UCL Press Bücher

A new history of British neoliberalism that looks beyond right-wing actors. The rise of British neoliberalism—a renewed emphasis on privatization and market-oriented economics—over the last fifty years is often characterized as the product of right-wing political economists, think tanks, and politicians. The Neoliberal Age? argues that this pat narrative ignores broader forces in British left-wing culture that collaborated to transform twentieth-century social life. Through a variety of case studies, the authors demonstrate that our austere, individualistic age emerged from more complex sociopolitical negotiations than typically described.   

Comics Beyond the Page in Latin America is a cutting-edge study of the expanding worlds of Latin American comics. Despite lack of funding and institutional support, not since the mid-twentieth century have comics in the region been so dynamic, so diverse and so engaged with pressing social and cultural issues. Comics are being used as essential tools in debates about digital cultures, gender identities, and political disenfranchisement, as well as a whole range of other social issues. Rather than analyzing the current boom in comics by focusing just on the printed text, however, this book looks at diverse manifestations of comics 'beyond the page'. Contributors look at digital comics and social media networks; comics as graffiti and stencil art in public spaces; comics as a tool for teaching architecture or processing social trauma; and comics consumption and publishing as forms of shaping national, social, and political identities.

This volume explores hospital architecture as a complex interplay of spatial and social dynamics, revealing how both planned and latent functions of hospital spaces contribute to outcomes like enhanced patient safety, improved communication among care providers, and clearer navigation for visitors. By advancing space syntax theory and integrating emerging research on hospital environments, the book presents a comprehensive examination of the relationships between various hospital spaces and their occupants. It begins with an analysis of everyday interactions within hospital architecture, then delves into specific areas such as patient rooms, care team dynamics, and public circulation spaces. The final chapter addresses the impact of the global pandemic on healthcare institutions, emphasizing the need for adaptability in design. Each chapter is complemented by reflective essays from practicing designers, offering insights from the field. The work argues that the often-overlooked dimensions of space significantly influence measurable outcomes, providing valuable guidance for designing hospitals based on empirically tested principles. It serves as a vital resource for healthcare planners, designers, architects, and social science scholars.

Comparative Perspectives on the Rise of the Brazilian Novel  presents a framework of comparative literature based on a systemic and empirical approach to the study of the novel and applies that framework to the analysis of key nineteenth-century Brazilian novels. The works under examination were, therefore, published during the period in which the forms and procedures of the novel were acclimatized as the genre established and consolidated itself in Brazil. The 15 original essays by experienced and early career scholars explore the links between themes, narrative paradigms, and techniques of Brazilian, European and North American novels and the development of the Brazilian novel. The European and North American novels cover a wide range of literary traditions and periods and are in conversation with the different novelistic trends that characterize the rise of the genre in Brazil. Chapters reflect on both canonical and lesser-known Brazilian works from a comparatist perspective.

Antarcticness explores the meanings and depictions of Antarctica through various disciplines and communication methods. It combines personal and professional expressions in poetry, prose, and images, representing both the imagined and experienced realities of the continent. This multifaceted approach sheds light on how Antarctica is perceived and managed, highlighting aspects that should gain more attention in policy and practice. The authors and artists contextualize Antarctica within the inspirations and imaginations surrounding it, while addressing the diverse interests influencing its governance amid rapid political and environmental changes. By connecting various contributions, the book offers a coherent perspective on societal views of Antarctica, encompassing scientific and artistic interpretations of its political, cultural, and environmental significance. It presents original research, art, and narratives that blend academic analysis with personal experiences, revealing what Antarctica can and cannot offer the world. Praise for the work emphasizes its engaging reading experience and the value of its diverse perspectives, making it a useful resource for both educators and students. The book is freely available online, enhancing its accessibility and appeal to a broad audience.

Early childhood education and care has been a political priority in England since 1997, after a long period of neglect. Public funding has increased, and political parties aim to outbid each other in their offerings to families at each election. Transforming Early Childhood in England argues that, despite this attention, the system of early childhood services remains flawed and dysfunctional. National discourse is dominated by questions of the cost and availability of childcare, while a devalued workforce is characterized by a culture of quantifiable targets and measurement. With such deep-rooted problems, Claire Cameron and Peter Moss argue, early childhood education in England needs more than minor improvements. In the context of austerity measures affecting many young families, transformative change is urgent. Transforming Early Childhood in England offers a critical analysis of the current system and proposes change based on a universal right to education. The book calls for revisions built on democratic principles, where all learning by all children is visible and recognized, educators are trusted and respected, and outcomes-driven targets are replaced. Combining criticism and hope, and drawing on inspiring research, the book is essential reading for students, educators, practitioners, parents, academics, and policymakers. 

