SOCIETY (incl. Sociology)
Open Access* e-Books
(See also: Interpersonal Relations; Research; Women; Youth; Crime..)
*NOTE: Some titles in these lists are not formally Open Access, but all are free (no fee for e-access)
Embedded Files
Are South Africans free?
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Year of publication: 2014
Despite South Africa’s successful transition to democracy and lauded constitution, political freedom for the majority of South Africans remains elusive. The poor and unemployed majority are poorly represented and lack power and thus freedom. Under these conditions, the freedom of the privileged minority is also seriously impaired due to the costs of maintaining their relative security and well-being.
Lawrence Hamilton is an internationally-known political theorist, who has spent ten years teaching in South African universities. In this unique book he brings ideas - political and philosophical - to the fore to understand a contemporary political conundrum. He outlines the persistent, unresolved problems characterizing contemporary South Africa: poverty and quality of life statistics that are appalling for a middle-income country, levels of inequality that make South Africa one of the most unequal places in the world, skewed economic and political representation that reproduces elites rather than generating opportunities for all and an electoral system that implements the idea of proportional representation so literally that it undermines meaningful representation.
Are South Africans Free? aims not only to explain the current state of South Africa but to provide positive new directions and suggestions for institutional change. Hamilton argues that freedom as power in South Africa does not depend on good will, charity or duty, and it goes beyond the complete realization of the political and civil liberties currently safeguarded in its constitution. Such change will depend on courageous leadership, active citizenship, new forms of representation and a macroeconomic policy that offers radical redistribution of actual and potential wealth.
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Domains of freedom
: Justice, Citizenship and Social Change in South Africa
Publisher: UCT Press
Year of publication: 2016
Freedom ... Justice ... Citizenship ... What do they mean in South Africa today? In striving for them, have historical inequalities been recognised? Have political changes over the last 20 years translated into economic redistribution? Have the struggles for social change enhanced the project of decolonisation?
Examining a wide range of social issues, from economic policy, land reform, gender politics and healthcare access to trade union mobilisation, heritage discourses, rights debates, citizen participation and migration policies, Domains of freedom shows that social change in South Africa should not be understood as either a catastrophic failure or an overwhelming success. This book makes it clear that South Africa’s recent history of freedom reflects the deep complexities and non-linear trajectories of building egalitarian societies more globally. Its authors are researchers who have all contributed significantly to understanding the meaning of freedom in their own subject areas. The result is a comprehensive overview which is useful for anyone keen to understand the complexities of freedom in South Africa today.
Table of Contents:
Foreword / Achille Mbembe.
JUSTICE.
Overview / Sharlene Mollett
Ch.1: Land, politics and policy change in South Africa: what questions for land redistribution policy and practice? / Thembele Kepe & Ruth Hall
Ch.2: Law and political conflict in South African land reform / Christiaan Beyers & Derick Fay
Ch.3: Cui bono? A political-economy assessments of 20 years of South African freedom / Antoinette Handley
Ch.4: South African housekeeping policy over two decades: 1994-2014 / Marie Huchzermeyer & Aly Karam.
FREEDOM.
Overview / Dickson Eyoh
Ch.5: Freedom Park and the Voortrekker Monument: commemorative practices between reconciliation and decolonisation / Melissa Levin
Ch.6: The paradox of trade union action in post-apartheid South Africa / Sakhela Buhlungu
Ch.7: The politics of women and gender in the ANC: reflecting back on 20 years / Zine Magubane
Ch.8: The role of rights and litigation in assuring more equitable access to healthcare in South Africa / Lisa Forman & Jerome Amir Singh.
CITIZENSHIP.
Overview / Jacqueline Solway
Ch.9: The politics of citizenship in South Africa / Bettina von Lieres
Ch.10: Fire in the vineyards: farm workers and agrarian change in post-apartheid South Africa / Christopher Webb
Ch.11: From Ubuntu to Grootboom: vernacularising human rights through restorative and distributive justice in post-apartheid South Africa / Bonny Ibhawoh
Ch.12: Social protests and the exercise of citizenship in South Africa / Anver Saloojee
Ch.13: Migration to South Africa since 1994: realities, policies and public attitudes / Belinda Dodson & Jonathan Crush.
