First published in 1998, this volume takes an international approach theoretical and regional perceptions and experiences of marginality along with some key case studies in Arctic North America, Greenland, Aboriginal Australia and the Republic of Ireland. Its contributors are geographers from all over the world. It is part of a series which aims to publish new scientific work on the dynamism of the marginal and critical regions of the world and concentrates on understanding marginality and its processes, the human process and its agents, comparative approaches and different policy responses to economic, social and environmental problems along with studying the human response to global change and its implications for marginalization.

This book takes a new approach on understanding causes of extreme poverty and promising actions to address it. Its focus is on marginality being a root cause of poverty and deprivation. “Marginality” is the position of people on the edge, preventing their access to resources, freedom of choices, and the development of capabilities. The book is research based with original empirical analyses at local, national, and local scales; book contributors are leaders in their fields and have backgrounds in different disciplines. An important message of the book is that economic and ecological approaches and institutional innovations need to be integrated to overcome marginality. The book will be a valuable source for development scholars and students, actors that design public policies, and for social innovators in the private sector and non-governmental organizations.​

Experimenting with new ways of looking at the contexts, subjects, processes and multiple political stances that make up life at the margins, this book provides a novel source for a critical rethinking of marginalisation. Drawing on post-colonialism and critical assemblage thinking, the rich ethnographic works presented in the book trace the assemblage of marginality in multiple case-studies encompassing the Global North and South. These works are united by the approach developed in the book, characterised by the refusal of a priori definitions and by a post-human and grounded take on the assemblage of life. The result is a nuanced attention to the potential expressed by everyday articulations and a commitment to produce a processual, vitalist and non-normative cultural politics of the margins. The reader will find in this book unique challenges to accepted and authoritative thinking, and provides new insights into researching life at the margins.

The definitions for 'marginality' and 'marginal regions' are vague and differ between academic disciplines. Marginal regions could however be characterized as regions lying off mainstream processes (in a sort of vacuum) both in society and economy, but also in relation to the natural environment and geographical remoteness. Illustrated by a wide range of international case studies, this book provides a complete overview of current research into marginality and examines a wide range of possible development options which could offer hope to marginal regions. It explores the background to various kinds of marginality, describes various types of marginal regions and discusses possible solutions for political, economic and socio-cultural actors to fight the ongoing processes of marginalization. Marginality and marginal regions are looked at from a wide perspective and are seen as being in part the outcome of globalization and deregulation. The book not only discusses practical policy options, but also considers marginality in its relation to ethics and spirituality.

Marginality assumes a variety of forms in current discussions of the Middle Ages. Modern scholars have considered a seemingly innumerable list of people to have been marginalized in the European Middle Ages: the poor, criminals, unorthodox religious, the disabled, the mentally ill, women, so-called infidels, and the list goes on. If so many inhabitants of medieval Europe can be qualified as "marginal," it is important to interrogate where the margins lay and what it means that the majority of people occupied them. In addition, we scholars need to reexamine our use of a term that seems to have such broad applicability to ensure that we avoid imposing marginality on groups in the Middle Ages that the era itself may not have considered as such. In the medieval era, when belonging to a community was vitally important, people who lived on the margins of society could be particularly vulnerable. And yet, as scholars have shown, we ought not forget that this heightened vulnerability sometimes prompted so-called marginals to form their own communities, as a way of redefining the center and placing themselves within it. The present volume explores the concept of marginality, to whom the moniker has been applied, to whom it might usefully be applied, and how we might more meaningfully define marginality based on historical sources rather than modern assumptions. Although the volume’s geographic focus is Europe, the chapters look further afield to North Africa, the Sahara, and the Levant acknowledging that at no time, and certainly not in the Middle Ages, was Europe cut off from other parts of the globe.

Vulnerability has traditionally been conceived as a dichotomised status, where an individual by reason of a personal characteristic is classified as vulnerable or not. However, vulnerability is not static, and most, if not all, people are vulnerable at some time in their lives. Similarly, marginality is a social construct linked to power and control. Marginalised populations are relegated to the perimeters of power by legal and political structures and limited access to resources. Neither are fixed or essential categories. This book draws on international research and scholarship related to these constructs, exploring vulnerability and marginality as they intersect with power and privilege. This exploration is undertaken through the lenses of intimacy and sexuality to consider vulnerability and marginality in the most personal of ways. This includes examining these concepts in relation to a range of professions, including social work, psychology, nursing, and allied health. A strong emphasis on the fluidity and complexity of vulnerability and marginality across cultures and at different times makes this a unique contribution to scholarship in this field. This is essential reading for students and researchers involved with social work, social policy, sociology, and gender and sexuality studies.

