Readings in Urban Theory

Readings in Urban Theory Review

Updated with a majority of new readings, the Third Edition of Readings in Urban Theory expands its focus to present the most recent developments in urban and regional theories and policies in a globalized world.

• Around 75% of the readings included are new for the third edition
• Unifies readings by an orientation toward political economy and normative themes of social justice
• Expands the focus on international planning, including globalization and theories of development
• Addresses the full range of core urban theory so as to remain the primary text in courses

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Brazil's Lula: The Most Popular Politician on Earth

Brazil's Lula: The Most Popular Politician on Earth Review

Raised in a shack in the Brazilian northeast by a single mother, Lula da Silva rose from a working-class background to become a union leader, organizer of Brazil's Workers' Party, and in time, the most popular president of Brazil. In admiration, Barack Obama called Lula "the most popular politician on Earth"-perhaps a fitting title for the man who finished eight years as Brazil's president with popularity ratings above 80%. As president, he rose above ideology to build his country's self-esteem with a growing economy and relief from poverty. This is the first full biography of a democratic leader whose remarkable success will be an inspiration for decades to come. Spanning his childhood, his years in the labor movement, his four campaigns for the presidency, his two presidential terms and the election of his successor, Dilma Rousseff, this volume focuses on Lula as a personality and explores his impact on Brazilian society. Elected on an ill-defined platform of "change," Lula's inaugural address promised that hope had conquered fear and that it was time for Brazil to blaze a new path. However, he understood that what most Brazilians really wanted was relief from stressful and demanding changes. Drawing strength from his mother's courage, optimism, and religious faith, Lula forged a new leadership style contrasting sharply with that of populist Latin American leaders who aggravate social class and international conflicts. Lula offers a model of leadership for an age when democratic revolutions sweep the globe and presidents-for-life are thrown out of office in disgrace. Despite his overwhelming popularity, Lula refused to allow his supporters to advocate amending the Brazilian constitution to allow him a third term as president. His biography is essential reading for anyone concerned with building democratic order in a developing society. Read more...

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The Expediency of Culture: Uses of Culture in the Global Era (Post-Contemporary Interventions)

The Expediency of Culture: Uses of Culture in the Global Era (Post-Contemporary Interventions) Review

The Expediency of Culture is a pioneering theorization of the changing role of culture in an increasingly globalized world. George Yúdice explores critically how groups ranging from indigenous activists to nation-states to nongovernmental organizations have all come to see culture as a valuable resource to be invested in, contested, and used for varied sociopolitical and economic ends. Through a dazzling series of illustrative studies, Yúdice challenges the Gramscian notion of cultural struggle for hegemony and instead develops an understanding of culture where cultural agency at every level is negotiated within globalized contexts dominated by the active management and administration of culture. He describes a world where “high” culture (such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain) is a mode of urban development, rituals and everyday aesthetic practices are mobilized to promote tourism and the heritage industries, and mass culture industries comprise significant portions of a number of countries’ gross national products.

Yúdice contends that a new international division of cultural labor has emerged, combining local difference with transnational administration and investment. This does not mean that today’s increasingly transnational culture—exemplified by the entertainment industries and the so-called global civil society of nongovernmental organizations—is necessarily homogenized. He demonstrates that national and regional differences are still functional, shaping the meaning of phenomena from pop songs to antiracist activism. Yúdice considers a range of sites where identity politics and cultural agency are negotiated in the face of powerful transnational forces. He analyzes appropriations of American funk music as well as a citizen action initiative in Rio de Janeiro to show how global notions such as cultural difference are deployed within specific social fields. He provides a political and cultural economy of a vast and increasingly influential art event— insite a triennial festival extending from San Diego to Tijuana. He also reflects on the city of Miami as one of a number of transnational “cultural corridors” and on the uses of culture in an unstable world where censorship and terrorist acts interrupt the usual channels of capitalist and artistic flows.

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The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers, and Defenders of the Amazon, Updated Edition

The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers, and Defenders of the Amazon, Updated Edition Review

The Amazon rain forest covers more than five million square kilometers, amid the territories of nine different nations. It represents over half of the planet’s remaining rain forest. Is it truly in peril? What steps are necessary to save it? To understand the future of Amazonia, one must know how its history was forged: in the eras of large pre-Columbian populations, in the gold rush of conquistadors, in centuries of slavery, in the schemes of Brazil’s military dictators in the 1960s and 1970s, and in new globalized economies where Brazilian soy and beef now dominate, while the market in carbon credits raises the value of standing forest.

Susanna Hecht and Alexander Cockburn show in compelling detail the panorama of destruction as it unfolded, and also reveal the extraordinary turnaround that is now taking place, thanks to both the social movements, and the emergence of new environmental markets. Exploring the role of human hands in destroying—and saving—this vast forested region, The Fate of the Forest pivots on the murder of Chico Mendes, the legendary labor and environmental organizer assassinated after successful confrontations with big ranchers. A multifaceted portrait of Eden under siege, complete with a new preface and afterword by the authors, this book demonstrates that those who would hold a mirror up to nature must first learn the lessons offered by some of their own people.

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ATLAS DA HISTORIA DO MUNDO

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South American Handbook, 87th: Longest running English language travel guide, The South American Handbook (Footprint - Handbooks)

South American Handbook, 87th: Longest running English language travel guide, The South American Handbook (Footprint - Handbooks) Review

The longest-running English language travel guide has once again been fully revised and updated by expert author Ben Box, providing the most up-to-date guide for discovering this incredible continent. Unparalleled coverage of the entire region with in-depth listings on where to eat, sleep and drink, as well as all the adventure sports, activities, arts, historic sites and culture this diverse and beautiful region offers. Whether it’s the blissful beaches of Columbia or getting off the beaten track on some wild treks you’re after this book has it all. This guide is the first thing to pack for any traveler who wants to step off the ‘Gringo Trail’ and really discover South America.

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Culture Shock! Brazil: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette

Culture Shock! Brazil: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette Review

Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, the ever-popular "Culture Shock!" series belongs in your backpack or briefcase. Get the nuts-and-bolts information you need to survive and thrive wherever you go. "Culture Shock!" country guides are easy-to-read, accurate, and entertaining crash courses in local customs and etiquette. "Culture Shock!" practical guides offer the inside information you need whether you're a student, a parent, a globetrotter, or a working traveler. "Culture Shock!" at your Door guides equip you for daily life in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. And "Culture Shock!" Success Secrets guides offer relevant, practical information with the real-life insights and cultural know-how that can make the difference between business success and failure.

Each "Culture Shock!" title is written by someone who's lived and worked in the country, and each book is packed with practical, accurate, and enjoyable information to help you find your way and feel at home.

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