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Informers Up Close: Stories from Communist Prague
by Mark A. Drumbl Barbora Hol?Informers are generally reviled. After all, 'snitches get stitches.' Informers who report to repressive regimes are particularly disdained. While informers may themselves be victims enlisted by the state, their actions cause other individuals to suffer significant harm. Informers, then, are central to the proliferation of endemic human rights abuses. Yet, little is known about exactly why ordinary people end up informing on--at times betraying--other people to state authorities. Through a case-study of Communist Czechoslovakia (1945-1989) that draws from secret police archives, oral histories, and a broad gamut of secondary sources, this book unearths what fuels informers to speak to the secret police in repressive times and considers how transitional justice should approach informers once repression ends. This book unravels the complex drivers behind informing and the dynamics of societal reactions to informing. It explores the agency of both informers and secret police officers. By presenting informers up close, and the relationships between informers and secret police officers in high resolution, this book centres the role of emotions in informer motivations and underscores the value of dignity and reconciliation in transitional reconstruction. This book also leverages research from informing in repressive states to better understand informing in so-called liberal democratic states, which, after all, also rely on informers to maintain law and preserve order.
The Fundamentals of Reasons
by Mark Schroeder Nathan HowardThe concept of a reason is now central to many areas of contemporary philosophy. Key theses in ethics, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of action, and the philosophy of the emotions, among others, have come to be framed in terms of reasons. And yet, despite their centrality, theorists seem to take inconsistent things for granted about how reasons work, what kinds of things can be reasons, what reasons favor, and more. Somehow reasons have come to be both indispensable and impenetrable. The Fundamentals of Reasons offers a comprehensive introduction to the philosophy of reasons. Focusing on the twin roles of reasons in explanation and deliberation, the book not only emphasizes what has made reasons central across philosophy but it also explores why philosophers have such incompatible pictures about what reasons are and how they work. Working from the inside out, Howard and Schroeder identify contentious assumptions about not only the internal structure of reasons but also their relationship to other important concepts, and then show how these contentious assumptions shape the many downstream applications of reasons in ethics, epistemology, political philosophy, and beyond. This mildly opinionated exploration of key questions about the significance and nature of reasons helps the reader to navigate this important part of the philosophical landscape and to get clearer about why reasons seem important and what their import, ultimately, is.
Informers Up Close: Stories from Communist Prague
by Mark A. Drumbl Barbora Hol?Informers are generally reviled. After all, 'snitches get stitches.' Informers who report to repressive regimes are particularly disdained. While informers may themselves be victims enlisted by the state, their actions cause other individuals to suffer significant harm. Informers, then, are central to the proliferation of endemic human rights abuses. Yet, little is known about exactly why ordinary people end up informing on--at times betraying--other people to state authorities. Through a case-study of Communist Czechoslovakia (1945-1989) that draws from secret police archives, oral histories, and a broad gamut of secondary sources, this book unearths what fuels informers to speak to the secret police in repressive times and considers how transitional justice should approach informers once repression ends. This book unravels the complex drivers behind informing and the dynamics of societal reactions to informing. It explores the agency of both informers and secret police officers. By presenting informers up close, and the relationships between informers and secret police officers in high resolution, this book centres the role of emotions in informer motivations and underscores the value of dignity and reconciliation in transitional reconstruction. This book also leverages research from informing in repressive states to better understand informing in so-called liberal democratic states, which, after all, also rely on informers to maintain law and preserve order.
The Oxford Handbook of Applied Philosophy of Language (Oxford Handbooks)
This Handbook represents a collective exploration of the emerging field of applied philosophy of language. The volume covers a broad range of areas where philosophy engages with linguistic aspects of our social world, including such hot topics as dehumanizing speech, dogwhistles, taboo language, pornography, appropriation, implicit bias, speech acts, and the ethics of communication. An international line-up of contributors adopt a variety of approaches and methods in their investigation of these linguistic phenomena, drawing on linguistics and the human and social sciences as well as on different philosophical subdisciplines. The aim is to map out fruitful areas of research and to stimulate discussion with thought-provoking essays by leading and emerging philosophers.
