatra). Following this stream of argument, what consciousness grasps immediately is consciousness itself, and the notions of subject and object arise due to ignorance. This doctrine categorically rejects the plurality of individual selves and the reality of objects of perception.Timalsina analyzes the nature of consciousness as understood in Advaita. He first explores the nature of reality and pure consciousness, and then moves on to analyze ignorance as propounded in Advaita. He then presents Advaita arguments against the definitions of 'object' of cognition found in various other schools of Indian philosophy. In this process, the positions of two rival philosophical schools of Advaita and Madhva Vedanta are explored in order to examine the exchange between these two schools. The final section of the book contrasts the Yogacara and Advaita understandings of consciousness. Written lucidly and clearly, this book reveals the depth and implications of Indian metaphysics and argument. It will be of interest to scholars of Indian philosophy and Religious Studies.Regime Legitimacy in Contemporary China: Institutional change and stability (Routledge Contemporary China Series #Vol. 31)
By Thomas Heberer, Gunter Schubert. 2009
Using in-depth case studies of a wide-range of political, social and economic reforms in contemporary China this volume sheds light…
on the significance and consequences of institutional change for stability of the political system in China. The contributors examine how reforms shape and change Communist rule and Chinese society, and to what extent they may engender new legitimacy for the CCP regime and argue that authoritarian regimes like the PRC can successfully generate stability in the same way as democracies. Topics addressed include: ideological reform, rural tax- for-fees reforms, elections in villages and urban neighbourhood communities, property rights in rural industries, endogenous political constraints of transition, internalising capital markets, the media market in transition, the current social security system, the labour market environmental policy reforms to anti-poverty policies and NGOs. Exploring the possibility of legitimate one-party rule in China, this book is a stimulating and informative read for students and scholars interested in political science and Chinese politicsPublic-Private Partnerships in Health Care in India: Lessons for developing countries (Routledge Studies in Development Economics)
By A. Venkat Raman, James Warner Björkman. 2009
Public-private partnerships are increasingly advocated to alleviate deficiencies in the public health system as well as to reduce economic stress…
on those who seek services from an expensive, burgeoning and unregulated private health sector. Focusing on India, this book examines how the private sector in developing countries is tapped to deliver health care services to poor and under-served sections of society through collaborative arrangements with the government. Having emerged as a key reform initiative, aspects of public-private partnership are examined such as the genesis of private sector partnerships, the ways in which the private sector is encouraged to deliver public health services, and the models and formats that make such partnerships possible. Based on in-depth case studies from different states of India and drawing on experiences in other countries, the authors analyse challenges, opportunities and benefits of implementing public-private partnerships and explore whether partnership with the private sector can be designed to deliver health care services to the poor as well as the consequences for beneficiaries. This book will be of interest to scholars of public policy and development administration, health policy and development economics as well as South Asian Studies.In a world of continuing financial volatility, this book critically evaluates the oft-cited claim that US firms and the US…
government attempt to open emerging markets in economic distress and acquire valuable industrial and financial assets. Focusing particularly on Korea and Thailand, the author examines the degree of market opening, the roles US actors played in this process and the level of foreign firm activity in the years after the Asian crisis. Justin Robertson finds surprisingly little coherence between the strategies of US firms and US policy-makers. At the same time, the book downplays European investments, concluding instead that the decade since the Asian crisis has reaffirmed strengths of US capital, particularly in some of the most important sectors of the global economy. Investment banking, private equity and subcontracting are significant new features of US-Asia economic relations. Providing a sophisticated understanding of US interests in Asia, especially in terms of the politics of finance capital, and including a wealth of empirical data on the US and Asian political economies, this book will be invaluable for students and scholars of international political economy and Asian economics and politics.State and Society Responses to Social Welfare Needs in China: Serving the people (Routledge Contemporary China Series)
By Jonathan Schwartz, Shawn Shieh. 2009
This volume examines the shifting role of the state and social organizations (e.g. NGOs) in providing social services in contemporary…
China. A series of case studies identifies a dynamic whereby the state increasingly withdraws from social service provision with social organizations taking up the slack. An interdisciplinary line up of contributors explore this dynamic, and how it affects the state-society relationship and the quality of social services provided. Based on current research, this book engages existing debates over state-society relations offering a new thematic framework to evaluate this relationship. Drawing on the framework, each chapter explores a particular aspect of social service provision including orphan care, migrant labor protection and infectious disease control. Differentiating between case studies of crisis and non-crisis social service provision situations, this volume argues that state and social organizations engage in ongoing negotiations to achieve shared social service provision goals – a dynamic largely controlled by the state. However during crises, the controlled relationship may alter as the priority becomes addressing the immediate demand for essential social services. The result is the potential for a rapid change in relations between the state and social organizations.Conflict Transformation in Central Asia: Irrigation disputes in the Ferghana Valley (Central Asian Studies)
By Christine Bichsel. 2009
This book provides the first systematic analysis of peace-building in Central Asia for inter-ethnic conflicts over water and land in…
