Social theory

This book examines for the first time the exclusionary nature of prevailing political ideologies. Bringing together theory, practice and the relationship between participation, political ideology and social welfare, it offers a detailed critique of how the crucial move to more participatory approaches may be achieved.

Moving beyond the limits of parochialism, this book develops a truly global perspective on social change. It brings together renowned scholars from across disciplines and provides a range of promising theoretical approaches, analytical takes and substantive research areas that offer new vistas for understanding change on a global scale.

Exploring the significance of Norbert Elias’s reflections on civilization for international relations, this book explains the working principles of an Eliasian approach to civilization and demonstrates how the interdependencies between state-formation, colonialism and an emergent international society shaped the European 'civilizing process.'

Through theories of metagovernance and case studies of mobilisations against economic and social problems, Bob Jessop explores the idea of civil society as a mode of governance. Reviewing concepts of self-emancipation and self-responsibilisation, he challenges conventional thinking and identifies lessons for future social innovation.

This book analyses a diverse range of experiences of Co-Creation in neighbourhood settings across the Global North and Global South. It brings together a unique collection of researchers, artists, residents and policymakers, all exploring creative ways to address neighbourhood challenges and effect change towards more socially just cities.

This is the first comprehensive engagement of Pierre Bourdieu’s influential sociology with affect theory. It draws on empirical research and everyday examples from sociology to develop a theory of “Affective Affinities,” deepening our understanding of how everyday moments contribute to constructs and remaking of social class.

Ryder develops the conceptual framework of securitisation to make sense of the events surrounding the Brexit vote and its aftermath and examines the ways that political elites engineered a politics of fear, insecurity and Brexit nationalism in the run up to the UK’s vote to leave the European Union.

Examining experiences of shame and stigma in the context of austerity and the declining welfare state, this book shows how social work can ameliorate the impacts of shame through sensitive, reflective and relationship-based practice. It provides a broad understanding of shame and looks at its impact on both service users and practitioners.

Krumer-Nevo provides a new framework for people working with and for people in poverty: The Poverty-Aware Paradigm. This book details its extensive application across diverse poverty contexts in Israel, links it to diverse facets of social work practice and provides innovative ways of thinking about how social work can address poverty globally.

This book innovatively explores how we can better apply a ‘bottom-up’ approach to the design of regulatory systems that recognise the capabilities, knowledge, passions and creativity of citizens in communities at the margins.

Geoff Mulgan, a pioneer in the global field of social innovation, explains how it provides answers to today’s global social, economic and sustainability issues. He argues for matching R&D in technology and science with a socially focused R&D and harnessing creative imagination on a larger scale than ever before.

First time published in paperback and online and featuring a new Introduction and two new chapters this classic text explains how collective action problems underlie power inequalities and extensively engages with a body of new literature.