Africa and its Historical and Contemporary Diasporas

Edited by Tunde Adeleke and Arno Sonderegger

Africa and its Historical and Contemporary Diasporas is an interdisciplinary study of the changing and complex nature of the Africa-Black Diaspora relationship. The contributors highlight the problems and challenges of this relationship and provide strategies for developing a more functional and mutually beneficial engagement in a radically changing global environment.

This book presents new methodological approaches and research to study the many dimensions and complexities of Africa and its Diasporas. Collectively, this book addresses three vital themes. First, it foregrounds new and emerging forces reshaping the Africa-Black Diaspora nexus. Second, it highlights new and interdisciplinary approaches to “Diaspora” and Pan-Africanism” (culture, religion, ideology, literature, philosophy, and epistemology). Third, it examines factors infusing the transformation in, and challenges of, African Diaspora and Pan-Africanist collaborations, and possible strategies of strengthening the relationship.

Tunde Adeleke is professor of history and director of African American studies at Iowa State University.

Arno Sonderegger is senior lecturer for African history and societies in the Department of African Studies at the University of Vienna.

Sheds light on the rich and complex Africa-Black Diaspora world through different disciplinary perspectives.

Lexington Books

July 2023

252 pages

5 illustrations

Hardback

978 1 6669 4019 0 eBook

978 1 6669 4020 6

Political Science • World / African

Fear of a Yellow Vest Planet

The Gilets Jaunes and the Battle for the Future of France

By Peter Wilkin

Examines the radical democratic and egalitarian ideas generated by the Yellow Vest movement and defends it from its many critics.

The Yellow Vest (Gilets Jaunes) protests that started in November 2018 have rocked French political culture and led critics to denounce the movement as being a threat to democracy, or worse. This book argues that the protests must be understood as part of a wave of protests against the extension of the market into all areas of social life that have been taking place around the world since the 1980s. The end goal is to be a new social order which is environmentally sustainable and built around principles of social justice. In this respect its ideas and actions are a challenge to mainstream French political culture.

Peter Wilkin is reader in Social Science at Brunel University, UK.

Lexington Books

June 2021 • 172 pages • 4 illustrations

Hardback 978 1 7936 1025 6 eBook 978 1 7936 1026 3

Political Science • International Relations / General

Olof Palme, Sweden, and the Vietnam War A Diplomatic History

By Lubna Z. Qureshi

Argues that neutral Sweden had the independence to challenge the Nixon administration that members of NATO did not have.

In 1972, Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme’s fierce condemnation of the Christmas Bombings of the North Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Haiphong led to a breakdown in diplomatic relations at the highest level between Sweden and the United States. The author argues that Sweden’s official position of neutrality allowed its Prime Minister greater independence of action on the international stage. Palme opposed the American military intervention in Southeast Asia for its violation of Vietnamese self-determination. Superpower aggression against one small country threatened all others, including Palme’s own.

Lubna Z. Qureshi earned her doctorate in U.S. history from the University of California, Berkeley.

Lexington Books

June 2023 • 308 pages

Hardback 978 1 7936 3844 1 eBook 978 1 7936 3845 8

Political Science • International Relations / General

Irrationality of Capitalism and Climate Change Prospects for an Alternative Future

By Andrew Kolin

Argues for replacing capitalism with rational socialism that does not necessitate conquering the environment.

The overwhelming scientific evidence indicates that planet Earth is undergoing dramatic climate change, which threatens to undermine the quality of life around the world. This book demonstrates how the roots of humanity’s assault on the environment are directly associated with the origins of capitalism, an irrational social system in which reproduction of capital on a global scale is destructive to the environment. The book concludes by proposing rational socialism, a life-affirming social system that functions in harmony with the environment.

Andrew Kolin is professor of political science at Hilbert College, New York.

Rights sold: Russian

Lexington Books

February 2022 • 126 pages

Hardback 978 1 6669 0199 3 eBook 978 1 6669 0200 6

Political Science • Public Policy / Economic Policy

Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Lies Born With a Junk Food Deficiency

By Martha Rosenberg

The hard-hitting exposé by an investigative journalst, now updated and with a new chapter and new epilogue.

This revealing book blows the lid off everything you thought you knew about Big Pharma and Big Food. Having gained the trust of more than twenty doctors, researchers, and experts who were willing to come forward and tell all, Martha Rosenberg presents us with her shocking findings. Explosive material from whistleblowers, scientists, unsealed lawsuits, and Big Pharma’s and Big Food’s own marketers exposes how these industries put profits before public safety and how the government puts the interests of business before the welfare of consumers.

Martha Rosenberg is a freelance writer and editorial cartoonist. Her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, and more.

Prometheus

October 2023 • 350 pages

Paperback 978 1 6338 8935 4

Previously published in hardback 978 1 6161 4593 4 eBook 978 1 6161 4594 1

Political Science • Corruption & Misconduct

Afraid

Understanding the Purpose of Fear and Harnessing the Power of Anxiety

By Arash Javanbakht, MD

Fear is one of the most deeply rooted biological mechanisms that has evolved over hundreds of millions of years in the brains and bodies of animals and humans with one key mission: to increase our chance of survival. Fear is deeply woven into our biology, culture, politics, and day to day life. We sometimes don’t even know what we are afraid of. What we know for sure is that we are afraid too often.