Underground Violence: On the Nature of Terrorism
by Luis de la Calle Ignacio S??nchez-CuencaWhat makes terrorism a unique form of political violence is its underground nature. According to the conceptualization of the phenomenon offered in this book, terrorism is the kind of violence carried out when the perpetrators lack territorial control. There is a strong link between terrorism and secret, clandestine operations, making terrorists attacks ephemeral, as opposed to battles and assaults. The book offers a comprehensive conceptual analysis of terrorism, comparing it with competing theories and views on the subject, such as terrorism is killing civilians, or terrorism is a form of violence that relies on the distinction between direct and indirect targets. The conceptualization advanced here makes sense of some peculiar traits of terrorism, from international attacks (in which the underground constraint is most obvious), to lone-actor ones (in which a single individual commits a deed). It also delimits the possibility of state terrorism as covert operations by security forces, normally abroad. Approaching terrorism in terms of the underground not only makes sense of how we talk about terrorism, but it also generates testable consequences. Through a combination of statistical and comparative analyses, it is shown that the use of terrorism is driven by the degree of asymmetry between the contending parties.
The Oxford Handbook of Applied Philosophy of Language (Oxford Handbooks)
by Luvell Anderson and Ernie LeporeThis Handbook represents a collective exploration of the emerging field of applied philosophy of language. The volume covers a broad range of areas where philosophy engages with linguistic aspects of our social world, including such hot topics as dehumanizing speech, dogwhistles, taboo language, pornography, appropriation, implicit bias, speech acts, and the ethics of communication. An international line-up of contributors adopt a variety of approaches and methods in their investigation of these linguistic phenomena, drawing on linguistics and the human and social sciences as well as on different philosophical subdisciplines. The aim is to map out fruitful areas of research and to stimulate discussion with thought-provoking essays by leading and emerging philosophers.
Underground Violence: On the Nature of Terrorism
by Luis de la Calle Ignacio S??nchez-CuencaWhat makes terrorism a unique form of political violence is its underground nature. According to the conceptualization of the phenomenon offered in this book, terrorism is the kind of violence carried out when the perpetrators lack territorial control. There is a strong link between terrorism and secret, clandestine operations, making terrorists attacks ephemeral, as opposed to battles and assaults. The book offers a comprehensive conceptual analysis of terrorism, comparing it with competing theories and views on the subject, such as terrorism is killing civilians, or terrorism is a form of violence that relies on the distinction between direct and indirect targets. The conceptualization advanced here makes sense of some peculiar traits of terrorism, from international attacks (in which the underground constraint is most obvious), to lone-actor ones (in which a single individual commits a deed). It also delimits the possibility of state terrorism as covert operations by security forces, normally abroad. Approaching terrorism in terms of the underground not only makes sense of how we talk about terrorism, but it also generates testable consequences. Through a combination of statistical and comparative analyses, it is shown that the use of terrorism is driven by the degree of asymmetry between the contending parties.
Vienna and the New Wohnkultur, 1918-1938
by Michelle Jackson-BeckettWhile the domestic sphere might seem tangential to the dire political situation and humanitarian crises of interwar Europe, it was nevertheless at the forefront of debates about cultural identity and economic policy in the Viennese press, culture, and arts. Vienna and the New Wohnkultur, 1918-1938 explores why and how the Viennese design landscape was set apart--aesthetically and theoretically--from other European explorations of modern design. Jackson-Beckett examines interior design exhibitions, press, and debates about modern living in interwar Vienna, an overlooked area of modern European architecture and design history, arguing for a reconsideration of the contours of European modernism. The text analyses varied interpretations of modern domestic culture (Wohnkultur) in Vienna, and explores why these interpretations were distinct from other strands of European modernism. Vienna and the New Wohnkultur introduces new research and translation of primary sources on flexible, adaptable, and affordable design by architects, designers, and retailers. Vienna's design discourse also prefigured important postmodern and contemporary discussions on historicism, eclecticism, empathy, and user experience. Through extensive new research in archival and period sources, Jackson-Beckett illustrates how design ideas, taste, and portrayals of domestic culture of fin-de-si?cle Viennese Modernism (Wiener Moderne) were also deployed as forms of cultural and national identity both during the early years of the Social Democratic government in Vienna (1918-1934) and later under the fascist state (1934-1938).
