David Walton - Böcker

Polymers are the archetypal modern materials, used in every aspect of everyday life. This Primer gives a thorough introduction to Polymer Chemistry, ranging from a historical perspective, through the development of high-tonnage materials earlier in the twentieth century, to modern high-performance materials that have a range of useful additional properties. The authors have long experience in the teaching of polymer science to undergraduates, and also experience in the polymer industry. A feature of this Primer is a discussion of practical industrial aspects in the technology of these materials.

The term "middle power" is conceptually fragile. Some scholars have even argued for abandoning it. This book argues that the concept needs to be analysed more profoundly and that new analytical tools need to be developed to better understand the phenomenon. The traditional approach, based on Western states, is insufficient and has become increasingly irrelevant in a transformed global environment. Instead of drawing from a single theory of international relations, the contributors have chosen to build upon a wide range of theories in a deliberate demonstration of analytic eclecticism. A pluralistic approach provides stronger explanations while remaining analytically and intellectually rigorous. Many of the theory contributions are reconsidering how the largely "Western" bases of such theorising need revising in light of the "emerging middle powers", many of which are in Asia.Presenting a strong argument for studying middle powers, this book explores both the theory and empirical applications of the concept by rethinking the definition and characteristics of middle powers using a range of case studies. It examines changes in the study of middle powers over the last decade, proposing to look at the concept of middle powers in a coherent and inclusive manner. Finally, it aims to further the discussion on the evolution of the international system and provides sound conclusions about the theoretical usefulness and empirical evolution of middle powers today.

Conservation of biodiversity is best achieved through the management of natural communities, but progress in increasing our understanding of communities remains slow. The study of Antarctic communities can provide a valuable step forward in investigating the control of community development, the utilisation of habitats and the interaction between species in both species-rich and species-poor communities. This book contains chapters characterising the current approaches to both aquatic and terrestrial communities in the Antarctic. From biodiversity to trophic flows, from ecophysiological strategies to the impacts of environmental change and the effects of human disturbance, this volume provides an up-to-the-minute overview of community studies in an area covering ten per cent of the Earth's surface.

David Walton's collection of eight stories, five of which are set in Pittsburgh, offers darkly humorous meditations on modern life. In "Skin and Bone" an unexpected, strange, and ultimately tragic encounter between a karate student and his instructor raises questions about guilt and responsibility. "The Sundeck" touches on sex, loneliness, and the difficulty for people to meaningfully connect. In the title story, a dinner party attended by a struggling academic begins with the toast "No more angst or ennui" only to end in hostility and disaster. Evening Out was the first book to win the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction.

"Will be a very useful tool for any student trying to make sense of the vast expanses of contemporary cultural theory and criticism. Well-written and admirably self-reflective, it combines rigorous explications and applications of many of the most influential concepts and theorists."- Lawrence Grossberg, University of North Carolina"Accessible and insightful throughout; offering help to both experienced and inexperienced students of cultural theory. Highly recommended."- John Storey, University of Sunderland Doing Cultural Theory teaches more than just the basics of cultural theory. It unpacks its complexities with real-life examples, and shows readers how to link theory and practice. This book:Offers accessible introductions to how cultural studies has engaged with key theories in structuralism, poststructuralism and postmodernismTeaches straightforward ways of practising these theories so students learn to think for themselvesUses 'practice' boxes to show students how to apply cultural theory in the real worldGuides students through the literature with carefully selected further reading recommendation.

Other textbooks only show how others have analyzed and interpreted the world. Doing Cultural Theory takes it a step further and teaches students step-by-step how to do cultural theory for themselves.

"Will be a very useful tool for any student trying to make sense of the vast expanses of contemporary cultural theory and criticism. Well-written and admirably self-reflective, it combines rigorous explications and applications of many of the most influential concepts and theorists."- Lawrence Grossberg, University of North Carolina"Accessible and insightful throughout; offering help to both experienced and inexperienced students of cultural theory. Highly recommended."- John Storey, University of Sunderland Doing Cultural Theory teaches more than just the basics of cultural theory. It unpacks its complexities with real-life examples, and shows readers how to link theory and practice. This book:Offers accessible introductions to how cultural studies has engaged with key theories in structuralism, poststructuralism and postmodernismTeaches straightforward ways of practising these theories so students learn to think for themselvesUses 'practice' boxes to show students how to apply cultural theory in the real worldGuides students through the literature with carefully selected further reading recommendation.

