Studies in Critical Social Sciences – serie

Andy Blunden presents an immanent critique of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, the psychology originating from the great Russian psychologist, Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934). Tracing the roots of this theory from Goethe, Hegel and Marx, Andy Bluden draws out the principles with which Vygotsky developed a theory of the mind, in which he overcame and transcended the problems of mind-body dualism.

Recent changes in the global economy have brought about a massively devastating pillage of resources in the developing world by multinational corporations, as well as states with energy and food security concerns. These developments have also brought about a major change in the form taken by imperialism (actions taken by the state to advance the interests of the dominant capitalist class). Extractive Imperialism in the Americas explores the changing face of US imperialism in the regional context of the Americas, a major stage of this system in crisis.

Combining theoretical and empirical pieces, this book explores the emerging theoretical work seeking to describe hybrid identities while also illustrating the application of these theories in empirical research.The sociological perspective of this volume sets it apart. Hybrid identities continue to be predominant in minority or immigrant communities, but these are not the only sites of hybridity in the globalized world. Given a compressed world and a constrained state, identities for all individuals and collective selves are becoming more complex. The hybrid identity allows for the perpetuation of the local, in the context of the global. This book presents studies of types of hybrid identities: transnational, double consciousness, gender, diaspora, the third space, and the internal colony. ??Contributors include: Keri E. Iyall Smith, Patrick Gun Cuninghame, Judith R. Blau, Eric S. Brown, Fabienne Darling-Wolf, Salvador Vidal-Ortiz, Melissa F. Weiner, Bedelia Nicola Richards, Keith Nurse, Roderick Bush, Patricia Leavy, Trinidad Gonzales, Sharlene Hesse-Biber, Emily Brooke Barko, Tess Moeke-Maxwell, Helen Kim, Bedelia Nicola Richards, Helene K. Lee, Alex Frame, Paul Meredith, David L. Brunsma and Daniel J. Delgado.Keri E. Iyall Smith, Ph.D. (2003) in Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Suffolk University. She is the author of The State and Indigenous Movements and articles on hybridity, human rights, globalization, and indigenous peoples. Patricia Leavy, Ph.D. (2002) in Sociology, Boston College, is Associate Professor of Sociology at Stonehill College. She is the Founding Director of the Gender Studies Program at Stonehill College (2004-2008) and the President of the New England Sociological Association (2009). She is the author of Iconic Events: Media, Politics, and Power in Retelling History, Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice and coauthor and co-editor of several research methods books.

During World War II it appeared that American workers had all that was required to defend democracy on the battlefields, and yet on the domestic front the working class was ideologically inconsistent when it came to democracy. Could battles against tyranny be won abroad only to lose the war back home? This was the question the famous Frankfurt School' asked in 1944 when it studied of the American working class. Dialectic of Solidarity draws upon the school's unpublished research reports and represents a unique view of the political imagination of the American worker.'

This is a book about modern liberal society and its adversaries. It rediscovers and rehabilitates much maligned liberalism as the ideal system of. It rediscovers liberal modernity as a free, equal and just social system and time, exposing anti-liberal adversaries, especially conservatism, as ideologies and systems most inappropriate with and destructive of civilization. The book rediscovers liberal modernity as the master process and destination of Western civilization, and its adversaries as the ghosts of a dead past.

In the midst of the increasing antagonism between religion and secularity, the sacred and the profane, faith and reason - currently described in terms of the clash of civilizations' - is religion any longer relevant or meaningful in the globalizing development of modern subjectivity, inter-subjectivity, family, society, state and history? If so, how and to what end? This book gives expression to the research of international scholars as they wrestled with these issues during the Future of Religion courses held at the Inter-university Center in Dubrovnik, Croatia.'

