The Belt and Road Initiative

ISSN: 2689-7989

The Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) is perhaps the largest global project of both domestic significance and global import proposed by China in the history of its interactions with the world. Since its unveiling in 2013, BRI has not only been embraced by more than 120 countries spanning across all the continents and endorsed by several dozen international NGOs including UN on one hand; it has been drawing an outcry or resistance by some big powers such as the US and India on the other hand. Why is all this occurring? What are the real intentions, real results, real potential and possible risks, and future fate of BRI? Despite the growingly enormous amount of discourse both mediated and nonmediated including thousands of think tank reports about it both in Chinese and other languages such as English, Russian, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and so on, relatively little scholarship has been produced on BRI so far. However, the BRI studies could be arguably the newest China/Chinese studies and the newest area/regional/global/globalization studies all in one. Therefore, it is the goal of the present book series to advance knowledge about both China and the world from perspectives of various disciplines such as political science and economics, sociology and anthropology, communication, and so on. While proposed volumes from specific disciplines are desirable, proposed volumes on multi-disciplinary, interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary perspectives are especially welcome in the vetting process. This book series aim to produce both monographs and edited volumes from a variety of disciplinary perspectives such as economic science, political science, communication, sociology and anthropology, and so on and interdisciplinary/trans-disciplinary lenses such as area studies, international/intercultural, and global/globalization studies. The titles of the first few volumes include The United States Involvement in the South China Sea Dispute by MA Jianying, Ph. D. from Fudan University & Associate Professor of International Relations, Shandong Normal University, The Economics of the Belt and Road Initiative by CHEN Yongjun, Distinguished Professor of Economics, School of Business, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China, and the Belt & Road Initiative: Index Report on its Five-Dimensions Connectivity by ZHAI Kun, Professor of International Studies and Associate Dean of the Institute of Area Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.

5 publications

International Relations in Asia, Africa and the Americas

ISSN: 2511-588X

International Relations in Asia, Africa and the Americas: Politics, Economy, Society – Transdisciplinary Perspectives publishes high quality studies of contemporary non-European problems, connected with politics, economics, social issues, cultural studies, as well as broadly understood international relations. Both theoretically driven and empirical research based publications are welcomed. Monographs and essay collections on the Asia-Pacific, African and American issues are invited, focusing especially on newest developments in those regions. Publications proposals are reviewed by series editors and after initial acceptance blind review procedure is initiated. Based on the results of this blind review process, given titles are published. Please, send initial proposals to Marcin Grabowski (marcin.grabowski@uj.edu.pl).

23 publications

Belgian Francophone Library

As Belgium has become a center and focal point of the resurgent new Europe, the Belgian Francophone Library was founded as a special series devoted to the rich and varied literature and cultural life of the French-speaking community in Belgium. The series will publish English translations of important works of Belgian literature, as well as critical studies, principally in French and English, of Belgian literature, culture, and social history. It is the hope of series editor and the initial contributors to the series to broaden knowledge of the specificity, fascination, and enduring artistic contribution of this crossroads country. As Belgium has become a center and focal point of the resurgent new Europe, the Belgian Francophone Library was founded as a special series devoted to the rich and varied literature and cultural life of the French-speaking community in Belgium. The series will publish English translations of important works of Belgian literature, as well as critical studies, principally in French and English, of Belgian literature, culture, and social history. It is the hope of series editor and the initial contributors to the series to broaden knowledge of the specificity, fascination, and enduring artistic contribution of this crossroads country. As Belgium has become a center and focal point of the resurgent new Europe, the Belgian Francophone Library was founded as a special series devoted to the rich and varied literature and cultural life of the French-speaking community in Belgium. The series will publish English translations of important works of Belgian literature, as well as critical studies, principally in French and English, of Belgian literature, culture, and social history. It is the hope of series editor and the initial contributors to the series to broaden knowledge of the specificity, fascination, and enduring artistic contribution of this crossroads country.

