Synopses & Reviews
This radical new analysis of international politics reveals the crucial role of women in implementing governmental foreign policies, be it Soviet
Glasnost, Britain's dealings in the EEC, or the NATO alliance. Cynthia Enloe pulls back the curtain on the familiar scenesgovernments restricting imported goods, bankers negotiating foreign loans, soldiers serving overseasand shows that the real landscape is less exclusively male.
Bananas, Beaches and Bases shows how thousands of women tailor their marriages to fit the demands of state secrecy; how foreign policy would grind to a halt without secretaries to handle money transfers or arms shipments; and how women are working in hotels and factories around the world in order to service their governments' debts.
Enloe also challenges common assumptions about what constitutes "international politics." She explains, for example, how turning tacos and sushi into bland fast foods affects relations between affluent and developing countries, and why a multinational banana company needs the brothel outside its gates. And she argues that shopping at Benneton, wearing Levis, working as a nanny (or employing one) or planning a vacation are all examples of foreign policy in action.
Bananas, Beaches and Bases does not ignore our curiosity about arms dealers, the President's men or official secrets. But it shows why these conventional clues are not sufficient for understanding how the international political system works. In exposing policymakers' reliance on false notions of "feminity" and "masculinity," Enloe dismantles a seemingly overwhelming world system, exposing it to be much more fragile and open to change than we are usually led to believe.
Review
"Julie Sze has written a perceptive and engaging account of the hopes and dreams embodied in Dongtan and why the project was such an abysmal failure. A mix of critique and reportage, the weaving of a theoretical approach with that of a traveler whose father coincidentally grew up on Chongming, Sze masterfully unpicks the strands of what was intended as the worldand#8217;s largest new environmental city. . . . An impressive achievement in looking through new eyes at Chinaand#8217;s efforts to deal with its environmental challenges."
Review
"Sze's exploration of the official self-delusion and public eco-desires that sustain fantasies such as Dongtan is compelling. . . . What Sze's exploration of the narratives of eco-modernism shows well is how flexible the creed of environmentalism can be and#8211; and how that quality can be manipulated."
Review
"Recommended reading for both those trying to get to grips with green purchasing in developing countries, as well as those interested in what the people on the street think of planning green and thinking huge. It is also a refreshing read compared to media coverage on the issue, which tends to label developments as 'hilarous' or 'bizarre', or just interview the big names involved, without providing much on-the-ground insight."
Review
"Carbon-neutral, zero-waste and home to 500,000 people: the Chinese eco-city of Dongtan seemed a radical urban dream. But the city, to be sited near Shanghai on Chongming and#8212; the worldand#8217;s biggest alluvial island and#8212; remains a blueprint. As Julie Sze argues in this thoughtful . . . analysis of Chinese and#8220;eco-desireand#8221;, the culprit could be irreconcilable beliefs in harmony with nature, and the ability of autocratic political structures to enact radical change."
Review
"A fascinating story for readers interested in modern China, urban history, and global studies of ecology and the environment!"
Review
andquot;A thought-provoking new book.andquot;
Review
andquot;Fantasy Islands accessibly introduces paradoxes of greening Chinaand#39;s future.andquot;
Synopsis
The rise of China and its status as a leading global factory are altering the way people live and consume. At the same time, the world appears wary of the real costs involved.
Fantasy Islands probes Chinese, European, and American eco-desire and eco-technological dreams, and examines the solutions they offer to environmental degradation in this age of global economic change.
Uncovering the stories of sites in China, including the plan for a new eco-city called Dongtan on the island of Chongming, mega-suburbs, and the Shanghai World Expo, Julie Sze explores the flows, fears, and fantasies of Pacific Rim politics that shaped them. She charts how climate change discussions align with US fears of China's ascendancy and the related demise of the American Century, and she considers the motives of financial and political capital for eco-city and ecological development supported by elite power structures in the UK and China. Fantasy Islands shows how ineffectual these efforts are while challenging us to see what a true eco-city would be.
Synopsis
The rise of China and its status as a leading global factoryand#151;combined with an increasing desire worldwide for inexpensive toys, clothes, and foodand#151;are altering the way people live and consume. At the same time, the world appears wary of the real costs of this desire: toys drenched in lead paint, dangerous medicines, and tainted pet food. Examining sites in China, including the plan for a new eco-city called Dongtan on the island of Chongming, suburbanization projects, and the Shanghai World Expo, Julie Sze interrogates Chinese, European, and American eco-desire and the eco-technological fantasies that underlie contemporary development of global cities and mega-suburbs.
Sze frames her analysis of these case studies in the context of the problems of global economic change and climate crisis, and she explores the flows, fears, and fantasies of Pacific Rim politics that shaped plans for Dongtan. She looks at the flow of pollution from Asia to the United States (ten billion pounds of airborne pollutants annually). Simultaneously, she considers the flow of financial and political capital for eco-city and ecological development between elite power structures in the UK and China, and charts how climate change discussions align with US fears of Chinaand#8217;s ascendancy and the related demise of the American Century. Fantasy Islands examines how fears and fantasies about China and about historical and political power change the American imagination.
Synopsis
"This is the work of a well-travelled feminist mulling over the inequalities of the postmodern world. In a lively overview of tourism, the food industry, army bases, nationalism, diplomacy, global factories, and domestic work, Enloe persuasively argues that gender is key to the workings of international relations."Aihwa Ong, University of California, Berkeley
Synopsis
This magnificently produced atlas provides a unique visual survey of the profound economic, political, and social changes taking place in China, as well as their implications for the world at large. Completely revised and updated throughout, this new edition of
The State of China Atlas marks a radical departure from conventional cartography and provides a fast, highly effective way of conveying large amounts of information through the medium of the map.
China is the world's fastest-growing economy and the second-largest trading nation. With its entrepreneurial outlook and population of 1.3 billion, it offers unique opportunities for domestic and overseas investors. This dynamic volume provides an abundance of information on China's new wealth, growing unemployment, migration to the cities, and trade disputes. It dramatically reveals China's clashes of priorities: between population growth and the one-child family policies; human rights and political stability; energy needs and the environment. Maps and graphics beautifully illustrate current trends in areas such as the gender gap, national minorities, traffic, investment, marriage and divorce, education, tobacco trade and use, religion, AIDS and SARS, ageing and dependency, and cell phone use.
* Completely revised and updated
* Vivid full-color maps convey a wealth of information quickly and efficiently
* Comprehensive information on China's population, employment, agriculture, industry, and economics
Copub: Myriad Editions Limited
Synopsis
"Clear, comprehensive, and focused on the most crucial issues facing the country."and#151;Marc Blecher, Oberlin College
"A great visual introduction to the diversity of China."and#151;Tony Saich, Harvard University
"The State of China Atlas fills a vital gap, ranging from population, economic growth, and political leadership through to social and environmental development."and#151;John Gittings, former Asia editor, The Guardian
About the Author
Cynthia Enloe is Professor of Government and International Relations at Clark University and is the author of many books, including
Does Khaki Become You? The Militarization of Women's Lives and
Ethnic Soldiers: State Security in Divided Societies.
Cynthia Enloe won the Howard Zinn Lifetime Achievement in Peace Studies Award from the Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA).
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Fear, Loathing, Eco-Desire: Chinese Pollution in a Transnational World
2. Changing Chongming
3. Dreaming Green: Engineering the Eco-City
4. Itand#8217;s a Green World After All? Marketing Nature and Nation in Suburban Shanghai
5. Imagining Ecological Urbanism at the World Expo
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index