Comparative-Historical Methods

The tension between blasphemy laws and the freedom of expression in modern times is a key area of debate within legal academia and beyond. With contributions by leading scholars, this volume compares blasphemy laws within a number of Western liberal democracies and debates the legitimacy of these laws in the twenty-first century. Including comprehensive and up-to-date comparative country studies, this book considers the formulation of blasphemy bans, relevant jurisprudential interpretations, the effect on society, and the ensuing convictions and penalties where applicable. It provides a useful historical analysis by discussing the legal-political rationales behind the recent abolition of blasphemy laws in some Western states. Contributors also consider the challenges to the tenability of blasphemy laws in a selection of well-balanced theoretical chapters. This book is essential reading for scholars working within the fields of human rights law, philosophy and sociology of religion, and

The tension between blasphemy laws and the freedom of expression in modern times is a key area of debate within legal academia and beyond. With contributions by leading scholars, this volume compares blasphemy laws within a number of Western liberal democracies and debates the legitimacy of these laws in the twenty-first century. Including comprehensive and up-to-date comparative country studies, this book considers the formulation of blasphemy bans, relevant jurisprudential interpretations, the effect on society, and the ensuing convictions and penalties where applicable. It provides a useful historical analysis by discussing the legal-political rationales behind the recent abolition of blasphemy laws in some Western states. Contributors also consider the challenges to the tenability of blasphemy laws in a selection of well-balanced theoretical chapters. This book is essential reading for scholars working within the fields of human rights law, philosophy and sociology of religion, and

Historical disaster research is still a young field. This book discusses the experiences of natural disasters in different cultures, from Europe across the Near East to Asia. It focuses on the pre-ind

This book adopts a novel analytical approach to understanding how Russia's stalled democratisation is related to the incomplete liberalisation of the economy. Based on extensive original comparative s

In recent decades policies aiming at work-family reconciliation, at social integration and at the development of children's human capital have strongly influenced the expansion of early childhood educ

Since after the Second World War, the crime of aggression is – along with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes – a “core crime” under international law. However, despite a formal recogniti

Poor America describes the sharp contrast in the extent of poverty between the United States and six Western European countries. Samuel J. Eldersveld seeks to discover why America struggles more with

This book examines the post-1960s era of popular music in the Anglo-Black Atlantic through the prism of historical theory and methods. By using a series of case studies, this book mobilizes historical

Since the 16th century, Mexico has in many ways been held captive by outsiders. In the modern era, outsiders have most often made their impact through control of the Mexican economy and helping to est

Green European addresses the quest for a better understanding of European type(s) of environmentalism. This monograph focuses i on public attitudes and behaviours and the culturally rooted as well as

Of the 14 or so distinct speech varieties of the Gurage cluster in the highlands to the south and southwest of Addis Ababa, explains Ahland (linguistics, U. of Oregon), Mesmes has escaped all but the

Why do countries have different institutions and forms of government? Why do some social revolutions succeed and endure while others fail? Why are some societies subjected to terrorism and not others?

Intended for use in advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses, this text presents a wide survey of methodological procedures and theoretical positions.

The World of Cities is a concise theoretical and empirical introduction to urban sociology. In clear and engaging terms, the book surveys and critiques all the major theoretical perspectives in urban

By making Korea a central part of comparative history of East Asian religion and society, this book traces the evolution of Korean religion from the oldest representation to that of the current day by

This volume presents a sophisticated set of archival, forensic, and excavation methods to identify both individuals and group affiliations—cultural, religious, and organizational—in a multiethnic hist

Heilen, an archaeologist, outlines a set of methods archaeologists can use to identify individuals and group affiliations in a multiethnic historical cemetery. Along with other archaeologists, anthrop

Italian gardens have received more attention from historians than perhaps any other garden tradition. This volume presents eight richly illustrated essays by established and emerging scholars that su

Beckwith (Uralic and Altaic studies, Indiana University) studies the extinct Koguryo language, which was once spoken in Manchuria and northern Korea. He traces the ethnolinguistic history of the Kogur

This latest volume in the World Yearbook of Education Series considers changing space-times of education by asking how they become unevenly textured as our worlds globalise, horizons shift and familia