Social Sciences (R0)

Despite China’s rise to the status of global power, many Chinese youths are anxious about their personal future, in large measure because the rapid changes have left them feeling adrift.  This book, available in open access, provides a manifesto of intellectual activism that counsels China’s young people to think by themselves and for themselves. Consisting of three conversations between Xiang Biao, a social anthropologist, and Wu Qi, a rising journalist, the book probes how China has reached its current stage and how young people can make changes. The conversations touch on issues of mobility, education, family, relations between the self and the authority, centers and margins, China, and the world. The Chinese version was named the “most impactful book of 2021” by Douban, China’s premier website for rating books, films, and music.  The English version is translated by David Ownby, who also penned an introduction. 

This book analyzes the importance of informal social protection provided by religious institutions such as madrassas in a low-income country such as Pakistan. This book explains that Madrassas are religious schools that have existed in many Muslim countries for centuries and contributed significantly to preserving, forming, and extending human knowledge in medieval times. Further, madrassas are now more commonly viewed as the providers of a narrow education, supporting religious fundamentalism, that may lead to terrorism. However, this book asserts that education is not the only function performed by madrassas. They are a significant source of welfare support for the vulnerable and marginalized households in many low-income countries. 

This book examines the origins and basic concepts of sociology in China and traces the discipline’s evolutionary trajectory. Building on the premise that qunxue, which goes back to Xunzi, is essentially the Chinese antecedent of modern/Western sociology, contributors try to show the distinctive ways qunxue addresses a wide range of both foundational and practical issues related to society using its own set of conceptual, analytical and methodological apparatus. The book argues that the rise of Chinese sociology will depend crucially on whether the rich heritage of traditional Chinese sociology can be fully appreciated and integrated with the Western tradition of learning. Following two preliminary chapters laying out qunxue’s basic paramters, the four remaining chapters focus on its four primary concerns: cultivation of the self (xiushen), regulation of the family (qijia), governance of the state (zhiguo), and realization of universal peace (pingtianxia).

This book introduces the policies surrounding legal gender recognition of trans people in Kazakhstan. Generally, the research in this sphere focuses on medical professions, described as gatekeepers or judges deciding who fit the prescriptions of being a woman or a man, and on trans people themselves, who are often portrayed as victims. However, this process is more complex than only describing the interaction of these two groups or by labelling them either as gatekeepers or victims. The project provides a critical approach and attempts to expand our understanding of the process, the dynamics and the actors involved. This study will be of interest to scholars of contemporary Kazakhstan, and of feminism and LGBTQ activism more generally.

This book provides an alternative agenda to deepen understanding of grassroots governance and interaction in Taiwan. Through to the Taiwan Local Council origin, the judicature, the finance, the political party, the election behavior, the political participation, the government and the local government relations, and so on have carried on the more thorough research. It not only attracts students' interest, but also deserves a broader readership, especially for any course on Taiwan politics, Chinese politics, and East Asian politics.

This book is the first study of the processes and structures of the Occupy Wall Street movement, written from the perspective of a core organizer who was involved from the inception to the end. While much has been written on OWS, few books have focused on how the movement was organized. Marisa Holmes, an organizer of OWS in New York City, aims to fill this gap by deriving the theory from the practice and analyzing a broad range of original primary sources, from collective statements, structure documents, meeting minutes, and live tweets, to hundreds of hours of footage from the OWS Media Working Group archive. In doing so, she reveals how the movement was organized in practice, which experiments were most successful, and what future generations can learn.

This book brings a much-needed re-examination of the concepts of social fairness and justice in light of the COVID-19 crisis. Through careful analysis of issues as diverse as the allocation of vaccines through the global system COVAX, women and gender, migrants and refugees, the environment, and social justice, the authors bring novel perspectives on openness, freedom, and well-being. This ambitious collection combines political, economic, historical, philosophical, and cultural analyses to examine whether it is possible to envision a “fair society” after the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

This book describes how modern industry affected people in Japan and their communities by polluting their living environment with toxic emissions. It also shows how the populace endeavored not only to restore their once-clean environment but also to rebuild communities that had been damaged by pollution and its accompanying effects. 

