After Method

John Law argues that methods don't just describe social realities but are also involved in creating them. The implications of this argument are highly significant. If this is the case, methods are always political, and it raises the question of what kinds of social realities we want to create. Most current methods look for clarity and precision. It is usually said that only poor research produces messy findings, and the idea that things in the world might be fluid, elusive, or multiple is unthinkable. Law's startling argument is that this is wrong and it is time for a new approach. Many realities, he says, are vague and ephemeral. If methods want to know and help to shape the world, then they need to reinvent themselves and their politics to deal with mess. That is the challenge. Nothing less will do.

'Research Methods': a compulsory course, loved by some but hated by many! This stimulating book is about what went wrong with 'research methods'. Its controversial argument is radical, and at times, even revolutionary. John Law argues that methods don't just describe social realities but are also involved in creating them. The implications of this argument are highly significant, as if this is the case, methods are always political, and it raises the question of what kinds of social realities we want to create. Most current methods look for clarity and precision. It is usually said that only poor research produces messy findings, and the idea that things in the world might be fluid, elusive, or multiple is unthinkable. Law's startling argument is that this is wrong and it is time for a new approach. Many realities, he says, are vague and ephemeral. If methods want to know and to help to shape the world, then they need to reinvent themselves and their politics to deal with mess. That is thechallenge. Nothing less will do. This book is essential reading for students, postgraduates and researchers with an interest methodology.

Reigniting a tradition of learning from experience, Search After Method is a plea for livelier forms of anthropology. The anthropologists in the collection recount their experiences of working in the field, framed within a range of anthropological debates. The book thus provides accounts of lived experiences from both extensive and contemporary fieldwork as well as offering solutions for how to evolve the art of anthropological research beyond what is currently imagined.

Perrault argues that rules of architecture be determined by reason, not by ancient precedent.

Estimation of the Time Since Death remains the foremost authoritative book on scientifically calculating the estimated time of death postmortem. Building on the success of previous editions which covered the early postmortem period, this new edition also covers the later postmortem period including putrefactive changes, entomology, and postmortem r

In The Midlife Method, food and lifestyle writer Sam Rice explores why it is so much harder to lose weight as we get older and what we can do about it. Rather than focusing exclusively on restricted eating, as so many diets do, Sam guides us through her 'method' for midlife weight loss based on extensive research into the specific physiological changes that occur in our middle years. She answers the questions that she herself asked when, in her forties, the weight suddenly started accumulating around the middle: * Why is this happening to me? * What am I eating that isn't helping? * What foods should I be eating more of? * How do calories fit into the equation? * How much and what kinds of exercise are most beneficial? * What other lifestyle changes do I need to make? Including more than 80 delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch and family-friendly dinners, along with an easy 4-week meal plan, The Midlife Method shows how combining Light Days (active calorie restriction via calorie-controlled recipes) and Regular Days (focused on eating well-balanced, nutrient-dense food) can bring about healthy and sustainable weight loss. But we don't just want to lose weight as we get older, we want to feel great too, that is where The Midlife Method Healthy Habits come in. Learn how to exercise optimally, get a better night's sleep, manage stress and enjoy alcohol as part of a healthier lifestyle. If you feel stuck in a midlife weight rut then this is the book for you.

This re-incorporation of economics into political economy is one (small, but not insignificant) element in a larger project: to place all of the resources of present-day social-scientific research at the service of increasing democracy, in an ultimate direction toward socialism in the classic sense. An economics-enriched political economy is, above all, empowering: working people in general can calculate, build models, think theoretically, and contribute to a human-worthy future, rather than leaving all this to their "betters."