On 11 September 2012, over 250 workers of Ali Enterprises, which produced jeans for the German discount retailer KiK, perished in a fire in their Karachi factory. Was this an accident or an arson attack? Straight away, the tragedy gave rise to contradictory interpretations. While some blamed the exploitative logics of fast fashion, others suspected foul play by the political parties preying on the city and its business class. Taking as a starting point the controversy caused by this disaster, Gunpoint Capitalismplunges us into the murky waters of globalisation. Exploring the back alleys of Pakistan's industrial capital city, it shows how the manufacturing economy makes order out of disorder, and profit out of conflict-to the detriment of workers. In Karachi, as elsewhere, petty criminals and ex-servicemen prove to be formidable enforcers of economic order. A comparison with Europe, the United States and Latin America confirms the central place of such henchmen in the dynamics of capitalism. These shock troops of anti-unionism are now participating in the dismantling of the social state. This probing, sometimes shocking, book sheds new light on the power structures, organised violence and daily labour struggles underpinning the production of our consumer goods.

Pakistan is home to around 70 languages, with 64 of these belonging to the Indo-European language family and at least one language isolate. Despite this rich linguistic diversity, research on language use in everyday life within Pakistani languages remains an underexplored area. The publication of Language and Society in Gilgit-Baltistan is a significant contribution to language research in the field. This book is the only available comprehensive account of language use in the Burushaski and Shina languages, spoken in Pakistan's Gilgit Baltistan region. Language and Society in Gilgit-Baltistan is a pioneering research study that explores three key aspects of language research in Pakistan. First, the volume accounts for the evolution of linguistic diversity in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region, which for centuries has received cultural influences from across the region owing to its strategic location and cultural contacts with China, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the subcontinent. Languages spoken here belong to three major language families: Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, and Turkic, as well as a language isolate, Burushaski. Second, drawing on primary data, the study compares how language is used in social contexts across cultures to express politeness, deference, and affection in real life situations. For example, one stunning new finding explains how address inversion is used in Arabic, Burushaski, and Shina to show affection in daily life. Lastly, the cutting-edge research presents a remarkable account of how powerful languages and modernization process are impacting language use in present day Gilgit-Baltistan. This account on two of around 70 languages spoken in Pakistan offers methodological guidelines for similar research elsewhere.

Shares advice for women on how to find meaningful relationships in a complicated, largely digital, romantic landscape, offering recommendations for recognizing and connecting with prospective quality partners who are capable of intimate, long-term commitments.

Millions of pounds are spent every year trying to tackle human trafficking, modern slavery and child sexual exploitation. These are apparently threats perpetrated by 'criminal masterminds', spreading at a dizzying rate and approaching epidemic proportions - or so the story goes. Amid all the bold rhetoric and sweeping claims, there is very little robust research to help understand these problems and inform evidence-based policy and practice. In this book, readers are invited to delve inside the murky world of human trafficking. It focuses on the internal (domestic) trafficking of children for sexual exploitation. It is based on far-reaching analysis of six of the earliest and largest such investigations in the United Kingdom (UK), including the infamous Derby and Rochdale cases that sparked nationwide concerns about 'street grooming' and 'Asian sex gangs'. Innovative methods, analytical rigour and truly extraordinary data underpin the research: a nuanced and sometimes unsettling exploration of the offender and victim networks, their characteristics, structure, activity and dynamics and the problems they pose for investigation and prosecution. The results paint a picture of a sprawling and dynamic system of grooming and abuse that is deeply embedded in complex webs of social relations and interactions. This book challenges accepted wisdom, debunks myths and introduces new and fundamentally different ways of thinking about trafficking and its prevention. An accessible and compelling read, this book is for academics, policymakers, practitioners and others interested in serious and organised crime.

Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact is a comprehensive guide on both the theoretical foundations and practical application of qualitative methodology. Adopting a phronetic-iterative approach, this foundational book leads readers through the chronological progression of a qualitative research project, from designing a study and collecting and analyzing data to developing theories and effectively communicating the results--allowing readers to employ qualitative methods in their projects as they follow each chapter. Coverage of topics such as qualitative theories, ethics, sampling, interview techniques, qualitative quality, and advice on practical fieldwork provides clear and concise guidance on how to design and conduct sound research projects. Easy-to-follow instructions on iterative qualitative data analysis explain how to organize, code, interpret, make claims, and build theory. Throughout, the author offers her own backstage stories about fieldwork, analysis, drafting, writing, and publishing, revealing the emotional and humorous aspects of practicing qualitative methods. Now in its third edition, this thorough and informative text includes new cross-disciplinary focus including examples from education, criminal justice, sports and recreation, and sociology. The new edition features research authored by BIPOC and international scholars as well as an increased focus on qualitative research in business and non-academic settings. Additional features include full colour images and figures as well as a thoroughly updated instructor companion site with new test bank questions, sample syllabi, and exam preparation tips"--

An examination of the role of imagery in modern culture considers how depictions of violence, from wartime photographs to footage of the September 11 attacks, are used and how they impact the world.

