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Strategy: A History
by Sir Lawrence FreedmanSelected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013 In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment-subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends-provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy.
Strategy: A History
by Sir Lawrence FreedmanSelected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013 In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment-subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends-provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy.
Strategy and Politics: An Introduction to Game Theory
by Emerson Niou Peter C. OrdeshookStrategy and Politics: An Introduction to Game Theory is designed to introduce students with no background in formal theory to the application of game theory to modeling political processes. This accessible text covers the essential aspects of game theory while keeping the reader constantly in touch with why political science as a whole would benefit from considering this method. Examining the very phenomena that power political machineries—elections, legislative and committee processes, and international conflict, the book attempts to answer fundamental questions about their nature and function in a clear, accessible manner. Included at the end of each chapter is a set of exercises designed to allow students to practice the construction and analysis of political models. Although the text assumes only an elementary-level training in algebra, students who complete a course around this text will be equipped to read nearly all of the professional literature that makes use of game theoretic analysis.
Strategy and Politics: An Introduction to Game Theory
by Emerson Niou Peter C. OrdeshookStrategy and Politics: An Introduction to Game Theory is designed to introduce students with no background in formal theory to the application of game theory to modeling political processes. This accessible text covers the essential aspects of game theory while keeping the reader constantly in touch with why political science as a whole would benefit from considering this method. Examining the very phenomena that power political machineries—elections, legislative and committee processes, and international conflict, the book attempts to answer fundamental questions about their nature and function in a clear, accessible manner. Included at the end of each chapter is a set of exercises designed to allow students to practice the construction and analysis of political models. Although the text assumes only an elementary-level training in algebra, students who complete a course around this text will be equipped to read nearly all of the professional literature that makes use of game theoretic analysis.
Strategy and Structure: Studies in Peace Research
by Johan NiezingThis text offers a selection of writings that are more definite versions from past conferences. Including papers from lectures at the Inter-University Centre of Postgraduate Studies, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia (course: Theories on Development, Conflict and Peace, 1975 and 1976); from conferences of the VVK (the Belgian-Dutch Association of Peace Researchers) in 1976 and 1977; Chapter V was also a contribution to the 1977 meeting of the Dutch Association for Political Science. Most of the chapters of this book have also been published earlier in one way or another. Chapter II has been published in a Dutch journal, ‘Transactie’ and in a modified English version in the Bulletin of Peace proposals, 1976, 2. Chapter IV appeared in a Dutch journal Tntermediair’, 1974, 1. Chapter V was published originally in the Annals of the Faculty of Economic, Social and Political Science of our Brussels University. Chapter VI has its own history: it can be viewed as a very condensed version of a rather extensive study in the Dutch language: ‘Budgetteringssysteem en Bewapeningsproces; een studie over de politieke en polemologische betekenis van PPBS’ (published as Vol. Ill of a series of publications in the Dutch language of our Brussels Polemological Centre).
Strategy and Structure: Studies in Peace Research
by Johan NiezingThis text offers a selection of writings that are more definite versions from past conferences. Including papers from lectures at the Inter-University Centre of Postgraduate Studies, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia (course: Theories on Development, Conflict and Peace, 1975 and 1976); from conferences of the VVK (the Belgian-Dutch Association of Peace Researchers) in 1976 and 1977; Chapter V was also a contribution to the 1977 meeting of the Dutch Association for Political Science. Most of the chapters of this book have also been published earlier in one way or another. Chapter II has been published in a Dutch journal, ‘Transactie’ and in a modified English version in the Bulletin of Peace proposals, 1976, 2. Chapter IV appeared in a Dutch journal Tntermediair’, 1974, 1. Chapter V was published originally in the Annals of the Faculty of Economic, Social and Political Science of our Brussels University. Chapter VI has its own history: it can be viewed as a very condensed version of a rather extensive study in the Dutch language: ‘Budgetteringssysteem en Bewapeningsproces; een studie over de politieke en polemologische betekenis van PPBS’ (published as Vol. Ill of a series of publications in the Dutch language of our Brussels Polemological Centre).
