Following a century dominated by global conflict—and despite the unchanging nature of the human suffering it causes—the nature of war itself, argues Colin McInnes, has been transformed for the West. Spectator-Sport War considers the key developments that have led to this metamorphosis, ranging from new geopolitical relationships to new technological advances. McInnes shows that,    More >

This fascinating case study focuses on shamanism and the healing practices of the Taman, a formerly tribal society indigenous to the interior of Borneo. The Taman typically associate illness with an encounter with spirits that both seduce and torment a person in dreams or waking life. Rather than use medicines to counter the effect of these discomforting visitors, the shamans—called    More >

In contrast with traditional scholarship, which has seen a more or less uniform middle-class response to the political and economic crises of the age of fascism, this comparative study of the politics and ideology of the urban lower middle classes in Europe from 1918 to 1939 stresses the diversity and splintering of middle class constituencies under the pressures of the interwar period. Looking    More >

Initiated in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, have the reforms of the US intelligence enterprise served their purpose? What have been the results of the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and a reorganized FBI? Have they helped to reduce blind spots and redundancies in resources and responsibilities ... and to    More >

What makes a national community out of a state? Addressing this fundamental question, Rajagopalan studies national integration from the perspective of three South Asian communities—Tamilians in India, Sindhis in Pakistan, and Tamils in Sri Lanka—that have a history of secessionism in common, but with vastly different outcomes. Rajagopalan investigates why integration is relatively    More >

As China's reforms take root, the differences between the traditional value of harmony and the socialist norm of class struggle are becoming increasingly obscured. Chinese citizens are, in fact, theoretically allowed—even encouraged—to be socialist and profit-driven at the same time. Chih-yu Shih looks at this precarious dyad, demonstrating what reform has done to the    More >

Now Available in Paperback! Although it typically is taken for granted that African economies perform poorly, it is less well known that there are a small but significant number of success stories on the continent. What accounts for Africa's average stagnation, and for the wide regional variations in developmental fortunes? Englebert argues with compelling statistics and the liberal use of    More >

Shortly after the Sandinista victory of July 1979, the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua gained enormous international notoriety because of violent conflicts between the new government and the people of the Coast region. Today, asserts Carlos Vilas, it may be the region of Nicaragua in which the peace process has advanced furthest. Exploring the origins of Nicaragua's internal conflicts, Vilas    More >

This seminal volume explores the most important dimensions of state formation and erosion, social conflict, and the gains and setbacks in democratization in contemporary Africa. The results of nearly a decade of research, reflection, and collegial interaction, the collection delineates the dominant patterns of political restructuring since the upheavals of the early 1990s.      More >

This exciting new book is about the narrative turn in sociology, an approach that views lived experience as constructed, at least in part, by the stories that people tell about it. The book is organized around four themes—family and place, the body, education and work, and the passage of time—that tell a story about the life course and touch on a wide range of enduring sociological    More >