Essential Reads from Combined Academic Publishers Spring/Summer 2022 Animal Revolution
Automation Is a Myth
Animals are staging a revolu�on—they’re just not telling us. From radioac�ve boar invading towns to jellyfish disarming ba�leships, this book threads together news accounts and more in a powerful and �mely work of crea�ve, specula�ve nonfic�on that imagines a revolu�on s�rring and asks how humans can be a part of it.
For some, automa�on will usher in a labor-free utopia; for others, it signals a disastrous age-tocome. Munn moves from machine minders in China to warehouse pickers in the United States to explore the ways that new technologies do (and don't) reconfigure labor. Combining this rich array of human stories with insights from media and cultural studies, Munn points to a more nuanced, localized, and racialized understanding of the "future of work."
Ron Broglio Illustrations by Marina Zurkow
The animals are staging a revolu�on and we didn't even realise? A fantas�c book, with beau�ful yet intriguing illustra�ons, talking about just how far nature will go to fight back against the human takeover of earth. A reminder that we (as humans) remain part of something expanding wider than our socie�es. A definite must read. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS
Luke Munn
Automa�on is a Myth starts by de-bunking the myths that machines will replace us all in the workplace one day. Munn explains the nuances of machine capability and work replacement, ul�mately building a fantas�c array of human stories and insights into the future of work. STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS March 2022 184pp 9781503631427 £16.99 PB
April 2022 25 b&w illus. 160pp 9781517912444 £16.99 PB
Charged
China in the World
A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future James Morton Turner
Culture, Politics, and World Vision Ban Wang Shows how ancient visions persist even as China has adopted and revised the Western na�on-state form. Wang traces the shi�ing concept of the Chinese state from the late nineteenth century to the present, showing how the Confucian no�on of �anxia—“all under heaven”—influences China’s dedica�on to contribu�ng to and exchanging with a common world.
Unpacks the history of ba�eries to explore why solving “the ba�ery problem” is cri�cal to a clean energy transi�on. At a �me when climate ac�vists focus on what a clean energy future will create, considering the history of ba�eries offers a sharp reminder of what building a clean energy future will consume—lithium, graphite, nickel, and other specialized materials. It's becoming obvious to us all just how necessary green energy is going to become. With our increasing reliance on technology, and the ba�eries it uses, this is an excellent star�ng place for understanding how we can solve this issue the ba�ery issue the world over.
There are many misconcep�ons about China; Ban Wang traces the evolu�on of modern China from the late nineteenth century to the present, presen�ng the Chinese worldview as one looking toward an equal world. DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PRESS
Series: Sinotheory
May 2022 12 b&w illus. 9780295750248 £26.99 HB
March 2022 3 illus. 232pp 9781478010845 £19.99 PB
Denial
Discovering Fiction
How We Hide, Ignore, and Explain Away Problems Jared Del Rosso
Yan Lianke Translated by Carlos Rojas A�er emerging as one of the most important writers in the world, eminent Chinese novelist Lianke offers insights into his views on literature and realism, the major works that inspired him, and his theories of wri�ng. Revealing and instruc�ve, this book gives readers an unprecedented look into the mind and art of a literary giant.
In a highly readable style that draws on examples from current events, poli�cs, and pop culture, Del Rosso builds a fascina�ng typology of the forms and meanings of denial, exploring the behavior of those who refuse to acknowledge their ac�ons, and what it means to live in a society where such lying, fraud, and corrup�on is commonplace. In an age of "fake news", this book shines a light on how people across the world, o�en get so caught up in it, even when it's harmful to us. Denial illustrates how we so o�en miss the truths right in front of us and how we, as a people, are o�en so willing to get caught up in our denial of these truths. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS July 2022 320pp 9781479828968 £20.99 HB
This new book from Yan Lianke, one of China’s most popular novelists and best known in English transla�on, outlines his theories on the nature of realism in literature and on wri�ng. Discovering Fic�on also provides a cap�va�ng insight into the workings of a brilliant mind and novelist. DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS Series: Sinotheory June 2022 160pp 9781478018308 £17.99 PB