This collection of essays provides a comprehensive account of the culture of modern Italy. Contributions focus on a wide range of political, historical & cultural questions. The volume provides information & analysis on such topics as regionalism, the growth of a national language, social & political cultures, the role of intellectuals, the Church, the left, feminism, the separatist movements, organised crime, literature, art, design, fashion, the mass media, & music. While offering a thorough history of Italian cultural movements, political trends & literary texts over the last century & a half, the volume also examines the cultural & political situation in Italy today & suggests possible future directions in which the country might move. Each essay contains suggestions for further reading on the topics covered. The Cambridge Companion to Modern Italian Culture is an invaluable source of materials for courses on all aspects of modern Italy. ...

The history of modern Italy is characterized by recurrent cultural & political projects of modernity, rejuvenation, & regeneration; projects which often had their roots in a widespread dissatisfaction with social & political reality, & perceived moral corruption. The Risorgimento, the movement leading to Italian Unification in 1861, explicitly linked the quest for national unity to a process of moral regeneration & progress. Later forms of nationalism & the rise of fascism in the first two decades of the twentieth century advocated a spiritual revolution & the moulding of new Italians through war & violence. The tragic outcome of Italian fascism led to the emergence of new visions of progress during the post-war First Republic, in which European integration was embraced with conviction. In the last 25 years a project of of modernization epitomized by Silvio Berlusconi has characterized Italian politics, invoking a mixture of nationalist themes & an uncritical embracing of consumer & media culture. In this Very Short Introduction Anna Cento Bull addresses the question of what modernity means to Italy, & asks what modern Italy stands for. She considers Italy`s political system & style of government, & looks at its economic modernisation & issues with emigration, internal migration & immigration. Bull concludes by looking at the Italian culture & lifestyle, including modern art & architecture, cinema, literature, gastronomy, fashion & sport. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable. ...

Japan is arguably today`s most successful industrial economy, combining almost unprecedented affluence with social stability & apparent harmony. Japanese goods & cultural products are consumed all over the world, ranging from animated movies & computer games all the way through to cars, semiconductors, & management techniques. In many ways, Japan is an icon of the modern world, & yet it remains something of an enigma to many, who see it as a confusing montage of the alien & the familiar, the ancient & modern. The aim of this Very Short Introduction is to explode the myths & explore the reality of modern Japan
- by taking a concise look at its history, economy, politics, & culture. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable.
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The term Latin America refers to the Portuguese & Spanish-speaking states created in the early 1820s following the wars of independence, states that differed enormously in geographical & demographical scale, ethnic composition & economic resources, yet shared distinct historical & cultural traits. Specially-commissioned essays by leading experts explore the unity & diversity of the region`s cultural expressions. These essays analyse history & politics from the nineteenth century to the present day & consider the heritage of pre-Columbian & Colonial Latin America. There is a particular focus on narrative as well as on poetry, art & architecture, music, cinema, theatre, & broader issues of popular culture. A final chapter looks at the strong & rapidly expanding influence of latino/a culture in the United States. A chronology & guides to further reading are included, making this volume an invaluable introduction to the rich & varied culture of modern Latin America. ...

From the art deco factories of the 1920s through to the skyscraper boom of the twenty-first century, Modern London takes you on an illustrated tour of the capital`s ever-changing landscape. Shaped variously by war, economics, population growth & design trends, the city has been moulded by some of the greatest modern architects & to this day remains a centre of building design & experimentation. Through intricate graphic illustrations & accessible entertaining text, London`s streets, structures & transport systems of the last century are brought to life. Discover long lost treasures such as the Firestone Factory & marvel at modern-day masterpieces like the London Aquatics centre; delight in previously vilified social housing projects such as the Balfron Tower, & discover the drama behind bold, eccentric designs like the ` Cheesegrater`. The city`s skyline can change in an instant; Modern London invites you to sit back & survey the scene so far. ...

