Books published by University of California Press

"Pictures of Belonging showcases more than one hundred objects created by Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Minâe Okubo. These trailblazing American women of Japanese descent-part of the pre-World War II generation of artists in California-were committed to exploring art as a productive means of storytelling, but their achievements are rarely recognized in the pages of American history. The book puts the artists' works in dialogue with one another for the first time-creating new conversations on citizenship, community, and agency in the historical record during an era of exclusion for Japanese Americans in particular and Asian Americans as a whole"--

"Having a child in a burning world is one of the biggest existential decisions of the climate generation. Who can imagine thriving in the future? Who has access to quality of life in the Anthropocene? What are the racial politics of reproduction when resources are increasingly limited? Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question makes a critical intervention in the discussion about whether to reproduce in this era of climate emergency. Jade S. Sasser argues that although race has always been an unspoken dimension of reproductive anxiety in environmental discourse, it has taken on new salience in recent movements for racial justice, climate change, and abortion rights. As the first book to analyze how race shapes reproductive and climate anxiety, Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question de-centers whiteness in climate emotions research."--Sarah Jaquette Ray, author of A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet "Sasser's work provides much-needed insight into the racial dimensions of climate-and-reproductive anxiety. This book demonstrates why such research is important, and why we need much more of it." -Britt Wray, author of Generation Dread and Director of the Special Initiative on Climate Change and Mental Health, Stanford Medicine. "Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question prompts readers to reflect on their own emotions related to reproduction, race, and climate action, presenting a clear and achievable call to action to increase mental health services for BIPOC folks. A key contribution is framing mental health care and climate anxiety as climate justice issues."--Corrie Grosse, author of Working across Lines: Resisting Extreme Energy Extraction "Brilliant and urgently needed, Sasser's second book helps us to connect the planetary, the intimate, the structural, and the cultural in order to address climate anxiety and the 'kid question'--and indeed climate injustice more broadly--in caring, generous, transformative ways. Sasser's investigation of the role of racialization and racism in these areas addresses a critical gap in current understandings of climate emotions."--Blanche Verlie, author of Learning to Live with Climate Change: From Anxiety to Transformation

"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

"We know that our humanity is tied to one another, and that we need policies that extend humanity and compassion to immigrants and newly arrived refugees. . . This book is a starting place for that understanding."--US Representative Ilhan Omar, from the foreword "Kimberly Meyer has written a beautiful book about refugees and resettlement, offering truth and empathy in place of propaganda as she tells the story of the mass migrations that will soon affect us all."--Mimi Swartz, Executive Editor, Texas Monthly "In Accidental Sisters, award-winning writer Kimberly Meyer traces the journeys of six refugee women--all single mothers--who support one another as they make their way from their home countries and navigate resettlement in Houston. Meyer's novelistic sensibilities and exquisite eye for detail enable readers to bear witness to her subjects' experiences of love, loss, betrayal, and longing for home. Accidental Sisters is at once a riveting tribute to the power of sisterhood and an indictment of the many ways our nation's refugee resettlement process falls far short of its promise. This searing exploration of the human side of the refugee experience will reverberate in readers' minds for years to come."--Jessica Wilbanks, author of When I Spoke in Tongues "Accidental Sisters is a deeply compassionate, life-affirming gem. Meyer's empathy shines through in the stories of these six women and the uncertain ground on which they find themselves once they flee the radiating aftershocks of war and reach American soil. Together these women define America's easily forgotten immigrant heritage, revealing a second front line far from any conventional battlefield: that of resettlement."--Kenneth R. Rosen, recipient of the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for War Correspondents "I opened Accidental Sisters with a vague idea that refugee women lived difficult lives in the United States. I had no clue. By blending beautiful storytelling with a deconstruction of flawed policies, Meyer shows us the depths of real people's struggles and how the remedy for injustice starts with acknowledgment and compassion."--Ricardo Nuila, author of The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine

"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

"The never-ending fight to protect the human right to abortion has not previously been covered by such a wide-ranging and inclusive perspective as in this outstanding anthology. Fighting Mad should be required reading for everyone who cares about the health of our democracy and reproductive justice."--Loretta Ross, 2022 MacArthur Fellow and coauthor of Reproductive Justice: An Introduction "Fighting Mad compiles the voices of those who emphatically deny that the state legislators who rushed to criminalize abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision will have the last word on whether people will be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. In this way, the book is incredibly hopeful, assembling and displaying the work of people who are using their hands and hearts to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice."--Khiara M. Bridges, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley "Fighting Mad is a much-needed antidote to apathy. Its short and engaging stories of leadership, activism, and creativity provide proof that Dobbs will not be the last word on abortion in the United States."--Lynn M. Paltrow, Founder and Executive Director, Pregnancy Justice "The essays in this extraordinary collection illuminate both the barriers to reproductive autonomy and the expansive reimagining required to move us toward justice. This work lifts up so many perspectives that have not been central to the public discussion on abortion access, but should be."--Mia Kim Sullivan, Executive Director, Collective Power for Reproductive Justice

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1972.

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.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1968.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1965.

Written for those who want to know more about the Middle East than the mainstream media is willing or able to tell, this book begins by examining a question that has been asked by numerous commentators since September 11, 2001: "Why do they hate us?" Jeremy Salt offers the background essential for understanding the Middle East today by chronicling the long and bloody history of Western intervention in Arab lands. In lucid detail, he examines the major events that have shaped the region--ranging from the French in Algeria and the British in Egypt in the nineteenth century to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and to the continuing war in Iraq. Linking all of these together, Salt paints a damning picture of a sustained campaign by Western powers to dominate the Middle East by whatever means necessary. Throughout, he emphasizes the human cost of the policies put in place to preserve "Western interests" or in the name of bringing civilization, democracy, or freedom to the region. Making use of extensive research in U.S. and British archives that reveals what politicians were deciding behind closed doors, and why, this is a book that will change the way we see the Middle East.

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.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1977.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1977.

"A fascinating study of an important global phenomenon."--Li Zhang, author of Anxious China: Inner Revolution and Politics of Psychotherapy "A timely book in a global age of anxiety, A Life of Worry takes us from Ho Chi Minh City's lively cafes to its burgeoning psychotherapy centers to offer an original phenomenological approach to anxiety as it is felt and enacted, often as a form of care for others, in Vietnam today."--Jocelyn Lim Chua, author of In Pursuit of the Good Life: Aspiration and Suicide in Globalizing South India "A fascinating account of the psychic effects of development in Vietnam, A Life of Worry compels readers to consider how economic growth can diminish collective well-being, how uncertainty has structured our lives, and how we might mobilize our collective anxiety toward new political agendas and practices of care."--Thuy Linh Nguyen Tu, author of Experiments in Skin: Race and Beauty in the Shadows of Vietnam

Reveals the hidden health dangers in many of the seemingly innocent products we encounter every day - a tube of glue in a kitchen drawer, a bottle of bleach in the laundry room, a rayon scarf on a closet shelf, a brass knob on the front door, and a wood plank on an outdoor deck.