Bringing Culture Back In

Economists used to claim that material self-interest and the rational choices of the individual were universal factors that transcended cultural values and differences. This position has been challenged by critics, who have pointed out the methodological and philosophical weaknesses of this approach. They dispute the idea that social order can be explained as the product of the choices of individual agents, and that social agents operate independently of their social and cultural values and norms. Today, there is virtual agreement, not only among students of culture, but also among social scientists that "culture counts" in both politics and society as well as in international relations. In this book, a number of international political scientists, economists, philosophers and humanist scholars address the role of culture, ethnicity, and religion in contemporary states and societies.

Economists used to claim that material self-interest and the rational choices of the individual were universal factors that transcended cultural values and differences. This position has been challenged by critics, who have pointed out the methodological and philosophical weaknesses of this approach. They dispute the idea that social order can be explained as the product of the choices of individual agents, and that social agents operate independently of their social and cultural values and norms. Today, there is virtual agreement, not only among students of culture, but also among social scientists that "culture counts" in both politics and society as well as in international relations. In this book, a number of international political scientists, economists, philosophers and humanist scholars address the role of culture, ethnicity, and religion in contemporary states and societies.

This text explores how cultural life in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) was strictly controlled by the ruling party, the SED, through attempts to dictate the way people spent their free time. It shows how people's cultural life in the GDR developed a dynamic of its own.

Religious culture is an important keyword for understanding rapidly changing East Asian society, especially China, Japan, and Korea. Despite the common influence of Confucian culture on these countries, each has shown a very different pattern of social progress in modern and postmodern times. Although surveys report a low ratio of religious identification and membership in this region, people in this area are religious in a different way from Western societies, and religious culture is closely related to political, economic, and social subsystems. A real force of changing East Asian society is not only political powers or economic classes, but also an invisible culture based on religious belief and practice. This book focuses on the dynamic relationship between social progress and religious culture, organization, or movements in each society since 1945.

The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the attention paid by social scientists to environmental issues, and a gradual acknowledgement, in the wider community, of the role of social science in the public debate on sustainability. At the same time, the concept of `culture', once the property of anthropologists has gained wide currency among social scientist. These trends have taken place against a growing perception, among specialist and public, of the global nature of contemporary issues. This book shows how an understanding of culture can throw light on the way environmental issues are perceived and interpreted, both by local communities and within the contemporary global arena. Taking an anthropological approach the book examines the relationship between human culture and human ecology, and considers how a cultural approach to the study of environmental issues differs from other established approaches in social science. This book adds significantly to our understanding of environmentalism as a contemporary phenomenon, by demonstrating the distinctive contribution of social and cultural anthropology to the environmental debate. It will be of particular interest to students and researchers in the fields of social science and the environment.

School counseling in the 21st century requires a new set of skills and practices than seen in past decades. With a sharper focus on social justice, the experiences and challenges for marginalized groups, and more open discussions as to issues students face, school counselors must be best equipped to handle all types of diverse students and situations. School counselors and guidance programs must address multicultural needs, underserved populations, and students with issues ranging from mental illness to family issues to chronic-illnesses and LGBTQ+ identities. Moreover, they must be prepared to guide students to learning success and adequately prepare them for future careers. The challenges students face in the 21st century lead to new ways to prepare, support, and educate school counselors in modern educational atmospheres with student bodies that are handling vastly different challenges, identities, and lifestyles. School counselors must navigate the profession with information on best practices, techniques, and 21st century skillsets that can adequately support and help all students. The Research Anthology on Navigating School Counseling in the 21st Century provides emerging research on the best practices in school counseling, along with methods, techniques, and professional development initiatives to better understand diverse student populations, needs, and challenges. This book will not only focus on how school counselors must adapt and learn in their own professional careers, but also how school counseling is functioning in the 21st century with the new concerns and obstacles students must face and overcome. The chapters provide a holistic view of how counselors are navigating their positions to best serve their students through effective practices, programs, and new tools and technologies. This book is ideal for school counselors, therapists, school psychologists, counseling educators, administrators, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students who are interested in school counseling in the 21st century.

′Robotham offers here a clear-headed exposé of the limits of classical liberalism in the face of world production today. His theme is both urgent and iconoclastic. There is an unusual clarity about the exposition and a drive that comes from passionate engagement combined with long experience, reading and reflection′ - Keith Hart, Goldsmiths College, London In Culture, Society and Economy, Don Robotham examines the failure of recent social theory to grasp the problems of globalization and the emergence of corporate monopoly capital, and sets out his own argument for a radical solution. He argues that the neglect of economics by both cultural studies and social theory has weakened the ability to develop viable alternatives to present day capitalist globalization. With deep awareness of, and reference to, current events and contemporary trends, the author presents a detailed critique of: - cultural studies, in particular Stuart Hall and Paul Gilroy; - Giddens′ theory of ′risk society′; - Scott Lash and John Urry′s ′economies of signs and space′; - Manuel Castells′ theory of ′network society′. The final chapters make a unique argument that the solution to the problems of globalization lies in more globalization rather than adopting an anti-globalization or ′localization′ position. Don Robotham proposes more effective centralized institutions for governing the world economy, in other words - world government.