A landmark volume exploring covert bias, prejudice, and discrimination with hopeful solutions for their eventual dissolution Exploring the psychological dynamics of unconscious and unintentional expressions of bias and prejudice toward socially devalued groups, Microaggressions and Marginality: Manifestation, Dynamics, and Impact takes an unflinching look at the numerous manifestations of these subtle biases. It thoroughly deals with the harm engendered by everyday prejudice and discrimination, as well as the concept of microaggressions beyond that of race and expressions of racism. Edited by a nationally renowned expert in the field of multicultural counseling and ethnic and minority issues, this book features contributions by notable experts presenting original research and scholarly works on a broad spectrum of groups in our society who have traditionally been marginalized and disempowered. The definitive source on this topic, Microaggressions and Marginality features: In-depth chapters on microaggressions towards racial/ethnic, international/cultural, gender, LGBT, religious, social, and disabled groups Chapters on racial/ethnic microaggressions devoted to specific populations including African Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, indigenous populations, and biracial/multiracial people A look at what society must do if it is to reduce prejudice and discrimination directed at these groups Discussion of the common dynamics of covert and unintentional biases Coping strategies enabling targets to survive such onslaughts Timely and thought-provoking, Microaggressions and Marginality is essential reading for any professional dealing with diversity at any level, offering guidance for facing and opposing microaggressions in today's society.

This edited book uses migrant marginality to problematize several different aspects of global migration. It examines how many different societies have defined their national identities, cultural values and terms of political membership through (and in opposition to) constructions of migrants and migration. The book includes case studies from Western and Eastern Europe, North America and the Caribbean. It is organized into thematic sections that illustrate how different aspects of migrant marginality have unfolded across several national contexts. The first section of the book examines the limitations of multicultural policies that have been used to incorporate migrants into the host society. The second section examines anti-immigrant discourses and get-tough enforcement practices that are geared toward excluding and removing criminalized “aliens”. The third section examines some of the gendered dimensions of migrant marginality. The fourth section examines the way that racially marginalized populations have engaged the politics of immigration, constructing themselves as either migrants or natives. The book offers researchers, policy makers and students an appreciation for the various policy concerns, ethical dilemmas and political and cultural antagonisms that must be engaged in order to properly understand the problem of migrant marginality.

If water resources are to be distributed efficiently, equitably and cost-effectively in this rapidly changing world, then it is clear that current water management practices are no longer feasible. Innovative approaches are required to meet the increasing water demands of a growing world population and economy and the needs of the ecosystems supporting them. New approaches have to be employed at global, national and local levels. In Rethinking Water Management, a new generation of water experts from around the world examine the critical challenges confronting the water profession, including rainwater and groundwater management, recycling and reuse, water rights, transboundary access to water and financing of water. They offer important new perspectives on the use, management and conservation of fresh water, in terms of both quantity and quality, for the domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors, and show how a new set of paradigms can be applied to successfully manage water for the future. Caroline Figueres is Head of the Urban Infrastructure Department at UNESCO-IHE Water Education Institute in The Netherlands.Cecilia Tortajada is Vice President of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico and Vice President-elect of the International Water Resources Association. Johan Rockstr'm is Water Resources Expert at UNESCO-IHE.

This book provides an up-to-date account of the many processes shaping and transforming rural space in various parts of the world. The various case studies focus on the multi-functionality of the rural world and the driving forces behind it. The book demonstrates that rural areas are no longer simply characterized by an agricultural economy, and instead accommodate multiple complementary activities. It also touches upon two major changes that have taken place. The first is the process of rurbanization, which has led to the clear distinction between town and countryside becoming blurred: urban traits have penetrated rural areas, and rural traits have invaded towns. The second change is that rural areas are increasingly seen as multi-functional, providers not only of food and other natural resources but also locations for the generation of renewable energy (wind farms, solar farms, biogas) and regions for the preservation of biodiversity. These transformations have resulted in a new understanding and self-image of rural areas and their populations.