laughter and ridicule towards a social critique of humour

Laughter and Ridicule: Towards a Social Critique of Humour

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Billig, Mick / Billig, Michael, PUBLISHER: Sage Publications (CA), From Thomas Hobbes' fear of the power of laughter to the compulsory, packaged "fun" of the contemporary mass media, Billig takes the reader on a stimulating tour of the strange world of humour. Both a significant work of scholarship and a novel contribution to the understanding of the humourous, this is a seriously engaging book' - David Inglis, University of Aberdeen This delightful book tackles the prevailing assumption that laughter and humour are inherently good. In developing a critique of humour the author proposes a social theory that places humour - in the form of ridicule - as central to social life. Billig argues that all cultures use ridicule as a disciplinary means to uphold norms of conduct and conventions of meaning. Historically, theories of humour reflect wider visions of politics, morality and aesthetics. For example, Bergson argued that humour contains an element of cruelty while Freud suggested that we deceive ourselves about the true nature of our laughter. Billig discusses these and other theories, while using the topic of humour to throw light on the perennial social problems of regulation, control and emancipation.

Sport and Modern Social Theorists: Theorizing Homo Ludens

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Giulianotti, Richard, PUBLISHER: Palgrave MacMillan, How does the work of Marx help us understand sport? What contribution might Goffman's thinking make to our analysis of sport? How might post-structuralist and postmodern positions be developed to explain this important sphere of social activity? In this innovative and exciting collection, the contributions of major social theorists towards our critical understanding of modern sport are brought together in a single volume.

Handbook of Social Intervention

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Seidman, Edward, PUBLISHER: Sage Publications (CA), A definitive resource for anyone involved in the study or practice of social planning and intervention. Invited contributors review the literature on psychological, social, educational, economic, and environmental policies and programmes. Issues of design, method, assessment, and tactics of social intervention are explored. The volume then deals with intervention in criminal justice, education, health, housing, and thirteen other specific areas of policy.

A Trial of Witches: A Seventeenth Century Witchcraft

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Geis, Gilbert / Bunn, Ivan, PUBLISHER: Routledge, In , Amy Denny and Rose Cullender were accused of witchcraft, and, in one of the most important of such cases in England, stood trial and were hanged in Bury St Edmunds. A Trial of Witches is a complete account of this sensational trial and an analysis of the court procedures, and the larger social, cultural and political concerns of the period. In a critique of the official process, the book details how the erroneous conclusions of the trial were achieved. The authors consider the key participants in the case, including the judge and medical witness, their institutional importance, their part in the fate of the women and their future careers. Through detailed research of primary sources, the authors explore the important implications of this case for the understanding of hysteria, group mentality, social forces and the witchcraft phenomenon as a whole.

Marx and Mill: Two Views of Social Conflict and Social

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Duncan / Duncan, Graeme, PUBLISHER: Cambridge University Press, First published in , this was the first detailed comparative analysis of the writings of Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill. it contains a full, careful and sympathetic account of their respective social doctrines, and concludes with a critical comparative evaluation of the two thinkers.

Developing Ecofeminist Theory: The Complexity of Difference

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Cudworth, Erika, PUBLISHER: Palgrave MacMillan, This book provides a comprehensive overview of feminist and environmental theories of society-environment relations, considers the range of theoretical and political influences on socialist and Marxist theory, amongst others, and the social sciences' turn to poststructuralism and postmodernism. Cudworth also develops her own theoretical account for the interrelations between forms of social domination and contributes to important debates with sociology, social theory, feminist theory and environmentalism.