Strategy for Chaos: Revolutions in Military Affairs and the Evidence of History (Strategy and History)
by Colin GrayIn this volume, Professor Colin Gray develops and applies the theory and scholarship on the allegedly historical practice of the 'Revolution in Military Affairs' (RMA), in order to improve our comprehension of how and why strategy 'works'.The author explores the RMA hypothesis both theoretically and historically. The book argues that the conduct of an RMA has to be examined as a form of strategic behaviour, which means that, of necessity, it must "work" as strategy works. The great RMA debate of the 1990s is reviewed empathetically, though sceptically, by the author, with every major school of thought allowed its day in court.The author presents three historical RMAs as case studies for his argument: those arguably revealed in the wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon; in World War I; and in the nuclear age. The focus of his analysis is how these grand RMAs functioned strategically. The conclusions that he draws from these empirical exercises are then applied to help us understand what, indeed, is - and what is not - happening with the much vaunted information-technology-led RMA of today.
Strategy for Chaos: Revolutions in Military Affairs and the Evidence of History (Strategy and History)
by Colin GrayIn this volume, Professor Colin Gray develops and applies the theory and scholarship on the allegedly historical practice of the 'Revolution in Military Affairs' (RMA), in order to improve our comprehension of how and why strategy 'works'.The author explores the RMA hypothesis both theoretically and historically. The book argues that the conduct of an RMA has to be examined as a form of strategic behaviour, which means that, of necessity, it must "work" as strategy works. The great RMA debate of the 1990s is reviewed empathetically, though sceptically, by the author, with every major school of thought allowed its day in court.The author presents three historical RMAs as case studies for his argument: those arguably revealed in the wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon; in World War I; and in the nuclear age. The focus of his analysis is how these grand RMAs functioned strategically. The conclusions that he draws from these empirical exercises are then applied to help us understand what, indeed, is - and what is not - happening with the much vaunted information-technology-led RMA of today.
Strategy in NATO: Preparing for an Imperfect World (Governance, Security and Development)
by Liselotte OdgaardThis edited volume addresses the challenges and opportunities facing NATO post-2014, applying an original approach to strategy that will produce fresh insights into this hot topic within the international security community.
Strategy in Politics: Plotting Victory in a Democracy
by F. Christopher ArtertonPolitical managers--public office holders, legislative staff, campaign managers, policy advocates, and partisan communicators--are united by a common language, a set of shared skills, a strategic mindset, and, we can hope, an appreciation of their professional responsibilities to the institutions of democracy. While political managers are divided by vision and purpose, the best among them are simultaneously visionaries and manipulators, and they balance themselves precariously between these values as they develop and implement strategy. Campaigns often more closely resemble war and sports than the world of commercial business, and in the political arena, achieving victory requires calculated strategy. In Strategy in Politics, F. Christopher Arterton seeks to clarify the meaning of strategy through four perspectives: the dynamics of strategic planning, the conduct of warfare, the theories of persuasive political communications, and the logic of interpersonal competition. Drawing on classic texts of statesmanship and warfare by Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, and Clausewitz, and complementing those with contemporary understandings of strategic planning, communications, game theory, and military tactics, Arterton delineates a defensible method of pursuing victory in politics. Recognizing that unbridled pursuit of power can be corrupting, Arterton advocates certain guardrails that political managers should live by in their strategic maneuvers and their employment of power. In turn, Arterton shows those engaged with the institutions of democratic politics how to be adroit in their strategic thinking, so that they may enter this battlefield better prepared for the conflict of ideas. Strategy in Politics will help readers to understand the dilemmas inherent in democratic politics, between power and purpose, between strategy and leadership, and between empowerment and manipulation.
Strategy in Politics: Plotting Victory in a Democracy
by F. Christopher ArtertonPolitical managers--public office holders, legislative staff, campaign managers, policy advocates, and partisan communicators--are united by a common language, a set of shared skills, a strategic mindset, and, we can hope, an appreciation of their professional responsibilities to the institutions of democracy. While political managers are divided by vision and purpose, the best among them are simultaneously visionaries and manipulators, and they balance themselves precariously between these values as they develop and implement strategy. Campaigns often more closely resemble war and sports than the world of commercial business, and in the political arena, achieving victory requires calculated strategy. In Strategy in Politics, F. Christopher Arterton seeks to clarify the meaning of strategy through four perspectives: the dynamics of strategic planning, the conduct of warfare, the theories of persuasive political communications, and the logic of interpersonal competition. Drawing on classic texts of statesmanship and warfare by Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, and Clausewitz, and complementing those with contemporary understandings of strategic planning, communications, game theory, and military tactics, Arterton delineates a defensible method of pursuing victory in politics. Recognizing that unbridled pursuit of power can be corrupting, Arterton advocates certain guardrails that political managers should live by in their strategic maneuvers and their employment of power. In turn, Arterton shows those engaged with the institutions of democratic politics how to be adroit in their strategic thinking, so that they may enter this battlefield better prepared for the conflict of ideas. Strategy in Politics will help readers to understand the dilemmas inherent in democratic politics, between power and purpose, between strategy and leadership, and between empowerment and manipulation.