25 publications

Population, Famille et Société / Population, Family, and Society

ISSN: 1660-6043

This series welcomes and encourages the dialogue between demography and family studies to revitalize social history as well as sociology and population studies. An international network of scholars based at the Laboratory of Demography and Family Studies of the University of Geneva has initiated an open-minded series that seeks to reflect the latest developments in research. The collection emphasizes comparative and international perspectives, as well as interdisciplinary approaches drawing from history, economics, statistics, sociology, geography, demography, and cultural anthropology. Innovative methodologies for both qualitative and quantitative analysis which allow authors to reformulate old problems and ask new questions are particular welcome. The series publishes both individual and collective volumes. The first group encompasses case studies or monographs coming from the Swiss or the international scientific world, including the best Ph.D. dissertations. The second group refers to collective volumes organized around a topic emerging from a scientific debate, with contributions from various disciplinary fields and/or geographic horizons. Cette collection a pour ambition d'accueillir et de promouvoir le dialogue entre les démographes et les spécialistes de la famille, dialogue qui renouvelle profondément tant l'histoire sociale que la sociologie contemporaine. Animée par un réseau international qui s'appuie sur le Laboratoire de Démographie et d'Etudes Familiales de l'Université de Genève, la collection est largement ouverte et veut refléter les dynamiques de recherche les plus récentes. Elle privilégie les perspectives comparatives, internationales, ainsi que les approches interdisciplinaires, celles qui mêlent les apports de l'histoire, de l'économie, de la statistique, de la sociologie, de la géographie, de la démographie, de l'anthropologie culturelle, etc. L'innovation méthodologique, dans les domaines du qualitatif aussi bien que du quantitatif, qui permet de refonder les problématiques et d'articuler de nouvelles questions, est particulièrement saluée. La collection accueille aussi bien des contributions individuelles que collectives. Dans le premier groupe se rangent les monographies ou travaux de synthèse issus du milieu scientifique suisse et international, en ce compris les meilleures thèses de doctorat. Le second groupe réunit des recueils d'articles organisés autour d'un thème qui émerge dans le débat scientifique, et qui requiert le croisement de regards venus de multiples horizons disciplinaires et/ou géographiques. This series welcomes and encourages the dialogue between demography and family studies to revitalize social history as well as sociology and population studies. An international network of scholars based at the Laboratory of Demography and Family Studies of the University of Geneva has initiated an open-minded series that seeks to reflect the latest developments in research. The collection emphasizes comparative and international perspectives, as well as interdisciplinary approaches drawing from history, economics, statistics, sociology, geography, demography, and cultural anthropology. Innovative methodologies for both qualitative and quantitative analysis which allow authors to reformulate old problems and ask new questions are particular welcome. The series publishes both individual and collective volumes. The first group encompasses case studies or monographs coming from the Swiss or the international scientific world, including the best Ph.D. dissertations. The second group refers to collective volumes organized around a topic emerging from a scientific debate, with contributions from various disciplinary fields and/or geographic horizons.

38 publications

European Semiotics / Sémiotiques Européennes

ISSN: 2235-6266

European Semiotics originated from an initiative launched by a group of researchers in Semiotics from Denmark, Germany, Spain, France and Italy and was inspired by innovative impulses given by René Thom and his «semiophysics». The goal of the series is to provide a broad European forum for those interested in semiotic research focusing on semiotic dynamics and combining cultural, linguistic and cognitive perspectives. This approach, which has its origins in Phenomenology, Gestalt Theory, Philosophy of Culture and Structuralism, views semiosis primarily as a cognitive process, which underlies and structures human culture. Semiotics is therefore considered to be the discipline suited par excellence to bridge the gap between the realms of the Cognitive Sciences and the Sciences of Culture. The series publishes monographs, collected papers and conference proceedings of a high scholarly standard. Languages of publication are mainly English and French. Sémiotiques européennes est le résultat d'une initiative prise par un groupe de chercheurs en sémiotique, originaires du Danemark, d'Allemagne, d'Espagne, de France et d'Italie, inspirée par l'impulsion innovatrice apportée par René Thom et sa «sémiophysique». Le but de cette collection est de fournir une large tribune européenne à tous ceux qui s'intéressent à la recherche sémiotique portant sur les dynamiques sémiotiques, et réunissant des perspectives culturelles, linguistiques et cognitives. Cette approche, qui se nourrit de différentes sources, telle que la phénoménologie, le gestaltisme, la philosophie de la culture et le structuralisme, part du principe que la sémiosis est essentiellement un procès cognitif, qui sous-tend et structure toute culture humaine. La sémiotique est donc considérée comme la discipline par excellence capable de créer un pont entre les domaines des Sciences cognitives et ceux des Sciences de la culture. Sémiotiques européennes accueille tant des monographies que des anthologies et des actes de colloques d'un haut niveau de recherche, rédigé de préférence en anglais et en français.

