Stanford University Press Blog

Stanford University Press Authors Gather with Other Middle East Experts for Conference on "Democratic Transition in Egypt" at Stanford

The recent democratic uprisings and their reverberations throughout the Arab world changed the perceptions of many in the West that this region was immune to social activism and change from within.  Stanford University Press is pleased to announce two new titles, Social Movements, Mobilization, and Contestation in the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Joel Beinin and Frédéric Vairel, and Autumn of Dictatorship: Fiscal Crisis and Political Change under Mubarek, by Samer Soliman, that will contribute to and inform our understanding of the nature and history of social movements in Egypt.  What’s more, the authors of these important books are just two of several distinguished scholars who will gather at Stanford on Friday, April 29 in the Bechtel Conference Center for a one-day conference entitled "Democratic Transition in Egypt,"  sponsored by the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.   This event, co-sponsored by the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University, will focus on Egypt's current revolutionary period, and brings to Stanford leading Egypt academics from American, European, and Egyptian universities and think tanks. 

Too frequently written off as culturally defined by Islam, strongly anti-Western, and uniquely susceptible to irrational political radicalism, authoritarianism, and terrorism—the Middle East and North Africa (specifically Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey) are rarely considered as sites of social and political mobilization.  However, in Social Movements, Mobilization, and Contestation in the Middle East and North Africa, Joel Beinin and Frédéric Vairel reveal a rich array of mobilizations that neither lead inexorably toward democratization nor degenerate into violence. 

In Autumn of Dictatorship: Fiscal Crisis and Political Change under Mubarek, Samer Soliman argues that protest is nothing new to Egypt, and labor activism and political activism, most notably the Kifaya (Enough) movement, have increased dramatically over recent years. In hindsight, it is the durability of the Mubarak regime, not its sudden loss of legitimacy that should be more surprising. Though many have turned to social media for explanation of the events, in this book, Samer Soliman follows the age-old adage—follow the money. 

Over the last thirty years, the Egyptian state has increasingly given its citizens less money and fewer social benefits while simultaneously demanding more taxes and resources. This has lead to a weakened state—deteriorating public services, low levels of law enforcement, poor opportunities for employment and economic development—while simultaneously inflated the security machine that sustains the authoritarian regime. Studying the regime from the point of view of its deeds rather than its discourse, this book tackles the relationship between fiscal crisis and political change in Egypt.

 About the Authors:

Joel Beinin is Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History at Stanford University, and a past president of the Middle East Studies Association of North America. Frédéric Vairel is Assistant Professor of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa.

 Samer Soliman is Assistant Professor of Political Economy and Political Science at the American University in Cairo. An activist for human rights and democratic politics, he is also a frequent columnist in the Egyptian media and a founder and editor of Al-Bosla a radical democratic publication.

Beyond Earth Day

It's wonderful that, for over 40 years now, we've made a point of remembering "Mother Earth" each April and, perhaps, renewing our commitment to doing what we can to reduce our costly footprint on the planet.  Recent programs and initiatives have greatly increased public awareness of the necessity to "reduce, reuse, and recycle," but it's becoming clear that we need to be doing more, and not just in our personal lives.  What can businesses, for example, do to make a difference?   

Plenty, show authors Chris Laszlo and Nadya Zhexembayeva in their new book, Embedded Sustainability: The Next Big Competitive Advantage.  As they point out in a recent article in the European Financial Review, "The linear throw-away economy, in which products and services follow a one-way trajectory from extraction to use and disposal, can no longer be supported, as we are simply running out of things to unearth and place to landfill.  Consumers, employees, and investors are beginning to demand socially and environmentally-savvy products without compromise, while radical transparency is putting every company under a microscope."  Embedded Sustainability, the incorporation of environmental, health, and social value into the core business with no trade-off in price or quality – in other words, with no social or green premium - is the answer.

Embedded Sustainability helps readers to comprehend—and act on—the notion of embedded sustainability, explaining why it is now a requisite in every sector, how smart companies are creating even higher value for their customers and investors, and what new management competencies are needed to compete in today's marketplace. 

