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An Analysis of Donna Haraway's A Cyborg Manifesto Science Technology and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century

An Analysis of Donna Haraway's A Cyborg Manifesto Science Technology and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century

Haraway’s ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’ is a key postmodern text and is widely taught in many disciplines as one of the first texts to embrace technology from a leftist and feminist perspective using the metaphor of the cyborg to champion socialist postmodern and anti-identitarian politics. Until Haraway’s work few feminists had turned to theorizing science and technology and thus her work quite literally changed the terms of the debate. This article continues to be seen as hugely influential in the field of feminism particularly postmodern materialist and scientific strands. It is also a precursor to cyberfeminism and posthumanism and perhaps anticipates the development of digital humanities. | An Analysis of Donna Haraway's A Cyborg Manifesto Science Technology and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene

An Analysis of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene

Richard Dawkins provides excellent examples of his reasoning and interpretation skills in The Selfish Gene. His 1976 book is not a work of original research but instead a careful explanation of evolution combined with an argument for a particular interpretation of several aspects of evolution. Since Dawkins is building on other researchers’ work and writing for a general audience the central elements of good reasoning are vital to his book: producing a clear argument and presenting a persuasive case; organising an argument and supporting its conclusions. In doing this Dawkins also employs the crucial skill of interpretation: understanding what evidence means; clarifying terms; questioning definitions; giving clear definitions on which to build arguments. The strength of his reasoning and interpretative skills played a key part in the widespread acceptance of his argument for a gene-centred interpretation of natural selection and evolution – and in its history as a bestselling classic of science writing. | An Analysis of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

An Analysis of Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions can be seen without exaggeration as a landmark text in intellectual history. In his analysis of shifts in scientific thinking Kuhn questioned the prevailing view that science was an unbroken progression towards the truth. Progress was actually made he argued via paradigm shifts meaning that evidence that existing scientific models are flawed slowly accumulates – in the face at first of opposition and doubt – until it finally results in a crisis that forces the development of a new model. This development in turn produces a period of rapid change – extraordinary science Kuhn terms it – before an eventual return to normal science begins the process whereby the whole cycle eventually repeats itself. This portrayal of science as the product of successive revolutions was the product of rigorous but imaginative critical thinking. It was at odds with science’s self-image as a set of disciplines that constantly evolve and progress via the process of building on existing knowledge. Kuhn’s highly creative re-imagining of that image has proved enduringly influential – and is the direct product of the author’s ability to produce a novel explanation for existing evidence and to redefine issues so as to see them in new ways. | An Analysis of Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Christopher R. Browning's Ordinary Men Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland

An Analysis of Christopher R. Browning's Ordinary Men Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland

Of all the controversies facing historians today few are more divisive or more important than the question of how the Holocaust was possible. What led thousands of Germans – many of them middle-aged reservists with apparently little Nazi zeal – to willingly commit acts of genocide? Was it ideology? Was there something rotten in the German soul? Or was it – as Christopher Browning argues in this highly influential book – more a matter of conformity a response to intolerable social and psychological pressure? Ordinary Men is a microhistory the detailed study of a single unit in the Nazi killing machine. Browning evaluates a wide range of evidence to seek to explain the actions of the ordinary men who made up reserve Police Battalion 101 taking advantage of the wide range of resources prepared in the early 1960s for a proposed war crimes trial. He concludes that his subjects were not evil; rather their actions are best explained by a desire to be part of a team not to shirk responsibility that would otherwise fall on the shoulders of comrades and a willingness to obey authority. Browning's ability to explore the strengths and weaknesses of arguments – both the survivors' and other historians' – is what sets his work apart from other studies that have attempted to get to the root of the motivations for the Holocaust and it is also what marks Ordinary Men as one of the most important works of its generation. | An Analysis of Christopher R. Browning's Ordinary Men Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Michael E. Porter's Competitive Strategy Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors

An Analysis of Michael E. Porter's Competitive Strategy Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors

Michael E. Porter’s 1980 book Competitive Strategy is a fine example of critical thinking skills in action. Porter used his strong evaluative skills to overturn much of the accepted wisdom in the world of business. By exploring the strengths and weaknesses of the accepted argument that the best policy for firms to become more successful was to focus on expanding their market share he was able to establish that the credibility of the argument was flawed. Porter did not believe such growth was the only way for a company to be successful and provided compelling arguments as to why this was not the case. His book shows how industries can be fragmented with different firms serving different parts of the market (the low-price mass market and the expensive high-end market in clothing for example) and examines strategies that businesses can follow in emerging mature and declining markets. If printing is in decline for example there may still be a market in this industry for high-end goods and services such as luxury craft bookbinding. Porter also made excellent use of the critical thinking skill of analysis in writing Competitive Strategy. His advice that executives should analyze the five forces that mold the environment in which they compete – new entrants substitute products buyers suppliers and industry rivals – focused heavily on defining the relationships between these disparate factors and urged readers to check the assumptions of their arguments. Porter avoided technical jargon and wrote in a straightforward way to help readers see that his evaluation of the problem was strong. Competitive Strategy went on to be a highly influential work in the world of business strategy. | An Analysis of Michael E. Porter's Competitive Strategy Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Mary Douglas's Purity and Danger An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo

An Analysis of Mary Douglas's Purity and Danger An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo

Mary Douglas is an outstanding example of an evaluative thinker at work. In Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo she delves in great detail into existing arguments that portray traditional societies as “evolving” from “savage” beliefs in magic to religion to modern science then explains why she believes those arguments are wrong. She also adeptly chaperones readers through a vast amount of data from firsthand research in the Congo to close readings of the Old Testament and analyzes it in depth to provide evidence that traditional and Western religions have more in common than the first comparative religion scholars and early anthropologists thought. First evaluating her scholarly predecessors by marshalling their arguments Douglas identifies their main weakness: that they dismiss traditional societies and their religions by identifying their practices as “magic ” thereby creating a chasm between savages who believe in magic and sophisticates who practice religion. | An Analysis of Mary Douglas's Purity and Danger An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Keith Thomas's Religion and the Decline of Magic

An Analysis of Keith Thomas's Religion and the Decline of Magic

Keith Thomas's classic study of all forms of popular belief has been influential for so long now that it is difficult to remember how revolutionary it seemed when it first appeared. By publishing Religion and the Decline of Magic Thomas became the first serious scholar to attempt to synthesize the full range of popular thought about the occult and the supernatural studying its influence across Europe over several centuries. At root his book can be seen as a superb exercise in problem-solving: one that actually established magic as a historical problem worthy of investigation. Thomas asked productive questions not least challenging the prevailing assumption that folk belief was unworthy of serious scholarly attention and his work usefully reframed the existing debate in much broader terms allowing for more extensive exploration of correlations not only between different sorts of popular belief but also between popular belief and state religion. It was this that allowed Thomas to reach his famous conclusion that the advent of Protestantism – which drove out much of the superstition that characterised the Catholicism of the period – created a vacuum filled by other forms of belief; for example Catholic priests had once blessed their crops but Protestants refused to do so. That left farmers looking for other ways of ensuring a good harvest. It was this Thomas argues that explains the survival of what we now think of as magic at a time such beliefs might have been expected to decline – at least until science arose to offer alternative paradigms. | An Analysis of Keith Thomas's Religion and the Decline of Magic

GBP 6.50
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Routledge Revivals: The Efficiency of New Issue Markets (1992)

Routledge Revivals: The Efficiency of New Issue Markets (1992)

First published in 1992 The Efficiency of New Issue Markets provides a comprehensive overview of under-pricing and through this assess the efficiency of new issue markets. The book provides a further theoretical development of the adverse selection model of the new issue market and addresses the hypothesis that the method of distribution of new issues has an important bearing on the efficiency of these markets. In doing this the book tests the efficiency of the Offer for Sale new issue market which demonstrates the validity of the adverse selection model and contradicts the monopsony power hypothesis. This examines the relative efficiency of the new issue markets which demonstrates the importance of distribution in determining relative efficiency. | Routledge Revivals: The Efficiency of New Issue Markets (1992)

GBP 4.99
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An Analysis of Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth

An Analysis of Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth

Frantz Fanon is one of the most important figures in the history of what is now known as postcolonial studies – the field that examines the meaning and impacts of European colonialism across the world. Born in the French colony of Martinique Fanon worked as a psychiatrist in Algeria another French colony that saw brutal violence during its revolution against French rule. His experiences power the searing indictment of colonialism that is his final book 1961’s The Wretched of the Earth. Fanon’s account of the physical and psychological violence of colonialism forms the basis of a passionate closely reasoned call to arms – a call for violent revolution. Incendiary even today it was more so in its time; the book first being published during the brutal conflict caused by the Algerian Revolution. Viewed as a profoundly dangerous work by the colonial powers of the world Fanon’s book helped to inspire liberation struggles across the globe. Though it has flaws The Wretched of the Earth is above all a testament to the power of passionately sustained and closely reasoned argument: Fanon’s presentation of his evidence combines with his passion to produce an argument that it is almost impossible not to be swayed by. | An Analysis of Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Thomas Paine's Common Sense

An Analysis of Thomas Paine's Common Sense

Thomas Paine’s 1776 Common Sense has secured an unshakeable place as one of history’s most explosive and revolutionary books. A slim pamphlet published at the beginning of the American Revolution it was so widely read that it remains the all-time best selling book in US history. An impassioned argument for American independence and for democratic government Common Sense can claim to have helped change the face of the world more than almost any other book. But Paine’s pamphlet is also a masterclass in critical thinking demonstrating how the reasoned construction of arguments can be reinforced by literary skill and passion. Paine is perhaps more famous as a stylist than as a constructor of arguments but Common Sense marries the best elements of good reasoning to its polemic. Moving systematically from the origins of government through a criticism of monarchy and on to the possibilities for future democratic government in an independent America Paine neatly lays out a series of persuasive reasons to fight for independence and a new form of government. Indeed as the pamphlet’s title suggested to do so was nothing more than ‘common sense. ’ | An Analysis of Thomas Paine's Common Sense

GBP 6.50
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Revival: Gaining Advantage from Open Borders (2001) An Active Space Approach to Regional Development

Revival: Gaining Advantage from Open Borders (2001) An Active Space Approach to Regional Development

This title was first published in 2001. The contributors to this book examine how changing political borders and disappearing obstacles in transport have led to diverging patterns of interaction between European regions with different outcomes. trajectories are identified and analyzed. | Revival: Gaining Advantage from Open Borders (2001) An Active Space Approach to Regional Development

GBP 4.99
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An Analysis of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Epistemology of the Closet

An Analysis of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Epistemology of the Closet

In this book Sedgwick examines texts from Europe and America such as Wilde Nietzsche and Proust and considers the historical moment when sexual orientation came to be as important a signifier of personhood as gender had been for centuries. In doing this Sedgwick provides a history of sexuality that contends that the dualistic homo/heterosexual model is as much a basis for modern culture as it is an outcome of it. Thus Sedgwick laid the foundations of Queer Theory contributing to the contemporary debates regarding the relationship between desire and normative structures of power the question of empirical sexuality and the intricacies of the relationship between sexuality and gender. | An Analysis of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Epistemology of the Closet

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Kenneth Waltz's Theory of International Politics

An Analysis of Kenneth Waltz's Theory of International Politics

Kenneth Waltz’s 1979 Theory of International Politics is credited with bringing about a “scientific revolution” in the study of international relations – bringing the field into a new era of systematic study. The book is also a lesson in reasoning carefully and critically. Good reasoning is exemplified by arguments that move systematically through carefully organised stages taking into account opposing stances and ideas as they move towards a logical conclusion. Theory of International Politics might be a textbook example of how to go about structuring an argument in this way to produce a watertight case for a particular point of view. Waltz’s book begins by testing and critiquing earlier theories of international relations showing their strengths and weaknesses before moving on to argue for his own stance – what has since become known as “neorealism”. His aim was “to construct a theory of international politics that remedies the defects of present theories. ” And this is precisely what he did; by showing the shortcomings of the prevalent theories of international relations Waltz was then able to import insights from sociology to create a more comprehensive and realistic theory that took full account of the strengths of old schemas while also remedying their weaknesses – reasoning out a new theory in the process. | An Analysis of Kenneth Waltz's Theory of International Politics

GBP 6.50
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When Happiness Had a Holiday: Helping Families Improve and Strengthen their Relationships A Therapeutic Storybook

