Books published by University of California Press

"In this compelling and important book, Chrystin Ondersma makes the case for when abolishing debt is justified--and why. Essential reading."--Patricia A. McCoy, Liberty Mutual Insurance Professor, Boston College Law School "Ondersma's visionary human rights framework­--new to the field of debt studies--transcends narrowly technical solutions to the debt crisis, and instead asks what we need to change in order to bring about the world in which we want to live. A highly original and valuable work."--Nathalie Martin, Frederick M. Hart Chair in Consumer and Clinical Law, University of New Mexico

"The Random Factor is a fantastic read for anyone interested in how luck, chance, and serendipity shape our daily lives and unequal outcomes. With compelling examples always at hand, Mark Robert Rank deftly brings together insights from a wide range of studies and everyday experiences to show the underappreciated role that randomness plays in all aspects of social life. Accessible and entertaining, the book provides a valuable new perspective on contemporary inequality."--Michael Sauder, Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Iowa

"Brilliantly written, expertly researched, Seek Higher Ground examines in pathbreaking ways our ongoing cataclysm in the age of climate change. With first-rate reporting about history, ecology, and hydrology, Tim Palmer is the ideal author to reveal practical solutions to America's chronic vulnerability to flooding. His heartfelt narrative is an urgent wake-up call for action. I highly recommend this important book!"--Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University and author of Silent Spring Revolution "Seek Higher Ground is the most comprehensive and compelling book written on the history and challenges of floodplain management--a must-read for anyone concerned about flooding. Anchored in fact and science, Tim Palmer's engaging narrative boldly and correctly proclaims that the age of increased flooding is here. His account tells us what we've done wrong--and right--and it tells us what we must now do to prepare for the floods of the future."--Chad Berginnis, Executive Director, Association of State Floodplain Managers "Beautifully written, seamlessly presented, Tim Palmer's book brings crucial issues of flooding together as no one has done before. His narrative--thoroughly supported by history, science, and economics--delivers an incisive critique of flood management in the past and a profoundly realistic proposal to solve problems that can no longer be ignored. This account is gripping to read and essential to understand as we face a world altered by a warming climate."--Philip Garone, Professor of History at California State University, Stanislaus, and author of The Fall and Rise of the Wetlands of California's Great Central Valley "Warm air holds more water vapor than cold--so we can expect flooding to keep increasing, which means we should pay close attention to the lessons in this book. Too much water is going to be as big a challenge for our earth as too little; now is the time to act."--Bill McKibben, author of Falter and The End of Nature "Charting new waters, Tim Palmer's compelling account of flooding and of what we must do about it is a story I could not put down. I recommend it to all who are affected when streams and rivers rise, to all who work in this challenging field, and to all who end up paying for the floods that are destined to increase as the climate crisis unfolds, and that includes every one of us."--Brian Richter, cofounder of The Nature Conservancy's Global Water Program, President of Sustainable Waters, and author of Chasing Water