Material Culture and (Forced) Migration argues that materiality is a fundamental dimension of migration. During journeys of migration, people take things with them, or they lose, find and engage things along the way. Movements themselves are framed by objects such as borders, passports, tents, camp infrastructures, boats and mobile phones. This volume brings together chapters that are based on research into a broad range of movements - from the study of forced migration and displacement to the analysis of retirement migration. What ties the chapters together is the perspective of material culture and an understanding of materiality that does not reduce objects to mere symbols. Centring on four interconnected themes - temporality and materiality, methods of object-based migration research, the affective capacities of objects, and the engagement of things in place-making practices - the volume provides a material culture perspective for migration scholars around the globe, representing disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, contemporary archaeology, curatorial studies, history and human geography. The ethnographic nature of the chapters and the focus on everyday objects and practices will appeal to all those interested in the broader conditions and tangible experiences of migration

A robust rationale on what schools should teach and how.The design of school curricula involves deep thought about the nature of knowledge and its value to learners and society. Such a serious responsibility raises a number of What is knowledge for? What knowledge is important for children to learn? How do we decide what knowledge matters in each school subject? The blurring of distinctions between pedagogy and curriculum, as well as that between experience and knowledge, has resulted in a confusing message for teachers about the part that each plays in the education of children. This book aims to dispel confusion through a robust rationale for what schools should teach, offering key understanding to teachers of the relationship between knowledge and their own pedagogy. This second edition includes new chapters on chemistry, drama, music, and religious education, as well as an updated chapter on biology. A revised introduction reflects on the emerging discourse around decolonizing the curriculum and on the relationship between the knowledge that children encounter at school and in their homes. 

Recovering Bentham’s thoughts on policing and what they mean for criminology today. Jeremy Bentham theorized the panopticon as modern policing emerged across the British Empire, yet while his theoretical writing became canonical in criminology, his perspective on the police remains obscure. Jeremy Bentham on Police recovers the reformer’s writings on policing alongside a series of essays that demonstrate their significance to the past, present, and future of criminology. 

Expanding Fields of Architectural Discourse and Practice presents a selection of essays, architectural experiments, and works that explore the diversity within the fields of contemporary architectural practice and discourse. The book pays particular attention to the question of how and why architecture can and should manifest a critical and reflective capacity outside of its primary function; it also closely examines the ways the discipline currently resonates with contemporary art practice. It does so by reflecting on the first ten years of the architectural journal P.E.A.R. .The book features contributions by architectural practitioners, design researchers, artists, architectural theorists, historians, journalists, curators, and even a paleobiologist, all of whom contributed to the journal. Here, they provide a unique presentation of architectural discourse and practice that seeks to test new ground while forming distinct relationships to recent, and more longstanding, historical legacies.

Medical Humanity and Inhumanity in the German-Speaking World is the first volume dedicated to exploring the interface of medicine, the human and the humane in the German-speaking lands. The volume tracks the designation and making through medicine of the human and inhuman, and the humane and inhumane, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Eight individual chapters undertake explorations into ways in which theories and practices of medicine in the German-speaking world have come to define the human and highlight how such theories and practices have consolidated, or undermined, notions of humane behavior. Cultural analysis is central to this investigation, foregrounding the reflection, refraction and indeed creation of these theories and practices in literature, life-writing, and other discourses and media. Contributors bring to bear perspectives from literary studies, film studies, critical theory, cultural studies, history, and the history of medicine and psychiatry. Thus, this collection is historical in the most expansive sense, for it debates not only what historical accounts bring to our understanding of this topic. It encompasses, too, investigation of life-writing, theory and literary and documentary works and so brings to light elusive, paradoxical, underexplored – yet vital – issues in history and culture.

An argument for the importance of circulation in the study of museum collections, both past and present.How did the process of the circulation re-examine, inform, and unsettle common assumptions about the way museum collections have evolved over time and space? Mobile Museums presents an argument for the importance of circulation in the study of museum collections, both past and present. It brings together a diverse array of international scholars and curators from a variety of disciplines to consider the mobility of collections, especially in the context of Indigenous community engagement. By foregrounding the question of circulation, the book represents a paradigm shift in the understanding of the history and future uses of museum collections. Taking on a global perspective and addressing a variety of types of collection, including the botanical, ethnographic, economic, and archaeological, the book helps us to understand why the mobility of museum collections was a fundamental aspect of their history—and why it continues to matter today. 

