Culture in Minds and Societies: Foundations of Cultural Psychology presents a new look at the relationship between people and society, produces a semiotic theory of cultural psychology and provides a dynamic treatment of culture in human lives. This book makes a decisive break from the post-modernist theoretical framework that considers knowledge as local and situation-specific. It restores the goal of construction of general knowledge to the social sciences. While recognizing the uniqueness of all human personal experience from birth to death, it emphasizes the universality of cultural organization of human minds and societies.

In early modern China, a major revival of Buddhism coincided with a surging fascination with theater. Buddhist monastics and laypeople increasingly participated in viewing, discussing, and writing plays. Far from merely serving as a medium for conveying religious teachings and practices, drama became a source of deep concern for Buddhists due to the perceived tension between spiritual discipline and worldly entertainment.

In Performing Enlightenment, Mengxiao Wang examines how Buddhist clerics and laity engaged with and drove innovations in theater during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Drawing on an extensive range of sources-including clerical sermons, scriptural commentaries, temple gazetteers, morality books, literati prose, and dramatic texts and paratexts-Wang argues that Ming-Qing Buddhists resolved the conflict between religion and entertainment by transforming theater into a creative mode of devotional practice. Consequently, playwriting, stage performance, and theatergoing all emerged as legitimate pathways to spiritual enlightenment. This interdisciplinary work provides fresh insights into Chinese studies, Buddhist studies, and theater studies while offering a comparative perspective on the complex interplay between religion, literature, and performance across cultures.

"This brilliant recapitulation and rethinking of higher education studies, inviting engagement with scholars everywhere, is one of the most important books in the field for many years. The conversation about the future of universities, learning and research is no longer a Euro-American monopoly but is genuinely multipolar, and authors from China, where higher education and science are flourishing, are at the forefront of global thinking."

- Simon Marginson, University of Oxford, UK

"This volume attests to the field's vigorous development and the deepening integration of Chinese higher education research within the global scholarly community. It also showcases a new generation of higher education scholars in China, who combine a strong sense of historical continuity with a broad, outward-looking vision."

- Rui Yang, The University of Hong Kong, China

This edited book explores how increasing complexity in higher education has led researchers to adopt interdisciplinary approaches, integrating insights from sociology, psychology, gender studies, economics, geopolitics, philosophy, geography and data-driven methodologies such as big data analysis, CV analysis and natural language processing. It offers a nuanced analysis of the interplay between higher education and other societal sectors, showcasing the field's openness and dynamism. The book also examines how advanced technologies push research boundaries, enabling a more holistic grasp of knowledge. Aimed at academics, policymakers, and research students, it provides rich insights into the multi-faceted nature of higher education, highlighting the value of a multidisciplinary lens and suggesting directions for future research.

This book examines how young people and those who work with them think, feel, experience and represent gender in Australian secondary schools. In the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, the authors engaged with culturally diverse recent school leavers across all sectors of schooling, in focus groups, interviews and a series of arts-based workshops. The findings provide important evidence of the need for a more sustained and coherent commitment from all levels of government as well as within schools to pursuing gender justice if young people are to flourish and exit their schooling equipped to participate in a democratic, inclusive and equitable society. The book will appeal to students and academics who are interested in teacher education and the sociology of gender, as well as teachers and policymakers who are keen to better understand the complexities and necessities of pursuing gender justice in schools.

Storied Advice for Aspiring Latinas in Educational Leadership is a powerful anthology of lived wisdom, resilience, and cultural pride. Co-edited by Latina practitioners and researchers in K-12 and higher education, this collection offers deeply personal and transformative guidance for the next generation of Latina leaders.

Each chapter is a heartfelt consejo-a culturally rooted piece of advice-passed down with love, intention, and the hope of lighting the path for others. In Latino/a culture, consejos are more than words; they are teaching tools, vessels of shared knowledge, and acts of resistance against erasure. Through these stories, readers gain insight into the non-traditional and often challenging journeys of Latina educators who have carved out space in leadership despite systemic barriers.

This book speaks directly to every Latina who has ever been told, "Calladita te miras mas bonita"-you look prettier when you're quiet. The authors respond in one unified voice, rejecting silence and embracing the power of truth-telling. Their experiences confront the realities of the glass ceiling, cultural stereotypes, and the lack of representation in leadership roles, while offering hope, strategy, and solidarity.

Whether you're an aspiring educator, a seasoned leader, or someone seeking to understand the Latina experience in education, this book is a call to action, a celebration of identity, and a roadmap for change.

The purpose of this book is to understand the tensions, perspectives and experiences of teachers as they work to create more inclusive mindsets and identities despite working in an educational system that allows for ability profiling and disability stigma in schools. This work fills a gap in the literature in that not much is known about the journeys teachers take as they come to identify as inclusive educators. Utilizing poetic inquiry, this book captures teachers' journeys through transcription poetry to offer more nuanced insights into their thoughts and experiences.

This book engages with masculinity in modern and contemporary Buddhism in Sri Lanka (1850-today) through the lens of exemplary male religious leaders, politicians and the culture of boys' education since the late nineteenth century. Through mixed methods, archival and original historical source material such as newspapers, school archives, oral history and ethnography, this book analyses the dynamic power structures of hegemonic masculinity within this hegemonic religious context of Buddhist nationalism in Sri Lanka. The book adds to existing scholarship through a new perspective and approach as well as new material and new connections drawn between that material. It is a perfect read for scholars working in the intersection of gender, religion and power.