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies: Escape to the Amalfi Coast in the summer’s freshest, sharpest and funniest mystery (Vacation Mysteries series #1)
by Catherine MackTen days. Eight suspects. Six cities. Five authors. Three bodies. One trip to die for.Eleanor Dash, bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series, is on a book tour along the gorgeous Amalfi Coast when life starts imitating art as her ex-boyfriend (and book protagonist) Connor Smith is targeted by a killer.Eleanor’s sleuthing skills are about to be put to the ultimate test as – among literary rivals, rabid fans, a crazed stalker and another ex-flame on tour with her – suspicions are flying faster than paperbacks off a bestseller shelf. But who is really trying to get away with murder?Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is The White Lotus meets Only Murders in the Building and the first in an irresistible and whip-smart mystery series.Eleanor Dash will return in the next book in the Vacation Mysteries series, No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding.Praise for Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies:'This book is fabulous! A hilarious and fun romp' - Liv Constantine'Quick, captivating and oh so much fun!' - Elle Cosimano'A madcap Italian odyssey' - Jessa Maxwell
My Hair is as Long as a River
by Charlie CastleMy Hair is as Long as a River is a joyful celebration of being proud of who you are, from debut picture book creators Charlie Castle and Emma Farrarons.People don’t always understand the boy with long hair. But he knows that his hair is a part of who he is and who he can be - soft and strong, wild and still, fierce and gentle. He’d like to take you on a journey to show you just how magical embracing who you are can be . . .Step into an extraordinary world of imagination and adventure, and discover the magic of being unique.
Racism and Anti-Racism Today: Principles, Policies and Practices
by Amanuel EliasAcknowledging efforts to dismantle racism at multiple levels, Racism and Anti-Racism Today examines racism and anti-racism as interconnected rather than isolated issues and proposes a framework for effective anti-racist policy and practice. Providing a unique side-by-side view on current conceptualizations, debates, and policy-praxis, the ten thematic chapters examine the impact of race, racism, and intersecting inequities on contemporary society. They highlight the enduring significance of racial identity politics in shaping social divisions. Engaging in interdisciplinary theoretical debates, Amanuel Elias’s scholarship adopts a comparative perspective, incorporating research findings and examples from different geographic contexts. Offering policy recommendations and directions for further research, he contends with fundamental questions that continue to plague the study of racism and its social and economic impact. Why does racism continue to exist and affect societies today despite apparent progress in the acquisition of knowledge, digital connectedness, and human rights discourse? What challenges across societies are blocking efforts to racial equity? What promising anti-racism policy-praxis can we envisage for tackling the impact of racial inequity? Drawing on over a decade of interdisciplinary research, Racism and Anti-Racism Today provides cutting-edge discussion about the present relevance of prejudice to envision an anti-racist future.
Racism and Anti-Racism Today: Principles, Policies and Practices
by Amanuel EliasAcknowledging efforts to dismantle racism at multiple levels, Racism and Anti-Racism Today examines racism and anti-racism as interconnected rather than isolated issues and proposes a framework for effective anti-racist policy and practice. Providing a unique side-by-side view on current conceptualizations, debates, and policy-praxis, the ten thematic chapters examine the impact of race, racism, and intersecting inequities on contemporary society. They highlight the enduring significance of racial identity politics in shaping social divisions. Engaging in interdisciplinary theoretical debates, Amanuel Elias’s scholarship adopts a comparative perspective, incorporating research findings and examples from different geographic contexts. Offering policy recommendations and directions for further research, he contends with fundamental questions that continue to plague the study of racism and its social and economic impact. Why does racism continue to exist and affect societies today despite apparent progress in the acquisition of knowledge, digital connectedness, and human rights discourse? What challenges across societies are blocking efforts to racial equity? What promising anti-racism policy-praxis can we envisage for tackling the impact of racial inequity? Drawing on over a decade of interdisciplinary research, Racism and Anti-Racism Today provides cutting-edge discussion about the present relevance of prejudice to envision an anti-racist future.