A wide-ranging study on the reasons why queer individuals migrate to Europe and the sociopolitical frameworks they navigate. Europe is a popular destination for LGBTQ people seeking to escape discrimination and persecution. Yet, while European institutions have done much to promote the legal equality of sexual minorities and a number of states pride themselves on their acceptance of sexual diversity, the image of European tolerance is often quite different from the reality faced by LGBTQ migrants and asylum seekers. Queer Migration and Asylum in Europe brings together scholars from politics, sociology, urban studies, anthropology, and law to analyze how and why queer individuals migrate to Europe, as well as the legal, social, and political frameworks they are forced to navigate in the destination societies. The subjects covered include LGBTQ Latino migrants in queer and diasporic spaces in London; the diasporic consciousness of queer Polish, Russian, and Brazilian migrants in Berlin; the role of the Council of Europe in shaping legal and policy frameworks relating to queer migration and asylum; the challenges facing bisexual asylum seekers; queer asylum and homonationalism in the Netherlands; and the role of space, faith, and LGBTQ organizations in Germany, Italy, the UK, and France in supporting queer asylum seekers.

A selection of case studies in the field of geographic citizen science casting insight on future research. Unbeknownst to them as they made their scientific discoveries, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and other "gentlemen scientists" would later inspire a field of scientific practice and innovation known as citizen science. Today, the growth and availability of citizen science projects have been substantial, as anyone can now contribute to a scientific discipline without professional qualifications. As a subset of this movement, geographic citizen science presents a unique approach towards supporting the participation of everyday citizens in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of scientific data. This book presents a selection of wide-ranging case studies that provide insights into the design, interaction barriers, and lessons learned from a diverse set of participants. The volume captures the current status of research and development of geographic citizen science, providing critical insight to inform technological innovation and future research in this area.

A wide-ranging survey of how marriage relates to social change. A series of global case studies, Marriage in Past, Present and Future Tense unravels the ever-changing intimate and institutional questions united by marriage. Traversing politics, economics, and religion, the authors explore how marital practices both react to and produce broader social transformation. In particular, the authors contend that contexts marked by violent sociopolitical ruptures such as civil war or colonization illuminate the links between the personal and political. What emerges is a complex portrait of marriage as a site of cultural memory, embodied experience, and active imagination.

Epidemiological Change and Chronic Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa presents critical perspectives on the rising incidence of non-communicable and chronic conditions in the region. Contributors from diverse fields, including history, social anthropology, public health, and social epidemiology, provide insights from various African contexts, challenging traditional epidemiological transition theory and proposing alternative understandings of these changes. The book is structured into three sections: ‘Beyond Transition,’ ‘Numbers and Categories,’ and ‘Local Biologies and Knowledge Systems.’ It explores a wide array of topics, such as maternal mortality trends in East Africa, the smoking epidemic, the history of sugar consumption in South Africa, and the interplay between infectious and non-communicable diseases in Ghana and Belize. Additionally, it examines the complex relationships between adult hypertension and pediatric HIV in Botswana, alongside narratives from cancer patients and their families seeking treatment in Kenya. Overall, this volume draws on historical and contemporary African experiences to provide fresh insights into the evolving epidemiology of sub-Saharan Africa, moving beyond conventional transition theories. It will be valuable for students and researchers in Global Health, Medical Anthropology, Public Health, and those interested in African Studies.

A practical guide to teaching literacy in all its varied contexts. Literacy education doesn't just happen in schools, with young children. It can take place in many locations, and at many different points in people's lives. Literacy educators, therefore, need flexibility and a deep toolbox to meet their students' diverse needs, regardless of whether they work in traditional school and college settings or in other environments with varied populations. Teaching Literacy in Diverse Contexts shows how practical experiences can be used in creative ways to support educator development for teaching literacy in a global context. Mentorship between a developing literacy educator and an experienced teacher educator is central to the book, and to the practical experiences in training or professional development that it focuses on. Chapters share the creative solutions discovered during mentorship that supported developing literacy educators to teach with authenticity in a number of contexts, including the adult learning sector, a rural community in Africa, and alongside parents of very sick children. Together, the chapters build a crucial resource for preparing a broad range of literacy educators to teach literacy in many contexts where policy on how best to teach reading and writing to diverse student bodies ebbs and flows.

