Your Search Results
-
Promoted Content
Humanities & Social SciencesMay 2021Disciplined agency
Neoliberal precarity, generational dispossession and call centre labour in Portugal
by Patrícia Alves de Matos
Since the mid-2000s, the harsh reality of call centre employment for a generation of young workers in Portugal has been impossible to ignore. With its endless rows of small cubicles, where human agents endure repetitive telephone conversations with abusive clients under invasive modes of technological surveillance, discipline and control, call centre work remains a striking symbol of labour precarity, a condition particularly associated with the neoliberal generational disenchantment that 'each generation does better than its predecessor'. This book describes the emergence of a regime of disciplined agency in the Portuguese call centre sector. Examining the ascendancy of call centres as icons of precarity in contemporary Portugal, this book argues that call centre labour constitutes a new form of commodification of the labouring subject. De Matos argues that call centres represent an advanced system of non-manual labour power exploitation, due to the underestimation of human creativity that lies at the centre of the regimented structures of call centre labour. Call centres can only guarantee profit maintenance, de Matos argues, through the commodification of the human agency arising from the operators' moral, relational and social embedded agentive linguistic interventions of creative improvisation, decision-making, problem-solving and ethical evaluation.
-
Promoted Content
Humanities & Social SciencesNovember 2023
Critical theory and human rights
From compassion to coercion
by David McGrogan
This book describes how human rights have given rise to a vision of benevolent governance that, if fully realised, would be antithetical to individual freedom. It describes human rights' evolution into a grand but nebulous project, rooted in compassion, with the overarching aim of improving universal welfare by defining the conditions of human well-being and imposing obligations on the state and other actors to realise them. This gives rise to a form of managerialism, preoccupied with measuring and improving the 'human rights performance' of the state, businesses and so on. The ultimate result is the 'governmentalisation' of a pastoral form of global human rights governance, in which power is exercised for the general good, moulded by a complex regulatory sphere which shapes the field of action for the individual at every turn. This, unsurprisingly, does not appeal to rights-holders themselves.
-
Trusted Partner
November 2023Tourism, heritage and commodification of non-human animals
a post-humanist reflection
by Álvaro López-López, Gino Jafet Quintero Venegas, Carol Kline, Tomas Arias, Jean Azcatl Pineda, Alicia Mariana Penélope Castro Pérez, Bobbie Chew Bigby, Émilie Crossley, Johan Edelheim, Georgina Flores, Carolin Funck, Leonardo Garavito-González, Yulei Guo, Jes Hooper, Brenda Martínez Velasco, Alejandro Morales, Gustavo Ortiz-Millán, Mateo Nicolás Rico Medina, Jorge Iván Ruiz Barrera, Javed Salim, Estephania Sepúlveda Perdomo, Rie Usui, David A. Varela-Trejo, Nusrat Yasmeen
Heritage is a social construction rooted in modern and contemporary societies. It is commonly a positive assessment of many elements of the physical and human environment (e.g. ecosystems and landscapes, monuments, customs, gender norms, religious practices, gastronomy, and livelihoods). Heritage and tourism are strongly related to each other in that heritage gives rise to tourist attractions and activities, and tourism enhances the designation of heritage sites. Non-human animals (hereafter 'animals') are present as implicit or explicit heritage elements through multiple tourist environments: animals may be themselves the heritage focus of tourist interest (visual arts, gastronomy, as charismatic and distinguished beings, as part of festivities or rituals), or it may be that animals are agents involved in heritage tourist environments such as working animals or in recreational activities. A post-humanist perspective the moral valuation of equality between humans and other animals demands that both are sentient beings and self-aware of their pain and pleasure. Thus, the involvement of animals as heritage elements by themselves or as an element of tourist consumption in heritage sites implies their commodification and lack of agency. As such, these practices are usually unethical, since they threaten the animals' primary interests: not to suffer, not to feel pain and to be able to live their freedom. This book contains chapters that reveal both the unethical interactions between humans and animals within heritage tourism, and those that show experiences in which efforts are made to minimize damage within the commercialization of animals involved as heritage themselves. It will be of interest to postgraduate students, academics, NGOs and tourism planners.