"A poignant, powerful look at the twenty-first century and the crusades against Muslims created in the wake of the facile global war on terror. Khaled Beydoun's prose evokes James Baldwin and Edward Said, as does his moral imperative. The New Crusades is an intellectually rigorous history of global affairs, but it is also a series of moving narratives about what it is like to be human, Muslim, and betrayed."--Sarah Kendzior, author of The View from Flyover Country "The New Crusades is an intellectual and creative tour de force. With political clarity and writerly aplomb, Beydoun offers a brilliant examination of the global war on Islam. Drawing on a stunning range of disciplines, traditions, and contexts, this text offers the most nuanced and subtle treatment on the subject to date. Beydoun has the mind of a scholar, the soul of a freedom fighter, and the pen of a poet."--Marc Lamont Hill, coauthor of Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice "In The New Crusades, Beydoun provides a trenchant analysis connecting the American war on terror with Islamophobia as a global phenomenon. Though compelling cases studies and real human vignettes, Beydoun harmonizes his breadth of legal expertise with his rich personal insights and experience, piecing together a foundational text on the faces of global Islamophobia plaguing Muslims near and far. This book is a must-read for Muslims all over the world, but even more so for non-Muslims."--Imam Dr. Omar Suleiman, Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research "Beydoun in The New Crusades offers a grand narrative of global Islamophobia. In contrast to most studies, it is informed not only by existing scholarship but also by his on-site experiences and interviews, which enhance the authority of the narrative and make for an accessible and compelling read for scholars, students, and the general public."--John L. Esposito, Professor and Founding Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University "With The New Crusades, Beydoun formally announces himself as a leading intellectual on a global stage. By dissecting the anatomy of Islamophobia in my home country, France--which stands as the vanguard of anti-Muslim bigotry--Beydoun connects siloed national cases to an intricate network of global Islamophobias. In this vein, The New Crusades trailblazes vivid academic ground and makes the book nothing short of a triumph. With it, Beydoun courageously places himself in the thick of a global struggle as a Muslim, as a scholar, and most importantly as a thinker who writes beyond borders."--Rokhaya Diallo, journalist, writer, director "The New Crusades comprehensively covers how Beijing uses America's war on terror to justify its genocide of Uyghurs. It brilliantly describes China's war on Islam. The book delves into the inhumane practices carried out in concentration camps where Uyghurs are subjected to indoctrination, torture, and sexual abuse and it exposes modern slavery. It also examines the hypocrisy of some of the powers that be, standing alongside Ukrainians rightfully, but silent on China's active genocide of Uyghurs."--Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director, Campaign for Uyghurs "After theorizing Islamophobia in the American context, Beydoun now turns a global lens on Islamophobia, showing us how the US wars on terror licensed and amplified 'new crusades' in countries around the world. In this rich and moving account, Beydoun deftly weaves together social science, law, and compelling narratives to reveal how Islamophobia shapes the lives of Muslims the world over."--Shirin Sinnar, Professor of Law and John A. Wilson Faculty Scholar, Stanford Law School "This work is a comprehensive tour de force of a present two decades in the making, from New York to New Zealand, Delhi to the Kenyan coast, where seeing Islam and Muslims as the problem, security and civilizational, is as much an inescapable mood as a pervasive policy. The New Crusades is a book for the present and those interested in learning about its making, through the author's analysis of law, culture, and policy but most of all through all the intimate narratives of individual human beings."--Jonathan A. C. Brown, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University "Beydoun delivers a missing analysis of the global war on terror, revealing how Islamophobic tropes and stereotypes have fueled a global crusade against Muslim populations across the world. From India to China and beyond, Beydoun unveils--through legal and human accounts--how Islamophobia ranks among the greatest challenges of our time. With The New Crusades, Beydoun has affirmed himself as a leading intellectual on reckoning with Islamophobia in the world."--CJ Werleman, journalist "In The New Crusades, Beydoun brilliantly connects distinct dimensions of the industry of Islamophobia and how right-wing leaders are weaponizing hate, fear, and prejudice. Across the globe, Beydoun pieces together critical steps to confront and take down global Islamophobia."--Rula Jebreal, award-winning journalist, novelist, and screenwriter "Beydoun has given us a vivid and poignant book on a subject of crucial importance, surveying movements and policies of hate directed against hapless Muslims throughout the world, centering the intimate stories of its victims. The New Crusades is essential reading for all who care about basic human rights and the global impact of Islamophobia eroding religious freedom for Muslim minorities in nations around the world."--Juan Cole, Director of Arab and Muslim American Studies, University of Michigan

What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival, filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? Or was it a carefully regulated culture in which the uncontrollable excess of laughter was a force to fear-a world of wit, irony, and knowing smiles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts, the imperial palace, or the spectacles of the arena? Laughter in Ancient Rome explores one of the most intriguing, but also trickiest, of historical subjects. Drawing on a wide range of Roman writing-from essays on rhetoric to a surviving Roman joke book-Mary Beard tracks down the giggles, smirks, and guffaws of the ancient Romans themselves. From ancient "e;monkey business"e; to the role of a chuckle in a culture of tyranny, she explores Roman humor from the hilarious, to the momentous, to the surprising. But she also reflects on even bigger historical questions. What kind of history of laughter can we possibly tell? Can we ever really "e;get"e; the Romans' jokes?

"The authors put language to many of the ways students and educators are traversing this moment in planetary history. The perspectives presented in these chapters will help educators across multiple disciplines build a meaningful curriculum for navigating climate uncertainty and anxiety."--Jessica L. Thompson, Professor at the College of Business, Northern Michigan University "The Existential Toolkit provides a necessary framework for environmental educators to understand and respond to our students' (and our own) environmental distress. From new research to pedagogical tools and skill-building, this book will be an invaluable resource for environmental studies teachers for a long time to come." - Jade Sasser, author of Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question: Deciding Whether to Have Children in an Uncertain Future

"In this inspiring work, Michael Mascarenhas issues a clarion call to environmental justice scholars and activists to use bolder, more accurate language to confront environmental racism as intentional actions perpetrated by elites in the service of white supremacy, vulture capitalism, and genocide. That's what I call tellin' it like it is!"--David Pellow, Univerrsity of California, Santa Barbara and author of What is Critical Environmental Justice? "Toxic Water, Toxic System is the most thorough study yet of the one the most iconic environmental justice disasters of recent times. Theoretically rigorous and empirically rich, this book is a compelling read for anyone interested in the roots of inequality in the United States."--S. Ravi Rajan, Olga T. Griswold Chair and Professor of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz "Mascarenhas and We the People of Detroit make an incredible team, crafting a book that is community based, historically and empirically rich, and clear in its vision and recommendations for the future of water."--Kyle Whyte, University of Michigan