Index
Afterword / Gillian Hart
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Global Women's Issues
: Women in the World Today
Publisher: BCcampus
Year of publication: 2012 [extended version]
FREE DOWNLOAD:
FREE DOWNLOAD:
We cannot solve global challenges unless women participate fully in efforts to find solutions. Female participation in the private sector is a crucial economic driver for societies worldwide. Economic security benefits every facet of a woman's life, with positive effects on the health, education and vitality of families. Learn about women who are changing their societies for the better.
This book is based on the twelve critical areas of concern identified in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995: The burden of poverty on women, unequal access to education and training, inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to health care and related services, violence against women, the effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women, including those living under foreign occupation, inequality in economic structures and policies, inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels, insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women, lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women, stereotyping of women and inequality in women's access to and participation in all communication systems, especially in the media, gender inequalities in the management of natural resources and in the safeguarding of the environment, and persistent discrimination against and violation of the rights of the girl child. This extended version of Global Women's Issues: Women in the World Today includes, for each chapter, a summary, key words, multiple choice questions, discussion questions, essay questions, and a list of additional resources.
Table of Contents
Overview: Interview with Ambassador Melanne Vereer
Chapter 1: Women and Poverty
Chapter 2: Women and Education
Chapter 3: Women and Health
Chapter 4: Violence Against Women
Chapter 5: Women, Girls and Armed Conflict
Chapter 6: Women in the Economy
Chapter 7: Women in Power and Decisionmaking
Chapter 8: Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women
Chapter 9: Human Rights of Women
Chapter 10: Women and the Media
Chapter 11: Women and the Environment
Chapter 12: Rights of the Girl Child
Conclusion
Bibliography: Additional Resources
Versioning History
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Human Behavior and the Social Environment I
Publisher: University of Arkansas Libraries
Year of publication: 2020
FREE DOWNLOAD: https://uark.pressbooks.pub/hbse1/
Why do people do the things they do? That’s what we are here to find out – Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) – How do they connect? How does it shape us? Why do we think and feel the way we do?
This will be explored throughout this course by examining human behavior throughout life stage developments and our interactions with the social environment. This course will explore theoretical perspectives in Social Work to help provide a foundation for organizing thoughts about client needs and issues they are seeking supports for. Theories will then be connected to important developmental, social, and cultural issues that present throughout each stage of life to create an overall picture of a client’s experience and how we can use this information to have a better understanding of how people we work with are influenced and why. Knowledge of typical development in each stage of life will also inform the Social Worker if any other supports, resources, or services may be needed.
Table of Contents:
I. The Person in Environment
II. The Biopsychosocial Dimension
III. The Sociocultural Dimension
IV. The Social Change Dimension
V. Pre-Pregnancy & Prenatal Development
VI. Development in Infancy & Toddlerhood
VII. Development in Early Childhood
VIII. Development in Middle Childhood
IX. Development in Adolescence
X. Development in Early Adulthood
XI. Development in Middle Adulthood
XII. Development in Late Adulthood
(See Also: https://opensocialwork.org/education/textbooks/ )
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Introduction to Sociology
(authors: Conerly, Holmes, Tamang and others)
Publisher: OpenStax
Year of publication: 2021 (3rd edition)
FREE DOWNLOAD: https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-sociology-3e
Introduction to Sociology 3e aligns to the topics and objectives of many introductory sociology courses. It is arranged in a manner that provides foundational sociological theories and contexts, then progresses through various aspects of human and societal interactions. The new edition is focused on driving meaningful and memorable learning experiences related to critical thinking about society and culture. The text includes comprehensive coverage of core concepts, discussions and data relevant to a diverse audience, and features that draw learners into the discipline in powerful and personal ways. Overall, Introduction to Sociology 3e aims to center the course and discipline as crucial elements for understanding relationships, society, and civic engagement; the authors seek to lay the foundation for students to apply what they learn throughout their lives and careers.
