In this section you can read reviews of academic books covering the USA, and its continental neighbours, Canada and Mexico. Each weekend we publish two reviews, aiming to cover a wide range of books on all aspects of public policy and politics.
GalleryBook Review: Zoning China: Online Video, Popular Culture and the State by Luzhou Li
In Zoning China: Online Video, Popular Culture and the State, Luzhou Li examines ‘cultural zoning’ in contemporary China to consider why government regulation of online video is much more lenient than the regulation of broadcast television. This timely and insightful analysis provides a critical lens both for understanding Chinese cultural industries as an integral part of the expanding globalised capitalist economy and […]
Book Review: The Anthropocene in Global Media: Neutralizing the Risk by Leslie Sklair
In The Anthropocene in Global Media: Neutralizing the Risk, editor Leslie Sklair brings together contributors to explore how the Anthropocene is reported in mass media globally. Full of rich empirical details and insightful discussions, this enlightening book deserves the attention of anyone interested in evolving public discourses of the Anthropocene, recommends Sibo Chen.
The Anthropocene in Global Media: Neutralizing the Risk. Leslie […]
GalleryBook Review: Expanded Visions: A New Anthropology of the Moving Image by Arnd Schneider
In Expanded Visions: A New Anthropology of the Moving Image, Arnd Schneider explores the generative potential of experimental film as and through anthropology. Highlighting the significance of meaning-making, affect and formal experimentation in the social sciences, the book is a welcome and eloquent contribution to research on the intersection of anthropology and the arts, writes Sander Hölsgens.
Expanded Visions: A New Anthropology of the […]
GalleryBook Review: The Public and their Platforms: Public Sociology in an Era of Social Media by Mark Carrigan and Lambros Fatsis
In The Public and their Platforms: Public Sociology in an Era of Social Media, Mark Carrigan and Lambros Fatsis explore the discipline of sociology at a time when public life is increasingly shaped by social media platforms. Published in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this timely book argues that contemporary interactions between sociology, publics and social media platforms demand […]
GalleryBook Review: The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution by Michael McConnell
In The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution, Michael McConnell explores presidential power and its limits under the Constitution. Jeffrey K. Tulis gives an overview of the book, and discusses the merits and serious defects of its legalistic approach to presidential power.
The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution. Michael […]
Book Review: The Creative Underclass: Youth, Race and the Gentrifying City by Tyler Denmead
In The Creative Underclass: Youth, Race and the Gentrifying City, Tyler Denmead reflects on his role in founding New Urban Arts, an arts and humanities programme primarily for young people of colour in Providence, Rhode Island, using this as a means to critically examine how well-meaning arts organisations can replicate systems of race- and class-based inequalities in the face of gentrification. […]
GalleryBook Review: The Pay Off: How Changing the Way We Pay Changes Everything by Gottfried Leibbrandt and Natasha de Terán
In The Pay Off: How Changing the Way We Pay Changes Everything, Gottfried Leibbrandt and Natasha de Terán offer a new account of the history and workings of payments infrastructures, showing how the movement of money is crucial to understanding financial power today. Offering careful and accessible insight into the basics of payments and intelligent analysis of the Fintech boom, this […]
GalleryBook Review: How Ten Global Cities Take On Homelessness: Innovations That Work by Linda Gibbs, Jay Bainbridge, Muzzy Rosenblatt and Tamiru Mammo
In How Ten Global Cities Take On Homelessness: Innovations That Work, Linda Gibbs, Jay Bainbridge, Muzzy Rosenblatt and Tamiru Mammo explore some of the key challenges faced by urban spaces in tackling homelessness and outline the successes of ten global cities when it comes to addressing its causes and consequences. This book is a valuable resource that not only identifies the […]
GalleryBook Review: Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right by Cynthia Miller-Idriss
In Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right, Cynthia Miller-Idriss explores the places where the far right recruit young people in communities across the US and around the world. From university campuses and Mixed Martial Arts gyms to clothing stores, online forums and YouTube lifestyle channels, the book examines the physical and virtual spaces in which hate is […]
GalleryBook Review: Advanced Introduction to Feminist Economics by Joyce P. Jacobsen
In Advanced Introduction to Feminist Economics, Joyce P. Jacobsen provides an overview of feminist economics, exploring how various areas of economics intersect with feminism. Full of rich references, this book is a treasure trove for those embarking on ‘doing’ feminist economics, showing how it can challenge the prevailing dogmas of mainstream economics with multiple approaches, writes Rajshree Bedamatta.
Advanced Introduction to Feminist Economics. Joyce P. […]