"Israel's Black Panthers tells a story not so much forgotten as willfully repressed--the tale of the profound racism toward non-European Jews that goes back to the earliest years of the Israeli state and of a political awakening that challenges the most cherished liberal Zionist origin stories. Compellingly and sensitively told, Asaf Elia-Shalev's work is an antidote to the triumphalist myths that still dominate the political discourse and essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the divisions that continue to cleave Israeli society."--Ben Ehrenreich, author of The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine "A beautifully told story about one of the most fascinating episodes in Israeli history, one with powerful lessons for the struggle for equality today."--Peter Beinart, author of The Crisis of Zionism "A meticulous, intimate study that serves as a history of Israel's civil rights movement and a reminder that every struggle for equality begins with a few people who are willing to pay the cost. Timely and essential."--Joshua Hunt, author of University of Nike "With this incisive and compelling book, Elia-Shalev has achieved two important feats. He has filled a vast gap in the standard history of Israel by centering the experiences of Mizrahi immigrants and their descendants. And he has traced the arc of Mizrahi populism from left-wing agitation in the 1960s to the right-wing extremism that has infused the current Israeli government to devastating effect."--Samuel G. Freedman, author of Into the Bright Sunshine

An essential reference that provides new understanding of the thought processes of one of the most radical artists of the late twentieth century. Gordon Matta-Clark (1943-1978) has never been an easy artist to categorize or to explain. Although trained as an architect, he has been described as a sculptor, a photographer, an organizer of performances, and a writer of manifestos, but he is best known for un-building abandoned structures. In the brief span of his career, from 1968 to his early death in 1978, he created an oeuvre that has made him an enduring cult figure. In 2002, when Gordon Matta-Clark's widow, Jane Crawford, put his archive on deposit at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, it revealed a new voice in the ongoing discussion of artist/architect Matta-Clark's work: his own. Gwendolyn Owens and Philip Ursprung's careful selection and ordering of letters, interviews, statements, and the now-famous art cards from the CCA as well as other sources deepens our understanding of one of the most original thinkers of his generation. Gordon Matta-Clark: An Archival Sourcebook creates a multidimensional portrait that provides an opportunity for readers to explore and enjoy the complexity and contradiction that was Gordon Matta-Clark.

Focuses on the Mediterranean world in the second half of the sixteenth century, ranging back in history to the world of Odysseus and forward to our time, moving out from the Mediterranean area to the New World and other destinations of Mediterranean traders.

Provides an examination of the everyday lives and suffering of Mexican migrants in our contemporary food system. The author shows how market forces, anti-immigrant sentiment, and racism undermine health and health care.

Since its first publication in 1920, George Saintsbury's classic Notes on a Cellar-Book has remained one of the greatest tributes to drink and drinking in the literature of wine. A collection of tasting notes, menus, and robust opinions, the work is filled with anecdotes and recollections of wines and spirits consumed-from the heights of Romanee-Conti to the simple pleasures of beer, flip, and mum. Thomas Pinney brings this unique work alive for contemporary audiences by providing the keys to a full understanding of Notes on a Cellar-Book in a new edition that includes explanatory endnotes, an essay on the book's legacy, and additional articles on wine by Saintsbury.

"An astonishing translation. Soucy's sophisticated rhythms carry the force, violence, and beauty of Ovid's immortal poem. Reading it, reading it out loud, I felt so palpably the vitality thrumming beneath the refinement of form."--Richie Hofmann, author of A Hundred Lovers "What a pleasure to read! For anyone who knows the original, Luke Soucy's swift translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses is full of ingenuity and resourcefulness; for newcomers, it is a superb introduction to the poem's pace and spirit."--Jeff Dolven, author of Senses of Style: Poetry before Interpretation

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, working-class people across northern India found themselves negotiating rapid industrial change, emerging technologies, and class hierarchies. In response to these massive changes, Indian Muslim artisans began to publicly assert the deep relation between their religion and their labor, using the increasingly accessible popular press to redefine Islamic traditions "from below." Centering the stories and experiences of metalsmiths, stonemasons, tailors, press workers, and carpenters, Pious Labor tells the story of colonial-era social changes through the perspectives of the workers themselves. As Amanda Lanzillo shows, the colonial marginalization of these artisans is intimately linked with the continued exclusion of laboring voices today. By drawing on previously unstudied Urdu-language technical manuals and community histories, Lanzillo highlights not only the materiality of artisanal production but also the cultural agency of artisanal producers, filling in a major gap in South Asian history.

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. In a world increasingly shaped by displacement and migration, refuge is both a coveted right and an elusive promise for millions of people. While refuge is conventionally understood as legal protection, it also transcends narrow judicial definitions. In Lived Refuge, Vinh Nguyen reconceptualizes refuge as an ongoing affective experience and lived relation, rather than a fixed category whose legitimacy is derived from the state. Focusing on Southeast Asian diasporas that formed in the wake of the Vietnam War, Nguyen examines three affective experiences--gratitude, resentment, and resilience--to reveal the actively lived dimensions of refuge. Through multifaceted analyses of literary and cultural productions, Nguyen argues that the meaning of refuge emerges from how displaced people negotiate the kinds of "safety" and "protection" that are offered to (and withheld from) them. In doing so, he lays the framework for an original and compelling understanding of contemporary refugee subjectivity.