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      • Humanities & Social Sciences
        July 2016

        Duel in European History

        Honour and the Reign of Aristocracy

        by Victor Kiernan

        A fascinating history of the cultural and political impact of duelling. For centuries, duelling played an integral role in the preservation of the aristocratic order in Europe, defying attempts by both church and state to ban the practice. Moreover, the romance and drama of the duel has made it an enduring fixture in films, literature, and the theatre. In The Duel in European History, renowned historian Victor Kiernan writes with his characteristic wit and insight of duelling's evolution from its medieval origins – when it was regarded as a badge of rank - to the early twentieth century, by which time it was seen as an irrational anachronism. In doing so, he shows how the duelling tradition was something unique to Europe and its colonies, and, in its contribution to the development of the officer corps, played a key part in shaping European military power. Drawing on a vast range of historical and cultural sources, this is the definitive account of a violent ritual that continues to fascinate even today.

      • Politics & government
        July 2015

        The Global Minotaur

        America, Europe and the Future of the Global Economy

        by Yanis Varoufakis

        In this remarkable and provocative book, Yanis Varoufakis, former finance minister of Greece, explodes the myth that financialisation, ineffectual regulation of banks, greed and globalisation were the root causes of both the Eurozone crisis and the global economic crisis. Rather, they are symptoms of a much deeper malaise which can be traced all the way back to the Great Crash of 1929, then on through to the 1970s: the time when a Global Minotaur was born. Today's deepening crisis in Europe is just one of the inevitable symptoms of the weakening Minotaur; of a global system which is now as unsustainable as it is imbalanced. Going beyond this, Varoufakis reveals how we might reintroduce a modicum of reason into what has become a perniciously irrational economic order. An essential account of the socio-economic events and hidden histories that have shaped the world as we now know it

      • Geopolitics
        May 2016

        Today We Drop Bombs, Tomorrow We Build Bridges

        How Foreign Aid became a Casualty of Wa

        by Peter Gill

        The ‘War on Terror’ has politicized foreign aid in a way never before seen, with often devastating consequences. Aid workers are being killed in unprecedented numbers, and civilians in war-torn countries abandoned to their fate. From the battlefield in Afghanistan to the frontier refugee camps in Pakistan, the ravaged streets of Mogadishu to the tense flashpoint of the Turkey-Syria border, Peter Gill travels to some of the most conflict-stricken places on earth to reveal the new relationship between aid agencies and western security. While some agencies have clung to their neutrality, he finds others risking their impartiality in their pursuit of official funding. In a world where the advance of Islamic State constitutes the gravest affront to humanitarian practice and principle faced in decades, Gill poses the crucial question – can Western nations go to war in a country and aid it at the same time?

      • Politics & government
        June 2016

        Redefining Genocide

        Settler Colonialism, Social Death and Ecocide

        by Damien Short

        In this highly controversial and original work, Damien Short systematically rethinks how genocide is and should be defined. Rather than focusing solely on a narrow conception of genocide as direct mass-killing, through close empirical analysis of a number of under-discussed case studies - including Palestine, Sri Lanka, Australia and Alberta, Canada - the book reveals the key role played by settler colonialism, capitalism, finite resources and the ecological crisis in driving genocidal social death on a global scale.

      • Indigenous peoples
        May 2012

        Decolonizing Methodologies

        Research and Indigenous Peoples

        by Linda Tuhiwai Smith

        To the colonized, the term 'research' is conflated with European colonialism; the ways in which academic research has been implicated in the throes of imperialism remains a painful memory. This essential volume explores intersections of imperialism and research - specifically, the ways in which imperialism is embedded in disciplines of knowledge and tradition as 'regimes of truth.' Concepts such as 'discovery' and 'claiming' are discussed and an argument presented that the decolonization of research methods will help to reclaim control over indigenous ways of knowing and being. Now in its eagerly awaited second edition, this bestselling book has been substantially revised, with new case-studies and examples and important additions on new indigenous literature, the role of research in indigenous struggles for social justice, which brings this essential volume urgently up-to-date.

      • Political activism
        July 2015

        Decolonizing Solidarity

        Dilemmas and Directions for Supporters of Indigenous Struggles

        by Clare Land

        In this highly original and much-needed book, Clare Land interrogates the often fraught endeavours of activists from colonial backgrounds seeking to be politically supportive of Indigenous struggles. Blending key theoretical and practical questions, Land argues that the predominant impulses which drive middle-class settler activists to support Indigenous people cannot lead to successful alliances and meaningful social change unless they are significantly transformed through a process of both public political action and critical self-reflection. Based on a wealth of in-depth, original research, and focussing in particular on Australia, where - despite strident challenges - the vestiges of British law and cultural power have restrained the nation's emergence out of colonizing dynamics, Decolonizing Solidarity provides a vital resource for those involved in Indigenous activism and scholarship.

      • Human rights
        May 2015

        Advocacy in Conflict

        Critical Perspectives on Transnational Activism

        by Alex de Waal

        Conflicts in Africa, Asia and Latin America have become a common focus of advocacy by Western celebrities and NGOs. This provocative volume delves into the realities of these efforts, which have often involved compromising on integrity in pursuit of profile and influence. Examining the methods used by Western advocates, how they relate to campaigns in the countries concerned, and their impact, expert authors evaluate the successes and failures of past advocacy campaigns and offer constructive criticism of current efforts. Taking in a range of high-profile case studies, including campaigns for democracy in Burma and Latin America, for the rights of Palestinians in Gaza, and opposing the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, the authors challenge the assumptions set forth by advocacy organizations.

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