Environmental pollution is usually referred to in Japan as kogai, public damage, meaning that such pollution not only harms the physical environment—air, water, soil, and the human body—but also destroys the social and personal relationships in the polluted area. Those people who took action recognized that industrial and economic development had been given the highest national priority even at the cost of their health and welfare. In this sense, anti-kogai movements led them to alternative community development and to rethinking what kind of environment and community they wanted. 

This book also explores the efforts driven byresidents in several parts of Japan after the middle of the twentieth century and the endeavors of museums and archives as a memorial to those who suffered from the pollution and for the prospect of a better society with a good environment.

The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation shows that we have unwittingly fallen into an existential crisis of our own making. We have allowed large corporations, the military and other vested interests to capture governments and influence public opinion excessively. We have created a god called ‘the market’ and allowed our most important decisions to be made by this imaginary entity, which is in fact a human system controlled by vested interests. The result has been the exploitation of our life support system, our planet, and most of its inhabitants, to the point of collapse.

This book analyses the systematic and procedural issues that are faced by women in the Parliament and brings to light the systematic ignorance of certain issues supported by data on the Parliamentary Debates, Question Hours and functioning of Parliamentary Committees. Combining these technical issues with substantive legal arguments in favour of gender mainstreaming, this book acts as a tool of strategic advantage for policymakers, legislators, advocates and researchers. This work unearths not only the problem areas of the research theme, but also dedicates a solution which relies on effective monitoring techniques used globally, specifically to achieve the SDGs in the field of Nutrition, Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health.

This book provides a timely review on what has been accomplished, and what remains amiss, following the World Health Organization’s 1978 ‘Health for All’ campaign, by identifying enduring gaps in health care within a global context. The WHO declaration of "Health for All by the Year 2000" mapped out a road towards primary health care for all people and demarcated it as essential for human progress in terms of economic development and social justice. However, 45 years have gone by, and most societies and countries have yet achieved 'health for all’, despite so much having changed in technology, disease patterns, and population demographics. In promoting community health and improving service delivery, the book advocates the development and implementation of “All For Health” strategies to steer stakeholders in the right direction towards universal health care. The book covers the gaps and actions in health improvements, the ‘All For Health’ strategies, and the Health in All Policies (HiAP), reviewing and discussing issues through both Asian and international examples. Contributors include both academics and practitioners from diverse professional backgrounds including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, dietetics, social sciences, life sciences, education, business, administration, law, and public policy. Essential to scholars in public health and related disciplines, this book is also useful to policymakers, community and public health practitioners, and health care executives and interns.

This book presents a panoramic history of the Chinese nation spanning the twentieth century, with the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its central theme. In their unwavering pursuit of national independence, universal emancipation, and a country of power and shared prosperity, the Chinese people undertook an arduous journey that saw China fundamentally transformed by such historic events and experiences as the overthrow of the imperial system in the 1911 Revolution, the founding of the People’s Republic of China, reform and opening up, and the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Massive in scope, meticulously documented, and rigorously written, this volume has few rivals among general histories of China in the twentieth century.

This book aims to explore how sustainability transitions can be explored in current and future cities and how research and policy approaches can be applied to change urban life as we know it, hence aligning the two thematic of urban science and future science, for achieving deep decarbonization. On this, the discourse on philosophy, ethics, and morality appertaining to sustainable cities and urban transitions, across disciplines, are also welcomed as it provides a deeper understanding of humanity in future scenarios.

