Monday, October 31, 2016

The Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act

Charles S. Bullock III (University of Georgia), Ronald Keith Gaddie (University of Georgia), Justin J. Wert (University of Oklahoma), The Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act (Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 2016).

"On June 25, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Shelby County v. Holder, invalidating a key provision of voting rights law. The decision—the culmination of an eight-year battle over the power of Congress to regulate state conduct of elections—marked the closing of a chapter in American politics. That chapter had opened a century earlier in the case of Guinn v. United States, which ushered in national efforts to knock down racial barriers to the ballot. A detailed and timely history, The Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act analyzes changing legislation and the future of voting rights in the United States."
Publisher's description

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Idealist Ethics

W.J. Mander (Oxford University), Idealist Ethics (Oxford Univ. Press, 2016).


"W. J. Mander examines the nature of idealist ethics, that is to say, the form and content of ethical belief most typically adopted by philosophical idealists. While there exist many studies of the ethical views of individual idealist philosophers there has been no literature at all on the notion of idealist ethics per se. Never is it asked: at which points, if any, do the ethical systems of all these thinkers overlap, and what relation, if any, do such commonalities bear to their authors' idealism? Never is the question posed: were you suddenly to become convinced of the truth of some form of philosophical idealism what revisions, if any, would that necessitate in your conception of the truth, nature, and significance of ethical judgements?
Publisher's description

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Cultures of Conflict Resolution in Early Modern Europe

Stephen Cummings & Laura Kounine (eds.) (Max Planck Institute for Human Development), Cultures of Conflict Resolution in Early Modern Europe (Rutledge 2016).

"Disputes, discord and reconciliation were fundamental parts of the fabric of communal living in early modern Europe. This edited volume presents essays on the cultural codes of conflict and its resolution in this period under three broad themes: peacemaking as practice; the nature of mediation and arbitration; and the role of criminal law in conflicts. Through an exploration of conflict and peacemaking, this volume provides innovative accounts of state formation, community and religion in the early modern period."


Publisher's description