Cool Nations

Nation branding is the most recent feature of imagined nation-making in the history of nations. Facing global competition, national decision-makers aim to distinguish their countries from others by means of branding. Quite a few nations have considered the term ‘cool’ suitable for describing some essence of their country’s brand. Cool Nations. Media and the Social Imaginary of the Branded Country traces the mediated ways in which the transnational idea of "cool" has circulated from popular culture, fashion, and marketing into describing nations. The book explores the commodification of the nation, the shift to a promotional political culture, and the role of media in contributing to the circulation of the idea of the Cool Nation. The social imaginary of nation branding takes its theory and practices from marketing, unlike earlier imaginations based on ideas of democracy or citizenship. Cool Nations argues that "cool" is one of the vehicles through which the commodification of nations takes place.

Nation branding is the most recent feature of imagined nation-making in the history of nations. Facing global competition, national decision-makers aim to distinguish their countries from others by means of branding. Quite a few nations have considered the term ‘cool’ suitable for describing some essence of their country’s brand. Cool Nations. Media and the Social Imaginary of the Branded Country traces the mediated ways in which the transnational idea of "cool" has circulated from popular culture, fashion, and marketing into describing nations. The book explores the commodification of the nation, the shift to a promotional political culture, and the role of media in contributing to the circulation of the idea of the Cool Nation. The social imaginary of nation branding takes its theory and practices from marketing, unlike earlier imaginations based on ideas of democracy or citizenship. Cool Nations argues that "cool" is one of the vehicles through which the commodification of nations takes place.

Nation branding--a set of ideas rooted in Western marketing--gained popularity in the post-communist world by promising a quick fix for the identity malaise of "transitional" societies. Since 1989, almost every country in Central and Eastern Europe has engaged in nation branding initiatives of varying scope and sophistication. For the first time, this volume collects in one place studies that examine the practices and discourses of the nation branding undertaken in these countries. In addition to documenting various rebranding initiatives, these studies raise important questions about their political and cultural implications.

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What are hybrid media events? And how do these events shape our lives in the present digital age? This book addresses these questions by explaining how terrorist violence makes global events. The empirical analyses are based on the case of Charlie Hebdo attacks in 2015 and the global circulation of solidarities and anger connected with the attacks.

This book presents recent advances in renewable energy scenarios for future Indian smart cities including technologies and devices at the scales of both experimental and theoretical models for Industry 4.0, the concept of automated and computerized industrial manufacturing and practices. The current Indian economy is inclined towards smart urban cities, but the energy deficit in modern society is not well recognized. As a result, there is an enormous need to explore alternative avenues of energy for future smart cities. Because such cities depend significantly on technologies and devices that comprise Industry 4.0, the synthesis of energy scenarios enables an understanding of the technology, applications and devices that contribute immensely to the textile, construction, cosmetics, biomedical and environmental industries, among others. These industrial areas are the key starting points for a wide range of applications, consequently becoming top priorities for science and technology policy development. Such advances already have been adopted in various contemporary services and products, especially in the fields of electronics, health care, chemicals, cosmetics, composites and energy. This book is a valuable resource for practising energy planners, citizens and professionals such as businesspeople, bureaucrats from all levels of government, employees from nongovernmental public organizations and their volunteers and other individuals who have stakes in the development of their city-region.