Tag: Deconstructing

On Universals Constructing and Deconstructing Community


Free Download On Universals: Constructing and Deconstructing Community by Étienne Balibar, translated by Joshua David Jordan
English | August 4, 2020 | ISBN: 0823288560, 0823288552 | True EPUB | 160 pages | 1.3 MB
Many on the Left have looked upon "universal" as a dirty word, one that signals liberalism’s failure to recognize the masculinist and Eurocentric assumptions from which it proceeds. In rejecting universalism, we have learned to reorient politics around particulars, positionalities, identities, immanence, and multiple modernities. In this book, one of our most important political philosophers builds on these critiques of the tacit exclusions of Enlightenment thought, while at the same time working to rescue and reinvent what universal claims can offer for a revolutionary politics answerable to the common.

(more…)

Deconstructing and Reconstructing the Cold War


Free Download Shahin P. Malik, Alan P. Dobson, "Deconstructing and Reconstructing the Cold War"
English | 2018 | ISBN: 1138614211, 1138614238 | EPUB | pages: 300 | 1.0 mb
Published in 1999. These essays are not deconstructive in the postmodern sense. None of the authors have that depth of scepticism about knowledge claims, but they are all concerned that the terms of reference of Cold War enquiry have been inappropriately bounded. The chapters by Murray and Reynolds specifically address the broad theoretical issues involved with paradigms and explanation. The chapters by Dobson, Marsh, Malik, Evans and Dix stretch out Cold War paradigms with successive case studies of Anglo-American relations; the USA, Britain, Iran and the oil majors; the Gulf States and the Cold War; South Africa and the Cold War; and Indian neutralism. All five authors challenge the efficacy of neo-realist analysis and explanation and critique the way that assumptions derived from that position have been used in historical explanation. The chapters by Ryall, Rogers and Bideleux deal with Roman Catholicism in East Central Europe, with nuclear matters and with the Soviet perspective. Each work goes beyond the limits of Cold War paradigms. Finally, Ponting places the Cold War in the broad context of world history. These essays provide thought-provoking scholarship which helps us both to nuance our understanding of the Cold War and to realise that it should not be taken as an all-embracing paradigm for the explanation of postwar international relations.

(more…)

Deconstructing Developmental Psychology


Free Download Deconstructing Developmental Psychology By Erica Burman
2007 | 368 Pages | ISBN: 0415395623 | PDF | 3 MB
What is childhood and why, and how, did psychology come to be the arbiter of ‘correct’or ‘normal’ development? How do actual lived childhoods connect with theories about child development? In this completely revised and updated edition, Deconstructing Developmental Psychology interrogates the assumptions and practices surrounding the psychology of child development, providing a critical evaluation of the role and contribution of developmental psychology within social practice. In the decade since the first edition was published, there have been many major changes. The role accorded childcare experts and the power of the ‘psy complex’ have, if anything, intensified. This book addresses how shifts in advanced capitalism have produced new understandings of children, and a new (and more punitive) range of institutional responses to children. It engages with the paradoxes of childhood in an era when young adults are increasingly economically dependent on their families, and in a political context of heightened insecurity. The new edition includes an updated review of developments in psychological theory (in attachment, evolutionary psychology, theory of mind, cultural-historical approaches), as well as updating and reflecting upon the changed focus on fathers and fathering. It offers new perspectives on the connections between Piaget and Vygotsky and now connects much more closely with discussions from the sociology of childhood and critical educational research. Coverage has been expanded to include more material on child rights debates, and a new chapter addresses practice dilemmas around child protection, which engages even more with the "raced" and gendered effects of current policies involving children. This engaging and accessible text provides key resources to inform better professional practice in social work, education and health contexts. It offers critical insights into the politics and procedures that have shaped developmental psychological knowledge. It will be essential reading for anyone working with children, or concerned with policies around children and families. It was also be of interest to students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels across a range of professional and practitioner groups, as well as parents and policy makers.

(more…)

‘Cult’ Rhetoric in the 21st Century Deconstructing the Study of New Religious Movements


Free Download Aled Thomas, "’Cult’ Rhetoric in the 21st Century: Deconstructing the Study of New Religious Movements "
English | ISBN: 1350333212 | 2024 | 264 pages | EPUB, PDF | 829 KB + 13 MB
Examining contemporary understandings of the term ‘cult’, this book brings together scholars from multiple disciplines, including sociology, anthropology and religious studies. Focusing on how ‘cult rhetoric’ affects our perceptions of new religious movements, the contributors explore how these minority groups have developed and deconstruct the language we use to describe them.