Chapter 08 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book illuminates how science fiction studies can support diversity, equity, and inclusion in science and engineering. Shortly before science fiction got its name, a new paradigm connected whiteness and masculinity to the advancement of civilization. In order to show how science fiction authors supported the social construction of these gender and racial norms – and also challenged them – this study analyzes the impact of three major editors and the authors in their orbits: Hugo Gernsback; John W. Campbell, Jr.; and Judith Merril. Supported by a fresh look at archival sources and the author’s experience teaching Science and Technology Studies at universities on three continents, this study demonstrates the interconnections among discourses of imperialism, masculinity, and innovation. Readers gain insights into fighting prejudice, the importance of the community of authors and readers, and ideas about how to challenge racism, sexism, and xenophobia in new creative work. This stimulating book demonstrates how education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can be enhanced by adding the liberal arts, such as historical and literary studies, to create STEAM.

Health Without Bodies invites readers on an ethnographic exploration of the boundary between food and medicine. Food-related health claims are governed in the EU as voluntary statements on food labels to help consumers make ‘informed choices’. This poses an interesting problem: when claims refer to health, one can no longer ignore that consumers have bodies. Asking how these claims have become possible as a new kind of truth-statement on the market, this book reveals the contours of a fundamental tension between what is expected from consumers in a liberal market economy, and how food and the body come to trouble those expectations. In doing so, it illuminates why the difference between food and medicine is such a sensitive issue, and why seemingly trivial health claims have been subject to so much debate and political control.

Afterword by Isabelle Stengers.

This book offers an examination of Africa’s scientific landscape based on extensive empirical data encompassing fifty-four African countries. It traces the evolution of science on the continent, highlighting research areas, global partnerships, funding sources, research capacity, and the impact of science policies. Acknowledging that Africa relies heavily on external sources, particularly from the Global North, for scientific research, the book identifies and addresses obstacles hindering self-reliance and underscores the urgent need for revitalized partnerships and cooperation to bolster Africa's scientific autonomy. It offers valuable recommendations to promote self-reliance, making it an indispensable resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners.

This book is the first volume to provide a comprehensive account of mega-event planning for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It offers a useful summary of the themes and debates relating to urban planning for the Paris Olympics, based on the results of a research programme (Observatory for Research on Mega-Event) funded by Gustave Eiffel University and Paris Est University and partly carried out with the organisers of the Games and their stakeholders. The authors address all aspects of the bidding process, the organisation of the Games and the construction of the social legacy of the Games.

The book is a collection of essays written by scholars/activists who are continuously concerned about the Fukushima catastrophe. The authors engagingly address the devastating environmental, economic, and social consequences of nuclear disasters, as well as recognize resistance of local communities through searching for alternative life and thought. The book offers a critique of nuclear energy and calls for collective action for social justice and ecological justice.

This study examines the management strategies of representative companies in each country to gain insight into the value of ESG management strategies for corporate innovation and how design thinking and artistic interventions can foster creativity both internally and externally to drive corporate innovation. It compares the current state of design and/or art-driven innovation strategies in Korean and Chinese companies under ESG frameworks, and then discusses the challenges of corporate innovation in these countries. Based on the results of the comparison, the study suggests the future of corporate innovation in China.

This book introduces the ecological, low-carbon, and sustainable concept of ideal cities from different views. With beliefs and practices of scholars in the past in pursuit of ideal cities, it is written with historical events in the development of low-carbon cities. In this way, activities about carbon peaking and carbon neutrality happening worldwide at present can be shown, and efforts variety countries have paid off can be exhibited. Besides, as for the centralized and the distributed space structure in urban evolution, the book discusses their trends and comes up with an ideal model, the distributed city, to realize carbon neutrality based on the distributed structure. Therefore, with a practical example in planning, the feasibility of the distributed city is analyzed in several fields, including space, energy, traffic, water, waste disposal, etc. The book can be used as materials for professionals in city planning and construction, low-carbon development and other fields, as well as a way for ordinary people to learn about the complex city.