The authors, reviewers, and the entire team worked to build understanding of the causes and impacts of discrimination and prejudice. Introduction to Sociology 3e contains dozens of examples of discrimination and its outcomes regarding social science, society, institutions, and individuals. The text seeks to strike a balance between confronting the damaging aspects of our culture and history and celebrating those who have driven change and overcome challenges. The core discussion of these topics are present in Chapter 11 on Race and Ethnicity, and Chapter 12 on Gender, Sex, and Sexuality, but their causes and effects are extensively discussed in the context of other topics, including education, law enforcement, government, healthcare, the economy, and so on. Together and when connected by an instructor, these elements have potential for deep and lasting effects.
Abbreviated table of Contents:
Preface
Chapter 1 An Introduction to Sociology
Chapter 2 Sociological Research
Chapter 3 Culture
Chapter 4 Society and Social Interaction
Chapter 5 Socialization
Chapter 6 Groups and Organization
Chapter 7 Deviance, Crime, and Social Control
Chapter 8 Media and Technology
Chapter 9 Social Stratification in the United States
Chapter 10 Global Inequality
Chapter 11 Race and Ethnicity
Chapter 12 Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
Chapter 13 Aging and the Elderly
Chapter 14 Relationships, Marriage, and Family
Chapter 15 Religion
Chapter 16 Education
Chapter 17 Government and Politics
Chapter 18 Work and the Economy
Chapter 19 Health and Medicine
Chapter 20 Population, Urbanization, and the Environment
Chapter 21 Social Movements and Social Change
Index
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Perspectives
: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology
Publisher: American Anthropological Association
Year of publication: 2020 (2nd edition)
We are delighted to bring to you this novel textbook, a collection of chapters on the essential topics in cultural anthropology. Different from other introductory textbooks, this book is an edited volume with each chapter written by a different author. Each author has written from their experiences working as an anthropologist and that personal touch makes for an accessible introduction to cultural anthropology.
Our approach to cultural anthropology is holistic. We see the interconnectedness of cultural practices and, in all of the chapters, we emphasize the comparison of cultures and the ways of life of different peoples. We start with Laura Nader’s observation that cultural differences need not be seen as a problem. In our complicated world of increasing migration, nationalism, and climate challenges, cultural diversity might actually be the source of conflict resolution and new approaches to ensuring a healthier world. Indeed, as Katie Nelson reminds us, anthropology exposes the familiarity in the ideas and practices of others that seem bizarre. Robert Borofsky advocates for anthropology’s ability to empower people and facilitate good. Borofsky calls on anthropologists to engage with a wider public to bring our incredible stories and important insights to helping resolve the most critical issues we face in the world today. This book brings Nader, Nelson, Borofsky, and many others together to demonstrate that our anthropological understandings can help all of us to improve the lives of people the world over. We need you, as students, to see the possibilities. As instructors, we want to help you easily share anthropological knowledge and understanding. We want all readers to be inspired by the intensely personal writings of the anthropologists who contribute to this volume.
Table of Contents
1. The Development of Anthropological Ideas
2. The Culture Concept
3. Doing Fieldwork: Methods in Cultural Anthropology
4. Language
5. Subsistence
6. Economics
7. Political Anthropology: A Cross-Cultural Comparison
8. Family and Marriage
9. Race and Ethnicity
10. Gender and Sexuality
11. Religion
12. Globalization
13. Culture and Sustainability
14. Performance
15. Health and Medicine
16. Seeing Like an Anthropologist: Anthropology in Practice
17. Media Anthropology: Meaning, Embodiment, Infrastructure, and Activism
18. Public Anthropology
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Principles for a Free Society
Publisher: Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation
Year of publication: 2003
FREE DOWNLOAD:
https://www.hjalmarsonstiftelsen.se/principles-for-a-free-society-publication/
More about this e-Book:
Principles for a Free Society is written as a study guide by Dr. Nigel Ashford on behalf of the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation. The book explains twelve of the basic principles and values that are important for a free, democratic and open society. Principles for a free society is used worldwide in the work of the Foundation and has been translated into many languages.