When Happiness Had a Holiday: Helping Families Improve and Strengthen their Relationships A Therapeutic Storybook

For effective use this book should be purchased alongside the professional guidebook. Both books can be purchased together as a set When Happiness Had a Holiday: Helping Families Improve and Strengthen their Relationships [9780367860547] This beautifully illustrated therapeutic storybook has been designed to support children and families to strengthen their relationships using solution-focused brief therapy. Healthy and supportive family relationships are essential to mental health and as referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services continue to rise growing research demonstrates the benefit of involving families in the treatment of children and young people facing emotional and mental health difficulties. The storybook explores the struggles faced by a typical family in which relationships have become more tense and conflictual. It can be used to spark discussion about the struggles faced by a family and the ways in which these struggles can be overcome when they work together. This book features: An engaging story with attractive illustrations enabling difficult issues to be explored in a child-friendly manner An accessible and relateable narrative that allows for a discussion of family difficulties without assigning blame Several suggestions for practical steps that can be taken to allow happiness to return to a family. This is a vital resource for social workers counsellors mental health professionals and individual and family psychotherapists working with families and children. Also available is an accompanying workbook with resources and activities: When Happiness Had a Holiday: Helping Families Improve and Strengthen their Relationships: A Professional Resource. | When Happiness Had a Holiday: Helping Families Improve and Strengthen their Relationships A Therapeutic Storybook

GBP 7.99
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An Analysis of Soren Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death

An Analysis of Soren Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death

Søren Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death is widely recognized as one of the most significant and influential works of Christian philosophy written in the nineteenth century. One of the cornerstones of Kierkegaard’s reputation as a writer and thinker the book is also a masterclass in the art of interpretation. In critical thinking interpretation is all about defining and clarifying terms – making sure that everyone is on the same page. But it can also be about redefining terms: showing old concepts in a new light by interpreting them in a certain way. This skill is at the heart of The Sickness unto Death. Kierkegaard’s book focuses on the meaning of “despair” – the sickness named in the title. For Kierkegaard the key problem of existence was an individual’s relationship with God and he defines true despair as equating to the idea of sin – something that separates people from God or from the idea of a higher standard beyond ourselves. Kierkegaard’s interpretative journey into the ideas of despair sin and death is a Christian exploration of the place of the individual in the world. But its interpretative skills inspired generations of philosophers of all stripes – including notorious atheists like Jean-Paul Sartre. | An Analysis of Soren Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Hans J. Morgenthau's Politics Among Nations

An Analysis of Hans J. Morgenthau's Politics Among Nations

Hans Morgenthau’s Politics Among Nations is a classic of political science built on the firm foundation of Morgenthau’s watertight reasoning skills. The central aim of reasoning is to construct a logical and persuasive argument that carefully organizes and supports its conclusions – often around a central concept or scheme of argumentation. Morgenthau’s subject was international relations – the way in which the world’s nations interact and come into conflict or peace – a topic which was of vital importance during the unstable wake of the Second World War. To the complex problem of understanding the ways in which the post-war nations were jostling for power Morgenthau brought a comprehensive schema: the concept of “realism” – or in other words the idea that every nation will act so as to maximise its own interests. From this basis Morgenthau builds a systematic argument for a pragmatic approach to international relations in which nations seeking consensus should aim for a balance of power grounding relations between states in understandings of how the interests of individual nations can be maximized. Though seismic shifts in international politics after the Cold War undeniably altered the landscape of international relations Morgenthau’s dispassionate reasoning about the nature of our world remains influential to this day. | An Analysis of Hans J. Morgenthau's Politics Among Nations

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom

An Analysis of Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom

Milton Friedman was arguably the single most influential economist of the 20th-century. His influence particularly on conservative politics in America and Great Britain substantially helped – as both supporters and critics agree – to shape the global economy as it is today. Capitalism and Freedom (1962) is a passionate but carefully reasoned summary of Friedman’s philosophy of political and economic freedom and it has become perhaps his most directly influential work. Friedman’s argument focuses on the place of economic liberalism in society: in his view free markets and personal economic freedom are absolutely necessary for true political freedom to exist. Freedom for Friedman is the ultimate good in a society – the marker and aim of true civilisation. And crucially he argues real freedom is rarely aided by government. For Friedman indeed “the great advances of civilization whether in architecture or painting in science or literature in industry or agriculture have never come from centralized government”. Instead he argues they have always been produced by “minority views” flourishing in a social climate permitting variety and diversity. ” In successive chapters Friedman develops a well-structured line of reasoning emerging from this stance – leading him to some surprising conclusions that remain persuasive and influential more than 60 years on. | An Analysis of Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom

GBP 6.50
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The Insistence of the Letter Literacy Studies and Curriculum Theorizing

The Insistence of the Letter Literacy Studies and Curriculum Theorizing

Originally published in 1992. What kinds of literacy are appropriate for life and work in the late twentieth century? What historically is the relationship between curriculum and literacy and how is it changing? The essays in this book provide an innovative forum for discussion for what are often two quite distinct enterprises: literacy research and curriculum studies. They re-frame and redraw the traditional boundaries between these two disciplines examining socio-cultural theories and classroom practices in a diverse and lively debate. They explore readings of the modernist/postmodernist debate and specific studies in curriculum politics and history rhetoric language and literacy education media studies and educational linguistics. This multi-voiced anthology brings together researchers from Australia the United Kingdom Canada and the United States in a common critical reassessment of the curriculum/literacy nexus. | The Insistence of the Letter Literacy Studies and Curriculum Theorizing

GBP 4.99
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An Analysis of Moses Maimonides's Guide for the Perplexed

An Analysis of Moses Maimonides's Guide for the Perplexed

Written by the great medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides The Guide of the Perplexed attempts to explain the perplexities of biblical language—and apparent inconsistencies in the text—in the light of philosophy and scientific reason. Composed as a letter to a student The Guide aims to harmonize Aristotelian principles with the Hebrew Bible and argues that God must be understood as both unified and incorporeal. Engaging both contemporary and ancient scholars Maimonides fluidly moves from cosmology to the problem of evil to the end goal of human happiness. His intellectual breadth and openness makes The Guide a lasting model of creative synthesis in biblical studies and philosophical theology. | An Analysis of Moses Maimonides's Guide for the Perplexed

GBP 5.99
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Transformation of Economy as a Real Process An Insider's Perspective

Transformation of Economy as a Real Process An Insider's Perspective

First published in 1998 this volume is a contribution to the economic analysis of post-communist transformation in an evolutionary-institutionalist approach. The author shows convincingly the role of path dependency of the ways history matters for the success of otherwise sound policies and highlights structural hindrances to fast and successful transformation. Thence emerges the key concept of strain. The book addresses the question of how to create conditions for sustainable development in societies where these are lacking and stresses the importance of institutional change. It also emphasises the role of sound banking institutions and proper regulations the crucial issue of financial vulnerability and fragility the role of reputation means to fight non-payments limit to optimal policies etc. The author covers a broad international literature and relates it to his insights as a local observer which delivers an interesting reading. | Transformation of Economy as a Real Process An Insider's Perspective

GBP 4.99
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An Analysis of Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature Why Violence has Declined

An Analysis of Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature Why Violence has Declined

Reasoning is the critical thinking skill concerned with the production of arguments: making them coherent consistent and well-supported; and responding to opposing positions where necessary. The Better Angels of Our Nature offers a step-by-step class in precisely these skills. Author Steven Pinker's central thesis is simple: mankind has become increasingly less violent over the centuries and will continue to do so. Pinker is aware though that many people instinctively believe the opposite and Better Angels is devoted to marshalling data to support and illustrate this central argument as well as a series of secondary arguments about how and why humanity has become less violent. Pinker's interpretative skills – understanding the meaning of the complex evidence from history – are also on display throughout as he tackles the ambiguities of his data the problems it presents and the viable inferences one can draw from it. | An Analysis of Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature Why Violence has Declined

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's Hitler's Willing Executioners Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust

An Analysis of Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's Hitler's Willing Executioners Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust

Daniel Goldhagen's study of the Holocaust offers conclusions that run directly counter to those reached by Christopher Browning whose book Ordinary Men is also the subject of a Macat analysis. As such the two analyses make possible some interesting critical thinking exercises focused on evaluation of the evidence used by the two historians. For Goldhagen a chief reason for German actions was not the mundane good comradeship stressed by Browning but a longstanding hatred of Jews and Judaism specific to Germany that dated back well into the previous century. Debating which historian is right which has made better use of the available evidence which has most successfully written objectively – and which advances the most secure interpretation of contested documents – forces students to think critically about one of the most important and (on the surface at least) incomprehensible events of the past century. | An Analysis of Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's Hitler's Willing Executioners Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Amartya Sen's Inequality Re-Examined

An Analysis of Amartya Sen's Inequality Re-Examined

Amartya Sen’s Inequality Re-Examined is a seminal text setting out a theory to evaluate social arrangements and inequality. By asking the question ‘equality of what’? Sen shows that (in)equality should be assessed as human freedom; for people to have the ability to pursue and achieve goals they value or have reason to value. The text lays out the fundamental ideas to Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach. This approach is celebrated in diverse academic disciplines because of its specific contribution towards the improvement to debates on inequality beyond economic deprivation and utility measures. Furthermore the arguments put forward by Sen in Inequality Re-Examined has had many practical applications throughout policy circles including the Human Development Index the Multi –Dimensional Poverty Measure the compilation of lists of capabilities and drawing further attention to human agency and democracy. Amartya Sen won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1998 for his contribution to welfare economics; the core arguments of this work is found in this book. | An Analysis of Amartya Sen's Inequality Re-Examined

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Geoffrey Parker's Global Crisis War Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century

An Analysis of Geoffrey Parker's Global Crisis War Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century

Few historians can claim to have undertaken historical analysis on as grand a scale as Geoffrey Parker in his 2013 work Global Crisis: War Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century. It is a doorstop of a book that surveys the ‘general crisis of the 17th century ’ shows that it was experienced practically throughout the world and was not merely a European phenomenon and links it to the impact of climate change in the form of the advent of a cold period known as the ‘Little Ice Age. ’ Parker’s triumph is made possible by the deployment of formidable critical thinking skills – reasoning to construct an engaging overall argument from very disparate material and analysis to re-examine and understand the plethora of complex secondary sources on which his book is built. In critical thinking analysis is all about understanding the features and structures of argument: how given reasons lead to conclusions and what kinds of implicit reasons and assumptions are being used. Historical analysis applies the same skills to the fabric of history asking how given chains of events occur how different reasons and factors interact and so on. Parker though takes things further than most in his quest to understand the meaning of a century’s-worth of turbulence spread across the whole globe. Beginning by breaking down the evidence for significant climatic cooling in the 17th-century (due to decreased solar activity) he moves on to detailed study of the effects the cooling had on societies and regimes across the world. From this detailed spadework he constructs a persuasive argument that accounts for the different ways in which the effects of climate change played out across the century – an argument with profound implications for a future likely to see serious climate change of its own. | An Analysis of Geoffrey Parker's Global Crisis War Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century

GBP 6.50
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An Analysis of Eugene Genovese's Roll Jordan Roll The World the Slaves Made

An Analysis of Eugene Genovese's Roll Jordan Roll The World the Slaves Made

Most studies of slavery are underpinned by ideology and idealism. Eugene Genovese's ground-breaking book takes a stand against both these influences arguing not only that all ideological history is bad history – a remarkable statement coming from a self-professed Marxist – but also that slavery itself can only be understood if master and slave are studied together rather than separately. Genovese's most important insight which makes this book a fine example of the critical thinking skill of problem-solving is that the best way to view the institution of American slavery is to understand why exactly it was structured as it was. He saw slavery as a process of continual renegotiation of power balances as masters strove to extract the maximum work from their slaves while slaves aimed to obtain acknowledgement of their humanity and the ability to shape elements of the world that they were forced to live in. Genovese's thesis is not wholly original; he adapts Gramsci's notion of hegemony to re-interpret the master-slave relationship – but it is an important example of the benefits of asking productive new questions about topics that seem superficially at least to be entirely obvious. By focusing on slave culture rather than producing another study of economic determinism this massive study succeeds in reconceptualising an institution in an exciting new way. | An Analysis of Eugene Genovese's Roll Jordan Roll The World the Slaves Made

GBP 6.50
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