An Ordinary Country

An Ordinary Country PDF Author: Neville Alexander
Publisher: University of Kwazulu Natal Press
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
An Ordinary Country: Issues in the Transition from Apartheid to Democracy in South Africa disputes the notion of a "miracle" transition in this country. It argues that the new South Africa had to happen in the way it did because of the specific history of the country and the players involved. While it identifies some of the turning points at which critical choices were made by local and international forces, it shows why, in retrospect, the known decisions were made rather than other possible ones. Alexander explores a range of issues in post-apartheid South Africa including national identity and the rainbow nation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the role and status of language, showing the volatility, the tentativeness, and the fluidity of the situation that is evolving. In looking ahead at probable developments, An Ordinary Country predicts that South Africa will develop, or stagnate, as a "normal" bourgeois democratic social formation for the next generation, at least until the inevitable alternatives to the prevailing system of political economy regain their credibility.

An Ordinary Country

An Ordinary Country PDF Author: Neville Alexander
Publisher: University of Kwazulu Natal Press
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

Get Book

Book Description
An Ordinary Country: Issues in the Transition from Apartheid to Democracy in South Africa disputes the notion of a "miracle" transition in this country. It argues that the new South Africa had to happen in the way it did because of the specific history of the country and the players involved. While it identifies some of the turning points at which critical choices were made by local and international forces, it shows why, in retrospect, the known decisions were made rather than other possible ones. Alexander explores a range of issues in post-apartheid South Africa including national identity and the rainbow nation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the role and status of language, showing the volatility, the tentativeness, and the fluidity of the situation that is evolving. In looking ahead at probable developments, An Ordinary Country predicts that South Africa will develop, or stagnate, as a "normal" bourgeois democratic social formation for the next generation, at least until the inevitable alternatives to the prevailing system of political economy regain their credibility.

America as an Ordinary Country

America as an Ordinary Country PDF Author: Richard Rosecrance
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501743120
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
If the possibilities for peace are to be increased in the next generation, America should change its role in world affairs from dominant superpower to ordinary country. That is the conclusion reached by ten distinguished specialists, five of them writing from abroad, as they reflect on recent U.S. foreign policy and survey its prospects. Ranging over crucial issues in military affairs, in the political sphere, and in the field of economics, their essays point out errors and misjudgments of the past and offer realistic, thought-provoking recommendations for the future.

Out of the Ordinary

Out of the Ordinary PDF Author: Marc Stears
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674743873
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
From a major British political thinker and activist, a passionate case that both the left and right have lost their faith in ordinary people and must learn to find it again. This is an age of polarization. It’s us vs. them. The battle lines are clear, and compromise is surrender. As Out of the Ordinary reminds us, we have been here before. From the 1920s to the 1950s, in a world transformed by revolution and war, extreme ideologies of left and right fueled utopian hopes and dystopian fears. In response, Marc Stears writes, a group of British writers, artists, photographers, and filmmakers showed a way out. These men and women, including J. B. Priestley, George Orwell, Barbara Jones, Dylan Thomas, Laurie Lee, and Bill Brandt, had no formal connection to one another. But they each worked to forge a politics that resisted the empty idealisms and totalizing abstractions of their time. Instead they were convinced that people going about their daily lives possess all the insight, virtue, and determination required to build a good society. In poems, novels, essays, films, paintings, and photographs, they gave witness to everyday people’s ability to overcome the supposedly insoluble contradictions between tradition and progress, patriotism and diversity, rights and duties, nationalism and internationalism, conservatism and radicalism. It was this humble vision that animated the great Festival of Britain in 1951 and put everyday citizens at the heart of a new vision of national regeneration. A leading political theorist and a veteran of British politics, Stears writes with unusual passion and clarity about the achievements of these apostles of the ordinary. They helped Britain through an age of crisis. Their ideas might do so again, in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Country of My Skull