-
Trusted Partner
Humanities & Social SciencesJanuary 2013The Black Death
by Rosemary Horrox
This series provides texts central to medieval studies courses and focuses upon the diverse cultural, social and political conditions that affected the functioning of all levels of medieval society. Translations are accompanied by introductory and explanatory material and each volume includes a comprehensive guide to the sources' interpretation, including discussion of critical linguistic problems and an assessment of recent research on the topics covered. From 1348 to 1350 Europe was devastated by an epidemic that left between a third and one half of the population dead. This source book traces, through contemporary writings, the calamitous impact of the Black Death in Europe, with a particular emphasis on its spread across England from 1348 to 1349. Rosemary Horrox surveys contemporary attempts to explain the plague, which was universally regarded as an expression of divine vengeance for the sins of humankind. Moralists all had their particular targets for criticism. However, this emphasis on divine chastisement did not preclude attempts to explain the plague in medical or scientific terms. Also, there was a widespread belief that human agencies had been involved, and such scapegoats as foreigners, the poor and Jews were all accused of poisoning wells. The final section of the book charts the social and psychological impact of the plague, and its effect on the late-medieval economy.
-
Trusted Partner
Humanities & Social SciencesApril 2021Critical theory and human rights
by David McGrogan, Darrow Schecter
-
Trusted Partner
Humanities & Social SciencesApril 2020Representation, recognition and respect in world politics
by Constance Duncombe
-
Trusted Partner
Humanities & Social SciencesApril 2023
Statelessness, governance, and the problem of citizenship
by Tendayi Bloom, Lindsey N. Kingston
-
Trusted Partner
2022aporello: Human Parasites
by Christine Bender-Leitzig, Dr. Reiner Pospischil
Infestation with parasites usually causes revulsion in those affected and many infections are kept secret through shame. In recent times there has also been a rise in non-native parasites, which often remain undetected. This book gives an overview of the most significant human parasites as well as their - prevalence - symptoms - treatment possibilities. The text is accompanied by illustrations that help when giving everyday advice. Practical icons show at a glance when, for example, the authorities must be notified and what special things need to be considered. Highly concentrated knowledge in an instant? That’s aporello!
-
Trusted Partner
Humanities & Social SciencesMay 2022The anthropology of power, agency and morality
by Victor de Munck, Elisa J. Sobo
-
Trusted Partner
Humanities & Social SciencesMay 2012The agency phenomenon in the European Union
Emergence, institutionalisation and everyday decision-making
by Madalina Busuioc, Dimitris Papadimitriou, Martijn Groenleer, Simon Bulmer, Jarle Trondal, Andrew Geddes, Peter Humphreys
This volume offers a comprehensive analysis of the agency phenomenon in the European Union. It takes stock of the emergence and development of EU agencies, providing insight into the characteristics as well as the consequences of the ongoing EU agencification process. The volume traces the varied roots of and routes to agency emergence and institutionalisation. It also analyses everyday decision-making processes within EU-level agencies, notably the management of such agencies, their role in the creation of network structures in European executive governance and in the implementation of EU legislation at the member state level, and the varied sources of agency accountability. The ambition of this volume is to offer an even-handed assessment and explanation of agency creation, design, and evolution at the EU level. The volume is targeted to academics, post-graduate students and practitioners. Chapter authors include Deirdre Curtin, Renaud Dehousse, Morten Egeberg and Thomas Gehring. ;
-
Trusted Partner
Humanities & Social SciencesMarch 2010Negotiating sovereignty and human rights
International society and the International Criminal Court
by Sibylle Scheipers
Negotiating sovereignty and human rights takes the transatlantic conflict over the International Criminal Court as a lens for an enquiry into the normative foundations of international society. The author shows how the way in which actors refer to core norms of the international society such as sovereignty and human rights affect the process and outcome of international negotiations. The book offers an innovative take on the long-standing debate over sovereignty and human rights in international relations. It goes beyond the simple and sometimes ideological duality of sovereignty versus human rights by showing that sovereignty and human rights are not competing principles in international relations, as is often argued, but complement each other. The way in which the two norms and their relationship are understood lies at the core of actors' broader visions of world order. The author shows how competing interpretations of sovereignty and human rights and the different visions of world order that they imply fed into the transatlantic debate over the ICC and transformed this debate into a conflict over the normative foundations of international society. ;
-
Trusted Partner
-
Trusted Partner
FictionNovember 2022WAY WAY OUT THERE
by Cat S.
