Social theory

This is the first detailed criminological account of the role of blame in which the authors present a novel study of the legal process of blame attribution, set in the context of criminalisation as a social and political process. It will also be of wider interest to anyone wishing to discover the role of blame in modern society.

Hindpal Singh Bhui argues that we need to look at who is sent to prison and why to disentangle reality from ideology and myth. Including the voices of prisoners, prison staff and victims, he asks whether prison is an institution for managing marginalized people, or if there is a better way to achieve the socially useful goals of prisons.

Philanthropy, the use of private assets for public good, has been much criticized in recent years. Rhodri Davies, drawing on his deep knowledge of the past and present landscape of philanthropy, examines pressing questions that philanthropy must tackle if it is to be equal to the challenges of the 21st century.

This controversial book argues that concepts such as ‘successful’ and ‘active’ ageing are potentially dangerous paradigms that reflect and exacerbate inequalities in older populations. Essential reading for anyone seeking to make sense of social constructions of ageing in contemporary societies.

Throughout history there has always been an ‘other’, often based on culture, race, gender or class, that has been demonised by the majority. Whitehead challenges the idea that this is an inevitable fact of life. This important book offers a resolution that benefits society as a whole rather than just the powerful few.

ePDF and ePUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. Building on research in public health, social epidemiology and the social determinants of health, this book presents complexity theory as an alternative basis for an outcome-oriented public management praxis.

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.

This fascinating fictional account introduces key ideas in social and political philosophy in a funny, informative and entertaining way. The reader will learn about freedom, responsibility, justice and fairness and see how these are played out in the different utopian futures of a range of socio-political regimes.

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.

This radical book unsettles how we think about taking responsibility for environmental catastrophe.

Going beyond both hopelessness and false hope as responses to climate change, Hill envisions a society that does not centre human beings at its core and calls for sustaining a coexistence of animals, plants and minerals bound by one planet.

Drawing on modern history, politics, economics, psychology, sociology and neuroscience, John Bone argues that our current turmoil leaves us ill prepared to deal with two of the greatest challenges that are confronting humanity: the rise of AI and automation and how we deal with climate change.

Comparison is a central feature of the practice of interstate relations, yet it is rarely studied. This book demonstrates the significance of comparison in world politics and reveals how comparative knowledge is produced, how it becomes politically relevant and how its practices shape security politics.