L&-locked between its giant neighbors, Russia & China, Mongolia was the first Asian country to adopt communism & the first to abandon it. When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, Mongolia turned to international financial agencies
- including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, & the Asian Development Bank
- for help in compensating for the economic changes caused by disruptions in the communist world. ” Modern Mongolia” is the best-informed & most thorough account to date of the political economy of Mongolia during the past decade. In it, Morris Rossabi explores the effects of the withdrawal of Soviet assistance, the role of international financial agencies in supporting a pure market economy, & the ways that new policies have led to greater political freedom but also to unemployment, poverty, increasingly inequitable distribution of income, & deterioration in the education, health, & well-being of Mongolian society. Rossabi demonstrates that the agencies providing grants & loans insisted on Mongolia`s adherence to a set of policies that did not generally take into account the country`s unique heritage & society. Though the sale of state assets, minimalist government, liberalization of trade & prices, a balanced budget, & austerity were supposed to yield marked economic growth, Mongolia
- the world`s fifth-largest per capita recipient of foreign aid
- did not recover as expected. As he details this painful transition from a collective to a capitalist economy, Rossabi also analyzes the cultural effects of the sudden opening of Mongolia to democracy. He looks at the broader implications of Mongolia`s international situation & considers its future, particularly in relation to China.



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WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY OLIVIA LAINGIn 1986 Derek Jarman discovered he was HIV positive & decided to make a garden at his cottage on the barren coast of Dungeness. Facing an uncertain future, he nevertheless found solace in nature, growing all manner of plants. While some perished beneath wind & sea-spray others flourished, creating brilliant, unexpected beauty in the wilderness. Modern Nature is both a diary of the garden & a meditation by Jarman on his own life: his childhood, his time as a young gay man in the 1960s, his renowned career as an artist, writer & film-maker. It is at once a lament for a lost generation, an unabashed celebration of gay sexuality, & a devotion to all that is living. ...

A hilarious, eye-opening tour of the new romantic landscape, from one of America`s sharpest comic voices & one of its leading sociologists In the old days, most people would find a decent person who lived in their village or neighbourhood, & after deciding they weren`t a murderer, get married & have kids
- all by the age of 22. Now we spend years of our lives searching for our perfect soul mate &, thanks to dating apps, mobile phones & social media, we have more romantic options than ever before in human history. Yet we also have to confront strange new dilemmas, such as what to think when someone is too busy to reply to a text but has time to post a photo of their breakfast on Instagram. & if we have so many more options, why aren`t people any less frustrated? For years, American comedian Aziz Ansari has been aiming his comic insight at dating & relationships, & in Modern Romance, he teams up with award-winning sociologist Eric Klinenberg to investigate love in the age of technology. They enlisted some of the world`s leading social scientists, conducted hundreds of interviews, analyzed the behavioural data, & researched dating cultures from Tokyo to Buenos Aires to New York City. The result is an unforgettable picture of modern love, combining Ansari`s irreverent humour with cutting-edge social science.
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Russia is a dominant force in the world, whose culture has been shaped by its unique position on the margins of both East & West. As Russia faces new cultural challenges from outside its national boundaries, this volume introduces Russian culture in all its rich diversity, including the historical conditions that helped shape it & the arts that express its highest achievements. Newly commissioned essays by leading scholars explore language, religion, geography, ideological structures, folk ethos & popular culture, literature, music, theatre, art, & film. A chronology & guides to further reading are also provided. The Companion offers both historical orientation for the central processes of Russian culture & introductory surveys of the arts in their modern context. Overall, the volume reveals, for students, academic researchers & all those interested in Russia, the dilemmas, strengths, & complexities of the Russian cultural experience. ...

Modern Spanish Cooking introduces the fantastic variety of contemporary Spanish cuisine with its emphasis on fresh ingredients & enticing flavour combinations. Recipes range from sensational tapas style dishes to traditional Spanish recipes described & presented in an original fresh way by Sam & Eddie Hart, owners of Fino, one of London's most exciting restaurants. Their simple philosophy is to source the finest top quality Spanish ingredients & apply Spanish styles of cooking to create superb-tasting dishes. With over 120 irresistible recipes for tapas, rice, beans, pasta & egg dishes, fish & shellfish, meat, vegetables & salads, & delectable desserts, Sam & Eddie have created a perfect blend of modern & traditional. Throughout the book, fascinating features on Spanish food culture, special cooking methods & Spanish ingredients are interwoven to encourage readers to embrace the Spanish way of eating & drinking. Spectacular photographs brilliantly capture the colour & flavour of Spanish food & make it easy for the reader to present the dishes authentically at home. ...