Arts, Literature, and Humanities

This book presents a clear and comprehensive overview of citizenship, which has become one of the most important political ideas of our time. The a...

What is comedy? Andrew Stott tackles this question through an investigation of comic forms, theories and techniques, tracing the historical definit...

The increasing individualism of modern Western society has been accompanied by an enduring nostalgia for the idea of community as a source of secur...

This book, updated throughout and with new sections on visual culture, urban culture and subcultures, argues that to understand the culture concept...

In post-independence India, a stated governmental ideal of 'Education For All' has been promoted. This book examines the extent to which this has b...

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is best known as a biologist and natural historian rather than a philosopher. However, in this invaluable book, Tim Lewe...

This text explores the concept of these related terms and considers the complex relationship that exists between all three. This useful guidebook i...

Genre is a key means by which we categorize the many forms of literature and culture. But it is also much more than that: in talk and writing, in m...

Although happiness is based upon individuals’ subjective perception of their own situation, understanding the concept of happiness is important for...

This superlative introduction introduces Hobbes' main doctrines and arguments, covering all of Hobbes' philosophy.

Are human rights part of the problem or part of the solution in the current 'clash of civilizations'? Drawing on a hitherto neglected body of work ...

Definitions of humanism have evolved throughout the centuries as the term has been adopted for a variety of purposes – literary, cultural and polit...

A clear, concise guide to the history and structure of irony from Socrates to the Derrida and Deleuze. Explores the philosophical, literary and pol...

No single introductory book has until now captured the range of thought appropriate for scrutinizing the idea of leisure. Beginning with a discussi...

Poetry criticism is a subject central to the study of literature. However, it is laden with technical terms that, to the beginning student, can be ...

This comprehensive, accessible guidebook traces the ways in which human beings have used narrative to make sense of time, space and identity over t...

Thought-provoking and with an astonishing range of references, On Being Authentic is a gripping journey into the self. Beginning with Socrates and ...

What is the basis of belief in an era when globalization, multiculturalism and big business are the new religion? Slavoj Zizek, renowned philosophe...

One of the world's most famous philosophers, Jacques Derrida, explores difficult questions in this important and engaging book. Is it still possibl...

What is courage and why is it one of the oldest and most admired virtues? Is courage characteristic of all cultures, or only some, and why is it so...

With an emphasis on readers and reading, Jonathan Culler considers deconstruction in terms of the questions raised by psychoanalytic, feminist, and...

Does humour make us human, or do the cats and dogs laugh along with us? On Humour is a fascinating, beautifully written and funny book on what humo...

Drawing on examples from a wide range of landscapes from around the world and throughout history, this title considers the ways landscapes can affe...