Strategy in the 21st Century: The Continuing Relevance of Carl von Clausewitz
by Lennart SouchonThis book presents a detailed discussion of Clausewitz's principal lines of thought and methods of implementation. It elaborates on his main objective of laying a foundation for the education of up-and-coming creative, knowledgeable and experienced future leaders. The book encourages reflection and study in strategic thinking in order to transform knowledge into genuine capability. The book explores the question of what a twenty-first-century decision-maker can learn from these strategic lines of thought. It bridges the gap between philosophical theory and strategic interaction in conflicts with an equal opponent. Readers learn to understand and employ the clash of wills, attack and defence, and friction, and in essence the necessary virtues of a strategic commander.The findings presented help to identify the essential features in complex decision-making situations and developing possible courses of strategic action from a holistic standpoint. As such, the book is a must read for strategists, business practitioners, and scholars of political leadership and management interested in a better understanding of strategy and decision-making.
The Strategy Makers: Thoughts on War and Society from Machiavelli to Clausewitz (Praeger Security International)
by Beatrice HeuserThis book reintroduces readers to the lives and writings of the greatest military minds of the modern era, writers whose ideas and teachings continue to shape the conduct of war in the 21st century.The word "strategy" only came into usage in West European languages after the work of a Byzantine emperor was translated around the time of the French Revolution. Nevertheless, there was writing on strategy – relating political aims to the use of the military – also in Western Europe, well before this. This book surveys and analyzes the existing literature. It presents commented excerpts of the work of the Elizabethan writer Matthew Sutcliffe (who wrote the first modern comprehensive strategic concept) and translations into English of excerpts from the writing of the Machiavelli-admirer the Seigneur de Fourquevaux (1548) and his French compatriot Bertrand de Loque, who also went by the name of François de Saillans (1589); the Spanish diplomats and military officers Don Bernardino de Mendoza (1595) and the Third Marques of Santa Cruz de Marcenado (1724-1730); the Frenchmen Paul Hay du Chastelet (1668) and Count Guibert (1770); and the Prussian contemporary of Clausewitz, Rühle von Lilienstern (1816). Key concepts such as preventive war, the fight for the hearts and minds of the population to combat insurgents, the "democratic peace theory," and debates such as the preference for defense or the offensive, the desirability of battle, the purpose and function of war, the advantages of conscript or professional soldiers, can thus be shown to go back far longer than generally assumed and appear in a new light.
The Strategy Makers: Thoughts on War and Society from Machiavelli to Clausewitz (Praeger Security International)
by Beatrice HeuserThis book reintroduces readers to the lives and writings of the greatest military minds of the modern era, writers whose ideas and teachings continue to shape the conduct of war in the 21st century.The word "strategy" only came into usage in West European languages after the work of a Byzantine emperor was translated around the time of the French Revolution. Nevertheless, there was writing on strategy – relating political aims to the use of the military – also in Western Europe, well before this. This book surveys and analyzes the existing literature. It presents commented excerpts of the work of the Elizabethan writer Matthew Sutcliffe (who wrote the first modern comprehensive strategic concept) and translations into English of excerpts from the writing of the Machiavelli-admirer the Seigneur de Fourquevaux (1548) and his French compatriot Bertrand de Loque, who also went by the name of François de Saillans (1589); the Spanish diplomats and military officers Don Bernardino de Mendoza (1595) and the Third Marques of Santa Cruz de Marcenado (1724-1730); the Frenchmen Paul Hay du Chastelet (1668) and Count Guibert (1770); and the Prussian contemporary of Clausewitz, Rühle von Lilienstern (1816). Key concepts such as preventive war, the fight for the hearts and minds of the population to combat insurgents, the "democratic peace theory," and debates such as the preference for defense or the offensive, the desirability of battle, the purpose and function of war, the advantages of conscript or professional soldiers, can thus be shown to go back far longer than generally assumed and appear in a new light.
