Böcker i Key Concepts-serien

Jacques Ranciere's thinking brings a fresh, innovative approach to many fields, notably the study of work, education, politics, literature, film, art, as well as philosophy. This title offers an introduction to Ranciere's work and covers the full range of his contribution to contemporary thought.

Heidegger's writings are among the most formidable in the philosophy. The pivotal concepts of his thought are for many the source of both fascination and frustration. This title includes chapters that introduce and explain a key Heideggerian concept, or a cluster of closely related concepts.

An invaluable companion which enables the reader to acquire and understand a vocabulary for discussion and critical thinking on all aspects of the subject. The clear explanations of the concepts support students in their practical and theoretical explorations of the subjects and offer insights for research and reflective writing.

A concise and accessible introduction to the concept and history of ethnicity. Draws on a wide range of theorists and illustrations from around the world to explore and clarify the core meanings and shifting ground of this concept.

Just about everyone is 'for' development as an assumed 'good', yet few seem to have a concrete idea of what the term actually entails. Development offers a comprehensive and wide-ranging analysis of the various ways in which this important concept has been used in social and political analysis over the past 200 years.

Alain Badiou is the world's most influential living philosopher. Few contemporary thinkers display his breadth of argument and reference, or his ability to intervene in debates critical to both analytic and continental philosophy. This book presents an overview of and introduction to the full range of Badiou's thinking.

Wittgenstein's complex work challenges much that is taken for granted in philosophical thinking as well as in the theorizing of art, theology, science and culture. This title includes essays that explore a key concept involved in Wittgenstein's thinking, relating it to his understanding of philosophy, and outlining the arguments.

A rare systematic thinker, Habermas has furthered our understanding of modernity, social interaction and linguistic practice, societal institutions, rationality, morality, the law, globalization, and the role of religion in multicultural societies. This title provides an accessible conceptual map of Habermas' theoretical framework.

Now with a substantial new postscript on the financial crisis This book provides a basic introduction to the 'nuts and bolts' of capitalism. It starts by examining the classic accounts of capitalism found in the works of Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Joseph Schumpeter, and John Maynard Keynes.

What is representation? What does it mean when a politician represents citizens in government? How can citizens be represented beyond the boundaries of the nation-state? This book answers such questions. It also explains why representation should be understood as one of the key concepts in modern politics.

An original presentation of the concept of youth - an exciting rethinking of the social construction of 'youth' that explores new ways of theorizing youth without prejudice or lumping 'young people' together as one uniform category.

This book provides an introduction to the concept of gender and the different theoretical approaches which have developed within gender studies. It has been designed as a student introduction and is accessible to anybody interested in contemporary relations between women and men.

What is time? How has our relationship to time changed through history and how does time structure our social lives? In this lively introduction, Barbara Adam explores the changing ways in which time has been understood and how this knowledge is embedded in cultural practices.

This is an engaging and accessible introduction to divergent conceptions of freedom in contemporary liberal political philosophy. It is the ideal introduction to the thought of Isaiah Berlin, Gerald MacCallum, Robert Nozick, Hillel Steiner, Ronald Dworkin, and Joseph Raz and to the concept of freedom more generally.

This highly accessible book provides a concise and comprehensive introduction to the history and meaning of sovereignty. Drawing on a wide range of examples, it shows how sovereignty operates in our daily lives and analyses the issues raised by its universality and centrality in the organization of the world.

E-Commerce is making an ever-bigger impact on the way businesses operate. Key Concepts in e-Commerce offers readers an introduction to the many words, terms and phrases that abound in this fast developing and increasingly popular discipline.

Adorno have an impact on disciplines as diverse as philosophy, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, musicology and literary theory. This book serves as a guide through the labyrinth of Adorno's work. It provides readers with the key concepts needed to decipher Adorno's often daunting books and essays.

A guide to the core ideas which structure Merleau-Ponty's thinking as well as to his influences and the value of his ideas to a range of disciplines. It presents the context of Merleau-Ponty's thinking, the major debates of his time, particularly existentialism, the history of philosophy and the philosophy of history and society.

The new edition of Steve Bruce's Fundamentalism grapples with the combination of social strains and religious ideas that have produced an explosion of fundamentalist activity in the wake of 9/11.

The notion of empire has in recent years taken on a renewed importance in world politics. US foreign policy has in particular been associated with this concept by both critics and supporters of American global power.

Presents an introduction to risk and uncertainty as they have been analysed in sociology and related social sciences. This book draws on the wide array of contemporary social theories of risk and relates these to the many and diverse areas in contemporary society where risk plays an important role.

The second edition of Mildred Blaxter's successful and highly respected book offers a comprehensive and engaging introduction to the key debates surrounding the concept of health today.

Care is a diverse and evolving concept. It is taken as a natural part of life yet it is shaped by philosophical, ideological, political and economic arguments concerning its definition and purpose as well as how, where and to whom it is provided and funded.

The demand for equality is central to modern politics. But what exactly do we mean by equality? Does it threaten other important values? Is it a demand we should support or question? This highly accessible book provides an engaging introduction to the concept of equality and to the debates, historical and contemporary, that surround it.

Sets out to dispel the myths surrounding the concept of trust in contemporary society and politics. The author examines the growing literature on trust to analyze public concerns about declining levels of trust, both in our fellow citizens and in our governments and their officials.

This new textbook invites readers to explore their own responses to debates about democracya s meaning. It provides tools for thinking actively about democracy as a practice, an ideal, and a site of contestation.

* Concise introduction to the sociology of the market for upper-level undergraduates. * Covers relevant debates on market forms, social theories and critiques of markets, market failure, aspects of market behaviour, market ideologies, and the 'marketisation' of other sectors of social and public life.

This groundbreaking study sets out to clarify one of the most influential but least studied of all political concepts. Despite continual talk of popular sovereignty, the idea of the people has been neglected by political theorists who have been deterred by its vagueness.

In The Network Society, Darin Barney provides a compelling examination of the social, political and economic implications of network technologies and their application across a wide range of practices and institutions.

* Offer a concise introduction to this controversial and growing area of study and debate. * Explores the ways in which minorities are constructed through religion, race, language and ethnicity. * Draws on a range of contemporary examples from across the world.