Contents:
Civil society
Democracy
Equality
Free enterprise
Freedom
Human rights
Justice
Peace
Private property
The rule of law
Spontaneous order
Toleration
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Revolution and Witchcraft
: The Code of Ideology in Unsettled Times
(author: Gordon C. Chang)
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year of publication: 2023
Ideas influence people. In particular, extremely well-developed sets of ideas shape individuals, groups, and societies in far-reaching ways. This book establishes these “idea systems” as an academic concept. Through three intense episodes of manipulation and mayhem connected to idea systems—Europe’s witch hunts, the Mao Zedong-era “revolutions,” and the early campaign of the U.S. War on Terror—this book charts the cognitive and informational matrices that seize control of people’s mentalities and behaviors across societies. Through these, the author reaches two conclusions. The first, that we are all vulnerable to the dominating influence of our own matrices of ideas and to those woven by others in the social system. The second, that even the most masterful manipulators of idea programs may lose control of the outcomes of programmatic manipulation. Amongst this analysis, sixty-plus central conceptual terminologies are provided for readers to analyze multiform idea systems that exist across space, time, and cultural contexts.
SEE ALSO the book's website: https://www.codeofideology.com/home
Table of Contents:
Front Matter
Introduction
The European Witch Hunts
Making Compact Symbolic Structures
Building Internal Coherence
Building External Coherence
Stepwise Inferences and Chain-Complexes of Ideas
Ideas as Chemical and Biochemical Reactions
A Five-Tier Model of Idea System and Ideological Creativity
The New Revolution in China
Compact Symbolic Structures in a Futuristic Idea System
Totality as Internal and External Coherence
Detailed, Rigorous Thinking in a Complex Chain of Elastic Codes
Destabilizing Contradictions and Implosions I: Synchronic Contradictions
Destabilizing Contradictions and Implosions II: Diachronic Contradictions
A Five-Tier Assessment
The War on Terror
Encoding the War on Terrorism
Extending the Idea System to the War on Iraq
Encoding the Prisoner’s Abuse Scandal
Encoding the Absence of Weapons of Mass Destruction
A Five-Tier Reflection
Conclusion
Back Matter
Reviews:
"Gordon Chang’s bold and stunning book excavates the ideological codes that sustain social and political movements across time, space, and cultures. Ranging from early modern European witchcraft to the Chinese cultural revolution and the US war on terrorism, this comparative study provides illuminating insights and reflections on how new ideas morph into social movements with rare and extreme political consequences. The book provides an essential roadmap for exploring the symbolic links of ideas to the institutional frameworks that perpetuate them. It is a stimulating and informative 'must read' for scholars of social and political philosophy and students of the sociology of knowledge." --Bennetta Jules-Rosette, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Director of African and African-American Studies Research Center, University of California, San Diego
"Revolution and Witchcraft is a timely, ambitious, and laudable book. Gordon Chang warrants praise for the thoughtful and rigorous work he did in crafting it. Revolution and Witchcraft offers social scientists dozens of useful concepts, strategies, and analyses to enhance their investigations of ideology. It also demonstrates how we can apply these conceptual tools … to comprehend the troubling ideological dynamics currently emerging in the United States and across the globe." --Kent Sandstrom, Social Forces, August 11, 2023
"Revolution and Witchcraft may present a start of a fresh academic idea system, with Chang himself a masterful manipulator. … the book showcases a middle-path (中道) toward fair-mindedness (中庸) that utilizes academic idea systems to render ideological systems as observable, as mere human. Through idealization, the book has given readers a novel phenomenological-empiricist … . " --Terry S. H. Au-Yeung, Symbolic Interaction, May 27, 2024
"Dr Chang expands the utility of micro-level discourse analysis techniques in his investigation of three macro-level idea systems: witch hunt social movements, Mao-era revolutionary campaigns, and the US War on Terror. The result is a fresh understanding of each system, original insight into their historical similarities, and an intriguing display of the strategies that systems leaders deploy to retain power." --Hugh B. Mehan, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of California, San Diego
"It is within [a] long and rich tradition that one must situate Gordon C. Chang’s book. ... [The] book’s ambition … identifies a ‘basic mechanism’ of how language and idea systems ‘shape the thought processes of entire societies’ … . Chang’s empirical analyses offers those of us interested in identifying and acting on such im/possibilities an invaluable set of analytical resources, primed to the task of deconstructing the power of ideas. " --Claes Tängh Wrangel, CADAAD Journal, January 30, 2024
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Social Problems
: Continuity and Change
Publisher: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing
Year of publication: 2015 [originally 2010]
This book offers a sociological understanding of today’s social problems and of possible solutions to these problems. As this book’s subtitle, Continuity and Change, implies, social problems are persistent, but they have also improved in the past and can be improved in the present and future, provided that our nation has the wisdom and will to address them.