A rich collection of primary sources on women in the history of science. Women in the History of Science brings together primary sources that highlight women's involvement in scientific knowledge production around the world. Including texts, images, and objects, the primary sources are each accompanied by an explanatory text, questions to prompt discussion, and a bibliography to aid further research. Arranged by time period, from 1200 BCE to the twenty-first century, and covering twelve inclusive and far-reaching themes, this book is an invaluable companion to students and lecturers alike in exploring women's history in the fields of science, technology, mathematics, medicine, and culture.

A powerful argument for not approaching climate change in a hurry, but with a slow politics of urgency. It's understandable that we tend to present climate change as something urgently requiring action. Every day we fail to act, the potential for catastrophe grows. But is that framing itself a problem? When we hurry, we make more mistakes. We overlook things. We get tunnel vision. In Haste, a group of distinguished contributors makes the case for a slow politics of urgency. Rather than rushing and speeding up, he argues, the sustainable future is better served by our challenging of the dominant framings through which we understand time and change in society. While recognizing the need for certain types of urgency in climate politics, Haste directs attention to the different and alternative temporalities at play in climate and sustainability politics. Divided into short and accessible chapters, written by both established and emerging scholars from different disciplines, Haste tackles a major problem in contemporary climate change research and offers creative perspectives on pathways out of the climate emergency.

An interdisciplinary approach to invisibility through the lens of the arts and sciences.Picturing the Invisible presents different disciplinary approaches to articulating the invisible, that which is not known or not provable. The challenge is how to articulate these concepts, not only to those within a particular academic field but beyond, to other disciplines and society at large. As our understanding of the complexity of the world grows incrementally, so does our realization that issues and problems can rarely be resolved within neat demarcations. Therefore, the authors argue, the importance of finding means of communicating across disciplines and fields must become a priority. This book brings together insights from leading academics from a wide range of disciplines, including art and design, curatorial practice, literature, forensic science, medical science, psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, philosophy, astrophysics, and architecture, who share an interest in exploring how in each discipline we strive to find expression for the invisible or unknown and to draw out and articulate some of the explicit and tacit ways of communicating those concepts that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.

An interdisciplinary perspective on the use and abuse of power in political economy. This book explores the ambivalent nature of power as wielded in economic practices from an empirical perspective. It offers a collection of country-based cases and critically assesses the existing conceptions of power from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Analyzing power at the macro, meso, and micro levels allows the volume to highlight the complexity of political economy in the twenty-first century. Each chapter addresses key elements of a given political economy (from the ambivalence of the cases of former communist countries that do not conform with the grand narratives about democracy and markets to the dual utility of new technologies such as face-recognition), thus providing mounting evidence for the centrality of understanding ambivalence in the analysis of power.

A comprehensive exploration of the most fundamental aspects of human life through accessible conversations with contemporary philosophers.While rooted in academic discourse, The Things That Really Matter  comprehensively explores the most fundamental aspects of human life in approachable, non-technical language, adding fresh perspectives and new arguments and considerations that are designed to stimulate further debate. It features a series of conversations about the things in our life that we all, in one way or another, wrestle with if we are at all concerned about what kind of world we live in and what our role in it things like birth, age, and death, good and evil, the meaning of life, the nature of the self and the role the body plays for our identity, our gendered existence, love and faith, free will, beauty, and our experience of the sacred. Situating abstract ideas in concrete experience,  The Things That Really Matter  encourages the reader to participate in an open-ended dialogue involving a variety of thinkers with different backgrounds and orientations. Lively and accessible, it shows thinking as a process and a collaborative endeavor that benefits from our talking to each other rather than against each other, featuring real conversations, where ideas are explored, tested, changed, and occasionally dropped. It is thinking in motion, personal yet universal.

This edited book explores important concepts that are relevant to the idea of learning; meta-concepts such as epistemology, rationality and critical realism, and meso-concepts such as assessment, system, race, friendship and curriculum. Like the first volume of On Learning, it is a response to empiricist and positivist conceptions of knowledge.

Through a diverse collection of expert voices, this volume invites readers to embark on their own journeys through appropriate methodologies for heritage research and public engagement.