While Karl Marx's ideas remain influential in the social sciences, there is considerable disagreement and debate on the methodological principles that inform his work. Marx often aligned himself with both "scientific" and "dialectical" principles, at least once referring to his method as a "scientific dialectic," suggesting he believed dialectical reason could be incorporated into scientific method. By debunking several misconceptions about Marx’s work and examining how he brought scientific methods to bear on his general sociological thinking, his materialist historical perspective, and within his political economy, this book brings new insight to the methodological principles that animate Marx’s writings. What emerges from such a perspective is an approach to sociological inquiry that remains vital and useful for contemporary research on capitalist society and its possible futures.Paul B. Paolucci, Ph.D. (2001) in Sociology from the University of Kentucky, is Associate Professor of Sociology at Eastern Kentucky University. He has published articles on dialectical methods, political economy, sociological theory, US foreign policy, humor, and race relations. Paolucci is also the winner of the Best Book Prize for 2009 by the Marxist Section of the American Sociological Association.

This collection explores the social and political dynamics of this important region in transition to a post-neoliberal era. It considers the intense regional crisis created by neoliberal policies, and also provides a sympathetic yet critical evaluation is offered on the diverse development strategies that have been pursued by four leftist governments in power, namely, Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela and Uruguay. Constraints facing the region are discussed and consideration is extended to some of the emerging social movements that seek to radically transform Latin America.

Marxism has tended to ignore religion assuming it is something that would eventually disappear even though it retained theological elements. This collection of essays brings together a group of scholars who use frameworks provided by Marx and Critical Theory in analyzing religion. Its goal is to establish a critical theory of religion within the sociology of religion as an alternative to rational choice.

What is missing in the mounting literature on globalization is a focused theoretical foundation with parallel empirical examinations of global structures and their environmental consequences. The articles in this volume examine how the world-economy and related non-economic forms of global structuring impact the natural environment and the living conditions of human populations living across the globe. Environmental dynamics in areas as diverse as Ancient Egypt and the Modern Amazon are presented for readers who are new to the world-systems approach and for others interested in recent efforts to link environmental outcomes and antecedents to global processes.About the AuthorAndrew K. Jorgenson is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Utah. His research on the environmental and human well being impacts of world economic and world society integration appear in numerous journals including Social Forces, Social Problems, and International Sociology. He is current co-editor of the Journal of World-Systems Research.Edward L. Kick is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. He has published articles on world-system structures and change in the modern era, as well as various papers that link world-system structure to national attributes such as economic development and the structure of organizations.

This volume brings together theoretical meditations and empirical studies of the intersection of culture, power and history in social life. New strategies for marketing and advertising to children, the production of gendered subjectivity in makeup factories and the normalization of cosmetic plastic surgery in contemporary America-these are some of the crossroads under investigation here, where cultural meanings and practices are set against historical landscapes of power.

This volume examines the emergence of the movement of resistance that has arisen to challenge neoliberal forms of globalization. The authors describe how workers, environmentalists, human rights activists and a wide variety of other groups have joined together to protest against institutions such as the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank. By providing a collection of social scientific analyses, this volume significantly advances our understanding of what is probably the most important progressive movement of our time.

Race and ethnicity, much like water and air, are all around us. Yet, race and ethnicity remain impervious to many. In this book, scholars were encouraged to contemplate, evaluate and analyze issues regarding race and ethnicity from radically different perspectives. This process required them to evaluate their own assumptions and those of their respective disciplines. The scholars attempt to free themselves from the disciplinarian blinders that often fresh insights. They go past the ideological constraints that limit discourse by disciplinarian boundaries or myopia.

As the economic crisis continues, social movements in the North and South have arisen to challenge the neoliberal policies that have immiserated generations. Here they are critically examined by leading scholars of social movements.

Examining the impact of Calvinism on modern society, The Destiny of Modern Societies extends the previous limits of Weberian analysis. By analyzing how Calvinism has determined most contemporary social institutions in America, it illustrates the Calvinist societal predestination' of American society as a whole.'

Within Social Change, Resistance and Social Practises, critical sociologists of various nationalities focus on cutting-edge approaches to conflict-driven social change. By emphasising the role played by contemporary social movements such as environmentalists, migrant organisations, world social forum activists, and others, these studies grapple with diverse forms of organised resistance in the 21st century.

This is written in honour of James Petras, the revolutionary and anti-imperialist activist and writer, in recognition of his intellectual achievements and political interventions - his steadfast principles, distinguished scholarship, extraordinary writing and uncompromising dedication to the popular struggles of millions across the world. This cutting-edge look at conflict-driven social change acts as a fitting tribute to an intellectual titan.