The Changing Role of Social Care

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Hudson, Bob, PUBLISHER: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Focusing on the enormous organizational and cultural changes that local authority social services have undergone since the NHS and Community Care Act, this volume provides an overview of the structure and function of social care at practice, management and policy levels. It contains contributions from leading academics, researchers and practitioners in the UK, and also includes chapters on the experiences of the rest of Europe and the US. The contributors examine the impact and effectiveness of key shifts in the weighting of responsibility of central and local government; who the purchasers and providers of social care are; the interaction between social services and other agencies; the relationship between voluntary and statutory sectors; and the involvement of users and carers in service design and provision. They assess the significance of the breakdown of the traditional distinctions and roles underlying social care, and lay the foundations for effective and coordinated future policy, practice and research. With the publication of the Labor Government's White Paper Modernizing Social Services, the future of social care is set for yet more upheaval. This volume will provide an indispensable overview of the evolution and destiny of local authority social services for students, practitioners and managers.

The Mark of the Social: Discovery or Invention?

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Greenwood, John D. / Gergen, Kenneth J., PUBLISHER: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Behavior, language, development, identity, and science all of these phenomena are commonly characterized as 'social' in nature. But what does it mean to be 'social'? Is there any intrinsic 'mark' of the social shared by these phenomena? In the first book to shed light on this foundational question, twelve distinguished philosophers and social scientists from several disciplines debate the mark of the social. Their varied answers will be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers, psychologists, and anyone interested in the theoretical foundations of the social sciences.

Social Research and Social Reform: Essays in Honour of A. H.

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Crouch, Colin / Heath, Anthony, PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, In light of recent skepticism about the effectiveness of social research, this work provides an opportune reassessment of its influence. It also proposes new ways to consider the relationship of research to reform. The range of topics covered includes secondary educational reform, changing concepts of social work, women's studies, as well as the role of evaluation research in social policy in the United States and Sweden.

The Economics of the Yasun Initiative: Climate Change as If

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Vogel, Joseph Henry / Chichilnisky, Graciela / Hermida, Jose Manuel, PUBLISHER: Anthem Press, Climate change lends itself to both political economy and humor. Vogel argues that mainstream economics fails to recognize the thermodynamic nature of climate change, thereby missing the point of Northern appropriation of the atmospheric sink. The payment Ecuador seeks for not drilling in the Yasuni is equitable and efficient. Heeding the call of Deirdre (formerly Donald) McCloskey that economics needs humour, Vogel has written a scathing critique of economics-as-usual which also entertains.

Anthropology of Religion: The Unity and Diversity of

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Crapo, Richley H., PUBLISHER: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Langua, This text offers an alternative to the case-driven approach that the sole use of a reader tends to foster. It provides students with ways of conceptualizing what religion is, what its social and psychological functions are, the nature of religious symbolism and religious behavior, and the organizational structure of religions. This text covers all the standard topics (e.g., ideology and symbolism, ritual and ceremony, organizational forms, and social and psychological functions of religion) as well as ones of more recent interest such as religion and gender, the psychology of religion, and pilgrimage. Acquista Ora

Social Ecology

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Guha, Ramachandra, PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, Social Ecology brings together a selection of pioneering essays on a subject of increasing interest to sociologists and social anthropologists. With the growing awareness of the causes and consequences of environmental degradation, the once neglected field of social ecology has assumed enormous theoretical and practical importance. The essays assembled in this anthology provide a state of the art survey of the field as well as an orientation to future research. As the first such anthology of its kind, it provides a compact and analytically sophisticated overview of environment and society in contemporary India. It should be of great interest to administrators, activists, and development professionals as well as students and scholars working in the field.

How Children Develop Social Understanding

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Carpendale, Jeremy / Lewis, Charlie, PUBLISHER: Blackwell Publishing Professional, This book provides a critical review of research into how children come to understand the social world, an area often known as children's "theories of mind." Takes an integrated approach to the development of children's social understanding Brings out the connections between mental state understanding and children's understanding of language, social skills, morality and emotions. Sets research within a historical and theoretical context Contributes unique insights and perspectives, particularly in its discussions of Piaget and Vygotsky, and in its Wittgensteinian focus on the role of language.