The Borgia Portrait (A Venetian Mystery #2)
by David HewsonA noble family, a legendary painting, a cursed palazzo. When Arnold Clover is recruited by Lizzie Hawker to help her look into her family inheritance, he cannot begin to guess the journey he is about to embark on. Lizzie's mother, an Italian countess, disappeared thirty years ago, presumed dead. Her father has just died and now the family home, a leaning palazzo in Dorsoduro that is full of secrets, has fallen to Lizzie. When her mother vanished so too did a priceless painting of Lucrezia Borgia - but it quickly becomes apparent that Lizzie and Arnold are not the only ones interested in finding it. The search for the lost Lucrezia quickly becomes a race through the secret history of Venice, one with potentially deadly consequences.
Springfield Road: A Poet’s Childhood Revisited (Canons)
by Salena GoddenThis is the story of a home. A story rooted in love. The story of a poet born of an Irish jazz musician and a Jamaican go-go dancer, an absent father and a resilient mother. In Springfield Road, Salena Godden evokes an era when oranges seemed bigger and summers were longer, a world of half-penny sweets, free school milk, hand-me-downs and Thatcher’s Britain, for those too young to remember and for those old enough to know. For Salena, it was a time for learning that life can be brutal with first betrayals and first losses, but also that there are endless riches to uncover in the world. In equal parts powerful, tender and fearless, Springfield Road shows us where, in a world full of shadows, hope is to be found.
With Love, Grief and Fury
by Salena GoddenWith Love, Grief and Fury contains love poems, for people and the planet; grief poems brimming with compassion, sharing tears and mourning what was and contemplating what could be; and poems of fire and fury that will kick some ass, tell the truth and inspire change and hope. Over thirty years after she first stormed the UK poetry scene, the trailblazing and award-winning writer Salena Godden has produced her most audacious and definitive collection to date. Like a big sister’s arm around your shoulder, With Love, Grief and Fury is important and nourishing for the soul.
This Is How You Remember It
by Catherine PrasifkaAN IRISH TIMES FICTION BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2024 You’re nine when you get your first computer. Your favourite thing is a virtual pet website; you spend hours in the chatroom. You don’t understand why some of your online friends don’t use their real names. It’s not long before you discover porn. You don’t know what you’re watching, but you do know that you shouldn’t tell anybody. Later, older, your first kiss is captured on camera and shared with everyone in your year. It feels like betrayal, but soon it feels normal. Part of the incessant cycle of posting, sharing and liking. Now, you can’t remember a time when you didn’t feel hollow inside. Now, you know that something has to change. Chilling, potent and intensely intimate, This is How You Remember It is at once a cautionary tale, a call to arms and a tender love story. It is about a life lived online, and about finding another way, when it’s all you’ve ever known.
Stand-up Paddleboarding in the Lake District: Beautiful places to paddleboard in Cumbria
by Jo MoseleyStand-up Paddleboarding in the Lake District is the essential guide for anyone interested in discovering and enjoying this popular sport at its leading UK location – the stunning Lake District National Park. Jo Moseley, passionate paddleboarder and adventurer advocate, writes with a friendly voice about her SUP experiences – you'll really feel like you're out on the water with her. Take to the gentle shores of Grasmere stopping for a picnic along the way, appreciate the majestic scenery on a paddle across Derwent Water, enjoy sunset from your board at Buttermere, or traverse the remote and rugged Wast Water – it's up to you how adventurous you want to be. You will be sure to see an entirely different side of the Lakes out on the water on your paddleboard. There is detailed, practical information provided for each lake: you'll discover the best launch spots, where to paddle to once you're out on the water, how to get to the lake, where to stop for a well-earned coffee and cake afterwards, and where to stay for your own SUP adventure. The book is illustrated with stunning photography and handy maps are provided of the lakes so you can visualise the landscape. Jo also takes you through essential safely advice, how to choose your paddle and board, what to carry with you, and some top tips for if you want to SUP with a pup. Also, Jo discusses how to enjoy this sport in as low impact a way as possible, with everything from sustainable travel choices to biosecurity.