Are you going somewhere, Big Bear? Way Way Out There is where big things reside. They're so big - they cast shadows impossible to ignore. It's a long way away, but sometime big things come to shore on White Cliff to watch fascinating little things. Jules is an aspiring Big Bear born in White Cliff. He's been dreaming big from an early age, but has yet to figure it out. How does one grow Big? Where does one find directions? Who do you listen to? Can one so small really get There? To take one giant's advice--you'd have to see it for yourself. Way Way Out There.A wonderful fable told from the point of view of a small mind mapping out a path that would lead to something beautiful, good and true.
-
Trusted Partner
Business, Economics & LawMay 2005The UN, human rights and post-conflict situations
by Nigel White, Dirk Klaasen
The United Nations is one of the largest providers of assistance in post-conflict situations in the world. This book considers the human rights standards applicable to the United Nations and applied by the United Nations in post-conflict situations, including East Timor, Kosovo and Afghanistan. It looks at legal principles, peace agreements, support of democracy, human rights protection, development and other forms of reconstruction with which the UN has become involved, including the grandly-named task of "state-building". It deals both with the obligation upon the UN to respect human rights in post-conflict situations, and the obligation upon the UN to ensure that human rights are respected by those in positions of power in post-conflict situations. Written by an internationally renowned list of contributors, this book will be of vital use to anyone studying conflict analysis, international relations, international law and the role of the United Nations on the world stage. ;
-
Trusted Partner
Humanities & Social SciencesMarch 2014Children's rights, Eastern enlargement and the EU human rights regime
by Ingi Iusmen, Dimitris Papadimitriou, Simon Bulmer, Andrew Geddes, Peter Humphreys
This book critically examines how and why Eastern enlargement has impacted on EU human rights policy. By drawing on the EU's intervention in human rights provision in Romania before 2007, it is demonstrated that the feedback effects of this intervention have led to the emergence of an EU child rights policy. Eastern enlargement has also raised the profile of Roma protection, international adoptions and mental health at the EU level. The impact of these developments has been further reinforced by the constitutional and legal provisions included in the Lisbon Treaty. It is argued that Eastern enlargement has led to the emergence of a more robust and well-defined EU human rights regime in terms of its scope and institutional clout. This book makes a substantial contribution to the scholarship on EU enlargement, Europeanisation and EU human rights policy by providing empirical evidence for the emergence and persistence of EU institutional and policy structures upholding human rights. ;
-
Trusted Partner
June 1993Die Ideologie des Ästhetischen
by Paul Man, Karl Heinz Bohrer, Christoph Menke, Jürgen Blasius, Christoph Menke
Als Paul de Man 1983 starb, war er der wohl bekannteste und einflußreichste Vertreter einer Richtung der Literaturkritik und ihrer Theore, die allgemein als »dekonstruktiv« bezeichnet wird. Kennzeichnend für diese Richtung ist eine erneute Konzentration auf die innere Verfaßtheit der literarischen Texte. Eine erste Auswahl dieser methodisch vorbildlich wie brillant geschriebenen Texte ist 1988 unter dem Titel »Allegorien des Lesens« in der edition suhrkamp erschienen. Die vorliegende Auswahl konzentriert sich auf die methodologischen und theoretischen Prämissen dieses Vorhabens, wie sie die Abhandlungen über die Zeitlichkeit der Literatur, über Shelley und über die Autobiographie deutlich machen. Sich auf die immanente Verfaßtheit und Bewegung von Texten einzulassen ist nach de Man kein selbstzweckhaftes, folgenloses Unternehmen. De Man beansprucht vielmehr für seine »Rückkehr zur Philologie« eine allgemeine Bedeutung; die Literaturkritik ist zugleich philosophische und politische Kritik. Damit ist der zweite Schwerpunkt dieser Auswahl bezeichnet. De Man erläutert diese These zum einen in kritischer Auseinandersetzung mit der Philosophie Jacques Derridas. Zum anderen zeigt er an zentralen Texten der ästhetischen Tradition, an Kant und Hegel, daß ihr falsches – »ideologisches« – Verständnis literarischer Texte unter der Kategorie des »Ästhetischen« ebenso weitreichende philosophische wie politische Konsequenzen hat.