It is a companion volume with another anthology also published in 2024, titles "Streams" : slected writings 2018-2023 on media, culture and society. In Shade & light, essays identify remarkabale facts of the life and work of M.A Jinnah, the Founder of Pakistan, which presents un-usual perspectives on the great leader's extraordinary attributes and actions. Explorations on the features that make Pakistan and its ideology unique, perceptions on extremism and radicalism on aspects of governance, national identity, security and cohesion, on the succession of East Pakistan, on relations with Bangladesh, India and the USA officer thought-prowoking analyses and cocepts for a better future. This book is a valuable source of a information and insights that is highly readable and absorbing.

Streams ripples and flows with a wide range of information and insights into media, state and culture. As a companion volume to another anthology being published simultaneously titled "Shade and light".... which brings together essays on M.A. Jinnah, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and international affairs, streams offers the reader concise yet far-ranging perspectives of vital issues.

A bracing exploration of how social media has warped our sense of self and society. From the telegraph and telephone in the 1800s to the internet and social media in our own day, the public has welcomed new communication systems. Whenever people gain more power to share information, the assumption goes, society prospers. Superbloom tells a startlingly different story. As communication becomes more mechanized and efficient, it breeds confusion more than understanding, strife more than harmony. Media technologies all too often bring out the worst in us. A celebrated commentator on the human consequences of technology, Nicholas Carr reorients the conversation around modern communication, challenging some of our most cherished beliefs about self-expression, free speech, and media democratization. He reveals how messaging apps strip nuance from conversation, how 'digital crowding' erodes empathy and triggers aggression, how online political debates narrow our minds and distort our perceptions, and how advances in AI are further blurring the already hazy line between fantasy and reality. Even as Carr shows how tech companies and their tools of connection have failed us, he forces us to confront inconvenient truths about our own nature. The human psyche, it turns out, is profoundly ill-suited to the 'superbloom' of information that technology has unleashed. With rich psychological insights and vivid examples drawn from history and science, Superbloom provides both a panoramic view of how media shapes society and an intimate examination of the fate of the self in a time of radical dislocation. It may be too late to change the system, Carr counsels, but it's not too late to change ourselves"-- Dust jacket flap

Arains are a prominent ethnic group in Pakistan. This book traces their history and compares it with other agro-pastoral groups in Sindh and Punjab. Their purported origin in the Arabs of Syria and Iraq has been discussed in detail and an alternative thesis has been suggested.

This first comprehensive socio-political history of the Kizilbash/Alevi communities uses a recently surfaced corpus of sources generated within their milieu. It offers fresh answers to many questions concerning their origins and evolution from a revolutionary movement to an inward-looking religious order.

The Economics of Women, Men, and Work, Ninth Edition, is the most current and comprehensive source available for research, data, and analysis on women, gender, and economics. Blau and Winkler are widely known for their research and contributions on the study of the economics of gender. The ninth edition includes fully updated data and research, and analyzes the consequences of recent developments in the labor market for men and women. These developments include the declining gender wage gap, rising wage inequality, and the growing divide in labor market and family outcomes by educational attainment.

"Gikuyu and Mumbi settled on the peaceful and bounteous foot of Mount Kenya after fleeing war and hunger. When ninety-nine suitors arrive on their land, seeking to marry their famously beautiful daughters, called The Perfect Nine, the parents ask their daughters to choose for themselves, but to choose wisely. First the young women must embark on a treacherous quest with the suitors, to find a magical cure for their youngest sister, Warigia, who cannot walk. As they journey up the mountain, the number of suitors diminishes and the sisters put their sharp minds and bold hearts to the test, conquering fear, doubt, hunger and many menacing ogres, as they attempt to return home. But it is perhaps Warigia's unexpected adventure that will be most challenging of all. Blending folklore, mythology and allegory, Ngugi wa Thiong'o chronicles the adventures of Gikuyu and Mumbi, and how their brave daughters became the matriarchs of the Gikuyu clans, in stunning verse, with all the epic elements of danger, humour and suspense."--Jacket

"This volume explores new perspectives on contemporary forms of violence in South Asia. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and case studies, it examines the infiltration of violence at the societal level and affords a comparative regional analysis of its historical, cultural and geopolitical origins in South Asia. Featuring essays from Sri Lanka to Nepal, and from Afghanistan to Burma, it sheds light on issues as wide-ranging as lynching and mob justice, hate speech, caste violence, gender-based violence, and the plight of the Rohingyas, among others. Lucid and engaging, this book will be an invaluable source of reference as well as scholarship to students and researchers of postcolonial studies, anthropology, sociology, cultural geography, minority studies, politics and gender studies"-- Provided by publisher

This three-volume set is a comprehensive reference work that provides detailed information about political systems, ideologies, and political parties from around the world. It covers the structure and functions of governments, various forms of political organization, and profiles of key political parties and movements across different countries. The encyclopedia serves as a valuable resource for understanding global political diversity, historical developments, and contemporary political dynamics. It's especially useful for students, researchers, and anyone interested in comparative politics and international affairs.