Environmental Studies Commons^™

Victoria Lyon Bestor, Theodore C. Bestor With Akiko Yamagata (Eds.). Routledge Handbook Of Japanese Culture And Society. London And New York: Routledge, 2011., Cedarbough T. Saeji

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

“States Of Emergency”: Armed Youths And Mediations Of Islam In Northern Nigeria, Conerly Casey Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

On November 14, 2013, the U.S. Department of State labeled Boko Haram and a splinter group, Ansaru, operating in northern Nigeria, “foreign terrorist organizations” with links to al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). This designation is debatable, since the groups are diffuse, with tendencies to split or engage other armed groups into violent actions, primarily focused on Nigerian national and state politics and the implementation of shari’a criminal codes. This essay offers two analytic perspectives on “states of emergency” in Nigeria and the affective, violent forms of “justice” that armed young men employed during the 2000 implementation of shari’a criminal …

Assessing The Need For Graduate Global Education Programs In The United States, Krishna Bista Ed.D., Amaney Saleh Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Global education plays an increasingly important role in enriching students’ learning experiences in US institutions of higher education. Students are connected to the world through global culture, economics, politics, technology and immigration. This paper examines the perceptions of 305 graduate students and alumni concerning the need for global education programs in the United States. Participants shared their views of the importance of global education in understanding today’s economy, culture, and environment, while addressing our future needs and challenges. There were no significant statistical differences between the perceptions of graduate students and alumni or between those of international and American students …

The Power Of Uncertainty: The Neoliberal Quest For Profit In Spain, Ismael Vaccaro Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Using as a case study the consequences of the recent generalized economic crisis in Spain and Europe (2008-14), I propose to analyze the role of uncertainty as a key and recurrent ingredient needed by market economies to generate high levels of profitability at the cost of extremely high levels of social inequality. The present article examines the relationships between crises and uncertainty as socially constructed realities that have been instrumental in the political reshaping of entire societies. The “crisis” narrative has succeeded in explaining extreme levels of profit generation as economic “failure” and, consequently, in legitimating further profit by dismantling …

South Africa In The Brics: Soft Power Balancing And Instrumentalization, Hany Besada, Evren Tok Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

This paper investigates South Africa’s participation in the BRICS formation and the implications of its inclusion for the country, the continent, and global governance. It argues that by joining the BRICS grouping, South Africa is reinforcing neoliberalism in Africa, with markets being liberalized across the continent, trade and investment becoming the focus, and social and environmental protection remaining a distant concern. Meanwhile, other countries, particularly China and Russia, are instrumentalizing the forum to get what they want out of African countries without formalizing the grouping’s policies and effecting change to global institutions at the global level, as was initially promised. …

India And South Asian Security Issues: Problems Aplenty, Solutions Hazy, Prospects Unsettling, Raviprasad Narayanan

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• David Brewster. India as an Asia Pacific Power. Abingdon: Routledge, 2012. Marcus Franke. War and Nationalism in South Asia: The Indian State and the Nagas. New York: Routledge, 2011.
• D. Suba Chandran and P.R. Chari (Eds.). Armed Conflicts in South Asia 2011: The Promise and Threat of Transformation. New Delhi: Routledge, 2012.

Under Scrutiny: Youth In Contemporary Japan, Natalie Kohout

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• Anne Mette Fisker-Nielsen. Religion and Politics in Contemporary Japan: Soka Gakkai Youth and Komeito. New York: Routledge, 2012.
• Roger Goodman, Yuki Imoto, and Tuukka Toivonen (Eds.). A Sociology of Japanese Youth and Religion: From Returnees to NEETs. New York: Routledge, 2012.

