In Search of Canadian Political Culture - UBC Press

Transaction Publishers UBC Press
Political Terrorism
A New Guide to Actors, Authors,
Concepts, Data Bases, Theories, and
Literature
Alex P. Schmid and A.J. Jongman
At one time a marginal
field of study in the social
sciences, terrorism is
now very much in center
stage. The 1970s terrorist
attacks by the
PLO, the Provisional Irish
Republican Army, the
Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine, the
Japanese Red Army, the
Unabomber, Aum Shinrikyo,
Timothy McVeigh,
the World Trade Center
attacks, the assault on a school in Russia, and suicide
bombers have all made the term “terrorism” an
all-too-common part of our vocabulary.
This edition of Political Terrorism was originally published
in the 1980s, well before some of the horrific
events noted above. This monumental collection of
definitions, conceptual frameworks, paradigmatic
formulations, and bibliographic sources is being
reissued in paperback now as a resource for the
expanding community of researchers on the subject
of terrorism. This is a carefully constructed guide to
one of the most urgent issues of the world today.
When the first edition was originally published, Choice
noted, “This extremely useful reference tool should
be part of any serious social science collection.”
Chronicles of Culture called it “a tremendously comprehensive
book about a subject that any who have
anything to lose – from property to liberty, life to
limbs – should be forewarned against.”
2005, 500 pages, 6 x 9”
1-4128-0469-8 / 978-1-4128-0469-1
paper $49.95 CRO
TRANSACTION PUBLISHERS
The Limits of Civic Activism
Cautionary Tales on the Use
of Politics
Robert Weissberg
Weissberg’s analysis of
civic activism is provocative
but insightful. He offers
an alternative voice
that should be heard
widely. Readers will often
be tempted to argue with
him, but the fact that they
will find it hard to do so is
a measure of how well he
makes his case.
– Richard Niemi,
University of Rochester
Today’s political climate overflows with admonitions
to “get involved,” as if entering the political fray is
the great cure-all for almost any conceivable social
problem. This advice may be a recipe for disaster.
Staying out of politics is sometimes wiser. Pursuing
non-political options may even be best given the
inherent difficulties of the political pathway. In this
volume, Robert Weissberg offers a corrective to
a view that has evolved into a civic religion. This
volume constitutes both a powerful challenge to the
dogma that political activism is an unqualified good,
and a strong case that in many instances following
the private route may be the superior option.
Contents
1 Introduction
2 Disentangling “Political Participation”
3 Varieties of Activism
4 Politics by Other Means
5 Skilled Activism
6 Assessing Impact: Theoretical and Conceptual Issues
7 Assessing Impact: Establishing Baselines
8 Assessing Impact: The Positive Side of the AIDS Activism
Balance Sheet
9 Assessing Impact: The Negative Side of the AIDS
Activism Balance Sheet
10 Conclusions: Advice and Puzzles
Bibliography; Index
2004, 349 pages, 6 x 9”
0-7658-0261-9 / 978-0-7658-0261-3
cloth $50.95 CRO
www.ubcpress.ca / 1 877 864 8477 71