The Strategy of Life: Teleology and Mechanics in Nineteenth Century German Biology (Studies in the History of Modern Science #13)
by T. LenoirTeleological thinking has been steadfastly resisted by modern biology. And yet, in nearly every area of research biologists are hard pressed to find language that does not impute purposiveness to living forms. The life of the individual organism, if not life itself, seems to make use of a variety of strate gems in achieving its purposes. But in an age when physical models dominate our imagination and when physics itself has become accustomed to uncertainty relations and complementarity, biologists have learned to live with a kind of schizophrenic language, employing terms like 'selfish genes' and 'survival machines' to describe the behavior of organisms as if they were somehow purposive yet all the while intending that they are highly complicated mechanisms. The present study treats a period in the history of the life sciences when the imputation of purposiveness to biological organization was not regarded an embarrassment but rather an accepted fact, and when the principal goal was to reap the benefits of mechanistic explanations by finding a. means of in corporating them within the guidelines of a teleological fmmework. Whereas the history of German biology in the early nineteenth century is usually dismissed as an unfortunate era dominated by arid speculation, the present study aims to reverse that judgment by showing that a consistent, workable program of research was elaborated by a well-connected group of German biologists and that it was based squarely on the unification of teleological and mechanistic models of explanation.
The Strategy of Maoism in the West: Rage and the Radical Left
by David M. Jones M. L.R. SmithInvestigating 20th century Chinese ideology through the two main elements of passionate belief and cultivation of rage, this timely book examines how Maoist thinking has influenced Western politics. Tracing the origins of Maoist ideas in Western politics, David Martin Jones and M.L.R. Smith expertly apply the principles of strategic theory to provide an understanding of how Mao’s ideas made their way from China into Western societies where they exert a profound and little understood impact on contemporary political conduct. The book offers critical insights into key theoretical discourses and their practical applications, including: Maoism, Orientalism and post-colonial discourse theory, Maoism and the mind, and Maoism and the politics of passion. Forward-thinking in its approach, it addresses the important question of where Maoism will end, analysing the trajectory that Maoism is likely to take and what the cumulative impact of it upon Western societies may be. This invigorating read will be a fascinating resource for scholars of political theory and history wishing to gain an insight into the impact of Maoist ideas in the West. It will also provide students of international politics and international studies with a much greater understanding of China’s revolutionary thinking in world politics.‘This insightful volume exposes the influence of Maoism on left wing intellectuals in the West. Jones and Smith reveal how not just Mao’s thought but the anti-democratic and often inhumane practices that came to be associated with China’s Cultural Revolution are today being rehabilitated in woke form. This superb book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand what lies behind today's dominant political trends.’– Joanna Williams, Founder and Director of Cieo, UK
Stratified Virtue Epistemology: A Defence (Elements in Epistemology)
by null J. Adam CarterThis accessible Element defends version of virtue epistemology shown to have all-things-considered advantages over other views on the market. The view is unorthodox, in that it incorporates Sosa's animal/reflective knowledge distinction, which has thus far had few takers. The author shows why embracing a multi-tiered framework is not a liability within virtue epistemology but instead affords it an edge not attainable otherwise. The particular account of knowledge goes beyond Sosa's own view by introducing and incorporating several theoretical innovations (regarding both basing and risk, as well as the introduction of multiple species of reflective knowledge) which are aimed at revamping how we think about 'high-grade' knowledge, how we attain it, and what it demands of us. The result is a new and improved stratified virtue epistemology that can hold up against scrutiny.
The Strauss-Krüger Correspondence: Returning to Plato through Kant (PDF)
by Susan Meld ShellThis book presents the first full translation of the correspondence of Leo Strauss and Gerhard Krüger, showing for each the development of key and influential ideas, along with seven interpretative essays by leading Strauss scholars. During the early to mid-1930’s, Leo Strauss carried on an intense, and sometimes deeply personal, correspondence with one of the leading intellectual lights among Heidegger’s circle of recent students and younger associates. A fellow traveler in the effort to “return to Plato” and reject neo-Kantian conventions of the day, Krüger was also a serious student of Rudolf Bultmann and the neo-orthodox movement in which Strauss also took an early interest. During the most intense years of their correspondence, each underwent significant intellectual development: in Krüger’s case, through a penetrating series of studies of Kant and Descartes, respectively, ultimately leading to Krüger’s conversion to Catholicism; and, in Strauss’s case, through the complex stages of what he subsequently called his “reorientation,” involving what he for the first time calls “political philosophy.” Readers interested in tracing the development of Strauss’s thoughts regarding a theological alternative that he found helpfully challenging—if not ultimately compelling—will find this correspondence to be an accessible point of entry.