Country of My Skull PDF Author: Antjie Krog
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307420507
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
Ever since Nelson Mandela dramatically walked out of prison in 1990 after twenty-seven years behind bars, South Africa has been undergoing a radical transformation. In one of the most miraculous events of the century, the oppressive system of apartheid was dismantled. Repressive laws mandating separation of the races were thrown out. The country, which had been carved into a crazy quilt that reserved the most prosperous areas for whites and the most desolate and backward for blacks, was reunited. The dreaded and dangerous security force, which for years had systematically tortured, spied upon, and harassed people of color and their white supporters, was dismantled. But how could this country--one of spectacular beauty and promise--come to terms with its ugly past? How could its people, whom the oppressive white government had pitted against one another, live side by side as friends and neighbors? To begin the healing process, Nelson Mandela created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by the renowned cleric Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Established in 1995, the commission faced the awesome task of hearing the testimony of the victims of apartheid as well as the oppressors. Amnesty was granted to those who offered a full confession of any crimes associated with apartheid. Since the commission began its work, it has been the central player in a drama that has riveted the country. In this book, Antjie Krog, a South African journalist and poet who has covered the work of the commission, recounts the drama, the horrors, the wrenching personal stories of the victims and their families. Through the testimonies of victims of abuse and violence, from the appearance of Winnie Mandela to former South African president P. W. Botha's extraordinary courthouse press conference, this award-winning poet leads us on an amazing journey. Country of My Skull captures the complexity of the Truth Commission's work. The narrative is often traumatic, vivid, and provocative. Krog's powerful prose lures the reader actively and inventively through a mosaic of insights, impressions, and secret themes. This compelling tale is Antjie Krog's profound literary account of the mending of a country that was in colossal need of change.

Ordinary Egyptians

Ordinary Egyptians PDF Author: Ziad Fahmy
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 0804772126
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
Examines how popular media and culture provided ordinary Egyptians with a framework to construct and negotiate a modern national identity.

My Own Country

My Own Country PDF Author: Abraham Verghese
Publisher: BookRags
ISBN:
Category : AIDS (Disease)
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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Book Description


For God and Country (in that order)

For God and Country (in that order) PDF Author: Logan Mehl-Laituri
Publisher: MennoMedia, Inc.
ISBN: 0836198905
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
The call to arms often thrusts devoted Christians into a dilemma: They want to be responsible citizens who obey the government and love their country. And yet they worship a God who loves all people, including enemies. Throughout history, Christians have responded in various ways-some renouncing violence and military participation, others seeking military service in a godly way. Both politically relevant and theologically provocative, this field manual seeks to recapture the hearts and minds of Christians trapped between conflicting loyalties to faith and citizenship. Filled with compelling stories and photos, Iraq war veteran Logan Mehl-Laituri creates an almanac of soldier saints and patriot pacifists from the front lines of church history.

One Day

One Day PDF Author: Gene Weingarten
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0399185836
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
“One of the 50 Best Nonfiction Books of the Last 25 Years”—Slate On New Year’s Day 2013, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Gene Weingarten asked three strangers to, literally, pluck a day, month, and year from a hat. That day—chosen completely at random—turned out to be Sunday, December 28, 1986, by any conventional measure a most ordinary day. Weingarten spent the next six years proving that there is no such thing. That Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s turned out to be filled with comedy, tragedy, implausible irony, cosmic comeuppances, kindness, cruelty, heroism, cowardice, genius, idiocy, prejudice, selflessness, coincidence, and startling moments of human connection, along with evocative foreshadowing of momentous events yet to come. Lives were lost. Lives were saved. Lives were altered in overwhelming ways. Many of these events never made it into the news; they were private dramas in the lives of private people. They were utterly compelling. One Day asks and answers the question of whether there is even such a thing as “ordinary” when we are talking about how we all lurch and stumble our way through the daily, daunting challenge of being human.