the Ferghana Valley based on concrete, in-depth and on-site investigation. The core analysis centres on peace-building projects in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan by three international aid agencies –an international NGO, a bilateral governmental donor and a multilateral agency – and the shared approach which the donors developed and used for conflict transformation. Using ethnographic case material, the author critically examines both the theoretical assumptions guiding this approach and its empirical outcomes when put into practice. Building on existing work in conflict transformation and the ethnography of international assistance in Central Asia, the book sheds light on Western attempts to transform the post-socialist societies of Central Asia and provides fresh empirical data on and insights into irrigation practices, social institutions, and state and identity formation in the Ferghana Valley. The book provides a novel and innovative approach to the study of development assistance and peace-building. It will be of interest to researchers in the field of Central Asian Studies, post-Soviet Studies, Development and Peace and Conflict Studies.Communicating Biological Sciences: Ethical and Metaphorical Dimensions
By Richard Elliott. 2009
Recent scandals in the biosciences have highlighted the perils of communicating science leading many observers to ask questions about the…
pressures on scientists and the media to hype-up claims of scientific breakthroughs. Journalists, science writers and scientists themselves have to report complex and rapidly-developing scientific issues to society, yet work within conceptual and temporal constraints that shape their communication. To date, there has been little reflection on the ethical implications of science writing and science communication in an era of rapid change. Communicating Biological Sciences discusses the 'ethics' of science communication in light of recent developments in biotechnology and biomedicine. It focuses on the role of metaphors in the creation of visions and the framing of scientific advances, as well as their impact on patterns of public acceptance and rejection, trust and scepticism. Its rigorous investigation will appeal not only to science writers and scientists, but also to scholars of sociology, science and technology studies, media and journalism.Contested Categories: Life Sciences in Society (Theory, Technology and Society)
By Ayo Wahlberg, Susanne Bauer. 2009
Drawing on social science perspectives, Contested Categories presents a series of empirical studies that engage with the often shifting and…
day-to-day realities of life sciences categories. In doing so, it shows how such categories remain contested and dynamic, and that the boundaries they create are subject to negotiation as well as re-configuration and re-stabilization processes. Organized around the themes of biological substances and objects, personhood and the genomic body and the creation and dispersion of knowledge, each of the volume’s chapters reveals the elusive nature of fixity with regard to life science categories. With contributions from an international team of scholars, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the social, legal, policy and ethical implications of science and technology and the life sciences.Italians in Chicago: 1945-2005 (Voices of America)
By Dominic Candeloro. 2001
The stories of Chicago's Italian communities are an important part of the rich and diverse mosaic of Chicago history. As…
a rail center, an industrial center, and America's fastest growing major city, Chicago offered opportunities for immigrants from all nations. Italians in Chicago presents an intriguing narrative record of the earliest beginnings of Italian communities in the city, going back to the 1850s. It explores the lives of ten significant members of the Chicago Italian-American community.This book is a collaborative, cumulative effort, and gives glimpses and echoes of what occurred in the Italian-American past in Chicago. Including vintage images and tales of such individuals as Father Armando Pierini, Anthony Scariano, and Joe Bruno, and groups such as the Aragona Club and the Maria Santissima Lauretana Society, this collection uncovers the challenges and triumphs of these Italian immigrants.Between the Social and the Spatial: Exploring the Multiple Dimensions of Poverty and Social Exclusion
By Jürgen Friedrichs, Katrien De Boyser. 2009
Since the beginning of the 1990s, the gradual widening of scientific and policy debates on poverty from a narrow focus…
on income poverty to a more inclusive concept of social exclusion, has made poverty research both more interesting and more complicated. This transition to a more multidimensional conceptualization of poverty forms the background and starting point of this book. Researchers studying the 'social' and 'spatial' dimensions of poverty have only started to challenge and explore the boundaries of each other's research perspectives and instruments. This book brings together these different bodies of literature on the intersection of spatial and social exclusion for the first time, by providing a state-of-the art review written by internationally-recognized experts who critically reflect on the theoretical status of their research on social exclusion, and on the implications this has for future research and policy-making agendas.Explicitly comparative in its approach, Paradoxes of Cultural Recognition discusses central issues regarding multiculturalism in today's Europe, based on studies…
of Norway and the Netherlands. Distinguishing clearly the four social fields of the media, education, the labour market and issues relating to gender, it presents empirical case studies, which offer valuable insights into the nature of majority/minority relationships, whilst raising theoretical questions relevant for further comparisons. With clear comparisons of integration and immigration policies in Europe and engagement with the questions surrounding the need for more culturally sensitive policies, this volume will be of interest to scholars and policy-makers alike.Gendered Journeys, Mobile Emotions
By Gillian Reynolds. 2009
It is increasingly acknowledged that an analysis of emotions is necessary to fully understand the social world, and recent research…
on transport, travel and mobilities has begun to consider the gendered nature of public and personal life in relation to this sphere. Â The focus of this multidisciplinary and auto/biographical volume is the emotional relationship that individuals and groups have with different means of travel. Attention is given to a variety of travel experiences, including travelling in trains, planes, cars, buses and ships, as well as biking, cycling, running and walking, from the perspective of travellers and those who earn their living in assisting these experiences of others. Imaginary travel and the relationships between art and travel are also considered. Â Adopting innovative approaches to experiential material ranging from personal memories to empirical research, Gendered Journeys, Mobile Emotions opens up and illuminates an interdisciplinary debate about the gendered, emotive and emotional nature of travelling.