Other textbooks only show how others have analyzed and interpreted the world. Doing Cultural Theory takes it a step further and teaches students step-by-step how to do cultural theory for themselves.

Current preoccupations with the 'rise of Asia' attest to the nascent contestation of the very idea of what the pattern of international politics should look like and how it should be practiced. In this respect, the growing reference to a 'shift to the East' in global politics has become a popular shorthand for the nascent 'power transition' in world affairs. This volume offers a detailed conceptual and empirical investigation of the dynamics of power transition in Asia and details the accommodation strategies and coping mechanisms of different small and middle powers in Asia and, importantly, China's responses to these approaches.

The term "middle power" is conceptually fragile. Some scholars have even argued for abandoning it. This book argues that the concept needs to be analysed more profoundly and that new analytical tools need to be developed to better understand the phenomenon. The traditional approach, based on Western states, is insufficient and has become increasingly irrelevant in a transformed global environment. Instead of drawing from a single theory of international relations, the contributors have chosen to build upon a wide range of theories in a deliberate demonstration of analytic eclecticism. A pluralistic approach provides stronger explanations while remaining analytically and intellectually rigorous. Many of the theory contributions are reconsidering how the largely "Western" bases of such theorising need revising in light of the "emerging middle powers", many of which are in Asia.Presenting a strong argument for studying middle powers, this book explores both the theory and empirical applications of the concept by rethinking the definition and characteristics of middle powers using a range of case studies. It examines changes in the study of middle powers over the last decade, proposing to look at the concept of middle powers in a coherent and inclusive manner. Finally, it aims to further the discussion on the evolution of the international system and provides sound conclusions about the theoretical usefulness and empirical evolution of middle powers today.

New Approaches to Human Security in the Asia-Pacific offers a distinctly Asia-Pacific-oriented perspective to one of the most discussed components of international security policy, human security. This volume of regional experts assess countries that have either spearheaded this form of security politics (Japan and Australia) or have recently advanced to become a key player on various aspects of human security in both a domestic and global context (China). The authors provide an interesting investigation into the continued relevance and promise of the human security paradigm against more 'traditional' security approaches. Accordingly the book will appeal to readers across a wide band of the social sciences (international relations, security studies, development studies and public policy) and to practitioners and analysts working in applied settings.

"An outstanding entry level text aimed at those with little or no cultural studies knowledge... Innovative, creative and clever." - Times Higher Education  "The ideal textbook for FE and first year HE cultural studies students. Its quality and character allow the reader to ‘feel’ the enthusiasm of its author which in turn becomes infectious, instilling in the reader a genuine sense of ebullient perturbation." - Art/Design/Media, The Higher Education Authority An introduction to the practice of cultural studies, this book is ideal for undergraduate courses. Full of practical exercises that will get students thinking and writing about the issues they encounter, this book offers its readers the conceptual tools to practice cultural analysis for themselves. There are heuristics to help students prepare and write projects, and the book provides plenty of examples to help students develop their own ideas.   Written in a creative, playful and witty style, this book: 

Links key concepts to the key theorists of cultural studies. Includes a wide range of references of popular cultural forms. Emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of cultural studies. Includes pedagogical features, such as dialogues, graphs, images and recommended readings. The book's skills-based approach enables students to develop their creative skills, and shows students how to improve their powers of analysis generally.

"An outstanding entry level text aimed at those with little or no cultural studies knowledge... Innovative, creative and clever." - Times Higher Education  "The ideal textbook for FE and first year HE cultural studies students. Its quality and character allow the reader to ‘feel’ the enthusiasm of its author which in turn becomes infectious, instilling in the reader a genuine sense of ebullient perturbation." - Art/Design/Media, The Higher Education Authority An introduction to the practice of cultural studies, this book is ideal for undergraduate courses. Full of practical exercises that will get students thinking and writing about the issues they encounter, this book offers its readers the conceptual tools to practice cultural analysis for themselves. There are heuristics to help students prepare and write projects, and the book provides plenty of examples to help students develop their own ideas.   Written in a creative, playful and witty style, this book: 

Links key concepts to the key theorists of cultural studies. Includes a wide range of references of popular cultural forms. Emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of cultural studies. Includes pedagogical features, such as dialogues, graphs, images and recommended readings. The book's skills-based approach enables students to develop their creative skills, and shows students how to improve their powers of analysis generally.