It is easy to read a social problems textbook and come away feeling frustrated by the enormity of the many social problems facing us today. This book certainly does not minimize the persistence of social problems, but neither does it overlook the possibilities for change offered by social research and by the activities of everyday citizens working to make a difference. Readers of this book will find many examples of how social problems have been improved and of strategies that hold great potential for solving them today and in the future.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Understanding Social Problems
Chapter 2: Poverty
Chapter 3: Racial and Ethnic Inequality
Chapter 4: Gender Inequality
Chapter 5: Sexual Orientation and Inequality
Chapter 6: Aging and Ageism
Chapter 7: Alcohol and Other Drugs
Chapter 8: Crime and Criminal Justice
Chapter 9: Sexual Behavior
Chapter 10: The Changing Family
Chapter 11: Schools and Education
Chapter 12: Work and the Economy
Chapter 13: Health and Health Care
Chapter 14: Urban and Rural Problems
Chapter 15: Population and the Environment
Chapter 16: War and Terrorism
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Sociocultural Systems
: Principles of Structure and Change
(author: Frank W. Elwell)
Publisher: AU Press
Year of publication: 2013
Macrosociology—the study of large-scale social structures and the fundamental principles of social organization—was the style of sociology practiced by the founders of the discipline. Today, the social theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber, Émile Durkheim, and Herbert Spencer (among others) are commonly studied as part of the history of the field, but, although the macrosociological approach that these thinkers advocated is still employed, it no longer dominates the discipline. Instead, sociologists typically adopt a narrower focus, specializing in areas such as social psychology, medicine, religion, or the study of social stratification. Examining the bigger picture is a task often left to public intellectuals.
Sociocultural Systems aims to reinstate macrosciology as the heart of the discipline by demonstrating that both classical and contemporary macrosociologists stand upon common ground. Focusing on the broad issues that concerned the founders, Elwell addresses questions such as: Historically, what factors accounted for the origin, survival, and evolution of sociocultural systems? Why were some societies more technologically advanced than others? What is the origin of capitalism? What factors determine the allocation of goods and services within and among societies? What effects do changes in government and economic institutions have on communities?
Elwell argues that, as evolution does for biology, the macrosociological paradigm offers an analytical strategy that can be used both to guide and prioritize research in all of the myriad specialties within sociology and to lay forth an orderly body of knowledge for students. Clearly articulating important sociological principles, Sociocultural Systems provides a critical understanding of social institutions and issues, while also furnishing a framework for possible solutions to the perennial social crises that are part and parcel of the development of human societies.
