Forensics Of Capital

In this ambitious and sophisticated work, anthropologist Michael Ralph uses the case of Senegal -often held to be an "exceptional” democracy in Africa--to illustrate the mechanisms of credit and debt enforcement common to the emergence of all nation-states. Each chapter systematically addresses various pillars of what are termed "the structures of liability,” thereby managing to convey the idea that senses of belonging and exclusion i.e. citizenship, are as influenced by the economic sphere as the supposedly distinct cultural one. Ralph then goes beyond this and attaches it to the national level, i.e. sovereignty, as well, asserting that diplomatic standing in the arena of nation-states is also tied to questions of access and respect on the international credit markets. He argues that no country carries just governance in its essence--justice emerges from clear and reliable methods of accountability. In a world where democracy is adjudicated at the interface between national legislation and international standing in a regime of nations, all citizens of the world play a role in shaping the critical theories and methods required to ensure that protocols for international governance and lending are as accessible and democratic as they purport to be, and that governments--whoever they may be--face strict censure when they are not. This book represents an important intervention into several fields of studies, ranging from African Studies to Economic History to Anthropology.

The United States has long epitomized capitalism. From its enterprising shopkeepers, wildcat banks, violent slave plantations, huge industrial working class, and raucous commodities trade to its world-spanning multinationals, its massive factories, and the centripetal power of New York in the world of finance, America has come to symbolize capitalism for two centuries and more. But an understanding of the history of American capitalism is as elusive as it is urgent. What does it mean to make capitalism a subject of historical inquiry? What is its potential across multiple disciplines, alongside different methodologies, and in a range of geographic and chronological settings? And how does a focus on capitalism change our understanding of American history? American Capitalism presents a sampling of cutting-edge research from prominent scholars. These broad-minded and rigorous essays venture new angles on finance, debt, and credit; women’s rights; slavery and political economy; the racialization of capitalism; labor beyond industrial wage workers; and the production of knowledge, including the idea of the economy, among other topics. Together, the essays suggest emerging themes in the field: a fascination with capitalism as it is made by political authority, how it is claimed and contested by participants, how it spreads across the globe, and how it can be reconceptualized without being universalized. A major statement for a wide-open field, this book demonstrates the breadth and scope of the work that the history of capitalism can provoke.

Civil wars, corporate exploitation, AIDS, and Ebola—but also democracy, burgeoning cities, and unprecedented communication and mobility: the future of Africa has never been more uncertain. Indeed, that future is one of the most complex issues in contemporary anthropology, as evidenced by the incredible wealth of ideas offered in this landmark volume. A consortium comprised of some of the most important scholars of Africa today, this book surveys an intellectual landscape of opposed perspectives in order to think within the contradictions that characterize this central question: Where is Africa headed? The experts in this book address Africa’s future as it is embedded within various social and cultural forms emerging on the continent today: the reconfiguration of the urban, the efflorescence of signs and wonders and gospels of prosperity, the assorted techniques of legality and illegality, lotteries and Ponzi schemes, apocalyptic visions, a yearning for exile, and many other phenomena. Bringing together social, political, religious, and economic viewpoints, the book reveals not one but multiple prospects for the future of Africa. In doing so, it offers a pathbreaking model of pluralistic and open-ended thinking and a powerful tool for addressing the vexing uncertainties that underlie so many futures around the world.

In an effort to modernize criminal and civil investigations, early Bolsheviks gave forensic doctors—most of whom had been trained under the tsarist regime—new authority over issues of sexuality. Revolutionaries believed that forensic medicine could provide scientific and objective solutions to sexual disorder in the new society. Bolshevik Sexual Forensics explores the institutional history of Russian and Soviet forensic medicine and examines the effects of its authority when confronting sexual disorder. Healey compares sex crime investigations from Petrograd and Sverdlovsk in the 1920s to the numerous publications by forensic doctors and psychiatrists of the prerevolutionary and early Soviet periods to illustrate the role that these specialists played. In addition, Healey presents a fascinating look at how doctors diagnosed and treated hermaphroditism, showing how Soviet physicians revolutionized the standard scientific view in these cases by taking into account individual desire. This study sheds light on unexplored radical and reactionary forces that shaped the Bolshevik "sexual revolution" as lawmakers defined new ways of seeing sexual crime and disorder. Forensic doctors struggled to interpret the replacement of the age of consent with a standard of "sexual maturity," a designation that made female sexuality a collective "resource," not part of an individual's personality. "Innocence," "experience," and virginity played a major role in the expertise doctors furnished in rape and abuse trials. Psychiatrists recoiled from the language of sexual psychology in their investigations of sex criminals. Yet in the clinic, Soviet physicians probed the desires of the two-sexed citizen, whose psychology served as the basis for a distinctly modern approach to the "erasure" of the hermaphrodite. Healey concludes that the vision of men and women as equals after a "sexual revolution" was undermined from the outset of the Soviet experiment. Law and medicine failed to protect women and girls from violence, and Soviet medicine's physiological and biological model of sexual citizenship erased the vision of sexual self-expression, especially for women. This groundbreaking study will appeal to Soviet historians and those interested in gender studies, sexuality, medicine, and forensics.