This book aims to reveal how the human mind's search for order in the face of uncertainty and complexity leads to belief systems which have no scientific basis, while exploring the harms of such beliefs at individual and societal levels. Conspiracy theories, paranormal beliefs, and pseudoscientific claims can negatively affect individuals' decision-making processes, health choices, and social ties. The book aims to provide a holistic analysis of those phenomena by bringing together the perspectives of different disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, media studies, and philosophy of science. In particular, cognitive biases and social identity theory play a key role in explaining why these beliefs are attractive. As a work, it is distinct in that it not only approaches these issues from a critical perspective but also offers solution-oriented strategies to help readers acquire critical thinking skills and use scientific methods effectively.

Participation in education is essential in fostering the full agency of people within society. Higher education is subject to a variety of rights for students, and often these rights are protected by law or by university policy. Rights and Responsibilities in Higher Education explores how higher education institutions have responded to this human-rights-based approach to higher education.

Introducing the concept of educational rights and their role in the emerging university of the twenty-first century, the chapters in this collection delve into how educational stakeholders must understand the nature of rights and the role they play in shaping, often implicitly, an institution's ethos, customs, norms, and traditions, and how educational rights should be reflected in the institution's mission, vision, and values statements. The expertly collated contributions do not assume that rights are universal at all higher education institutions. The authors explore how historical, politico-legal, economic, sociocultural, colonial and environmental context impacts university rights and responsibilities.

Rights and Responsibilities in Higher Education is appealing reading for any educator interested in higher education institutions' educational development.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended education systems across the globe, forcing an unprecedented shift from traditional classrooms to emergency remote learning. As students and educators navigated this new terrain, their motivation was tested like never before.

This volume explores how motivation and achievement were shaped by the pandemic's disruptions. Drawing on research from nine countries, it presents a rich tapestry of theoretical and empirical insights into how learners and teachers adapted, coped, and sometimes thrived under extraordinary circumstances. With 12 chapters spanning diverse educational systems and perspectives, the book offers perspectives about a rare "natural experiment" in understanding motivation during uncertainty, stress, and change.

Essential reading for researchers, educators, and policymakers, Motivation and Achievement During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic not only documents a pivotal moment in educational history but also offers guidance for building more resilient, equitable, and motivating learning environments in the post-pandemic world.

This book explores the link between higher education and possibility by examining the role of educational environments in cultivating knowledge, skills, as well as imaginative and transformative capacities essential for addressing complex social challenges. It discusses how encouraging possibility thinking can trigger new cognitive processes and empower students to imagine, question, and innovate through criticality and cooperation, hence contributing meaningfully to the transformation of society and solving its global problems.

A short yet concise reflection on the importance for students to imagine alternatives, think critically, create, and collaborate, this volume prompts to cultivate educational environments that contribute to societal progress toward human and ecological well-being. Boasting a combination of theory and practice, as well as practical pedagogical insights, this is a timely and inspiring read for academics interested in possibility studies, critical, creative and cooperative thinking, education, and related fields.

Academic Talk for Higher Education brings together several current debates around oracy, dialogic teaching, and the role that academic talk can play in both widening access to higher education and creating more equitable learning opportunities.

Exploring the notion that a focus on purposefully using academic discourse in university classroom settings can support students to better engage, argue, and connect with their learning, peers, and educators, Academic Talk for Higher Education examines the relationship between spoken language, equity, and academic preparedness for higher education, and provides a theoretical and empirical account of policy drivers and widening participation cohorts. Working with extensive prior research conducted by the authors focused on 'alternative pathway' teaching contexts-Enabling Education in Australia and Foundation Year Programmes in the UK-chapters draw on teachers' perspectives and experiences of academic literacies to conceptualise the need for more explicit pedagogic focus on academic talk.

Concluding with an agenda for both policy and practice to value academic talk as a vehicle for equity, the authors offer recommendations for how to explicitly embed academic talk into the higher education curriculum, and particularly in academic preparation contexts. This is significant at a time of great turbulence in the higher education sectors in both the UK and Australia, and when activities to support widening participation, retention and progression of all university students are needed more than ever.

Leading the Transition toward Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Schools brings together powerful first-person narratives and the latest educational research to explore how educational leaders pursue culturally responsive and sustaining practices that can reshape K-12 education for the better.

This timely and essential volume highlights the work of school leaders, teacher leaders, district administrators, special education advocates, and external consultants from across the United States who are actively leading change in their communities. In sharing their stories, educational practitioners and their partners (researchers, consultants, community leaders) illuminate their personal motivations, the strategies attempted, and the challenges faced. Together, these voices offer a rich, multidimensional portrait of what it takes to create inclusive learning environments in K-12 schools.

Leading the Transition toward Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Schools offers insights for navigating systemic challenges with courage, care, and a commitment to justice. A vital resource for practitioners and students of educational leadership, this book moves the field further down the path toward schools where all students can thrive.

Discourse Analysis in Practice: Perspectives and Lessons Learned is a comprehensive and multifaceted exploration of discourse analysis methodologies and their applications across a range of contemporary issues and contexts. By compiling contributions from diverse scholars, this book aims to highlight the versatility and depth of discourse analysis, showcasing its potential to uncover hidden power dynamics, societal structures, and cultural implications within various discourses. The book extends current knowledge in the field, offering new insights and critical perspectives that address previously unrecognized or infrequently considered topics. It serves as both a reference volume and a practical guide for academics, researchers, and practitioners, enhancing their understanding and application of discourse analysis in their respective domains.

The primary audience for this book is educators and researchers who are interested in implementing discourse analysis in their research and/or practice in K-16 contexts. Readers can utilize this book as a reference guide to gain insights into various discourse analysis methodologies and their applications. It serves as an advanced guide for conducting research and analyzing different types of discourse in educational, social, and political contexts.