By Lesley Gill.

Popular Struggle, Counterinsurgency, and Human Rights in Colombia. In A Century of Violence in a Red City Lesley Gill provides insights into broad trends of global capitalist development, class disenfranchisement and dispossession, and the decline of progressive politics. Gill traces the rise and fall of the strong labor unions, neighborhood organizations, and working class of Barrancabermeja, Colombia, from their origins in the 1920s to their effective activism for agrarian reforms, labor rights, and social programs in the 1960s and 1970s. Like much of Colombia, Barrancabermeja came to be dominated by alliances of right-wing politicians, drug traffickers, foreign corporations, and paramilitary groups. These alliances reshaped the geography of power and gave rise to a pernicious form of armed neoliberalism. Their violent incursion into Barrancabermeja's civil society beginning in the 1980s decimated the city's social networks, destabilized life for its residents, and destroyed its working-class organizations. As a result, community leaders are now left clinging to the toothless discourse of human rights, which cannot effectively challenge the status quo. In this stark book, Gill captures the grim reality and precarious future of Barrancabermeja and other places ravaged by neoliberalism and violence.

Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2016. 302p.

By Steve Ratuva.

Reconceptualising Security in the Pacific. Contested Terrain provides a cutting-edge, comprehensive and innovative approach to critically analysing the multidimensional and contested nature of security narratives, justified by different ideological, political, cultural and economic rationales. This is important in a complex and ever-changing situation involving a dynamic interplay between local, regional and global factors. Security narratives are constructed in multiple ways and are used to frame our responses to the challenges and threats to our sense of safety, wellbeing, identity and survival but how the narratives are constructed is a matter of intellectual and political contestation. Using three case studies from the Pacific (Fiji, Tonga and Solomon Islands), Contested Terrain shows the different security challenges facing each country, which result from their unique historical, political and socio-cultural circumstances. Contrary to the view that the Pacific is a generic entity with common security issues, this book argues for more localised and nuanced approaches to security framing and analysis.

Canberra: National Australian University Press, 2019. 304p.

By Marianne Inéz Lien, Jørgen Lorentzen

. This book is based on a three-part study of violence against men in intimate relationships in Norway. Funded by the Det norske Barne-, ungdoms- og familiedirektoratet, Bufdir (Norway’s Children Youth and Family Directorate), the study was conducted by researchers Marianne Inéz Lien (University of Oslo) and Jørgen Lorentzen (The Hedda Foundation and Claes Ekenstam, Borås University), in collaboration with Proba Research. The study includes a literature review of Nordic prevalence studies of violence against men over the age of 18; a survey of public awareness of the prevalence of violence against men and the help available; and a qualitative interview study of men who have experienced various forms of violence in close relationships. The interviewees were all current or former users of the Norwegian family protection office, crisis centres and centres for incest and sexual abuse.

Cham, SWIT: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019. 174p.

By Patrick W. Galbraith.

Lines and Life in a Tokyo Neighborhood. Based on ongoing fieldwork in the Akihabara neighborhood of Tokyo, specifically a targeted subproject from 2014 to 2015, this book explores how and to what effect lines are drawn by producers, players and critics of bishōjo games. Focusing on interactions with manga/anime-style characters, these adult computer games often feature explicit sex acts. Noting that the bishōjo, or “cute girl characters,” in these games can appear quite young, legal actions have been taken in a number of countries to categorize and prohibit the content as child abuse material. In response to the risk of manga/anime images encouraging underage sexualization, lawmakers are moved to regulate them in the same way as photographs or film; triggered by images, the line between fiction and reality is erased, or redrawn to collapse forms together. While Japanese politicians continue to debate a similar course, sustained engagement with bishōjo game producers, players and critics sheds light on alternative movement. Manga/anime-style characters trigger an affective response in interactions with their creators and users, who draw and negotiate lines between fiction and reality. Interacting with characters and one another, bishōjo gamers draw lines between what is fictional and what is “real,” even as the characters are real in their own right and relations with them are extended beyond games; some even see the characters as significant others and refer to them using intimate terms of commitment such as “my wife.” This book argues for understanding the everyday practice of insisting on lines, or drawing a line between humans and nonhumans and orienting oneself toward the drawn lines of the latter, as demonstrating an emergent form of ethics. Occurring individually and socially in both private and public spaces, the response to fictional characters not only discourages harming human beings, but also supports life in more-than-human worlds. For many in contemporary Japan and beyond, interactions and relations with fictional and real others are nothing short of lifelines.

Stockholm, SWE: Stockholm University Press, 2021. 358p.

By Sana Ashraf.

