Our Books - Ideas That Shape Scholarship

'Developing Deans: Transforming Academic Leadership' brings a fresh perspective to the development of higher education deans. Recent books on the deanship focus on ‘becoming’ or ‘being’ a dean, focusing the responsibility of the deanship ‘on the individual’. That is, if you want to become a dean or be an effective dean, this is what ‘you’ must do. This new volume places the onus of developing deans squarely on higher education itself. We know that, in the future, we will need new deans. We also know that we want those deans to be tenured full professors. What are we doing to develop new, effective deans and how might we do that ‘intentionally’ and effectively? This edited volume includes empirical research, case studies and first-person narratives aimed at highlighting methods and practices designed to develop fundamental leadership skills for university deans who create inclusive, collaborative and cross-functional organizational cultures. Practitioners, researchers and scholars address questions such as: How do deans learn to lead effectively? Is this the optimal developmental path? How might we scale leadership development as a practice across higher education? The volume is divided into an introduction plus three sections, with several chapters per section. Section One features approaches that focus on the development of department chairs as a preparation for dean-level leadership. Section Two focuses on opportunities and experiences at the campus level used in strategic ways to intentionally develop future deans. Section Three supplements the first two sections with practical suggestions for individuals who are interested in preparing themselves for a deanship. 'Developing Deans' may serve as a reference for anyone hoping to design or improve a leadership development program on their campus, including current presidents, chancellors, associate vice chancellors, provosts, deans and prospective deans. Other readers may include leadership professionals, researchers, consultants and leaders both inside and outside higher education.

Este es uno de los pocos manuales en español enfocados, de principio a fin, en la escritura sobre literatura a nivel universitario, si no es que quizá el único, hasta el momento de su publicación. Influido por el movimiento Writing in the Disciplines (WID), plantea que la escritura sobre literatura es distinta a la de otras carreras, incluso de las humanísticas (p. ej., historia o filosofía), por lo que un estudiante de literatura necesita familiarizarse con las prácticas propias de su campo. Escrito en un lenguaje claro, expone en detalle los temas que un estudiante debe conocer para escribir crítica literaria en español: desde ortografía y gramática hasta los géneros más comunes que los profesores piden en clase, pasando por procesos de escritura, tipos de evidencia en la crítica literaria y los usos y lineamientos del formato MLA en español. Su tesis básica es simple: para escribir en los estudios literarios, debemos leer, pensar y escribir como críticos literarios. Compuesto por trece capítulos, el libro está diseñado para acompañar al estudiante en todo momento de sus estudios: desde los primeros semestres de la licenciatura hasta la tesis doctoral, si es que decide convertirse en académico profesional. El manual está pensado para estudiantes de distintos niveles (pregrado y posgrado), tanto hablantes nativos como no nativos. Parte del hecho de que existen diversos manuales de teoría literaria que enseñan distintos enfoques para leer literatura, pero pocos enseñan a escribir sobre literatura en español. Con una perspectiva interdisciplinaria, este libro explora el punto de convergencia de tres actividades interrelacionadas —la escritura, la lectura y la crítica literaria— para producir textos. Además, argumenta que nuestras emociones —como la ansiedad o el bloqueo del escritor— influyen en nuestra habilidad para escribir, por lo que ofrece estrategias generales para lidiar con ellas y con la procrastinación. Todo esto con el fin de compartir con los estudiantes del siglo XXI el mayor número posible de herramientas para escribir en los fascinantes pero exigentes estudios literarios y hacerlo con éxito.

'The Gendered Self: LGBTQ+ Narratives in Global Media, Volume II' challenges the restrictive frameworks that have long defined gender and sexuality. Moving beyond simplistic dichotomies, this volume explores how LGBTQ+ identities are shaped, represented, and contested across diverse cultural, historical, and political contexts. Through case studies from Turkey, the United States, China, and India, contributors reveal the lived complexities of queer experience. Chapters trace transgender journeys of identity transformation, dissect the weaponization of queer bodies in moral panics, and analyze the digital self-representations of Chinese gay men. Others investigate how Indian OTT platforms and Malayalam cinema expand space for queer narratives, while historical accounts of activists like Paula Grossman illustrate the fraught relationship between representation, activism, and backlash. Across these explorations, the volume highlights how media, politics, and cultural traditions simultaneously affirm and erase queer lives. It uncovers the deep roots of erasure in mythology and religion, while also showing how digital platforms and popular culture create new opportunities for resistance and recognition. This collection insists that the “gendered self” must be understood as fluid, intersectional, and culturally situated, pushing readers to reimagine identity beyond binaries and toward broader visions of inclusion and justice.

‘¿Invisibles? Trans-identidades en la España contemporánea’ analiza la experiencia, corporeidad, identidad y representación de las personas trans en las producciones culturales españolas. Este volumen examina los fenómenos culturales que giran en torno a las trans-identidades, analizando la visibilidad del colectivo en los últimos 50 años y respondiendo a estas preguntas: ¿Cómo se representa a la comunidad trans en España? ¿Qué modelos de referencia hay en las producciones culturales? ¿Cómo combatir la transfobia existente? El libro denuncia la ausencia de un espacio realmente inclusivo en el panorama cultural y plantea la necesidad de aumentar la agencia y derechos de las identidades trans en el discurso público. Sus trece capítulos ofrecen una variedad de referentes sobre la diversidad genérico-sexual para visibilizar a unas personas vulnerables cuyas experiencias se han visto reducidas en numerosas ocasiones a rechazo y discriminación.