14 publications

Économie sociale et Économie publique / Social Economy and Public Economy

ISSN: 2030-3408

This «Social Economy & Public Economy» series brings together books and monographs with a common focus: the analysis of the economic activities of formal and informal organisations that aim to serve the «public/general interest» or broad «common welfare» of their societies. Diverse initiatives and a wide variety of organisational forms are concerned: public or private nonprofit organisations and services, social services, public utilities, regulatory rules and actions, public enterprises, local community and regional economic development bodies, cooperatives, mutualist enterprises, etc. The series aims to promote a more scientific, and in-depth international and comparative understanding of this type of research that has been rapidly expanding in recent years. The series will reflect about these developments and through its dissemination, it will also support the increasing inter-disciplinarity and multi-disciplinarity of much of this recent research (e.g. economics, sociology, political science, law, policy evaluation and policy analysis, etc.) Editorial responsibility for the series resides with CIRIEC, an international scientific organisation that promotes, supports and disseminates research on the public economy, the social economy, and cooperatives. One of CIRIEC’s key goals and activities is the promotion, support, and expansion of a large international network of researchers who specialise in these issues. This series will allow the publication of work by members of this network as well as providing an outlet for any related research work by other people outside the existing CIRIEC network. La collection « Économie sociale & Économie publique » rassemble des ouvrages proposant, dans une perspective de comparaison internationale, des analyses des organisations et des activités économiques orientées vers l’intérêt général et l’intérêt collectif : services sociaux, services publics, régulation, entreprises publiques, action économique des entités territoriales (régions, autorités locales), coopératives, mutuelles, associations, ... Dans un contexte de « grande transformation », l’activité scientifique dans ce domaine s’y est fortement développée et la collection se veut un nouveau vecteur de diffusion et de valorisation de cette activité dans une approche pluridisciplinaire (économie, sciences sociales, droit, sciences politiques, ...). La collection est placée sous la responsabilité éditoriale du CIRIEC. Organisation internationale à but scientifique, le CIRIEC a pour objet la réalisation et la diffusion de la recherche sur l’économie publique et l’économie sociale et coopérative. Une de ses principales activités est l’animation d’un vaste réseau international de chercheurs dans ces domaines. La collection permet de publier des ouvrages réalisés par les membres de ce réseau, mais est aussi ouverte à des personnes extérieures à ce réseau.

7 publications

Human Right Studies

ISSN: 2294-8848

The legal and political significance of human rights has increased enormously at the international and European levels. It has become increasingly clear that the respect and promotion of human rights must be at the centre of States and local communities' public policies and that human rights are the basis of civil society initiatives and movements. There is a large mechanism, at all levels of governance, monitoring the way in which States implement the obligations they have assumed towards each person under their sovereignty. The Italian Yearbook of Human Rights Series provides year by year, a dynamic and up-to date overview of the measures Italy has taken to adapt its legislation and policies in line with international human rights law and to comply with the commitments voluntarily assumed by the Italian Government at the international level. The book series thus intends to contribute to the continuous monitoring activity of the human rights situation in Italy undertaken at the local, national and international levels by the relevant intergovernmental and civil society actors. Each volume of this series surveys the activities carried out, during the year of reference, by the relevant national and local Italian actors, including governmental bodies, civil society organisations and universities. It also presents reports and recommendations that have been addressed to Italy by international monitoring bodies within the framework of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Union. Finally, each Yearbook provides a selection of examples from international and national case law that cast light on Italy’s position vis-à-vis internationally recognised human rights. The Yearbook is edited by the Human Rights Centre of the University of Padua, in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights, Democracy and Peace of the same university, and with the support of the Region of Veneto. The Centre, established in 1982, carries out research and education following a global and interdisciplinary approach. It hosts the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on intercultural dialogue, human rights and multi-level governance.

11 publications

DASK – Duisburger Arbeiten zur Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaft / Duisburg Papers on Research in Language and Culture

DASK presents a forum for linguistic research on the interrelationship between language and culture. The series is interdisciplinary in nature and consists of monographs and collections of papers. The main purpose of the editors is to initiate a dialogue between linguistic science and neighbouring disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, semiotics, literary studies and intercultural communication. The aim of establishing a series at the intersection of linguistic and cultural studies is to provide academics and interested students with a scientific framework for studying the interaction of language and culture. The series has been founded by Ulrich Ammon, René Dirven and Martin Pütz.

124 publications

Counterpoints

ISSN: 1058-1634

Counterpoints publishes the most compelling and imaginative books being written in education today. Grounded on the theoretical advances in criticalism, feminism and postmodernism in the last two decades of the twentieth century, Counterpoints engages the meaning of these innovations in various forms of educational expression. Committed to the proposition that theoretical literature should be accessible to a variety of audiences, the series insists that its authors avoid esoteric and jargonistic languages that transform educational scholarship into an elite discourse for the initiated. Scholarly work matters only to the degree it affects consciousness and practice at multiple sites. Counterpoints’ editorial policy is based on these principles and the ability of scholars to break new ground, to open new conversations, to go where educators have never gone before.