Current preoccupations with the 'rise of Asia' attest to the nascent contestation of the very idea of what the pattern of international politics should look like and how it should be practiced. In this respect, the growing reference to a 'shift to the East' in global politics has become a popular shorthand for the nascent 'power transition' in world affairs. This volume offers a detailed conceptual and empirical investigation of the dynamics of power transition in Asia and details the accommodation strategies and coping mechanisms of different small and middle powers in Asia and, importantly, China's responses to these approaches.

Culture, Space and Power: Blurred Lines collects essays that study contemporary mutations of public and private space in multiple cultural contexts and media from a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. The essays range from the general to the specific: the first section will explore how recent trends in globalization, nationalism, city design, and ruralist revival yield particular spatial morphologies. The second part of the volume investigates spaces of privacy and togetherness, including traditional settings for intimacy, such as the home, and enclosure, such as the prison, or the virtual locations created through digital media (cellphones, tablets and computers). At the same time, despite the two-part division into public and private, the volume stresses their connection and interdependency: the extent, that is, to which broader spatial configurations affect private, day-to-day practices and locations.

In this book, David Walton explores European comic-book biker publications as a subgenre of popular culture. Using a multidisciplinary approach, he reveals an intricate amalgam of ingenuity, irony, and highly ambiguous humor. The creative resourcefulness of the comic-book biker authors is seen to dramatize and celebrate the material existence of motorcycles and lifestyles while laughing at the foibles, inconsistencies, manias, fantasies, and practices of those characterised as motorized flâneurs. At the core of Walton’s analysis is the exploration of identity formation, marked by tensions between individualism and collective affinities, undermined by egoism and competitiveness.At the same time, Walton argues that the storylines (despite much comic invention, caricature, and exaggeration) create resonances which hold up a distorted but highly revealing mirror to the multiple subgroups of people who ride motorcycles for pleasure. The author also demonstrates how the implied biker-readers of this subgenre confront comic representations of themselves which repeatedly undermine any positive self-image they may possess. Yet the comics are also seen to offer valuable insights into much broader cultural concerns ranging from subculture, consumption habits, (in)authenticity, taste, freedom, risk, and delinquency – without forgetting other key aspects of cultural studies like class, race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and ecocriticism.

Chronic pain affects huge numbers of people - the WHO estimates that 37-41% of people across developed and developing countries suffer, and the figure rises in countries like the UK where the population is ageing. From arthritis to migraine, back pain to diabetes, chronic pain is a huge problem for individuals, their families and carers, health providers and employers.David Walton, a clinical and cognitive psychologist who experiences chronic pain himself, guides readers through an understanding of the nature of pain; how the body and mind react to it; how to minimise pain; and how to choose the right therapies, medication and relief strategies. Modern research is presented in an engaging and positive way, alongside self-assessment questionnaires, case studies and practical do's and don'ts.Through an understanding of pain mechanisms and relief strategies, readers will be enabled to manage their symptoms better and regain some control over their daily lives.

Wilde Between the Sheets: Oscar Wilde, Mail Bondage and De Profundis argues that Oscar Wilde’s narrative strategies reveal a quick-witted, ingenious fighter—an active agent who tested boundaries and recognized the dangers of doing so, adopting essentialist or anti-essentialist strategies according to whatever shifting purpose he is writing with. David Walton challenges the one-dimensional view of Wilde as a tragic victim defeated by the penal system, arguing that Wilde constructed a self by weaving complex networks of time and paradoxical notions of space, along with a network of literary references and other intertexts. Walton goes on to claim that Wilde fashions a self while simultaneously being shaped by those he fashions, creating a critical dialogue which shows that, by constructing Wilde through interpretive acts, he has already been partially fashioned by Wilde himself.

This collective volume explores questions of space in contemporary literary texts from a range of theoretical perspectives. In addition to mapping the «spatial turn» in literary and cultural studies, this volume also brings together studies that apply spatial theory to the analysis of literary texts. Contributors tackle a broad range of themes, including how prose fiction addresses spaces of intimacy, abjection, espionage, discipline, madness, post-human identities, post-communist cities, the architecture of dystopia, and coercive medical practices. In turn, these themes open up analysis to key areas within contemporary literary and cultural criticism, including the study of sexuality, politics, power, and identity; the configuration of urban, regional, and national spaces and borders; and the delineation of private and public domains. The contributors reflect on diverse authors from English-speaking cultures and focus on a variety of genres and periods while acknowledging recent research in space studies and offering original contributions to what has now become a thriving field.