This Open Access book reimagines social connection beyond the crisis narrative of loneliness, presenting an innovative interdisciplinary model that bridges individual experiences with community infrastructure. Drawing on research with urban fringe residents, the authors reveal how meaningful connections form through complex interactions across physical and digital spaces, shaped by environmental contexts and personal capabilities.

Beyond Loneliness offers a strengths-based framework through rich thematic analysis and six powerful, detailed personal narratives that illuminate connection journeys. It demonstrates how people actively navigate their social worlds and shows how contextual factors, including social, built, technological, and institutional, influence connection opportunities.

For practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, this accessible book provides practical insights for fostering environments where diverse pathways to social connection can flourish. By moving beyond deficit-focused interventions toward comprehensive strategies that recognise social connection as a dynamic, relational process, Beyond Loneliness offers a transformative approach to building more connected, resilient communities.

This Open Access book explores the contemporary socio-economic challenges that European non-urban areas face, illuminating how collaborative workspaces (CWS) contribute to tackling them in multiple ways. Collaborative workspaces (such as coworking spaces, fab labs, creative hubs, etc.) for freelancers, self-employed, remote workers and start-ups are increasingly becoming a subject of local and regional economic development policies as they are considered important intermediaries that help deliver entrepreneurial development and local innovation agendas. There has also been a rise in CWS in less densely populated communities in rural and peripheral regions across the European Union that face particular challenges such as brain drain, low investment levels, and low levels of entrepreneurship. These non-urban CWS differ in terms of scopes, functions and impacts compared to those in urban centers. The contributions in this volume unpack the development processes of CWS in rural, suburban, remote and peripheral areas, their wider economic, social and community impacts at the local and regional level, as well as at the level of the individual worker and the enterprise. The book brings together contributions from a broad range of scientific disciplines, including social and economic geography, economics, business studies, architecture, planning, gender studies, and management studies.

This book approaches the field of mindfulness research from the perspective of self-determination theory (SDT). It is a timely presentation of work promoting better understanding of the mental and socioemotional well-being of individuals; of need-based satisfaction for one’s own work and learning; of mindfulness of self and others; of awareness and conflict resolution, with strategies for dealing with critical situations. As the first book employing SDT to examine mindfulness research in schools, institutions, workplaces, the authors show in what ways mindfulness involves self- and social awareness, self-regulation, and cognitive, and socioemotional skills. These, in turn, lead to well-being competencies in combinations of behaviours, cognitions, and emotions that are essential for all individuals’ success across various settings, including educational and working contexts. It draws on SDT which emphasises on motivation processes and relations among people engaged in activities to promote or nurture mindfulness, ranging from schools and tertiary institutions to various workplaces. It is an essential resource for practitioners and educators, as well as researchers and graduate students in special and general education, educational psychology, well-being, organisational culture, and family-related fields.

This book investigates the ways in which emerging digital technologies are shaping and changing the worlds of sexuality and gender diverse youth in Southeast Asia. Primarily focused on the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, the book examines the potential of digital technologies to enhance wellbeing in and across these contexts.

Drawing on multi-site ethnographic field research, interviews, survey data, and online content analysis, the book examines the design and use of websites and content by and for LGBT+ youth.  The book innovatively interrogates the design of transnational digital wellbeing initiatives, alongside the digital practices of those the technologies are designed for. It illustrates not only the (im)possibilities of technological design, but also the capacity for design to participate in what Hanckel calls ‘(trans)national digital wellbeing’ processes. He asks us to consider the ways that global technologies are contextual—a paradox that is explored throughout the book.

The analysis extends important discussions in youth research, contributing to a greater understanding of how LGBT+ youth are engaging new technologies to participate in identity-making, health and wellbeing, as well as political action. It also considers implications for digital wellbeing and digital health promotion efforts globally with young people who experience marginalisation. In doing so the book makes a critical contribution to understanding the ways that transnational digital interventions get deployed and (at times) incorporated into youth practices.