-
Trusted Partner
Humanities & Social SciencesMarch 2017
Imperialism and the natural world
by John M. MacKenzie
Imperial power, both formal and informal, and research in the natural sciences were closely dependent in the nineteenth century. This book examines a portion of the mass-produced juvenile literature, focusing on the cluster of ideas connected with Britain's role in the maintenance of order and the spread of civilization. It discusses the political economy of Western ecological systems, and the consequences of their extension to the colonial periphery, particularly in forms of forest conservation. Progress and consumerism were major constituents of the consensus that helped stabilise the late Victorian society, but consumerism only works if it can deliver the goods. From 1842 onwards, almost all major episodes of coordinated popular resistance to colonial rule in India were preceded by phases of vigorous resistance to colonial forest control. By the late 1840s, a limited number of professional positions were available for geologists in British imperial service, but imperial geology had a longer pedigree. Modern imperialism or 'municipal imperialism' offers a broader framework for understanding the origins, long duration and persistent support for overseas expansion which transcended the rise and fall of cabinets or international realignments in the 1800s. Although medical scientists began to discern and control the microbiological causes of tropical ills after the mid-nineteenth century, the claims for climatic causation did not undergo a corresponding decline. Arthur Pearson's Pearson's Magazine was patriotic, militaristic and devoted to royalty. The book explores how science emerged as an important feature of the development policies of the Colonial Office (CO) of the colonial empire.
-
Trusted Partner
Children's & YAFebruary 2021One Human Community
by Amelina Jones
Soothing words and fascinating illustrations of Amelina Jones touches readers of all ages. One Human Community introduces the concept of community and explores our differences and similarities as individuals. The story makes us reconsider our relationship with each other as a community, ourselves, and our planet.
-
Trusted Partner
June 2010Kinder in Deutschland 2010
2. World Vision Kinderstudie
by Herausgegeben von World Vision Deutschland e.V., World
-
Trusted Partner
Genocide & ethnic cleansingMay 2017Destruction and human remains
Disposal and concealment in genocide and mass violence
by Series edited by Jean-Marc Dreyfus, Élisabeth Anstett. Edited by Élisabeth Anstett, Jean-Marc Dreyfus
Destruction and human remains investigates a crucial question frequently neglected in academic debate in the fields of mass violence and genocide studies: what is done to the bodies of the victims after they are killed? In the context of mass violence, death does not constitute the end of the executors' work. Their victims' remains are often treated and manipulated in very specific ways, amounting in some cases to true social engineering, often with remarkable ingenuity. To address these seldom-documented phenomena, this volume includes chapters based on extensive primary and archival research to explore why, how and by whom these acts have been committed through recent history. Interdisciplinary in scope, Destruction and human remains will appeal to readers interested in the history and implications of genocide and mass violence, including researchers in anthropology, sociology, history, politics and modern warfare.