Scholarly attempts to explain the development of liberal individualism over the course of modern history have tended to focus on key principles and doctrines. Here, O'Flynn shows that that as capitalism continues to grow, the theories, doctrines and moral precepts comprising liberal individualism change and evolve, while its vital social function is preserved. Scrutinising the development of liberal individualism in terms of its social function, connecting related doctrine and principles to the opportunities and obstacles to capital accumulation over the course of history.

The main articles of Marian Malowist are collected together for the first time. Malowist, who is one of the major economic historians of the twentieth century, is also a much neglected one. So most scholars have been missing out on one of the most fertile and cultivated minds who have written on the central issue of our times.

Crisis, Politics and Critical Sociology draws upon the work of contemporary sociologists searching for the roots of our present social and economic problems. This peer-reviewed volume offers insights into our current reality by exploring the content and consequences of power relationships under capitalism and by considering the spaces of opposition and resistance to these changes that have defined our new age.

20th century European Fascism is conventionally described as a fierce assault on liberal politics, culture and economics. Departing from this analysis, The Appentice's Sorcerer highlights the long overlooked critical affinities between the liberal tradition and fascism. Far from being the antithesis of liberalism, fascism both in ideology and practice, was substantially, if dialectically, indebted to liberalism; particularly its economic variant.

Within Religion and the New Atheism, scholars from a diverse array of disciplines critically appraise the current intellectual fad championed by Richard Dawkins and his co-thinkers. The term new-atheism has been given to the barrage of bestselling books by Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and many others. This volume seeks to contextualise and critically examine the claims, goals and arguments of this new atheism in a rigorous manner.

Recent debates on imperialism have focused on the means by which Euro-American capital is spread around the globe. The Economic Partnership Agreements being foisted on the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries by the European Union, however, has been under the radar. European Bloc Imperialism plays a vital role in filling that void by bringing into focus the economic partnership agreement as a conduit of European imperialism. By respected Professor of Sociology Dennis C. Canterbury, this is a bold examination of the reality of modern international trade.

Weaving Transnational Solidarity from the Catskills to Chiapas and Beyond analyzes the grassroots, economic justice work of three groups-two Mexican organizations, Jolom Mayaetik, Mayan women's weaving cooperative, and K'inal Antzetik, NGO in the highlands of Chiapas, and an informal, international solidarity network. The book provides scholar-activist, ethnographic case study data which contributes to understanding collective organization, and indigenous rights.

This collection of works by Chilean experts explores the long-term effects of neoliberalism. It questions Chile's status as a successful and exemplery democratic country. Dealing first with the circumstances that facilitated the establishment of the neoliberal experiment in Chile, it then looks into the ultimate impact of 35 years of policies from an economic, social, environmental, politcal and human rights perspective.

Exploring how society may yet reconstruct a true system of international rights enforced by international laws and contemplates the limitations of international organisations to effectively address truly international problems. Through the lens of political ecology, Westra offers a call for action to protect the global environment and the people. Offering insights into our currently reality by exploring the content and consequences of power relationships under capitalism and by considering the spaces of opposition and resistance to these changes.

State capitalism is a normal form of capitalist development. Its extremes vary, but it has been and remains central to the understanding of modern capitalism. This is especially the case in the so called communist spheres of Russia and China and for alternative economies like those of India and the Philippines, which are the focus of this timely and challenging book.

Many scholars see science and politics as mutually exclusive, where the latter's influence contaminates the former's purity. Karl Marx's detractors often criticize him on these grounds. Paolucci shows that through his method of critique, Marx incorporates the relations of knowledge and power into abstractions and traces their historical movement. This corrective more readily lays bare capitalist society's exploitative nature.

The question of covert racism has been splashed across the headlines in recent times through incidents in football, with John Terry, Stan Collymore and Luis Suarez all involved; politics, with Dianne Abbott accused of racism; and the metropolitan police with two of Stephen Lawrence's killers put behind bars and allegations of `institutional racism' resurging. Covert Racism tackles our cultural norms and acceptances in a 'post-racial' society.