In "Finding The Enemy Within," author delves into the complexities of human nature, exploring the internal struggles that shape our actions and decisions. This captivating book takes readers on a reflective journey to uncover the hidden adversaries that dwell within us all. Through thought-provoking anecdotes and insightful analysis, the author challenges us to confront our inner demons, confront our fears, and ultimately find peace within ourselves. A must-read for those seeking to understand the intricacies of the human psyche and embrace the transformative power of self-discovery.

ANU Press (2021) 270 p.

Edited by Daniel Trottier, Rashid Gabdulhakov, and Qian Husang.

"This ground-breaking collection of essays examines the scope and consequences of digital vigilantism – a phenomenon emerging on a global scale, which sees digital audiences using social platforms to shape social and political life. Longstanding forms of moral scrutiny and justice seeking are disseminated through our contemporary media landscape, and researchers are increasingly recognising the significance of societal impacts effected by digital media. The authors engage with a range of cross-disciplinary perspectives in order to explore the actions of a vigilant digital audience – denunciation, shaming, doxing – and to consider the role of the press and other public figures in supporting or contesting these activities.”

Open Book Publishers, 2020. 362p.

By Anke Stallwitz.

A Case Study from the Shetland Islands. “The objective of the empirical study presented in this book was to investigate the location-specific aspects impacting on the features and social structure of the heroin scene in Shetland as perceived by local heroin users. Furthermore, participants’ representations concerning the characteristics of various types of heroin users and user groups as embedded in the overall structure of the subculture were examined.”

Springer (2012) 388p.

By Sabrina Marchetti, Daniela Cherubini and Giulia Garofalo Geymonat.

Intersectional Inequalities and Struggles for Rights. “Domestic workers tend to universally epitomize the figure of the low-skilled, low-valued, precarious, hidden and unorganized labourer. Overwhelmingly women, migrant and working class, they are also commonly low-caste, Black and indigenous. Belonging to society’s most marginalized groups, they are largely excluded from labour protection laws and are significantly impacted by the social shifts brought about by globalization.”

Policy Press (2021) 180p.

Edited by Lorenzo Bosi and Gianluca De Fazio.

How does nonviolent mobilisation emerge and persist in deeply divided societies? What are the trajectories of participation in violent groups in these societies? What is the relationship between overt mobilisation, clandestine operations and protests among political prisoners? What is the role of media coverage and identity politics? Can there be non-sectarian collective mobilisation in deeply divided societies? The answers to these questions do not merely try to explain contentious politics in Northern Ireland; instead, they inform future research on social movements beyond this case. Specifically, we argue that an actor-based approach and the contextualisation of contentious politics provide a dynamic theoretical framework to better understand the Troubles and the development of conflicts in deeply divided societies.

Amsterdam University Press (2017) 245 pages.

By Donatella della Porta (Editor), Kivanc Atak (Contributor), Mariana S. Mendes (Contributor), Juan Masullo (Contributor), & 4 more.

Riding the Protest Wave in the Neoliberal Crisis. Recent years have seen a new development in the growth and spread of popular protest: protests that began as local, homogeneous events-such as Occupy Wall Street or the protests of the Arab Spring-quickly left their original locations and local specificity behind and became global. This book looks at the development of this wave of protests, with an eye on protests against austerity and neoliberal economic policies, and offers a global view, covering events in Turkey, Brazil, Venezuela, South Africa, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and other locations. (Protest and Social Movements)

Amsterdam University Press (2017) 265 pages.

By Stacy Banwell.

More Dangerous to be a Woman? Considering examples of old and new wars ranging from the Holocaust, the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh; and the armed conflicts in the DRC, Iraq, Syria and Darfur, this book uncovers sexualised, genocidal and reproductive violence against both genders. Crucially, the author showcases examples of male victimisation, and thus redresses gaps within the literature. In particular, as part of an original gendered analysis of the war on terror, Banwell unpacks women’s involvement in sexual violence against male prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

Emerald Studies in Criminology, Feminism and Social Change (2020). 221 pages.

By Adele Chynoweth orcid

A History of Children in a Queensland Mental Asylum. Series: Aboriginal History Monographs. Goodna Girls tells the story of children incarcerated in Wolston Park Hospital, an adult psychiatric facility in Queensland, Australia. It contains the personal testimonies of women who relate—in their own no-holds-barred style and often with irreverent humour—how they, as children, ended up in Wolston Park and how this affected their adult lives. The accounts of hospital staff who witnessed the effects of this heinous policy and spoke out are also included.

Canberra. ANU Press (2020).

By Caitlin Howlett.