(more…)

Deconstructing Gender Stereotypes in Western Tradition


Free Download María Dolores García Ramos, "Deconstructing Gender Stereotypes in Western Tradition"
English | ISBN: 1527552926 | 2024 | 305 pages | PDF | 5 MB
Traditional feminine description and roles within Western literary and artistic cultural artifacts have tended to portray women in very a specific way – one which creates, disseminates and consolidates the gender roles which became foundational to heteropatriarchy and, sometimes, male chauvinism. As an example, women in poetry are often portrayed as fragile, sweet, romanticized creatures who ignite masculine desire or bolster male artists’ creativity. In this sense, most Western lyrical traditions present women as either objects of desire or inspirational muses. These secondary roles, which transform women into subalterns, can also be seen in other artistic manifestations, such as painting and sculpture or, more recently, films, TV fictions, graphic novels and videogames. This volume offers a multidisciplinary approach to the topic of feminine representation in literature and the arts, presenting womanhood from new perspectives which highlight feminine characters who have traditionally been neglected, misrepresented or reduced to marginal roles.

(more…)

Surviving Becky(s) Pedagogies for Deconstructing Whiteness and Gender


Free Download Cheryl Matias, "Surviving Becky(s): Pedagogies for Deconstructing Whiteness and Gender "
English | ISBN: 1498587623 | 2019 | 326 pages | EPUB | 3 MB
The infamous rise in characterizations of white women as Becky(s) is a modern phenomenon, different from past characterizations like the Miss Anne types. But just who embodies the Becky? Why is it important to understand, especially with regards to anti-racism and racial justice? Understanding that learning, even discussing, dynamics of race and gender are oftentimes met with discomfort and emotional resistance, this creative, yet theoretical book merges social science analyses with literary short stories as a way to more effectively teach about the impact of whiteness and gender. Additionally, the book includes guiding questions so that readers can critically reflect on the behaviors of Becky(s) and how they impact the hope for racial harmony. Designed specifically for both educational spaces and the larger society, the author, an educational researcher and former classroom teacher, approaches the topic of race and gender, specifically whiteness and white women, in a nuanced manner. By borrowing from traditions found in critical race theory and teacher education, this book offers both counterstories and anecdotes that can help people better understand the dynamics behind race and gender.

(more…)

Neglected Social Theorists of Color Deconstructing the Margins


Free Download Korey Tillman, "Neglected Social Theorists of Color: Deconstructing the Margins"
English | ISBN: 1793643180 | 2022 | 194 pages | EPUB, PDF | 452 KB + 1152 KB
Neglected Social Theorists of Color: Deconstructing the Margins provides a novel contribution to the ongoing debates concerning the canon in contemporary sociological theory. In particular, the editors argue that many scholars whose work may hold significant potential for contributions to contemporary debates in social theory go unrecognized. Still others, while not completely ignored, have fallen victim to a cultural and political climate not receptive to their work. Feminist scholars have been in the forefront of these debates, arguing that many insightful social theorists have been marginalized because of their gender. More recently, studies of individual theorists of color have appeared, but these have been limited to African American scholars such as W.E.B. Du Bois. In the present text, the editors extend this approach to include a broad diversity of theorists of color, including those of African American, Afro-Caribbean, Latinx, Asian, Asian American, and Native American backgrounds. In addition, the editors also include the work of authors who come from academic fields outside of sociology and others who are journalists, activists, or independent writers. The work has a unique format, where the authors of each chapter provide a theoretical analysis of their subject and a discussion of the contemporary significance of their work, lending to a rich discussion of underappreciated sociological scholars.

(more…)

Deconstructing Lolita


Free Download Jacqueline Hamrit, "Deconstructing Lolita"
English | ISBN: 1527581780 | 2022 | 140 pages | PDF | 2 MB
This book explores how one can read and teach literature with Jacques Derrida through a series of articles on Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita, ranging from 2003 to 2017. All of them resort to the French philosopher’s works as a basis for the analysis of the different chosen literary issues such as structure, genre, character or interpretation, for example. The book addresses both Nabokovian specialists and students of Nabokov’s works, and could, thereby, be used as teaching guidelines not only for Lolita, but also for those interested in deconstruction.

(more…)