In times of increased East-West confrontation and various global crises, it becomes increasingly clear that, for most people, the neoliberal restructuring of society has not resulted in greater freedom or a more self-determined lifestyle. Instead, we are experiencing a precarization of working and living conditions, rising isolation, and a widespread sense of political powerlessness linked to the rise of right-wing governments, nationalist, and far-right forces in recent years. In light of these developments, it is especially important to take an unbiased look at concepts and practical models for alternative social and political change and to reflect on what lessons can be learned from historical events for today’s politics. The Soviet example appears particularly instructive, as the October Revolution of 1917 marked the start of a period of profound change in which a fundamentally different culture and education system emerged in just a few months and years. As this volume’s contributions demonstrate, the complex transformation process in the early years of the Soviet Union involved both the creation of new elements and the preservation of old ones. As the interview with Kristen R. Ghodsee shows, figures like Alexandra Kollontai, through their progressive socialist theory and practice, brought about sweeping changes that extended beyond the sphere of production. They fundamentally transformed social life as a whole, especially gender relations, leading to significant improvements in living conditions – particularly for female workers – and achievements such as public childcare. The contributions and the interview with Dietmar Dath also explore the development of a new education system and the restructuring of art and culture, as well as their significance beyond the historical contexts in which they originated, continuing to influence today. Through this, the volume aims to open new perspectives on the legacy of Soviet education, gender, and cultural policies and to provide insightful analyses and materials for researchers in disciplines such as educational sciences, history, art and cultural studies, literature, social and political science, anthropology, philosophy, and gender studies.

Navigating the intricate landscape of U.S. higher education can be profoundly challenging for international students. This groundbreaking work offers a vital, dual perspective, interweaving deeply personal lived experiences with rigorous academic research to illuminate the multifaceted journey of cultural and academic adaptation. Beyond the author’s compelling narrative in the preface, the book shares personal stories, making complex challenges tangible and relatable. From dissecting the nuances of U.S. grading systems and academic culture to exploring complex social integration, language proficiency hurdles, and the pervasive challenges of “othering” and discrimination, this book provides an honest and comprehensive account. A unique focus is placed on the distinct barriers faced by female students from conservative cultural backgrounds, offering empathetic insight into their unique struggles with participation, social norms, and mental well-being. Distinguished by its blend of personal narrative and evidence-based solutions, this book transcends mere description. It critically examines the role of institutional support, advocating for culturally sensitive mentorship, inclusive classroom practices, tailored mental health services, and essential cultural competency training for faculty and staff. 'Cultural Influences and International Students' is an indispensable resource for current and prospective international students seeking to understand and prepare for their journey. It is also an essential guide for higher education professionals, including faculty, advisors, administrators, and policymakers, providing actionable strategies to foster truly inclusive environments. This work stands as a powerful call to action for transforming U.S. campuses into spaces where every international student can thrive academically and personally.

This book is the second volume edited by Yvonne Bennett examining the lived religious lives of women in 21st-century Britain. The authors continue to explore contemporary women’s spirituality by looking at the way women use rituals and rites within their lives. Coming from different academic fields, the contributors bring together an interdisciplinary collection of voices on the topic of rituals and ritualistic behaviours. The chapters are woven together to shine a heterogeneous light on religion in the twenty-first century and the impact it has on women in Britain today. The volume also examines the editors’ own spirituality alongside that of the participants, offering a hybrid academic-practitioner viewpoint on ritual. The chapters begin and end with a philosophical examination of ritual and the manner in which ritualistic behaviours are incorporated into human experience. This book takes the reader on a journey from the cradle to the grave and from medieval history to the present day.

When asked if being a woman had a negative impact on her ability to succeed as a writer, Argentine poet Alejandra Pizarnik stated that, even if not a physical impediment, being a woman in a patriarchal society is ‘a tragedy’ in itself. She followed this comment by saying: ‘What matters is what we do with our own tragedies’. Beyond sex assigned at birth, feminized bodies around the world share a similar phenomenological experience, which is dictated by a complicated relationship to space. Before setting pen to paper, the woman writer, a monster herself within patriarchal discourse, must confront the role society has set for her. For a writer in a feminized body, thus, the act of writing never begins with a tabula rasa but with a refusal and a challenge, an ushering out of the supposed ‘eden’ of the domestic. The question of the women-writer’s space is further exacerbated when considering matters of intersectionality. The poetics of space and place change within the confines of different geopolitical structures and their relations amongst each other. How do they shift when the center becomes de-centered and writing stems not from a place of political power but from the quieted voices of minor literature, queer and racialized bodies or subalternized latitudes? This volume will attempt to address these questions with input from a diverse group of scholars dealing with an equally diverse corpus. North and Latin America converse with Europe while ‘genre’ literature, minor literature and ‘gendered’ literatures take center stage. By taking into account a wide array of cultural objects, from poetry and children’s literature to Gothic tales and television shows, this collection of articles reveals the profound link between space and the female experience through the lens of art and literature.

Motivated by the exigency of climate change, 'Cinematic Ecosystems: Screen Encounters with More-than-Humans in the Era of Environmental Crisis' takes cinema to be an audiovisual form whose creation and meaning are deeply connected to more-than-human worlds. As part of the third wave of ecocinema studies, this collection gathers contributions on multiple cinema forms from an international group of scholars and artists who offer diverse, critical perspectives that respond to the question: How does cinema help or hinder us in coming to know the more-than-human world? The collection homes in on the concept of the ecosystem as a biological and technological system that comprises a network of inter-relational living and their inanimate elemental affordances to explore encounters with cinema as a material object and practice, a spectatorial experience, and a representational text. The chapters cover environmental topics that span five continents and multiple histories. This book will be of special interest to film studies scholars and artists interested in cinema and climate change, environmental justice, and posthumanism.