Contemporary theories of modernity recognize the plurality or "multiplicity" of modernities. Often the differences are seen as institutional or cultural differences. Although this sort of research is important it cannot be ignored that it does not provide a clear understanding of the "human consequences". The tradition that today is known under the name of Critical Theory, on the contrary, has been interested always first of all in the human consequences. This book wants to follow this ambition. The question it tries to search answers for is: what are the experiences that human beings are making in and within global modernity? Another question is important: what are the affinities and what are the differences. Also Critical Theory was mainly interested in the Western experiences with and within global modernity. The book will challenge this limited view by looking how modernities is experienced in other parts of the world.

This publication deals with key issues in land tenure, especially as they relate to food insecurity and rural development situations. Land tenure issues are frequently ignored in rural development interventions, with often long-lasting, negative results. This guide is designed to assist technical officers in governments and civil society in understanding why and how land tenure issues should be considered in rural development projects. It analyses important contexts such as environmental degradation, gender discrimination, and conflicts, where land tenure is currently of critical concern.

Networks of Outrage and Hope is an exploration of the new forms of social movements and protests that are erupting in the world today, from the Arab uprisings to the indignadas movement in Spain, from the Occupy Wall Street movement to the social protests in Turkey, Brazil and elsewhere. While these and similar social movements differ in many important ways, there is one thing they share in common: they are all interwoven inextricably with the creation of autonomous communication networks supported by the Internet and wireless communication. In this new edition of his timely and important book, Manuel Castells examines the social, cultural and political roots of these new social movements, studies their innovative forms of self-organization, assesses the precise role of technology in the dynamics of the movements, suggests the reasons for the support they have found in large segments of society, and probes their capacity to induce political change by influencing people’s minds. Two new chapters bring the analysis up-to-date and draw out the implications of these social movements and protests for understanding the new forms of social change and political democracy in the global network society.

International collaboration has become increasingly important in carrying out research activities. This book, written by a large group of scholars from Europe and Latin America, maps, analyses and discusses research collaboration between the two continents during the last twenty years. The empirical material underlines the richness and the variety of the links that bind the two continents, well beyond the simplified views of science, either as the brainchild of global networking or as a result of dependence. The book also develops an innovative methodological approach, combining bibliometric analysis, social surveying, in-depth interviews, and a careful analysis of research programmes and policies. While arguing that the asymmetry of relations that once existed in cooperation has turned into a more equal partnership between the two continents, it deciphers some of the reasons behind this more balanced cooperation. It also challenges the view of science as a global self-organising system through collective action at the level of researchers themselves. On the contrary, the importance of policy, institutions, and previously developed research is highlighted and recognised

Over the last three decades, a significant amount of research has sought to relate educational institutions, policies, practices and reforms to social structures and agencies. A number of models have been developed that have become the basis for attempting to understand the complex relation between education and society. At the same time, national and international bodies tasked with improving educational performances seem to be writing in a void, in that there is no rigorous theory guiding their work, and their documents exhibit few references to groups, institutions and forces that can impede or promote their programmes and projects. As a result, the recommendations these bodies provide to their clients display little to no comprehension of how and under what conditions the recommendations can be put into effect. The Education System in Mexico directly addresses this problem. By combining abstract insights with the practicalities of educational reforms, policies, practices and their social antecedents, it offers a long overdue reflection of the history, effects and significance of the Mexican educational system, as well as presenting a more cogent understanding of the relationship between educational institutions and social forces in Mexico and around the world.