Madeleine Reeves (Ed). Movement, Power And Place In Central Asia And Beyond: Contested Trajectories. London: Routledge, 2012., Feruza Aripova

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

David Hansen, Radical Rhetoric-Moderate Behaviour: Perceptions Of Islam, Shari‘A, And The Radical Dimension In Urban Pakistan. Tapir Academic Press Trondheim, 2012., Muhammad Junaid Nadvi Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Schubert, Gunter And Jens Damm Eds. Taiwanese Identity In The Twenty-First Century: Domestic, Regional And Global Perspectives, Abingdon: Routledge. 2011., Allen Chun Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Robert L. Oprisko. Honor: A Phenomenology. New York: Routledge, 2012., Christian L. Derusha

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Cross-Institutional And Interdisciplinary Dialogue On Curriculum For Global Engagement: Emerging Perspectives And Concerns, Fay Patel Ph.D., Mingsheng Li Ph.D., Matthew Piscioneri Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Inviting stakeholders to engage in dialogue on a curriculum for global engagement and organizational social responsibility in higher education (HE) is a challenge, especially when one crosses disciplinary and institutional boundaries. The established discourse and practice of internationalization in higher education over the past decades has manifested unresolved tensions and inconsistencies that have restricted the effective conceptualization of the global engagement curriculum. Upon observing inadequate professional development opportunities for dialogue regarding the global engagement curriculum at their respective universities, colleagues from Monash University and Deakin University in Australia and Massey University in New Zealand organized an open forum on the …

Rethinking China’S Model: Contending Perspectives On Chinese Economic Reform And State Governance, Zhiguo Ye

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• Wang Mengkui ed. Thirty Years of China's Reform. London and New York: Routledge. 2012.
• Joseph Tse-Hei Lee, Lida V Nedilsky, Siu Keung Cheung (eds.) China's Rise to Power: Conceptions of State Governance. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 2012.

Reflections On China’S Global Outreach, Emilian Raychev Kavalski

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• Zheng Bijian, China’s Road to Peaceful Rise: Observations on Its Causes, Basis, Connotations, and Prospects. Oxon and New York: Routledge, 2011.
• Peter Kien-hong Yu, International Governance and Regimes: A Chinese Perspective. Oxon and New York: Routledge, 2012.
• Hongyi Lai and Yiyi Lu (eds), China’s Soft Power and International Relations. Oxon and New York: Routledge, 2012.

Farhan Hanif Siddiqi, The Politics Of Ethnicity In Pakistan: The Balouch, Sindhi And Mohajir Ethnic Movements. Oxon And New York: Routledge, 2012., Muhammad Junaid Nadvi Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Dominik Kopinski, Andrzej Polus, & Iantaylor, (Eds.) China’S Rise In Africa. Perspectives On A Developing Connection. London & New York: Routledge, 2012., Yoon Jung Park

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Lau, Albert Ed. Southeast Asia And The Cold War. New York: Routledge. 2012., Martin Ottovay Jørgensen Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Takeshi Hamashita. China, East Asia, And The Global Economy: Regional And Historical Perspectives. New York: Routledge, 2008., Dan Du

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Henrike Donner (Ed.). Being Middle Class In India: A Way Of Life. New York: Routledge, 2011, Frank F. Conlon Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Kellner-Heinkele, Barbara And Jacob M. Landau. Language Politics In Contemporary Central Asia: National And Ethnic Identity And The Soviet Legacy. London: I.B. Tauris, 2012., R. Charles Weller

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Toby Dodge And Nicholas Redman (Eds.).Afghanistan To 2015 And Beyond. London: Routledge, 2011., Saroj Kumar Rath Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Searching For Security: Prospects For Peace In Sino-Foreign Relations, Covell Meyskens

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• Quansheng Zhao and Guoli Liu, eds. Managing the China challenge: global perspectives. London and New York: Routledge, 2009.
• Dennis J. Blasko. Chinese Army today: tradition and transformation for the 21st century. New York: Routledge, 2012.