Awards:
2014, Winner, Stanford M. Lyman Distinguished Book Award
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
1. Principles of Macrosociology
2. Materialism in Macrosociology
3. Evolutionism in the Work of the Founders
4. Contemporary Social Evolution
5. Bureaucratization
6. Capital
7. The State
8. Rationalization
9. The System
A Glossary of Sociology
Notes / References / Index
Reviews:
"Sociocultural Systems provides a stimulating introduction to, and challenging overview of, macrosociology, one that can be read with equal benefit by students in Sociology 101 and graduate students in advanced theory courses. Elwell has done an excellent job of blending the development of macrosocial theory from the early classics to the present day, with a strong emphasis on the substance and processes of social change throughout human history. Even faculty members who have never been introduced to a truly comprehensive and coherent theoretical framework for the discipline (and, sadly, that includes far too many) will find this volume intellectually rewarding." --Gerhard Lenski, author of Power and Privilege
"This beautifully written book is one of those rare gems that one is fortunate to encounter in an increasingly disenchanted world. Every page provokes new thoughts and engages the emotions. Unlike the deconstructionists, Elwell reconstructs social theory by connecting significant issues and social theorists from the past with the needs and passions of the present. Above all, he finds what diverse thinkers held in common as they struggled to make sense of the social worlds. This book is a must read for students, professors, and laypersons alike." --Stjepan Mestrovic, Texas A&M University
"As a historian, I've always had a great deal of respect for the sister discipline of sociology. As a specialist in historiography, i.e., the study of historians and their interpretations of history, Elwell's work in sociological theory, specifically macrosociology, resonates a great deal for me. He insists that macrosociology ‘should not be considered just another specialty within sociology . . . [but rather] the holistic view of a sociologist's subject matter, the overall framework within which the specialities exist.’ I honestly believe I can make the same case for historiography in re history. This book should have value for those in all social science disciplines, not just sociology and history. Economists, for example, could benefit from Elwell's coverage of the origins of capitalism, the best explanation I've ever read, and political scientists from his discussion of the origins of the military-industrial complex. Indeed, this is a valuable work for any intellectually curious reader." --Davis Joyce, author of Howard Zinn: A Radical American Vision
"Although the joint systems and evolutionary frameworks sit uneasily together at times, Elwell refreshingly emphasizes what macrosociologists, particularly the nineteenth-century classics of Malthus, Spencer, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber, have in common rather than the more usual what divides them. All in all, this treatment of the material, structural and ideal features of societies is a worthy heir of Lenski." --Marion Blute, author of Darwinian Sociocultural Evolution
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South Africa Pushed to the Limit
: The political economy of change
Publisher: UCT Press
Year of publication: 2013
South Africa’s democratic government has worked hard at improving the lives of the black majority, yet close to half the population lives in poverty, jobs are scarce, and the country is more unequal than ever. For millions, the colour of people’s skin still decides their destiny. In its wide-ranging, incisive and provocative analysis, South Africa Pushed to the Limit shows that although the legacies of apartheid and colonialism weigh heavy, many of the strategic choices made since the early 1990s have compounded those handicaps. The big winners of the transition, Marais demonstrates, have been the country’s conglomerates, especially those active in the finance sector. The basic structure of Africa’s biggest economy, however, remains largely intact and continues to serve a gilded minority, which now accommodates sections of the new political elite. The government, meanwhile, has squandered crucial leverage in a series of errors and miscalculations – at huge detriment to efforts to reduce poverty and inequality. The book explains why those choices were made, where they went awry, and why South Africa’s vaunted formations of the left – old and new – have failed to prevent or alter them.
Building on his acclaimed book Limits to Change, Marais examines South Africa’s most pressing issues – from the real reasons behind President Jacob Zuma’s rise and the purging of his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, and how the African National Congress replenishes its power, to piercing analyses of the country’s continuing AIDS crisis, its economic path, the changes wrought in the world of work, and the unfolding struggles over belonging and identity. South Africa Pushed to the Limit presents a riveting, benchmark analysis of the incomplete journey beyond apartheid.