Player Kings: Shakespeare's Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 (Nhb Classic Plays Ser.)
by William ShakespeareThe crown meets the criminals. Welcome to England. Hal wasn't born to be king. Only now, it seems, he will be. His father longs for him to leave behind his friends in the taverns of Eastcheap, most notably the infamous John Falstaff. War is on the horizon. But will Hal ever come good? Adapted by award-winning writer and director Robert Icke, Player Kings brings together two of Shakespeare's great history plays, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, in a visionary new version. It opened at the Noël Coward Theatre, London, in 2024, before embarking on a UK tour. It was directed by Robert Icke, with a cast including Toheeb Jimoh, Richard Coyle and Ian McKellen as Falstaff. 'Robert Icke has an uncanny ability to get to the psychological heart of a classic text. [This is] a terrific take on one of the greatest plays ever written' - Time Out 'A national epic of power-play, racing from tavern to court and field of conflict. It's as propulsive as The Crown… heart-stopping… a must-witness' - Telegraph 'Robert Icke, the neon-intellect, rapid-action director, has spliced together the two separate plays of Henry IV to make an epic portrait… striking and unsentimental… devastating' - Observer 'Unforgettable… brings out the subtleties and violence of Shakespeare's plays' - Financial Times 'An incisive and intelligent adaptation… This rich, vivid and visceral version of Shakespeare's Henry IV is at once a skewering of the mythology of Englishness and patriotism, a shrewd overview of the current state of the nation and a piece of premium classical theatre… all conveyed with pin-sharp clarity and an arresting immediacy… Icke delineates the oppositions that Shakespeare set up without labouring the point or simplifying the characters' complex humanity' - The Stage 'Richly complex and thrilling' - Guardian
The Isley Brothers' 3+3 (33 1/3)
by Darrell M. McNeillThe Isley Brothers' 3+3, dissects The Isleys' 50-year-old undisputed masterwork, an album that firmly established their music dynasty on a global scale, as well as heralding the boldest run of genre-defiant albums of their 67-year career. The 1973 watershed was their first multiplatinum release and is significant as a rare, crossover record by a Black act that struck a chord with urban, rock, and pop consumers, despite the schisms between audiences due to bias-driven media and industry marketing.The book looks at the album from all angles: from The Isleys' early career to their influence on rock and rollers both Black and White, from the twists and turns of having national hits without national recognition, on to their decision to form T-Neck Records and the group's challenges navigating a music industry that racially codified music and hampered Black artists from universal acclaim and compensations. Finally, a summation of the decades follows The Isleys' run and its ups and downs, with a fast-forward to where the group is now after 67 years.
The Isley Brothers' 3+3 (33 1/3)
by Darrell M. McNeillThe Isley Brothers' 3+3, dissects The Isleys' 50-year-old undisputed masterwork, an album that firmly established their music dynasty on a global scale, as well as heralding the boldest run of genre-defiant albums of their 67-year career. The 1973 watershed was their first multiplatinum release and is significant as a rare, crossover record by a Black act that struck a chord with urban, rock, and pop consumers, despite the schisms between audiences due to bias-driven media and industry marketing.The book looks at the album from all angles: from The Isleys' early career to their influence on rock and rollers both Black and White, from the twists and turns of having national hits without national recognition, on to their decision to form T-Neck Records and the group's challenges navigating a music industry that racially codified music and hampered Black artists from universal acclaim and compensations. Finally, a summation of the decades follows The Isleys' run and its ups and downs, with a fast-forward to where the group is now after 67 years.