Straw Dogs: Thoughts On Humans And Other Animals
by John GrayThe British bestseller Straw Dogs is an exciting, radical work of philosophy, which sets out to challenge our most cherished assumptions about what it means to be human. From Plato to Christianity, from the Enlightenment to Nietzsche and Marx, the Western tradition has been based on arrogant and erroneous beliefs about human beings and their place in the world. Philosophies such as liberalism and Marxism think of humankind as a species whose destiny is to transcend natural limits and conquer the Earth. John Gray argues that this belief in human difference is a dangerous illusion and explores how the world and human life look once humanism has been finally abandoned. The result is an exhilarating, sometimes disturbing book that leads the reader to question our deepest-held beliefs. Will Self, in the New Statesman, called Straw Dogs his book of the year: "I read it once, I read it twice and took notes . . . I thought it that good." "Nothing will get you thinking as much as this brilliant book" (Sunday Telegraph).
Straw Man Arguments: A Study in Fallacy Theory
by Scott Aikin John CaseyThis book analyses the straw man fallacy and its deployment in philosophical reasoning. While commonly invoked in both academic dialogue and public discourse, it has not until now received the attention it deserves as a rhetorical device. Scott Aikin and John Casey propose that straw manning essentially consists in expressing distorted representations of one's critical interlocutor. To this end, the straw man comprises three dialectical forms, and not only the one that is usually suggested: the straw man, the weak man and the hollow man. Moreover, they demonstrate that straw manning is unique among fallacies as it has no particular logical form in itself, because it is an instance of inappropriate meta-argument, or argument about arguments. They discuss the importance of the onlooking audience to the successful deployment of the straw man, reasoning that the existence of an audience complicates the dialectical boundaries of argument. Providing a lively, provocative and thorough analysis of the straw man fallacy, this book will appeal to postgraduates and researchers alike, working in a range of fields including fallacies, rhetoric, argumentation theory and informal logic.
Straw Man Arguments: A Study in Fallacy Theory
by Scott Aikin John CaseyThis book analyses the straw man fallacy and its deployment in philosophical reasoning. While commonly invoked in both academic dialogue and public discourse, it has not until now received the attention it deserves as a rhetorical device. Scott Aikin and John Casey propose that straw manning essentially consists in expressing distorted representations of one's critical interlocutor. To this end, the straw man comprises three dialectical forms, and not only the one that is usually suggested: the straw man, the weak man and the hollow man. Moreover, they demonstrate that straw manning is unique among fallacies as it has no particular logical form in itself, because it is an instance of inappropriate meta-argument, or argument about arguments. They discuss the importance of the onlooking audience to the successful deployment of the straw man, reasoning that the existence of an audience complicates the dialectical boundaries of argument. Providing a lively, provocative and thorough analysis of the straw man fallacy, this book will appeal to postgraduates and researchers alike, working in a range of fields including fallacies, rhetoric, argumentation theory and informal logic.