But why are we so scared? What is the evolutionary purpose of fear? Why do we enjoy watching horror movies? How does the brain of a brave person work differently than others? How do we learn to be afraid, and how can we unlearn? Is fear good or bad for creativity?

This book is a comprehensive review of fear and anxiety in most tangible aspects of the modern life. Arash Javanbakht explores how our childhood experiences define the role fear plays in us as adults, how fear may or may not affect our genes, what excessive fear and anxiety can do to our brains and bodies, and the role of fear in the wake of trauma. Readers will come away with a better understanding of fear and how we can tamp its negative effects, how we can treat it medically if necessary, and how we can protect ourselves from fear’s most negative consequences.

Arash Javanbakht, MD, is a psychiatrist who currently serves as the Director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC) at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Michigan. He is a frequently invited keynote speaker at conferences as well as universities. Multiple media outlets have featured his work, including: CNN, National Geographic, Aljazeera, The Washington Post, Smithsonian, PBS, and more. He is the academic advisor on the PBS documentary Mysteries of Mental Illness

Provides a broad and entertaining overview of fear from evolution, to modern day challenges, and how clinicians treat trauma, anxiety, and PTSD today.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

September 2023

208 pages

2 illustrations

Hardback 978 1 5381 7038 0 eBook 978 1 5381 7039 7

Self-Help • Emotions

Diagnosis Human

How Unlocking Hidden Relationship Patterns Can Transform and Heal Our Children, Our Partners, Ourselves

By Amy Begel and David V. Keith

Diagnosis Human offers a compelling alternative to the biomedical model of mental health as it has been promoted over the last 30 years—a model which says that mental distress is a problem of chemical imbalance, or brain chemistry. In this model, symptoms are never good. They are always seen as a sign that something is wrong with that person, a sign of pathology that must be changed.

What may appear as intractable individual problems, however, often are not individual problems at all. This book reveals how many of these distressing emotional states are created by nearly invisible, intimate patterns in our relationships. Diagnosis Human invites readers into the therapist’s office to be part of family therapy sessions, where they can experience first-hand what these intimate relationship patterns look and feel like. The authors present cases of adults dealing with depression, couples who come to therapy reeling from the betrayal of an affair, families with kids diagnosed with ADHD, teenagers with anxiety or young children with temper tantrums. Each therapy session includes the voice of the therapist, inviting readers to sit in as observers to watch and listen as the case unfolds.

Amy Begel is a family therapist who received her family therapy training over 30 years ago with one of the creators of family therapy, Dr. Salvador Minuchin. Since then, she has maintained a busy private practice in New York City. She lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.

David Keith is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York. He has been in practice for 45 years. He lives in Manlius, New York.

Cover coming soon

Shows how mental distress is often caused by relationship imbalance, not chemical imbalance.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

November 2023

224 pages

Hardback

978 1 5381 8272 7 eBook

978 1 5381 8273 4

Psychology • Mental Health

Living with Depression

Why Biology and Biography Matter

Along the Path to Hope and Healing, 2nd Edition

By Deborah Serani

Essential to help sufferers and their loved ones do more than just cope.

In the fully updated second edition of Living with Depression, Deborah Serani outlines the vari-ous forms of depression, describes the different treatments, and outlines methods for living with depression and getting the help you or a loved one needs.

Deborah Serani, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist in practice over twenty years and an adjunct professor at Adelphi University, New York. She is a go-to media expert on a variety of psycho-logical issues and writes for Psychology Today and many more.

The Fearful Mind

A Psychological Portrait of Our Most Misunderstood Emotion

By Alby Elias

Argues that fear is a motivating force rather than a despicable emotion.

In sharp contrast to the existing literature, this book argues that fear, overriding all other emotions, operates relentlessly in the unconscious mind as a motivating force and renders life compatible with survival. Fear appeals can bring healthy behavioral changes; the stronger the appeal, the more persuasive it is.

This book expands the concept of eustress, a positive reaction to stress, and describes the beneficial aspects of fear. The book gives a twist to the conventional view of fear as an unwanted emotion and draws a new hypothesis that fear is the primary emotion and a constant psychological operative, a lack of which poses dangerous consequences.

Uncertain

The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure

By Maggie Jackson

How the gifts of not-knowing offer us a remarkable antidote to the narrow-mindedness of our day.

Understanding when and how to be unsure is what distinguishes a superior expert from one who is merely good enough. By learning to wield uncertainty with skill and care, we can deftly navigate conflict and surprise, bolster our memory and creative imagination, and gain resilience.

Featuring cutting-edge research and in-depth reporting, this paradigmshifting book shows us how to skilfully confront the unexpected and unknown, and how to seek notknowing in the service of curiosity, wisdom, and discovery.

Maggie Jackson is an award-winning author and journalist known for her pioneering writings on social trends, particularly technology’s impact on humanity. She lives with her family in New York and Rhode Island.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

September 2023 • 264 pages

8 illustrations

Hardback 978 1 5381 7982 6 eBook 978 1 5381 7983 3

Psychology • Mental Health

Prometheus January 2023

Hardback 978 1 6338 8936 1

Psychology • Emotions

Rights exclusion: Translation, Foreign English Reprint (excluding Canada)

Prometheus January 2023 • 272 pages

Hardback 978 1 6338 8918 7

Psychology • Social Psychology