The Warden

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Trollope, Anthony, PUBLISHER: Trafalgar Square Publishing, The first of Trollope's Barchester series, "The Warden" represents the beginning of one of the most enduring collections of British fiction. It is, however, an immensely compelling story in its own right, told with the author's usual style and an eye for human weakness. Both a love story and a critique of the social mores of the time, the tale of Revd Harding, the Warden of the title, is a piece of literature that will perhaps provoke as much as it will entertain.

The End of Empire and the Making of Malaya

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Harper, T. N., PUBLISHER: Cambridge University Press, This is the first general social and political history of Malaya. Focusing on the years to , the last years of British rule and the achievement of independence, it embraces a wealth of social, economic and cultural, as well as political themes. It contains new research on the impact of the Second World War in Malaya, the origins and course of the Communist Emergency, and the response of Malaya's various ethnic communities to nationalism and social change. A concluding chapter takes these themes forward into the s to shed new light on the emergence of this important Southeast Asian nation.

A Narrative History of Experimental Social Psychology: The

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Patnoe, Shelley, PUBLISHER: Springer, "A Narrative History of Experimental Social Psychology" presents lengthy and intensive interviews with the contemporary scientists that founded and shaped the field of social psychology. The story of social psychology is told through the autobiographical narratives of leading figures, such as Dorwin Cartwright, Harold Kelley, Kurt Back, Robert Krauss, Stanley Schachter, and Leon Festinger. The author traces the beginning of the field from the close-knit group of students around Kurt Lewin to the major research groups responsible for the scientific origins of the discipline. The interviews offer unique insights into the beginnings of the fields and prospects for future trends.

Health, Civilization and the State: A History of Public

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Porter, Dorothy, PUBLISHER: Routledge, "Health, Civilization and the State" examines the social, economic and political issues of public health provision in historical perspective. Focusing on Britain, Continental Europe and the United States, Dorothy Porter provides a comprehensive outline of the development of public health care from the ancient world to the modern state. Covering a broad range of historical issues, the book includes discussion of: pestilence, public order and morality in pre-modern times; the Enlightenment and its effects; health care centralization in Victorian Britain; localization of health care in the United States; population issues and family welfare; the rise of the classic welfare state; and current attitudes towards public health as we approach the twenty-first century.

The Social Market Economy: Theory and Ethics of the Economic

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Koslowski, P. / Koslowski, Peter, PUBLISHER: Springer, The social market economy forms a fundamental theory of the market economy and an integrated economic and ethical theory of the economic order in which the political and societal conditions for the working of the market are included in the theory of the market economy. The social market economy is presented as a universal theory of the decisions to be made about the economic order in all cultures and is analysed in its basic theoretical foundations and in its application to the transition process from the planned to the market economy, particulary in the privatisation of socialised property in Russia and former East Germany. Leading German and Russian experts in the field as well as four classical texts present a systematic analysis of the social market economy from the point of view of economics, law, and ethics.

Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: An Introduction

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Buroker, Jill Vance, PUBLISHER: Cambridge University Press, In this new introductory textbook to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, Jill Vance Buroker explains the role of this first Critique in Kant's Critical project and offers a line-by-line reading of the major arguments in the text. She situates Kant's views in relation both to his predecessors and to contemporary debates, explaining his Critical philosophy as a response to the failure of rationalism and the challenge of skepticism. Paying special attention to Kant's notoriously difficult vocabulary, she explains the strengths and weaknesses of his arguments, while leaving the final assessment up to the reader. Intended to be read alongside the Critique (also published by Cambridge University Press as part of The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Immanuel Kant in Translation), this guide is accessible to readers with little background in the history of philosophy, but should also be a valuable resource for more advanced students.

Oatley: Cities, Economic (P) Competition and Urban Policy

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Oatley, Nick, PUBLISHER: Sage Publications (CA), This book is a comprehensive and authoritative account of the major realignment that has taken place in English regeneration policy and practice since . It analyzes the changes which have led to an emphasis in policy on competitiveness, integrated approaches to economic decline and social exclusion, and the shift away from formula-driven funding mechanisms towards controversial competitive bidding. It also examines changes in governance practices, the spread of multisector partnerships, the new localism' and the emergence of a contract culture. The book concludes with a summary of contemporary policy themes and an assessment of the Labour Government's policy proposals.

