Democracy, Agency, and the State aims to contribute to a comparatively informed theory of democracy. Professor O'Donnell begins by arguing that conceptions of 'the state' and 'democracy', and their respective defining features, significantly influence each other. Using an approach that is both historical and analytical, he traces this relationship through the idea of legally sanctioned and backed agency which grounds democratic citizenship. From this standpoint he explores several aspects of the democratic regime and of the state, distinguishing four constitutive dimensions (bureaucracy,...

This book gathers the most recent scholarship on the historicization of masculinity by the most original and widely respected thinkers in the field. By using the analytical tools of Queer Theory these interdisciplinary scholars have reconfigured the history of sexuality in radically altering how we think about sexuality and how we write history.

The American Novel Now navigates the vast terrain of the American novel since 1980, exploring issues of identity, history, family, nation, and aesthetics, as well as cultural movements and narrative strategies from over seventy different authors and novels.

• Discusses an exceptionally wide-range of authors and novels, from established figures to significant emerging writers
• Toni Morrison, Thomas Pynchon, Louise Erdrich, Don DeLillo, Richard Powers, Kathy Acker and many more
• Explores the range of themes and styles offered in the wealth of contemporary American...