The Stream of Everything
by John ConnellIt’s summer, and John Connell finds himself, like so many others, confined to his local area, the opportunity to freely travel and socialise cut short. His attention turns to the Camlin river – an ever-present source of life for his hometown’s inhabitants and, for John, a site of boyhood adventure, first love, family history and local legend.He decides to canoe its course with a friend, a two-day trip requiring physical exertion and mental resilience. Despite the world growing still around them, the river teems with life – a symphony of buzzing mayfly and jumping trout. Meandering downstream, John muses on what’s brought him here: his travels, his past relationships and his battle with depression, as well as on Irish folklore, geopolitics and philosophy.The Stream of Everything is both a reverie and a celebration of close observation: a winding, bucolic account of the summer we discovered home.‘Quietly triumphant.’ Donal Ryan‘A contemplative, open-ended, ethically attuned pilgrimage.’ Niamh Campbell‘A terrific book.’ Michael Harding‘This is a sensitive, edifying, soul-nourishing book, celebratory, salutary and quietly triumphant. I loved reading it.’ Donal Ryan‘A rich river journey, entrancing as all rivers are.’ Bruce Pascoe'Gentle, restorative, devotional, and strange.’ Niamh Campbell‘A hugely satisfying read, full of imaginative wonders and absorbing philosophical musings.’ Michael Harding‘In his joyful consideration of his native place, there is sweetness and ease … A book very much of its strange and eye-opening time.’ Belinda McKeon
Street Diplomacy: The Politics of Slavery and Freedom in Philadelphia, 1820–1850
by Elliott DragoAn illuminating look at how Philadelphia's antebellum free Black community defended themselves against kidnappings and how this "street diplomacy" forced Pennsylvanians to confront the politics of slavery.As the most southern of northern cities in a state that bordered three slave states, antebellum Philadelphia maintained a long tradition of both abolitionism and fugitive slave activity. Although Philadelphia's Black community lived in a free city in a free state, they faced constant threats to their personal safety and freedom. Enslavers, kidnappers, and slave catchers prowled the streets of Philadelphia in search of potential victims, violent anti-Black riots erupted in the city, and white politicians legislated to undermine Black freedom. In Street Diplomacy, Elliott Drago illustrates how the political and physical conflicts that arose over fugitive slave removals and the kidnappings of free Black people forced Philadelphians to confront the politics of slavery. Pennsylvania was legally a free state, at the street level and in the lived experience of its Black citizens, but Pennsylvania was closer to a slave state due to porous borders and the complicity of white officials. Legal contests between slavery and freedom at the local level triggered legislative processes at the state and national level, which underscored the inability of white politicians to resolve the paradoxes of what it meant for a Black American to inhabit a free state within a slave society. Piecing together fragmentary source material from archives, correspondence, genealogies, and newspapers, Drago examines these conflicts in Philadelphia from 1820 to 1850. Studying these timely struggles over race, politics, enslavement, and freedom in Philadelphia will encourage scholars to reexamine how Black freedom was not secure in Pennsylvania or in the wider United States.
Street Diplomacy: The Politics of Slavery and Freedom in Philadelphia, 1820–1850
by Elliott DragoAn illuminating look at how Philadelphia's antebellum free Black community defended themselves against kidnappings and how this "street diplomacy" forced Pennsylvanians to confront the politics of slavery.As the most southern of northern cities in a state that bordered three slave states, antebellum Philadelphia maintained a long tradition of both abolitionism and fugitive slave activity. Although Philadelphia's Black community lived in a free city in a free state, they faced constant threats to their personal safety and freedom. Enslavers, kidnappers, and slave catchers prowled the streets of Philadelphia in search of potential victims, violent anti-Black riots erupted in the city, and white politicians legislated to undermine Black freedom. In Street Diplomacy, Elliott Drago illustrates how the political and physical conflicts that arose over fugitive slave removals and the kidnappings of free Black people forced Philadelphians to confront the politics of slavery. Pennsylvania was legally a free state, at the street level and in the lived experience of its Black citizens, but Pennsylvania was closer to a slave state due to porous borders and the complicity of white officials. Legal contests between slavery and freedom at the local level triggered legislative processes at the state and national level, which underscored the inability of white politicians to resolve the paradoxes of what it meant for a Black American to inhabit a free state within a slave society. Piecing together fragmentary source material from archives, correspondence, genealogies, and newspapers, Drago examines these conflicts in Philadelphia from 1820 to 1850. Studying these timely struggles over race, politics, enslavement, and freedom in Philadelphia will encourage scholars to reexamine how Black freedom was not secure in Pennsylvania or in the wider United States.
Street Naming and the Politics of Greek-Cypriot Identity: The Case of Nicosia (Lefkosia), 1878–1975
by Stella TheocharousThis book is the first to explore street names and street-naming in the formation of a Greek-Cypriot identity in the cityscape of Nicosia between 1878 and 1975. Rather than treating toponymy as a direct linguistic act of spatial orientation, the book approaches street-naming as a contested practice involving those shared symbols and representations used to depict official history and collective identity as part of a political process. It considers how street names are part of the symbolic politics of space, and how authorities transformed the streets of Nicosia into arenas of struggle for the control of symbolic and material space. It documents historical efforts over the course of a century to impose a ‘geography of forgetting’ to buttress national identity and to cast out the ‘other’ from space — both literally and symbolically — so as to achieve territorial dominance and political legitimacy. The book is another step towards the development of a global perspective on the critical study of street-naming, thereby refining and expanding our knowledge of the political dynamics involved in the process. In their commemorative capacity, street names belong to the politics of public memory and identity.