Niki J.P. Alsford – författare

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary South Korea offers a ground-breaking study of the socio-political development of the Korean peninsula in the contemporary period.

Written by an international team of scholars and experts, contributions to this book address key intellectual questions in the development of Korean studies, projecting new ways of thinking about how international systems can be organised and how local societies adapt to global challenges. Academically rigorous, each chapter defines current research and lends the reader greater understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and political developments of South Korea, ranging from chapters on the Korean Wave to relations with North Korea and the Korean language overseas.

The volume is divided into eight sections, each representing a focused area of inquiry:

This handbook provides an interdisciplinary and comprehensive account of contemporary South Korea. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of Korean history, politics and international relations, culture and society, and will also appeal to policy makers interested in the Indo-Asia Pacific region.

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary South Korea offers a ground-breaking study of the socio-political development of the Korean peninsula in the contemporary period.

Written by an international team of scholars and experts, contributions to this book address key intellectual questions in the development of Korean studies, projecting new ways of thinking about how international systems can be organised and how local societies adapt to global challenges. Academically rigorous, each chapter defines current research and lends the reader greater understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and political developments of South Korea, ranging from chapters on the Korean Wave to relations with North Korea and the Korean language overseas.

The volume is divided into eight sections, each representing a focused area of inquiry:

This handbook provides an interdisciplinary and comprehensive account of contemporary South Korea. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of Korean history, politics and international relations, culture and society, and will also appeal to policy makers interested in the Indo-Asia Pacific region.

Problem Society is an essential introduction to the many facets of divided societies. It examines the complexities of how and why ancient grievances and new conflicts coexist with unprecedented connectivity and develops students’ understanding of the daily lived experience of people in cultural, economic, and political landscapes affected by global shifts.

Structured around critical problems facing global societies in transition, it equips students with analytical tools to interpret the complex world around them. It provides a multidisciplinary exploration of the historical contexts of nation-state building and the politics of divided nations and illuminates the geopolitical upheavals of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Illustrated by diverse case studies and vignettes, it takes readers on a chapter-by-chapter journey through key topics including balancing interests and needs at different societal levels, from the global to local; shifts in the tension between individualism and collectivism; obstacles to problem-solving and decision-making; causes of, and ways of managing and resolving, conflict; the challenge of ensuring effective, accountable, and transparent governance; peacekeeping forms and the ethical and political dilemmas they entail; establishing and verifying truth in an era of misinformation; and balancing privacy and security amid widespread surveillance.

Borne from the authors’ extensive experience of teaching and collaborating with students to bridge theory, concepts, and issues with their real-world experience, pedagogical features include definitions of key concepts, activities, reflection questions, further reading, as well as carefully curated suggestions for films and docuseries, to deepen students’ understanding of contemporary international politics.

Problem Society is an engaging introduction to the intricate dynamics of a rapidly changing, interconnected world for students of sociology, politics, international relations, human geography, anthropology, area studies, and conflict resolution.

Problem Society is an essential introduction to the many facets of divided societies. It examines the complexities of how and why ancient grievances and new conflicts coexist with unprecedented connectivity and develops students’ understanding of the daily lived experience of people in cultural, economic, and political landscapes affected by global shifts.

Structured around critical problems facing global societies in transition, it equips students with analytical tools to interpret the complex world around them. It provides a multidisciplinary exploration of the historical contexts of nation-state building and the politics of divided nations and illuminates the geopolitical upheavals of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Illustrated by diverse case studies and vignettes, it takes readers on a chapter-by-chapter journey through key topics including balancing interests and needs at different societal levels, from the global to local; shifts in the tension between individualism and collectivism; obstacles to problem-solving and decision-making; causes of, and ways of managing and resolving, conflict; the challenge of ensuring effective, accountable, and transparent governance; peacekeeping forms and the ethical and political dilemmas they entail; establishing and verifying truth in an era of misinformation; and balancing privacy and security amid widespread surveillance.

Borne from the authors’ extensive experience of teaching and collaborating with students to bridge theory, concepts, and issues with their real-world experience, pedagogical features include definitions of key concepts, activities, reflection questions, further reading, as well as carefully curated suggestions for films and docuseries, to deepen students’ understanding of contemporary international politics.

Problem Society is an engaging introduction to the intricate dynamics of a rapidly changing, interconnected world for students of sociology, politics, international relations, human geography, anthropology, area studies, and conflict resolution.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of issues related to climate change in the Pacific and will be an invaluable reference for those working in this important field. Climate change represents humanity’s greatest threat. The vastness of the Pacific means that no two experiences are the same. This edited volume identifies research that highlights the local impact of climate change on the islands and coastlines of the Pacific. The authors use current research to document climate change via contextually informed studies that engages with local cultures, histories, knowledges, and communities.  The transdisciplinary nature and the combination of both academic and non-academic writing makes this book an accessible and important contribution to the field.