Sociology & Psychology

An acclaimed writer-doctor shares moving stories of mental illness

Anthropological writings on humour are not numerous, but they do contain insight into the social processes that underlie joking and laughter. This volume examines the cognitive, social, and moral aspects of humour and its potential to bring about a sense of mutual understanding, even among different and possibly hostile people.

Offers a challenging interpretation of the ways in which young people's non-participation is becoming marginalised and criminalised. It re-examines the causes and consequences of youth unemployment in and beyond the UK from an unusually wide range of social science disciplines and perspectives.

During the 1970s a wave of "counter-culture" people moved into rural communities in many parts of Australia. This study focuses in particular on the town of Kuranda in North Queensland and the relationship between the settlers and the local Aboriginal population, concentrating on a number of linked social dramas...

This volume looks at the fluid and dynamic nature of identity-building among Jews and the many issues that cut across different Jewish groupings. An important contribution to scholarship on contemporary Jewry, it reveals the often unrecognized dynamism in new forms of Jewish identification and affiliation in Israel and in the Diaspora.

Anthropology is particularly well suited to explore the contemporary predicament in the coming of age of young men. Its grounded and comparative empiricism provides the opportunity to move beyond statistics, moral panics, or gender stereotypes in order to explore specific aspects of life course transitions...

This report presents findings from a new investigation into the experiences of individuals living with long-term ill-health and their families. New in-depth qualitative material and secondary analyses of national datasets are used to examine the ways in which long-term ill-health impacts upon poverty.
A free pdf is available at www.jrf.org.uk

A theologically astute exploration of the varieties of masculinity, both historical and contemporary, through the lens of the psychoanalytic concept of sublimation.

What happens when people "achieve"? Why do reactions to "achievement" vary so profoundly? And how might an anthropological study of achievement and its consequences allow us to develop a more nuanced model of the motivated agency that operates in the social world? These questions lie at the heart of this volume.

Examines the status of women in Arab countries, arguing that misogyny in the Middle East and North Africa is rampant as a result of an unfortunate mixture of cultural and religious factors, and that the women of the region must fight for their rights.

"From the internationally bestselling author of The Psychopath Test, a captivating and brilliant exploration of one of our world's most overlooked forces. For the past three years, Jon Ronson has been immersing himself in the world of modern-day public shaming-meeting famous shamees, shamers, and bystanders ...

Explores the social nature of shame, and the ways in which it might be used, sparingly and pointedly, to promote political change and social reform.

Immigrant incorporation is a critical challenge for France and other European societies today. Black Africans migrants are racialized and endowed with an immigrant status, which carries low status and is durable into the second generation. This book elucidates the conflict and issues pertinent to social integration.

An innovative account of social control and behaviourism within welfare systems and social policies, and the implications for disadvantaged groups.

Collected essays by a leading journalist on sustainability and the global cleantech industry.

Most of the Muslim societies of the world have entered a demographic transition from high to low fertility, and this process is accompanied by an increase in youth vis-a-vis other age groups. Political scientists and historians have debated whether such a "youth bulge" increases the potential for conflict...

Examines the contemporary discourse on happiness through the lens of governmentality theory. Recent decades have seen an explosion of interest in the phenomenon of happiness, as evidenced by self-help books, talk shows, spiritual mentoring, business management, and relationship counseling. At the center ...

A suprising, behind-the-scenes look at the lives of Mexican migrants.