624 publications

Equity in Higher Education Theory, Policy, and Praxis

A BOOK SERIES FOR EQUITY SCHOLARS & ACTIVISTS Beth Powers-Costello, General Editor Globalization increasingly challenges higher education researchers, administrators, faculty members, and graduate students to address urgent and complex issues of equitable policy design and implementation. This book series provides an inclusive platform for discourse about – though not limited to – diversity, social justice, administrative accountability, faculty accreditation, student recruitment, admissions, curriculum, pedagogy, online teaching and learning, completion rates, program evaluation, cross-cultural relationship-building, and community leadership at all levels of society. Ten broad themes lay the foundation for this series but potential editors and authors are invited to develop proposals that will broaden and deepen its power to transform higher education: (1) Theoretical books that examine higher education policy implementation, (2) Activist books that explore equity, diversity, and indigenous initiatives, (3) Community-focused books that explore partnerships in higher education, (4) Technological books that examine online programs in higher education, (5) Financial books that focus on the economic challenges of higher education, (6) Comparative books that contrast national perspectives on a common theme, (7) Sector-specific books that examine higher education in the professions, (8) Educator books that explore higher education curriculum and pedagogy, (9) Implementation books for front line higher education administrators, and (10) Historical books that trace changes in higher education theory, policy, and praxis. Expressions of interest for authored or edited books will be considered on a first come basis. A Book Proposal Guideline is available on request. For individual or group inquiries please contact editorial@peterlang.com.

35 publications

Studies in Contemporary Women’s Writing

ISSN: 2235-4123

A series founded by Gill Rye This book series supports the work of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Women’s Writing at the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of London, by publishing high-quality critical studies in the field. Studies in Contemporary Women’s Writing provides a forum for innovative research exploring new trends and issues in the work of new, hitherto neglected or established authors who write primarily, but not exclusively, in the languages covered by the Centre: French, German, Italian, Portuguese and the Hispanic languages. The series has redefined its remit in light of current scholarship. ‘Contemporary’ is still defined as ‘after 1968’, with a preference for studies of post-1990 texts in any genre. While the series initially focused on writing, it now welcomes research that crosses disciplinary boundaries and defines creativity in the broadest sense, including intersections between literature and the arts, cinema and music. Scholarship that embraces gender and sexuality more broadly, including the work of non-binary and queer authors, is also welcome. We encourage studies that connect texts with the social, cultural, linguistic and political contexts in which they are created, taking into account the transnational and postcolonial configuration of the contemporary world and its impact on lives and experiences. Proposals are invited for monographs and edited collections. The series welcomes single-author studies, thematic analyses across languages and cross-cultural discussions that rely on a variety of approaches and theoretical frameworks, as well as studies that showcase the application of new methodologies to primary texts. Manuscripts should be written in English. Editorial Board: Claudia Bernardi (Victoria University of Wellington), Francesca Calamita (University of Virginia), Emily Jeremiah (Royal Holloway, University of London), Shirley Jordan (Newcastle University), Catriona MacLeod (University of London Institute in Paris), Lorraine Ryan (University of Birmingham), Godela Weiss-Sussex (School of Advanced Study, University of London), Caragh Wells (University of Bristol), Claire Williams (St Peter’s College, University of Oxford)

15 publications

AEJMC - Peter Lang Scholarsourcing Series

ISSN: 2373-6984

Based on the concept of crowdsourcing, Scholarsourcing is a joint publishing initiative between the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and Peter Lang Publishing. The series reimagines the way that scholarly books are proposed, peer-reviewed, and approved for contract during this time of relentless change in both the journalism and publishing industries. Beginning with a call from AEJMC each fall, members are invited to submit short book proposals that are relevant to journalism and communication and speak to the mission of AEJMC. Proposals are uploaded to an online public platform that allows as many AEJMC members as possible to browse, review, and then vote on and pledge support. This platform encourages public dialogue among multiple parties to improve the potential of each book project. Whether awarded a book contract or not, authors benefit by receiving a valuable set of review comments, far more than they might receive via conventional reviewing processes, and from a more diverse range of reviewers (members). Using these votes and review comments, the AEJMC Scholarsourcing editorial committee, appointed by the president of AEJMC, selects the top proposals. The authors of the top proposals are invited to submit complete book proposals. Once those reviews have been evaluated by the editorial committee and the publisher, a decision on which proposals receive contracts is made.