Pedagogy, Sex Work, and State Violence. Why do we have sex education? For whom does it exist, and who is it against? This book explores these questions, ultimately calling into question the very existence of sex education itself. The analysis is centred on the marginalised lives of sex workers. This focus allows us to see sex education and sex work in a new light and provides insights into the implications of sex education in public schools and teacher education. By considering the relationship between sex education and sex work, Caitlin Howlett reveals the way in which sex education exists as a form of state violence, and continues to maintain close ties to sexism, racism, colonialism, and capitalism. Drawing on Foucauldian genealogy, feminist history, epistemology, post-humanism, and queer of color critique, Howlett calls for an end to sex education as a federally funded project and argues for new pedagogical approaches to educating about sex, gender, and sexuality in schools.

Bloomsbury Academic (2021) 185 pages.

By William James..

In "Talks to Teachers," published in 1899, psychologist William James shares insights on the art of teaching drawn from his lectures at Harvard University. James explores the complexities of education, emphasizing the importance of engaging students' minds and emotions to foster meaningful learning experiences. With a blend of practical advice and philosophical reflections, this book continues to inspire educators to reflect on their teaching practices and cultivate a more holistic approach to education.

Cambridge. Harvard. (1899) 301 pages.

By S. Giora Shoham.

This is a ground breaking work by world renowned philosopher, psychologist and criminologist Shlomo Shoham that establishes the basic principles of his integrative theory of personality and deviance, combining the fields of psychology, religion, anthropology, sociology and criminology to provide unique insights into not only the dynamics of deviant behavior, but of the human psyche as well. His tools of analysis are a deep understanding of world religions applied through a lens of his own neo-psychoanalytical framework. Every page contains a new, uncanny insight into the vicissitudes of human behavior and the deviance of which humans are most capable. The book may be fifteen years old, but it is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

NY. Harrow and Heston Publishers. . 2016. 224 pages.

By Bruce A. Arrigo.

The classic real-life application of semiotics to the study of the plight of the mentally ill, victims of an impossibly convoluted legal system that gobbled them up and spat them out either as criminals or as those who must be committed to an institution no matter what. Mad or bad? You decide. One hesitates to say it, but not much has changed since this enlightening book was written some four decades ago.

NY. Harrow and Heston Publishers. 2019. 176p.

By Louise Roberts.

Outcomes, Experiences and Ensuring Meaningful Support to Young Parents In and Leaving Care, “…the organisation was concerned that care-experienced parents-to-be shared some additional difficulties and experiences. These included the potential for social work intervention, experiences of stigma and discrimination, as well as reduced access to resources and support. While the organisation was keen to acknowledge and champion the successes of parents who overcame multiple adversities and maintained the care of their children, they were nevertheless deeply concerned about the numbers subject to routine assessment, monitoring and intervention, including permanent and compulsory separation.”

Policy Press (2021) 173p.

By Graeme Newman.

This book represents the first systematic attempt to survey public perceptions of deviant behavior cross-culturally: in India. Indonesia. Iran Italy. Yugoslavia and the United States. While it was discovered that there was extensive diversity} in both law and perception concerning such deviances of taking drugs, homosexuality and abortion. yet evidence was found for a basically invariant structure in perception of deviance across all cultures. Within the countries that were studied, it was the strength of religious belief and urban rural background that accounted for major differences in the perception of deviance— when differences were identified. These findings challenge many of the assumptions of conflict theory in sociology, of cultural relativism in anthropology and of ethical relativism in moral philosophy. These, and other issues that are discussed will interest social scientists in many fields, especially anthropologists, sociologists of law, conflict theorists, criminologists, attitude theorists, moral philosophers, opinion pollsters, and labelling theorists.

NY. Elsevier. 1976. 320p.

By Georges Sorel.

Georges Sorel's Reflections on Violence (1908) remains a controversial text to this day. It unashamedly advocates the use of violence as a means of putting an end to the corrupt politics of bourgeois democracy and of bringing down capitalism. It is both dangerous and fascinating, of enduring importance and interest to all those concerned about the nature of modern politics.

New York: B.W. Huebsch. 1914. 322p.

Edited by By Ruth Wodak, Majid KhosraviNik and Brigitte Mral. Politics and Discourse.

Right-wing populist movements and related political parties are gaining ground in many EU member states. This unique, interdisciplinary book provides an overall picture of the dynamics and development of these parties across Europe and beyond. Combining theory with in-depth case studies, it offers a comparative analysis of the policies and rhetoric of existing and emerging parties including the British BNP, the Hungarian Jobbik and the Danish Folkeparti. The case studies qualitatively and quantitatively analyse right-wing populist groups in the following countries: Austria, Germany, Britain, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, Ukraine, Estonia, and Latvia, with one essay exclusively focused on the US. This timely and socially relevant collection is essential reading for scholars, students and practitioners wanting to understand the recent rise of populist right wing parties at local, countrywide and regional levels.

Bloomsbury Academic (2013) 349p.