2018 Annual Indices For Expatriates And Ordinary Residents On Cost Of Living, Wages And Purchasing Power For World's Major Cities

2018 Annual Indices For Expatriates And Ordinary Residents On Cost Of Living, Wages And Purchasing Power For World's Major Cities PDF Author: Khee Giap Tan
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9811208875
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 722

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Book Description
This book provides the annual update of Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) indices and rankings of the cost of living for ordinary residents and expatriates as well as wages and purchasing power for ordinary residents, covering 105 cities around the world over the period of 2005-2016. These indices reflect the notable differences in the cost of living for expatriates and ordinary residents as expatriates tend to have different consumption patterns than that of their local counterparts. This is important because the cost of living of expatriates is often mistaken for that of ordinary residents. This book is the fourth edition in the series.In addition to providing the annual updates of the cost of living, wages, and purchasing power indices, this book also has a special chapter covering two topics of interest. The first compares the discrepancies between the cost of living indices and rankings between ordinary residents and expatriates in different regions. The second provides a case study on Singapore's HDB resale market and the role that the public sector can play in housing markets.

2016 Annual Indices For Expatriates And Ordinary Residents On Cost Of Living, Wages And Purchasing Power For World's Major Cities

2016 Annual Indices For Expatriates And Ordinary Residents On Cost Of Living, Wages And Purchasing Power For World's Major Cities PDF Author: Tan Khee Giap
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9813227222
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 708

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Book Description
As cities continue to play an increasingly significant role in driving economic growth in many countries, competition among cities have shifted from the national level to the global arena. In this context, international benchmarks for cities are vital for businesses and individuals to make informed decisions. In particular, cost of living, wages and purchasing power are of great interest to employees, employers, multinational corporations and policy-makers as basic indicators tracking urban living standards. This publication by the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) provides annual indices and rankings for cost of living for expatriates as well as indices and rankings for cost of living, wages and purchasing power for ordinary residents in 103 global cities since 2005. The ACI's study reflects salient differences in costs of living for expatriate and ordinary urban dwellers which arise from variations in their lifestyles and consumption preferences. This is of critical significance as cost of living for the former is usually conflated as that for the latter by the general public. In this book, we also delve into the analysis of the nexus between liveability, cost of living and purchasing power. We outline the trends and patterns of these benchmarks and explore if there are trade-offs between liveability and affordability. The ACI's study has received considerable interest from reputable media outlets such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Edge Malaysia. Contents: Understanding and Tracking Cost of Living, Wages and Purchasing Power for Expatriates and Ordinary ResidentsMethodology on Cost of Living for ExpatriatesMethodology on Cost of Living, Wages and Purchasing Power for Ordinary ResidentsFindings on Cost of Living for ExpatriatesFindings on Cost of Living, Wages and Purchasing Power for Ordinary ResidentsConcluding Remarks: Are Liveable Cities Expensive and Unaffordable? Readership: Students; professionals; researchers; think-tanks; and, policy makers interested in developmental economics and surveys on cost of living, wages and purchasing power between residents and expatriates. Keywords: Cost of Living;Purchasing Power;Residents;Expatriates;Wages IndexReview: "The Worldwide Cost of Living Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit was designed for human resources departments to figure out the cost of sending employees on business trips or to work overseas, often in a high-paying job. A group of academics at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Lee Kuan Yew School for Public Policy made their own index, which distinguished between expats and locals. It found that for expats, Singapore was about the fourth most expensive city in the world. But for the 'ordinary residents', it was 48th, wedged between Lisbon and Pittsburgh." Timothy McDonald Journalist, BBC News "The main contribution of the research done by ACI was that it can contribute to public policy as one cannot use expatriates for ordinary residents if public policy is the focus. In addition, though it is important to look at cost, the bigger concern is purchasing power. It does not matter if things are expensive as long as you can afford them. This is another point that I took away from the research and I was very happy to see that the team did purchasing power and not just cost of living." Nicholas Khaw Vice President, Khazanah Research & Investment Strategy, Malaysia Key Features: The ACI's pioneering attempt is the first ever comprehensive study on ordinary residents available todayAs for expatriates, cost of living researches are widely available but these are conducted in a much less ri