18 publications

Border Studies

ISSN: 2736-2450

The Series «　Borders and European Integration　» fills in a gap in Social Sciences, as it connects two so far independent research strands: European Studies and Border Studies. Mainly initiated by geographers and originally hosted in the United States, Border Studies primarily deal with the study of borders and borderlands, whereas European Studies analyse the process of European Integration, its actors, institutions and policy fields. Although the idea of a Europe without borders was part of the project of the European Economic Community, the multidimensional role of the border has not been sufficiently taken into account by researchers in European Studies. Inversely, Border Studies have only rarely examined the specificity of borders and borderlands in Europe in comparison to other regions in the world. At the crossroads between Area Studies and International Relations, this Series therefore offers a pluri-disciplinary approach to borders and their role in the European construction. Taking into account the perspective of different disciplines in Social Sciences, the diversity of actors of European Integration and borderlands (local, regional, national,) it allows a new multi-level and decentred view on conflicts and cooperation at European borders. The Series addresses researchers and university scholars of all disciplines in Social Sciences and wishes to tackle the challenging contemporary questions on borders in Europe. La collection «　Frontières et intégration européenne　» répond au besoin de lier deux champs disciplinaires jusque-là peu connectés　: celui des études européennes et celui des Border Studies. Fortement impulsés par les géographes et implantés au départ aux Etats-Unis, les Border Studies s’intéressent surtout à l’étude de la frontière et aux espaces de voisinage alors que les études européennes se penchent sur l’analyse du processus d’intégration européenne, ses acteurs, ses institutions et ses politiques. Alors que l’idée de l’Europe sans frontières fait partie du projet de la Communauté économique européenne, le rôle multidimensionnel de la frontière n’a pas été suffisamment pris en compte par les chercheurs en Etudes européennes. De leur côté, les Border Studies n’ont que peu abordé la spécificité des frontières de l’Europe et de ses espaces de voisinage par rapport à d’autres régions dans le monde. Au croisement des Area Studies et des Relations Internationales, la collection propose donc une approche pluridisciplinaire des frontières et de leur rôle dans la construction européenne. En tenant compte du regard différentes disciplines en Sciences humaines, de la diversité des acteurs de la construction européenne et des territoires frontaliers (locaux, régionaux, nationaux ) en Europe, elle permet ainsi d’avoir une nouvelle approche multi-niveaux et décentralisée des conflits et coopérations aux frontières européennes. La collection s’adresse aux universitaires et chercheurs de toute discipline en Sciences humaines souhaitant interroger les grandes thématiques des frontières en Europe. Die Reihe «　Grenzen und Europäische Integration　» schließt eine Lücke in den Geisteswissenschaften, indem sie zwei bisher unabhängige Forschungsstränge miteinander verknüpft: die Europawissenschaften und die Border Studies. Die im Wesentlichen von den Geographen angestossenen und ursprünglich in den USA angesiedelten Border Studies interessieren sich vor allem für die Erforschung von Grenzen und Grenzgebieten, bzw. Nachbarschaftsräumen, während die Europawissenschaften sich der Analyse des Europäischen Integrationsprozesses, dessen Akteure, Institutionen und Politikfelder widmen. Obwohl die Idee eines Europa ohne Grenzen auch Teil des Projektes der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft war, wurde die multidimensionale Rolle der Grenze nicht immer ausreichend von den Europawissenschaftlern berücksichtigt. Anderseits haben die Border Studies nur wenig die Spezifizität der Grenzen und Grenzräume Europas im Vergleich zu anderen Regionen in der Welt erforscht. Am Wegkreuz zwischen den Area Studies und den Internationalen Beziehungen bietet die Reihe daher einen pluri-disziplinaren Ansatz zu Grenzen und ihrer Rolle in der Europäischen Konstruktion. Durch die Berücksichtigung der Perspektive verschiedener Disziplinen aus den Geisteswissenschaften, der Diversität der Akteure der Europäischen Integration und der Grenzräume (lokale, regionale, nationale) ermöglicht sie eine neue multi-level und dezentralisierte Betrachtungsweise der Konflikte und Kooperationen an europäischen Grenzen. Die Reihe wendet sich an Forscher und Universitätsdozenten aus allen Disziplinen der Geisteswissenschaften und möchte die großen thematischen Fragestellungen zu Grenzen in Europa erschließen.

10 publications