In this section you can read reviews of academic books covering Europe and the European neighbourhood. Each weekend we publish two reviews, aiming to cover a wide range of books on all aspects of public policy and politics.
GalleryBook Review: An Introduction to Antonio Gramsci: His Life, Thought and Legacy by George Hoare and Nathan Sperber
In An Introduction to Antonio Gramsci: His Life, Thought and Legacy, George Hoare and Nathan Sperber contest the proliferation of various interpretations of his thought, instead arguing for a unified and consistent Gramsci. As the authors directly connect Gramsci’s life with his scholarly output, this introductory book has value to those newly encountering Gramsci’s thought as well as experts already familiar […]
GalleryBook Review: Sexual Diversity and the Sochi 2014 Olympics: No More Rainbows by Helen Jefferson Lenskyj
Helen Jefferson Lenskyj backtracked on her decision to stop writing about the Olympics after hearing Russian athlete Yelena Isinbayeva condemn a Swedish athlete’s pro-LGBT rights rainbow painted fingernails. Against which historical and legal backdrop, Lenskyj wondered, did Isinbayeva claim that ‘Russia…has no gays and lesbians’? A breathtaking example of academic responsiveness to world events, No More Rainbows’ style and […]
GalleryBook Review: Prime Ministers in Greece: The Paradox of Power by Kevin Featherstone and Dimitri Paradimitriou
In Prime Ministers in Greece: The Paradox of Power, Kevin Featherstone and Dimitri Papadimitriou offer the first in-depth study of prime ministers and governments in Greece, covering the period since the fall of the Greek Colonels’ regime in 1974. Although the book does not provide the most up-to-date evaluation of the current debt crisis, it is a well-substantiated and compelling […]
GalleryBook Review: Global Democratic Theory: A Critical Introduction
Global Democratic Theory analyses a number of theories related to democracy at different levels of government. Issues of representation of different civil society groups and government accountability are among the main themes. Mehmet Kerem Coban recommends the book “for all readers because we are all affected by ‘democratic deficits’ at various levels of the policy-making process.”
Global Democratic Theory : A Critical […]
GalleryBook Review: Foreign Policy Breakthroughs: Cases in Successful Diplomacy edited by Robert Hutchings and Jeremi Suri
In Foreign Policy Breakthroughs: Cases in Successful Diplomacy, editors Robert Hutchings and Jeremi Suri focus on a number of diplomatic successes since 1945, arguing that diplomacy not only functions as an adjunct to force, but also as a means of building international networks of cooperation dependent upon necessary compromise and sustainable agreements. This book offers important insights into the intricate […]
GalleryBook Review: Citizenship by Étienne Balibar
Citizenship presents a collection of seven lectures by Étienne Balibar, extending his longstanding engagement with citizenship as a concept that is both inextricably linked to, and in contradiction with, democracy. While the text may occasionally lose sight of its central topic of citizenship, Chris Moreh highlights its ‘affirmative’ agenda in the face of contemporary challenges to democratic politics.
Citizenship. […]