About the Authors:

Chris Laszlo, Ph.D., is the author of Sustainable Value: How the World's Leading Companies Are Doing Well by Doing Good (2008) and The Sustainable Company(2003, paperback 2005). He is an Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management, where he is the Faculty Research Director at the Fowler Center for Sustainable Value. Chris is also the co-founder and Managing Partner of Sustainable Value Partners, LLC, an advisory services firm specialized in sustainability for business advantage.

 Nadya Zhexembayeva, Ph.D., is the Coca-Cola Chair of Sustainable Development at IEDC-Bled School of Management, the European business school based in Slovenia, where she teaches leadership, organizational design, and sustainability strategy. Nadya currently serves as Vice-President of Challenge:Future, a global youth think tank. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Fowler Center for Sustainable Value at the Weatherhead School of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio. Nadya is also an Associate Partner of Sustainable Value Partners, LLC.

The Confession of an SUP Editor: I’m a Book Worm Turned E-Reader

By Margo Beth Crouppen, Acquisitions Editor, Organizational Studies and Economics

At the end of my formal education, having written a thesis and worked as a features writer at UC Davis’ daily newspaper, I promised myself: I will never again write anything for public consumption.  I’m nearing a decade since I made this pledge and, apart from the rare exception of a contest entry or a fervent response to a news article or blog post, I’ve pretty much kept my oath.  I am a book editor, the guy behind the guy who writes.  This is both my station and my comfort zone.  Why then, am I writing this post?

A recent chain of events, which started at the Stanford University Press holiday party, has changed my outlook on reading—and even my self conception as a “word nerd” and a “book person” to some extent.  Inexplicably, I feel compelled to share this transformation—both as a staunch book lover and as a member of the quickly changing publishing industry.

Let’s begin with the facts.  I love books.  Until recently, I had read everything in my home bookshelves—cover to cover.  At 19, I vowed to read all of Philip Roth’s novels and meet him prior to his death.  I have nearly reached the goal of finishing his published works, and would have met it already if he would stop publishing so fervently.  I like paper.  I relish bookstores.  And, no matter how much I adore books, I haven’t read much for pleasure since I became an Acquiring Editor—so in the past five years (or thereabouts).  I am sorry, dear colleagues, to give away our dirty secret.  But, for those of you reading who are not in Books Editorial I am pretty typical for an editor in this regard.  Reading equals work.  And, on most nights, I would rather curl up with The Real Housewives on Bravo than the great American novel.

So, when I won a Kindle this past December in a Press-wide raffle, I half expected it to become a high tech coaster on my coffee table.  Not only was I unsure that I would use it, but I was resistant to doing so.  My allegiance has always been to print, and I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon because of its vast impact on the publishing industry during my tenure within it.  But, it seemed like the waste of a win if I didn’t give it a try.  And, to my surprise, that little device re-kindle-ed my interest in personal reading.

Why?  I’ve been giving that some thought, and I count five reasons:

• I do not like to commit myself to a book only to find out that I do not want to finish it.  I feel as though I have wasted money.  And, then I have to further tarnish my bookshelf with unfinished oeuvres.  With Kindle, I can read a sample before buying.  Sure, I could go to a bookstore, slump down along the shelves, and do the same.  Or, I could use the “search inside” feature or Google Books or Amazon to scope out my possible reads.  But, these options require me to be in a particular location: in front of a computer or in a store, whereas Kindle allows me to get part of a book essentially in book form for sampling.  With this freedom, I am more willing to explore possible reads, leading me into more books.
• I am impatient.  When I want something, I want it now, and nothing beats having a book that I want in 15 seconds.  Now, nothing sucks more than finding out that a book I want in 15 seconds in not available on Kindle (Amazon, if you are reading, Random Family, please…).  But, in many cases, I ask and it is delivered.
• I am lazy.  I hate losing my place in a book, and then having to shuffle through to find it anew.  Kindle keeps my place.  Even more brilliant, I can lie on one arm, hold the device, and turn the page, never shifting positions.  This seems frivolous, but I promise that it opens up a whole new world of reading “stances.”
• I am a neat freak living in a San Francisco apartment.  Think tiny, and already crowded with bookshelves stacked two rows deep.  So, space saving is appreciated.
• It’s kind of like…reading.  On Kindle, I can highlight passages and take notes, keeping up all of my type A, former English major habits.  And, the e-ink screen doesn’t leave me feeling like I’m looking at yet another glowing box (on top of my iPhone, work laptop, and personal desktop computer).