Microbial Forensics is a rapidly evolving scientific discipline. In the last decade, and particularly due to the anthrax letter attacks in the United States, microbial forensics has become more formalized and has played an increasingly greater role in crime investigations. This has brought renewed interest, development and application of new technologies, and new rules of forensic and policy engagement. It has many applications ranging from biodefense, criminal investigations, providing intelligence information, making society more secure, and helping protect precious resources, particularly human life. A combination of diverse areas is investigated, including the major disciplines of biology, microbiology, medicine, chemistry, physics, statistics, population genetics, and computer science. Microbial Forensics, Second Edition is fully revised and updated and serves as a complete reference of the discipline. It describes the advances, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead, and will be integral in applying science to help solve future biocrimes. A collection of microbiology, virology, toxicology and mycology as it relates to forensics, in one reference New and expanded content to include statistical analysis of forensic data and legal admissibility and the standards of evidence, to name a few Includes research information and application of that research to crime scene analysis, which will allow practitioners to understand and apply the knowledge to their practice with ease

The first handbook to explore forensic assessment from psychiatric and psychological perspectives "The editors have assembled a magnificent collaboration between psychiatrists and psychologists to bring forth critical knowledge and insight to the core competency of forensic assessment. This handbook is essential reading and a comprehensive resource for both newly minted and seasoned forensic practitioners." —Robert I. Simon, MD, Director, Program in Psychiatry and Law, Georgetown University School of Medicine "This long-awaited resource blows the dust off traditional standards, shakes the cobwebs out of our old ways of thinking, and shows the practical steps in producing work that will make sense to juries and withstand the most skillful cross-examination. . . . [T]here is no better resource." —Kenneth S. Pope, PhD, ABPP, Diplomate in Clinical Psychology; coauthor, Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling, Fourth Edition "From preparation to collection to interpretation to communication of the results, this excellent, comprehensive treasure shows how to conduct forensic assessments. Each splendid evidence-based chapter is presented from the collaboration between psychologists and psychiatrists. It is a must-have resource for forensic experts as well as general practitioners or anyone wishing to understand standard of care in forensic assessment." —Melba Vasquez, PhD, ABPP, 2011 American Psychological Association President The practitioner-oriented coverage in the Handbook of Forensic Assessment examines: The current state of psychology and psychiatry—including requisite clinical competencies, ethical guidelines, and considerations of multidisciplinary collaboration Various approaches to assessments in criminal and civil matters The principles of effective preparation, data collection, and interpretation, as well as communication for each special situation Topics including competence to stand trial, sexual offender evaluations, addictions, child abuse, and education Overarching practice issues, such as practice development, retention, compensation, consultation, and forensic treatment Includes sample reports that demonstrate the integrative potential of both psychology and psychiatry Incorporating a wealth of current and multidisciplinary research, the Handbook of Forensic Assessment is destined to become every mental health professional's most valuable one-stop reference for their forensic work.

Practically every crime now involves some aspect of digital evidence. This is the most recent volume in the Advances in Digital Forensics series. It describes original research results and innovative applications in the emerging discipline of digital forensics. In addition, it highlights some of the major technical and legal issues related to digital evidence and electronic crime investigations.

The highly experienced authors of the Essentials of Forensic Accounting define and explain the disciplined approaches to forensic accounting that lead to a thorough knowledge of the varied specialties within forensic accounting. Through illustrative examples and explanations, this book makes abstract concepts come to life for both seasoned professionals and students and it will help them understand and navigate successfully in this multifaceted area. The Essentials of Forensic Accounting is an indispensable resource delivering matchless knowledge to practitioners, financial managers and students in understanding the complex elements and factors that impact the forensic accounting practice areas. This vital reference resource focuses the elements that must come together to effectively diminish the incidence and impact of fraudulent activities. The book addresses the main themes of Professional Responsibilities and Practice Management Fundamental Forensic Knowledge, Laws, Courts, and Dispute Resolution Specialized Forensic Knowledge, Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Reorganization