Debdas Banerjee. Economic And Human Development In Contemporary India: Cronyism And Fragility. New York: Routledge, 2010., Maansi Parpiani

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Participatory Action And Drought As A Symbolic Context: The Case Of Aldama Chihuahua, Mexico, Sara Soledad Garcia

Teacher Education

This paper presents a field-based project and a theoretical framework for work with an Action Research paradigm. The complexities of process are illustrated and synthesized in two theoretical models. The design of the study required constant change in the focus of projects as a result of the action produced from genuine involvement. As a result a working template of the execution of the action research projects involving multiple educational institutions was generated by bi-national collaborations. Participants were ecological researchers and schoolteachers, actively engaged in schools and in the education of the community at-large on the effects of drought in their …

The Great Sustainability Challenge, Isidor Wallimann

Sociology - All Scholarship

"The balance between society and nature is askew. The age of industrialization and the subsequent era of consumerism are large culprits for pollution and the degradation of the environment. Human activity on Earth has undeniably affected the planet and has contributed colossal levels of carbon emissions that are pushing global temperatures to keep rising. Significant ecological risks to human survival may result from not taking more pressing action. Governments have a role to play in moving more rapidly and effectively towards more sustainable practices – “how to be more sustainable?” is a question that must be integrated in all decision-making …

Women Working On A Fair Flower Farm In Ecuador: An Ethnographic Study, Corrie Grosse

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Despite a history of worker exploitation and environmental degradation, today, the cut-flower industry is striving for ethical production practices. Ecuador is leading the way in this regard, and one farm, Fairtrade-certified Nevado Roses, appears to be a shining example. In 2012, I set out to conduct ethnographic research centering workers' perspectives about labor conditions and life as Fairtrade rose cultivators at Nevado Roses. I wanted to understand how women, who comprise the majority of flower workers, fare on a farm with socially and environmentally sustainable policies. The research confirmed the benefits of ethical production practices, but also revealed that Fairtrade …

Sociobiophysicality And The Necessity Of Critical Theory: Moving Beyond Prevailing Conceptions Of Environmental Sociology In The Usa, Alex Stoner

Journal Articles

Today, to perceive the link between society and environment does not require that we engage in an effort of great abstraction. What remains paradoxical is that the intensity and scale of societally induced environmental degradation, which rose to historically unprecedented levels during the latter half of the 20th century, is synchronous with an equally impressive increase in public concern for and attention to the biophysical world. This article examines values-based and traditional Marxist-oriented approaches to environmental sociology in the USA in order to assess whether or not – and if so, how exactly – these approaches help us make sense …

Self-Reliance Beyond Neoliberalism: Rethinking Autonomy At The Edges Of Empire, Karen Hébert, Diana Mincyte

Publications and Research

Across scholarly and popular accounts, self-reliance is often interpreted as either the embodiment of individual entrepreneurialism, as celebrated by neoliberal designs, or the basis for communitarian localism, increasingly imagined as central to environmental and social sustainability. In both cases, self-reliance is framed as an antidote to the failures of larger state institutions or market economies. This paper offers a different framework for understanding self-reliance by linking insights drawn from agrarian studies to current debates on alternative economies. Through an examination of the social worlds of semisubsistence producers in peripheral zones in the Global North, we show how everyday forms of …

Sustainability Policy’S Inherent Dilemmas – Exemplified Via Critical Examination Of The Las Vegas Metropolitan Sustainability Campaign, Kathryn A. Zimmerman

All Master's Theses

In response to a dual problem of critical water scarcity and rapid population growth, leaders of metropolitan Las Vegas implemented a region-wide, internationally marketed sustainability campaign. Preliminary studies found that, while sustainability policy attains its rhetorical goals, solutions initiated not only perpetuate but also purposefully expand the original dual problem to justify continuous water resource acquisitions. To examine this sustainability conundrum constructed by leadership—problem-perpetuation rather than problem-resolution—a critical examination in resource management asked two basic questions: what is being sustained and by what means? Via this inquiry, specific processes by which leaders perpetuate problems can be identified; and, so-informed, new …

Richard Smith. Mapping China And Managing The World: Culture, Cartography And Cosmology In Late Imperial Times. New York: Routledge, 2013., Daniel Knorr

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.