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    Book Review: …and forgive them their debts: Lending, Foreclosure and Redemption From Bronze Age Finance to the Jubilee Year by Michael Hudson

Book Review: …and forgive them their debts: Lending, Foreclosure and Redemption From Bronze Age Finance to the Jubilee Year by Michael Hudson

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In …and forgive them their debts: Lending, Foreclosure and Redemption From Bronze Age Finance to the Jubilee Year, Michael Hudson offers a historical account of the role that debt played in ancient societies. In focusing on how such societies dealt with the proliferation of debts that cannot be paid, this book sheds informative light on the significance of debt today, writes Alfredo […]

August 11th, 2019|Alfredo Hernandez Sanchez, Book Reviews, Economy|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: There Is No More Haiti: Between Life and Death in Port-au-Prince by Greg Beckett

Book Review: There Is No More Haiti: Between Life and Death in Port-au-Prince by Greg Beckett

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In There Is No More Haiti: Between Life and Death in Port-au-Prince, Greg Beckett offers a richly detailed, decade-long ethnography of Haiti that digs into how it feels to endure ‘forever crisis’. This deep and thoughtful study shows a sensitivity to the affect of ongoing disaster and the relationship between crisis and ordinariness, contributing to both the literature on Haitian politics and […]

August 11th, 2019|Book Reviews, Lachlan Summers, US foreign affairs and the North American neighbourhood|0 Comments|
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Book Review: The Politics of Land edited by Tim Bartley

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In The Politics of Land, editor Tim Bartley brings together contributors to highlight the significance of the neglected issue of land to political sociology. This is a highly informative volume that explores a range of issues related to the land-politics nexus beyond the top-down understanding of its role in capitalist accumulation with much potential for future sociological research, writes Alexander Dobeson. 

The […]

August 4th, 2019|Alexander Dobeson, Book Reviews, Economy|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Theory for the World to Come: Speculative Fiction and Apocalyptic Anthropology by Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer

Book Review: Theory for the World to Come: Speculative Fiction and Apocalyptic Anthropology by Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer

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In Theory for the World to Come: Speculative Fiction and Apocalyptic Anthropology, Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer argues that speculative fiction offers a rich vein to theorise catastrophe and crisis in ways that are not paralysing or demoralising, drawing on the work of those such as Octavia E. Butler and Kurt Vonnegut. This book admirably succeeds in showing its source material to offer a […]

July 28th, 2019|Book Reviews, Democracy and culture, Frankie Hines|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide by Jonathan A. Rodden

Book Review: Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide by Jonathan A. Rodden

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Parties of the centre-left in the US, the UK and a number of other countries win legislative power less frequently that their centre-right competitors, relative to the share of the votes they get at elections. This is because of the electoral system deployed in these countries and the geographies of party support. Ron Johnston reviews an important new book, […]

July 21st, 2019|Book Reviews, Ron Johnston, Urban, rural and regional policies|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America by Margaret O’Mara

Book Review: The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America by Margaret O’Mara

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In The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America, Margaret O’Mara provides a new account of the region’s evolution that brings the US government into the story. The book offers a compelling narrative that tracks the key players and events that have underpinned Silicon Valley’s tremendous, but messy, rise, writes Robyn Klingler-Vidra, while also underscoring the gender imbalance and casual misogyny […]

July 21st, 2019|Book Reviews, Economy, Robyn Klingler-Vidra|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Empire’s Tracks: Indigenous Nations, Chinese Workers and the Transcontinental Railroad by Manu Karuka

Book Review: Empire’s Tracks: Indigenous Nations, Chinese Workers and the Transcontinental Railroad by Manu Karuka

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In Empire’s Tracks: Indigenous Nations, Chinese Workers and the Transcontinental Railroad, Manu Karuka challenges longstanding myths surrounding the history of the US railroads, showing their construction to be dependent on gendered and racialised processes of conquest and exploitation. With the book adding to the growing literature that is reframing stories of expanding markets as critical narratives of imperial formations, Nicholas Barron welcomes […]

July 7th, 2019|Book Reviews, Nicholas Barron, U.S. History|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Towards a Global Consensus Against Corruption: International Agreements as Products of Diffusion and Signals of Commitment by Mathis Lohaus

Book Review: Towards a Global Consensus Against Corruption: International Agreements as Products of Diffusion and Signals of Commitment by Mathis Lohaus

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In Towards a Global Consensus Against Corruption: International Agreements as Products of Diffusion and Signals of Commitment, Mathis Lohaus explores the similarities and differences between international anti-corruption agreements, drawing particularly on the cases of the Organization of American States and the African Union. This effective and concise analysis is underpinned by a meticulous account of the drafting history of the relevant treaties and […]

June 30th, 2019| Anton Moiseienko, Book Reviews, Economy|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Scientists Under Surveillance: The FBI Files edited by JPat Brown et al

Book Review: Scientists Under Surveillance: The FBI Files edited by JPat Brown et al

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In Scientists Under Surveillance: The FBI Files, editors JPat Brown et al bring together obtained FBI files to offer an insight into FBI investigations into the life and research of some of the world’s most renowned scientists, showing this surveillance to be typically driven by fear, ignorance and senseless tip-offs. The collection sheds light on some of the most intrusive […]

June 16th, 2019|Book Reviews, Jochem Kootstra, U.S. History|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy by Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum

Book Review: A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy by Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum

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In A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy, Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum identify and outline the emergence of a new type of conspiracist thinking in our contemporary moment, showing it to pose a fundamental threat to democratic functioning. While questioning whether the book ascribes too much intentionality to those engaging in ‘the […]

June 16th, 2019|Book Reviews, Democracy and culture, Ignas Kalpokas|0 Comments|
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