Sociology: Books

The Routledge Handbook of Housing and Welfare

This handbook takes on one of the most pressing issues of today's society - the question of housing. It is a cutting-edge edited volume about the (somewhat disputed) interrelationship between housing and the wider welfare state (Provided by Publisher).

The Future Is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism

Economic growth isn't working, and it cannot be made to work. Offering a counter-history of how economic growth emerged in the context of colonialism, fossil-fueled industrialization, and capitalist modernity, The Future Is Degrowth argues that the ideology of growth conceals the rising inequalities and ecological destructions associated with capitalism, and points to desirable alternatives to it. Not only in society at large, but also on the left, we are held captive by the hegemony of growth. Even proposals for emancipatory Green New Deals or postcapitalism base their utopian hopes on the development of productive forces, on redistributing the fruits of economic growth and technological progress. Yet growing evidence shows that continued economic growth cannot be made compatible with sustaining life and is not necessary for a good life for all. This book provides a vision for postcapitalism beyond growth. Building on a vibrant field of research, it discusses the political economy and the politics of a non-growing economy. It charts a path forward through policies that democratise the economy, "now-topias" that create free spaces for experimentation, and counter-hegemonic movements that make it possible to break with the logic of growth. Degrowth perspectives offer a way to step off the treadmill of an alienating, expansionist, and hierarchical system. A handbook and a manifesto, The Future Is Degrowth is a must-read for all interested in charting a way beyond the current crises (Provided by Publisher).

This title was acquired through the Library's Order a Book service.

The Materiality of Nothing : Exploring our Everyday Relationships with Objects Absent and Present

The Materiality of Nothing explores the invisible, intangible and transient materials and objects of everyday life and the relationships we have with them. Drawing on over 15 years of original, empirical research, it builds on growing research on the everyday, and unites the established field of material culture and materiality with emerging sociological studies exploring notions of nothing and the unmarked. The chapters cover topics such as lost property, museum curation, plastic microfibres, thrift, music and even hair, illuminating how invisible and intangible materials conjure memories, meanings and identities, inextricably binding us to other people, places and things. In turn, the book also engages with issues of sustainability and consumption, raising questions regarding society's increasing need for material accumulation and posing some alternatives (Provided by Publisher).

Dr Helen Holmes is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at The University of Manchester.

This title was selected as one of the winning entries in The University of Manchester Library's 2022/23 Open Access Monograph Competition.

Resisting Radicalisation? : Understanding Young People's Journeys Through Radicalising Milieus

This landmark volume of extensive empirical research conducted across Europe explains how, and why, young people become engaged in radical(ising) milieus but also resist radicalisation into violent extremism. Offering a critical perspective on the concept of radicalisation, this volume views it from the perspective of social actors who engage in radicalising milieus but for the most part have not crossed the threshold into violent extremism. It brings together contributions conducted as part of a cross-European (including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Russia, Turkey, the UK, and beyond) study of young people's engagement in 'extreme right' and 'Islamist' milieus. It argues that radicalisation is best understood as a relational concept reflecting a social process rooted in relational inequalities but also shaped by interactional and situational dynamics, which not only facilitate but also constrain radicalisation (Provided by Publisher).

This title is edited by Hilary Pilkington - Professor of Sociology at The University of Manchester

This title was selected as one of the winning entries in The University of Manchester Library's 2022/23 Open Access Monograph Competition.

Widening the Range of Our Digital Resources: Extending our Elgar Online Collection

Understanding The Everyday Digital Lives of Children and Young People

This Open Access book presents an in-depth portrait of the use and impact of digital technologies by learners ages 5-18 years in their everyday lives. The portrait is framed by the ecological-systems theory and situated across four domains: home, leisure time, education, and civic participation. Various methodological approaches are used in innovative ways to analyze data collected in a large-scale EU Horizon 2020 project. The purpose of this edited collection is to shed light on both beneficial and harmful effects of digital technology from a perspective that children are active agents who are empowered to accentuate the positives of digital technology use and over common challenges that inhibit digital competence with support from education stakeholders. This is an open access book (Provided by Publisher).