Myths and Ancient Stories: Narrative, Meaning and Influence in the West
by Professor Kevin MillsAn introduction to ancient myths and the critical discussions that surround them, this book dives into the stories of pre-modern culture, taking a comparative look at how they have shaped the West and modern storytelling as we have come to understand it today. It makes texts and scholarship from near Eastern, Classical and Celtic disciplines engaging and accessible, and traces narrative meaning through stories from ancient Mesopotamia to the BritishMedieval Period, offering compelling pathways into such writings as The Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis and Job, The Odyssey, The Mabinogi, The Life of St Cadoc and Sir Orfeo. Looking at each in detail, Myths and Ancient Stories also explores myth through a modern lens, probing at how, in this scientific age, it continues to inspire contemporary film, games and literary works such as those by, Margaret Atwood, Colm Tóibín, Madeleine Miller and Pat Barker. Impressive in breadth and bringing together a wide range of foundational texts from diverse traditions for the first time, this work is the ideal orientation to the ancient works central to English literary culture, shedding light on the mythological roots of storytelling and narrative.
Myths and Ancient Stories: Narrative, Meaning and Influence in the West
by Professor Kevin MillsAn introduction to ancient myths and the critical discussions that surround them, this book dives into the stories of pre-modern culture, taking a comparative look at how they have shaped the West and modern storytelling as we have come to understand it today. It makes texts and scholarship from near Eastern, Classical and Celtic disciplines engaging and accessible, and traces narrative meaning through stories from ancient Mesopotamia to the BritishMedieval Period, offering compelling pathways into such writings as The Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis and Job, The Odyssey, The Mabinogi, The Life of St Cadoc and Sir Orfeo. Looking at each in detail, Myths and Ancient Stories also explores myth through a modern lens, probing at how, in this scientific age, it continues to inspire contemporary film, games and literary works such as those by, Margaret Atwood, Colm Tóibín, Madeleine Miller and Pat Barker. Impressive in breadth and bringing together a wide range of foundational texts from diverse traditions for the first time, this work is the ideal orientation to the ancient works central to English literary culture, shedding light on the mythological roots of storytelling and narrative.
Anxiety and Wonder: On Being Human
by Dr Maria BalaskaAt times, we find ourselves unexpectedly immersed in a mood that lacks any clear object or identifiable cause. These uncanny moments tend to be hastily dismissed as inconsequential, left without explanation. Maria Balaska examines two such cases: wonder and anxiety – what it means to prepare for them, what life may look like after experiencing them, and what insights we can take from those experiences.For Kierkegaard anxiety is a door to freedom, for Heidegger wonder is a distress that opens us to the truth of Being, and for Wittgenstein wonder and anxiety are deeply connected to the ethical. Drawing on themes from these thinkers and bringing them into dialogue, Balaska argues that in our encounters with nothing we encounter the very potential of our existence. Most importantly, we confront what is most inconspicuous and fundamental about the human condition and what makes it possible to encounter anything at all: our distinct capacity for making sense of things.
Anxiety and Wonder: On Being Human
by Dr Maria BalaskaAt times, we find ourselves unexpectedly immersed in a mood that lacks any clear object or identifiable cause. These uncanny moments tend to be hastily dismissed as inconsequential, left without explanation. Maria Balaska examines two such cases: wonder and anxiety – what it means to prepare for them, what life may look like after experiencing them, and what insights we can take from those experiences.For Kierkegaard anxiety is a door to freedom, for Heidegger wonder is a distress that opens us to the truth of Being, and for Wittgenstein wonder and anxiety are deeply connected to the ethical. Drawing on themes from these thinkers and bringing them into dialogue, Balaska argues that in our encounters with nothing we encounter the very potential of our existence. Most importantly, we confront what is most inconspicuous and fundamental about the human condition and what makes it possible to encounter anything at all: our distinct capacity for making sense of things.
Social Network Analysis: Research Methods (Bloomsbury Research Methods)
by Prof. John ScottThis book introduces the non-specialist reader to the principal ideas, nature and purpose of social network analysis. Social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals achieve their goals. Social network theory maps these relationships between individual actors and has become hugely influential across the social sciences. Assuming no prior knowledge of quantitative sociology, and avoiding technicalities, this book presents the key ideas in context through examples and illustrations. Using a structured approach to understanding work in this area, John Scott signposts further reading and online sources so that readers can develop their knowledge and skills to become practitioners of this research method. A series of Frequently Asked Questions takes the reader through the main objections raised against social network analysis. The new edition updates the overview of the discipline with more recent work and current research in sociology.