Summary of Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements;
Introduction;
1 The making of a polarised society;
2 Saving the system;
3 Contours of the transition;
4 Sticking to the rules: the evolution of post-apartheid economic policy;
5 All dressed up: the economy in the twenty-first century;
6 The world of work;
7 Poverty and inequality in the post-apartheid years;
8 The social protection system;
9 AIDS and TB: like 'waiting for a tidal wave to hit';
10 False starts: the health and education systems;
11 A South African developmental state?;
12 Last man standing: the Mbeki-Zuma battle;
13 Power, consent and the ANC
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Women, Culture and Development
: A study of Human Capabilities
Publishers: Clarendon Press Oxford
Year of publication: 1995
Women, a majority of the world's population, receive only a small proportion of its opportunities and benefits. According to the 1993 UN Human Development Report, there is no country in the world in which women's quality of life is equal to that of men. This examination of women's quality of life thus addresses questions which have a particular urgency. It aims to describe the basic situation of all women and so develops a universal account that can answer the charges of 'Western imperialism' frequently made against such accounts. The contributors confront the issue of cultural relativism, criticizing the relativist approach which, in its desire to respect different cultural traditions, can result in indifference to injustice. An account of gender justice and women's equality is then proposed in various areas in which quality of life is measured. These issues are related throughout to the specific contexts of India, Bangladesh, China, Mexico, and Nigeria through a series of case studies. Disciplines represented include philosophy, economics, political science, anthropology, law, and sociology.
Like its predecessor, The Quality of Life, this volume encourages the reader to think critically about the central fundamental concepts used in development economics and suggests major criticisms of current economic approaches from that fundamental viewpoint.
Contributors: Martha Nussbaum, Marty Chen, Susan Wolf, Jonathan Glover, Onora O'Neill, David Crocker, Hilary Putnam, Linda Alcoff, Amartya Sen, Susan Moller Okin, Ruth Anna Putnam, Cass R.Sunstein, Christine M.Korsgaard, Catherine Lutz, Xiaorong Li, Margarita M.Valdes, Nkiru Nzegwu.
Contents page:
Introduction
By Martha C. Nussbaum 1
PART I - WOMEN'S EQUALITY: A CASE STUDY
A Matter of Survival: Women's Right to Employment in India and Bangladesh
By Martha Chen 37
PART II - WOMEN'S EQUALITY: METHODOLOGY, FOUNDATIONS
Human Capabilities, Female Human Beings
Martha C. Nussbaum 61
Commentator: Susan Wolf 105
The Research Programme of Development Ethics
Jonathan Glover 116
Justice, Capabilities, and Vulnerabilities
Onora O'Neill 140
Functioning and Capability: The Foundations of Sen's and Nussbaum's Development Ethic
David A. Crocker 153
Pragmatism and Moral Objectivity
Hilary Putnam 199
Democracy and Rationality: A Dialogue With Hilary Putnam
Linda Akoff 225
Cultural Complexity, Moral Interdependence, and the Global Dialogical Community
Seyla Benhabib 235
PART III - WOMEN'S EQUALITY: JUSTICE, LAW, AND REASON
Gender Inequality and Theories of Justice
Amartya Sen
Inequalities Between the Sexes in Different Cultural Contexts
Susan Moller Okin 274
Why Not a Feminist Theory of Justice?
Ruth Anna Putnam 298
Gender, Caste, and Law
Cass R. Sunstein 332
Emotions and Women's Capabilities
Martha C. Nussbaum 360
Commentator: Catherine Lutz 396
A Note on the Value of Gender-Identification
Christine M. Korsgaard 401
PART IV - WOMEN'S EQUALITY: REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Gender Inequality in China and Cultural Relativism
Xiaorong Li 407
Inequality in Capabilities Between Men and Women in Mexico
Margarita M. Valdés 426
Femininity, Equality, and Personhood
Roop Rekha Verma 433
Recovering Igbo Traditions: A Case for Indigenous Women's Organizations in Development
Nkiru Nzegwu 444
Index of Names 467
Index of Subjects
Reviews:
The essays in Nussbaum and Glover's anthology project a powerful and timely critique of cultural relativism in assessing the quality of life ... This anthology presents the viewpoints of the essentialists ... I felt deeply reassured by the cogent arguments of third-world women, who share my apprehension, in this multidimensional Nussbaum-Glover anthology. The combination of philosophical discourse, feminist insights and thorough economic analysis makes the book highly unusual ... refreshingly readable with writing that is witty and displays deep empathy with human values. - Times Higher Education Supplement
This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.
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