Social Science for Social Justice – serie

"An electrifying archive of queer cultural productions... These radical and minor transnational artistic practices by East and Southeast Asian queer diasporic cultural producers emerge in new light through Bao’s brilliant theoretical insights." - Alvin K. Wong, author of Unruly Comparison: Queerness, Hong Kong, and the Sinophone

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified global geopolitical tensions, bringing Sinophobia and anti-Asian racism into sharp focus. At the same time, a growing Asian diasporic consciousness is emerging worldwide, celebrating Asian identity and cultural heritage. Yet, in the space between anti-Asian racism and the rise of Asian advocacy, the voices of queer people have often been largely missing.

This book addresses that gap. Exploring a range of contemporary case studies from art, fashion, performance, film, and political activism, Bao offers a powerful intersectional cultural politics—anti-nationalist, anti-racist, decolonial, feminist, and queer—that challenges dominant narratives and amplifies marginalized voices.The Social Science for Social Justice series challenges the Ivory Tower of academia, providing a platform for academics, journalists, and activists of color to respond to pressing social issues.  

"This is an inconvenient book, to use Berlant’s term, bursting with generous readings of cultural and sociological criticism. Just what we need." - Yasmin Gunaratnam, Professor of Social Justice, Kings College London"An essential reading for all in Higher Education. The first in recent times to really present the state of UK HE from a truly liberatory perspective." - Melanie-Marie Haywood, Director of Education Development Service, Birmingham City University

Universities are regarded as safe havens for knowledge production and the educational transformation of lives. There is, however, a long history of universities as sites of contestation where structures of hierarchical legitimacy are played out.

In response to the upsurge in global protests against racial violence and the criticism of colonial, racialised and Eurocentric forms of thinking, universities have adopted new roles as ‘anti-racist’ and ‘decolonial’ beacons of hope. This book unravels how such liberal progressive ‘acts’ hide a much deeper racialised logic of whiteness-framed structural narcissism, producing insidiously powerful and difficult to trace forms of racialised harm.The Social Science for Social Justice series challenges the Ivory Tower of academia, providing a platform for academics, journalists, and activists of color to respond to pressing social issues.  

"This is an inconvenient book, to use Berlant’s term, bursting with generous readings of cultural and sociological criticism. Just what we need." - Yasmin Gunaratnam, Professor of Social Justice, Kings College London"An essential reading for all in Higher Education. The first in recent times to really present the state of UK HE from a truly liberatory perspective." - Melanie-Marie Haywood, Director of Education Development Service, Birmingham City University

Universities are regarded as safe havens for knowledge production and the educational transformation of lives. There is, however, a long history of universities as sites of contestation where structures of hierarchical legitimacy are played out.

In response to the upsurge in global protests against racial violence and the criticism of colonial, racialised and Eurocentric forms of thinking, universities have adopted new roles as ‘anti-racist’ and ‘decolonial’ beacons of hope. This book unravels how such liberal progressive ‘acts’ hide a much deeper racialised logic of whiteness-framed structural narcissism, producing insidiously powerful and difficult to trace forms of racialised harm.The Social Science for Social Justice series challenges the Ivory Tower of academia, providing a platform for academics, journalists, and activists of color to respond to pressing social issues.  

Discover the hidden legacy of eugenics and its enduring influence on modern policies and global society.

Beginning with the origins of eugenics, Sánchez-Rivera traces the spread of eugenic ideas across different nations, revealing how they intersect with nationalism, populism and individual reproductive rights. Through a comprehensive exploration, this book uncovers how these intertwined legacies still shape our world today offering fresh insights into the subtle forces that define contemporary social and political landscapes, and have lasting impacts on reproductive control, racialization, colonialism, gender norms, and more.The Social Science for Social Justice series challenges the Ivory Tower of academia, providing a platform for academics, journalists, and activists of color to respond to pressing social issues.  

Discover the hidden legacy of eugenics and its enduring influence on modern policies and global society.

Beginning with the origins of eugenics, Sánchez-Rivera traces the spread of eugenic ideas across different nations, revealing how they intersect with nationalism, populism and individual reproductive rights. Through a comprehensive exploration, this book uncovers how these intertwined legacies still shape our world today offering fresh insights into the subtle forces that define contemporary social and political landscapes, and have lasting impacts on reproductive control, racialization, colonialism, gender norms, and more.The Social Science for Social Justice series challenges the Ivory Tower of academia, providing a platform for academics, journalists, and activists of color to respond to pressing social issues.  

Cultural appropriation is one of the most contested issues of our time – but what does it actually feel like to have your culture taken, repackaged, and sold back to you? In this book, Rina Arya moves beyond familiar debates to place the lived experiences of minoritised communities at the centre of the discussion. Drawing on postcolonial theory, lived religion, cultural studies, and her experiences as a British South Asian, she examines how cultural forms are commodified, transformed, and returned to their communities with renewed authority. Arya argues that the deepest harms of cultural appropriation are not only economic or representational but also psychological, reshaping how people understand their culture and identity. Combining rigorous scholarship with personal testimony, this book challenges readers to rethink who has the authority to define culture - and what is lost when that authority shifts away from the communities from which culture originates.

Cultural appropriation is one of the most contested issues of our time – but what does it actually feel like to have your culture taken, repackaged, and sold back to you? In this book, Rina Arya moves beyond familiar debates to place the lived experiences of minoritised communities at the centre of the discussion. Drawing on postcolonial theory, lived religion, cultural studies, and her experiences as a British South Asian, she examines how cultural forms are commodified, transformed, and returned to their communities with renewed authority. Arya argues that the deepest harms of cultural appropriation are not only economic or representational but also psychological, reshaping how people understand their culture and identity. Combining rigorous scholarship with personal testimony, this book challenges readers to rethink who has the authority to define culture - and what is lost when that authority shifts away from the communities from which culture originates.

Mental health is positioned as the cure-all for society’s discontents, from pandemics to terrorism. But psychology and psychiatry are not apolitical, and neither are Muslims. This book unpacks where the politics of the psy-disciplines and the politics of Muslims overlaps, demonstrating how psychological theories and practices serve State interests and perpetuate inequality—especially racism and Islamophobia. Viewing the psy-disciplines from the margins, this book illustrates how these necessarily serve the State in the production of loyal, low-risk and productive citizens, offering a modern discussion of three paradigms underlying the psy-disciplines: neoliberalism, security and the politics of mental health.

Tarek Younis is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Middlesex University. 

Consuming Crisis is a crucial account of how consumer culture capitalized on Coronavirus (COVID-19). Sobande explores how brands claim to care while they encourage people to ‘keep calm and consume’. This critical analysis of the power and politics of marketing examines an eclectic mix of campaigns, content, and experiences. Such work outlines the societal significance of fast-fashion adverts, banana bread’s pandemic ‘moment’, university social media strategies, and how digital technology mediates memories and work. Based on the belief that brands cannot be activists, Sobande creatively considers how brands construct care, camaraderie, culture, and so-called ‘normal’ life during times of crisis.

Francesca Sobande is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Media Studies at Cardiff University