Primal Scenes of Communication: Communication, Consumerism,

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Angus, Ian, PUBLISHER: State University of New York Press, Primal Scenes of Communication argues that the materiality of communication media constitute social relations and that social relations should be understood as "technology-identity complexes". This theory is employed to characterize consumer society, and the social movements that criticize consumer society, as a unique epoch of communication.

The Europeans

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: James, Henry, PUBLISHER: Aziloth Books, Although Henry James was himself none too fond of 'The Europeans', the novel has nevertheless proved to be a firm favourite with readers ever since its publication in . The juxtaposition of two cultures with their differing values and expectations was fertile ground for James' comic genius, and he uses the varied interplay of characters to poke fun at the social mores of the day while at the same time attempting a more serious critique of New England society.

Meals in a Social Context: Aspects of the Communal Meal in

ISBN: , SKU: , PUBLISHER: Aarhus University Press, Scholarly contribution provide insight into how social mores and etiquette were transmitted to children, the growing significance of family for Christians, the culture clashes of Greek and Roman, and the development of religious connotations around meals. The wide range of related interdisciplinary topics considered includes the development of the Eucharist as a ritual in its own right, funeral banquets, the role of women at meals, the architecture of the Greek and Roman meal and the provision of food for the poor.

The Flight from Reality in the Human Sciences

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Shapiro, Ian, PUBLISHER: Princeton University Press, In this captivating yet troubling book, Ian Shapiro offers a searing indictment of many influential practices in the social sciences and humanities today. Perhaps best known for his critique of rational choice theory, Shapiro expands his purview here. In discipline after discipline, he argues, scholars have fallen prey to inward-looking myopia that results from--and perpetuates--a flight from reality. In the method-driven academic culture we inhabit, argues Shapiro, researchers too often make display and refinement of their techniques the principal scholarly activity. The result is that they lose sight of the objects of their study. Pet theories and methodological blinders lead unwelcome facts to be ignored, sometimes not even perceived. The targets of Shapiro's critique include the law and economics movement, overzealous formal and statistical modeling, various reductive theories of human behavior, misguided conceptual analysis in political theory, and the Cambridge school of intellectual history. As an alternative to all of these, Shapiro makes a compelling case for problem-driven social research, rooted in a realist philosophy of science and an antireductionist view of social explanation. In the lucid--if biting--prose for which Shapiro is renowned, he explains why this requires greater critical attention to how problems are specified than is usually undertaken. He illustrates what is at stake for the study of power, democracy, law, and ideology, as well as in normative debates over rights, justice, freedom, virtue, and community. Shapiro answers many critics of his views along the way, securing his position as one of the distinctive social and political theorists of our time.

Cultural Theory and Cultural Change

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Featherstone, Mike, PUBLISHER: Sage Publications (CA), Recent years have seen a significant reappraisal of the idea of culture within the social sciences, and a growing integration of theoretical concerns between the social sciences and the humanities. Debates over concepts such as postmodernism and cultural globalization have been symptomatic of a broader interdisciplinary interest in the social context of cultural practice. In this book an international cast of eminent theorists examines a series of key questions on the borders of the cultural and the social. Ranging across a broad canvas, the contributors focus on different elements of cultural theory and cultural process: discourse, lifestyle, the emotions, the intelligentsia, social movements, postmodernism. Linking the chapters is a concern with the central role of European social theory in the current reappraisal of culture, and an assessment of its relation to other international traditions. This book, for an interdisciplinary readership, will serve as an outline of key concerns in cultural theory and an insight into the central insights of Theory, Culture and Society. The book is also published as issue 9.1 of Theory, Culture and Society.

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