Scholars in the field of children's literature studies began taking an interest in the concept of “liminal spaces” around the turn of the 21st century. For the first time, Liminal Spaces in Children's and Young Adult Literature: Stories from the In Between brings together in one volume a collection of original essays on this topic by leading children's literature scholars. The contributors in this collection take a wide variety of approaches to their explorations of liminal spaces...

In the next few decades, the rivalry between China and India will reshape the world as we know it in unexpected ways. This is one of the key takeaway points from futurist Lawrence Taub's forecast, outlined in his book The Spiritual Imperative: Age, Sex, and the Last Caste (1995).From the beginning of the Christian era up to the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, China and India were the world's two largest economies. Soon they will be the world's two superpowers again, and ...

The bombings in New York and Washington in 2001 and subsequent terrorist attacks in different countries of the West have led to fast changing socio-cultural and political contexts where Islam has been depicted as a global threat. The meaning of being a Muslim has undergone rapid transformation with the interplay of perceptions and misperceptions impacted by, for instance, the Iranian Revolution of 1978–9, the Lockerbie bombing in 1988, the Gulf War of 1990–1, and the clash of civilizations...

In the years that followed World War II, both the United States and the newly formed West German republic had an opportunity to remake their economies. Since then, much has been made of a supposed “Americanization” of European consumer societies—in Germany and elsewhere. Arguing against these foggy notions*,* Jan L. Logemann takes a comparative look at the development of postwar mass consumption in West Germany and the United States and the emergence of discrete consumer modernities.

“In her careful, evenhanded series of thoughtful essays, Partanen, who just became an American citizen, parses the recipe for Nordic success that even the self-congratulatory ‘exceptional’ American may want to ponder and adapt. . . . An earnest, well-written work worth heeding, especially in our current toxic political climate.” — Kirkus ReviewsA Finnish journalist, now a naturalized American citizen, asks Americans to draw on elements of the Nordic way of life to nurture a fairer,...

The aftershocks of the economic crisis that began in 2008 still rock the world, and have been followed by a crisis in democratic governance. The gravity of the situation is matched by a general paucity of understanding as to precisely what is happening and how it started.In this new edition of a highly acclaimed book, Wolfgang Streeck revisits his recent arguments in the light of Brexit and the continued crisis of the EU. These developments are only the latest events in the long ne...

The euro crisis is tearing Europe apart. But the heart of the matter is that, as the crisis unfolds, the basic rules of European democracy are being subverted or turned into their opposite, bypassing parliaments, governments and EU institutions. Multilateralism is turning into unilateralism, equality into hegemony, sovereignty into the dependency and recognition into disrespect for the dignity of other nations. Even France, which long dominated European integration, must submit to Berlin’s...

A visionary case for a new monetary system that is interest-free, just and stableAs a medium of exchange, money is one of the most ingenious inventions of mankind, as it facilitates the trade of goods and services and allows for specialization and the division of labor. However, compound interest and inflation have caused our monetary system to balloon to the point where bailing out banks, large corporations, and even entire countries will not prevent a complete br...

Who are the Germans?So we think we know a lot about Germans? After all, more Germans have immigrated to the United States than any other ethnic group, and fifty million American citizens currently claim German heritage. The truth is, though, Germans are different from us-in more ways than we may know.Greg Nees, in this new InterAct, Germany: Unraveling an Enigma, does an outstanding job of explaining those cultural differences that we most need to ...

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they promised to build a vibrant consumer society. But they faced a dilemma. They recognized that consolidating support for the regime required providing Germans with the products they desired. At the same time, the Nazis worried about the degrading cultural effects of mass consumption and its association with 'Jewish' interests. This book examines how both the state and private companies sought to overcome this predicament. Drawing on a wide range of ...

The aims of and motives for development cooperation have changed significantly in recent times. Besides pursuing short- and longer-term objectives in their own economic, foreign policy and other interests, donors usually have a recognisable and genuine interest in assisting countries in their processes of development.

The concept of sustainable development has become a fundamental discourse in international decision making. To enable pragmatic sustainable development governance, legally coherent, mutually supportive multilateral treaties are both necessary and important. This timely book provides an accessible insight into how the concept of sustainable development can be made operational for coherent law making through its translation into legal terms.The book is split into two informative poin...