So, there you have it: the whole truth.  In recent years, publishing has been a rough playground, with shrinking sales, tougher times getting titles into readers’ hands, and the list goes on.  I’ve lamented this in the office, all the while running home to my television, and contributing to the breakdown between readers and books as a consumer. 

If any of my seemingly frivolous reasons for liking the Kindle resonate with dormant readers and lead them to give e-reading a try—whether on a laptop, an iPhone, a Kindle, or any other device—writing this piece and outing myself will have been worth it.  Books—whatever their form—need audiences.  A book is a conversation that we have with an author when he or she is not there.  The world needs those long-form conversations/stories; they are an irreplaceable piece of our social fabric—at least by my thinking.  And, trust me, if we can find a way to get past our everyday hang-ups—whether space, or buyer’s remorse, etc.—reading books feels great.

Some reflections on Chalmers Johnson

Many are familiar with the work of the late Chalmers Johnson, author, pre-eminent scholar of China and Japan, and more recently a sharp critic of American imperialism.  But not many know that his earliest works--those that helped him "set the agenda for ten or fifteen years in social science scholarship on China," according to Wikipedia, were published by Stanford University Press.  Find out more here as Sheila Johnson recounts some highlights of her husband's career in Truthout. 

Minority Women Business Owners Much More Socially Responsible Than Their Male Counterparts

That is just one of the many astonishing statistics that Mary Godwyn and Donna Stoddard discuss in their new book, Minority Women Entrepreneurs: How Outsider Status Can Lead to Better Business Practices.    
  For example, did you know that minority women start new businesses in the U.S. at four times the rate of non-minority women and men?  And yet their stories are seldom told.  Minority Women Entrepreneurs gives voice to these women and, as recent attention in the New York Times and Business Week shows, the world is beginning to pay attention.

Through in-depth interviews and firsthand accounts from minority women entrepreneurs, the authors found that minority women use their outsider status to develop socially conscious business practices that support their communities in innovative and exciting ways. They reject the idea that business values are separate from personal values, and instead balance profits with social good and environmental sustainability. This pattern is repeated in statistical evidence from around the globe, but until now, there was no clear explanation of why. Using sociological and psychological theories, the authors explain the tendency for women, especially minority women, to create socially responsible businesses. The findings in this book suggest fresh solutions to economic inequality and humanistic alternatives to exploitative business policies. Herein lays a radically new, socially integrated model that can be used by businesses everywhere.

 

Forthcoming Event

Don't miss Shahla Talebi discussing her haunting memoir of imprisonment in Iran, Ghosts of Revolution, on Monday April 11 at Changing Hands in Tempe, AZ.

  
Hailed as "trenchant" and "poised" by Kirkus Reviews, Ghosts of Revolution is Talebi's astonishing story, which manages to combine a deeply personal account with a detailed historical and political narrative of violence, torture, trauma, the power of memory, survival and human resilience.

 Talebi points us away from assumptions and oversimplification: this is a story of complex issues, where it is impossible to make sweeping judgments about anything, and where the boundaries between good and evil are blurred.  Her singular position as a survivor of two externally and ideologically very different regimes affords her an extraordinary perspective from which to reflect on the use of imprisonment and torture as a means to a political end—not just in the “Islamic State,” but elsewhere around the world, and even in our own back yard.