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Zimbabwe (The Evolution of Africa's Major Nations)
by Michael BaughanRhodesia, a country in southern Africa, was a fairly prosperous British colony until the mid-1960s; however, the black African majority of Rhodesia was ruled by a handful of white leaders. The country fought Great Britain in a 15-year war for independence, which it ultimately achieved in 1980. Zimbabwe, as the new country became known, saw its prosperity decline dramatically under Robert Mugabe, its first ruler. He seized total control over the country and persecuted his political enemies. In recent years, Mugabe's policies--such as military involvement in the Congolese civil war and a land redistribution program--as well as government corruption have devastated the country economically. Although Mugabe's agreed to a power-sharing arrangement in 2009, many political issues remain unresolved. As a result, the future of Zimbabwe is uncertain.
Zimbabwe
by Hany BesadaFormerly one of Africa s most promising economies, Zimbabwe has begun a process of economic reconstruction after decades of political turmoil and economic mismanagement. The advent of a national unity government in February 2009 launched a new but still tentative era of political stability. The government has a daunting political and economic agenda. Top priorities include restoring the rule of law, demonstrating fiscal responsibility, and putting in place macroeconomic and structural reforms to win the confidence of domestic and international investors. An optimistic time frame for its socio-economic recovery is now estimated to be at least ten years. Zimbabwe: Picking Up the Pieces chronicles the steps that led to the downturn of the Zimbabwean state and economy before assessing what can be done to resuscitate a once-thriving society. Leading experts from and on the region explore the country s options on key governance issues, from strengthening institutions to addressing food security to promoting private sector development to mobilizing donor country assistance. This collection offers a unique glimpse into a fragile state and the severe costs Zimbabweans have and will have to endure if there is to be any hope of recovery.
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches and Development in Zimbabwe
by Ezra ChitandoThere is a growing realization that religion plays a major role in development, particularly in the Global South. Whereas theories of secularization assumed that religion would disappear, the reality is that religion has demonstrated its tenacity. In the specific case of Zimbabwe, religion has remained a positive social force and has made a significant contribution to development, particularly through the Zimbabwe Council of Churches. This has been through political activism, contribution to health, education, women’s emancipation, and ethical reconstruction. This volume analyzes the contribution of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches to development in the country.
The Zimbabwean Crisis after Mugabe: Multidisciplinary Perspectives (Routledge Contemporary Africa)
by Tendai MangenaThis book examines the ways in which political discourses of crisis and ‘newness’ are (re)produced, circulated, naturalised, received and contested in Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe. Going beyond the ordinariness of conventional political, human and social science methods, the book offers new and engaging multi-disciplinary approaches that treat discourse and language as important sites to encounter the politics of contested representations of the Zimbabwean crisis in the wake of the 2017 coup. The book centres discourse on new approaches to contestations around the discursive framing of various aspects of the socio-economic and political crisis related to significant political changes in Zimbabwe post-2017. Contributors in this volume, most of whom experienced the complex transition first-hand, examine some of the ways in which language functions as a socio-cultural and political mechanism for creating imaginaries, circulating, defending and contesting conceptions, visions, perceptions and knowledges of the post-Mugabe turn in the Zimbabwean crisis and its management by the "New Dispensation". This book will be of interest to scholars of African studies, postcolonial studies, language/discourse studies, African politics and culture.
The Zimbabwean Maverick: Dambudzo Marechera and Utopian Thinking (Literary Criticism and Cultural Theory)
by Shun Man CHOW-QUESADAThis book seeks to unfold the complexity within the works of Dambudzo Marechera and presents scholars and readers with a way of reading his works in light of utopian thinking. Writing during a traumatic transitional period in Zimbabwe’s history, Marechera witnessed the upheavals caused by different parties battling for power in the nation. Aware of the fact that all institutionalized narratives – whether they originated from the colonial governance of the UK, Ian Smith’s white minority regime, or Zimbabwe’s revolutionary parties – appeal to visions of a utopian society but reveal themselves to be fiction, Marechera imagined a unique utopia. For Marechera, utopia is not a static entity but a moment of perpetual change. He rethinks utopia by phrasing it as an ongoing event that ceaselessly contests institutionalized narratives of the postcolonial self and its relationship to society. Marechera writes towards a vision of an alternative future for the country. Yet, it is a vision that does not constitute a fully rounded sense of utopia. Being cautious about the world and the operation of power upon the people, rather than imposing his own utopian ideals, Marechera chooses instead to destabilize the narrative constitution of the self in relation to society in order to turn towards a truly radical utopian thinking that empowers the individual.
Zimbabwe’s International Relations: Fantasy, Reality and the Making of the State
by Julia GallagherZimbabwe is a state that has undergone significant ruptures in its domestic and international politics in recent years. This book explores how Zimbabwean citizens have, under difficult circumstances, reconstructed ideas of their state by imagining the wider world. Unlike other work on international relations, which tends to focus on the state level, this book is based on the accounts of ordinary people. Drawing on interviews with more than two hundred Zimbabweans, collected over three years, Gallagher explores how citizens draw on emotional responses to the international to find and construct different 'others'. While this unique and compelling read will appeal to those researching Zimbabwe, Gallagher's wider conclusions will interest those studying and advancing the broader theoretical debates of international relations.
Zionism and Melancholy: The Short Life of Israel Zarchi (New Jewish Philosophy and Thought)
by Nitzan Lebovic“Lebovic reveals a great deal about the work of Zarchi and the melancholic mindset of an entire generation of contemporary Israelis . . . Highly recommended.” —ChoiceNitzan Lebovic claims that political melancholy is the defining trait of a generation of Israelis born between the 1960s and 1990s. This cohort came of age during wars, occupation and intifada, cultural conflict, and the failure of the Oslo Accords. The atmosphere of militarism and conservative state politics left little room for democratic opposition or dissent.Lebovic and others depict the failure to respond not only as a result of institutional pressure but as the effect of a long-lasting “left-wing melancholy.” In order to understand its grip on Israeli society, Lebovic turns to the novels and short stories of Israel Zarchi. For him, Zarchi aptly describes the gap between the utopian hope present in Zionism since its early days and the melancholic reality of the present. Through personal engagement with Zarchi, Lebovic develops a philosophy of melancholy and shows how it pervades Israeli society.
Zionism, Palestinian Nationalism and the Law: 1939-1948 (UCLA Center for Middle East Development (CMED))
by Steven E. ZippersteinDuring the last decade of the British Mandate for Palestine (1939–1948), Arabs and Jews used the law as a resource to gain leverage against each other and to influence international opinion. The parties invoked "transformational legal framing" to portray the essentially political-religious conflict as a legal dispute involving claims of justice, injustice, and victimisation, and giving rise to legal/equitable remedies. Employing this form of narrative and framing in multiple "trials" during the first 15 years of the Mandate, the parties continued the practice during the last and most crucial decade of the Mandate. The term "trial" provides an appropriate typology for understanding the adversarial proceedings during those years in which judges, lawyers, witnesses, cross-examination, and legal argumentation played a key role in the conflict. The four trials between 1939 and 1947 produced three different outcomes: the one-state solution in favour of the Palestinian Arabs, the no-state solution, and the two-state solution embodied in the United Nations November 1947 partition resolution, culminating in Israel's independence in May 1948. This study analyses the role of the law during the last decade of the British Mandate for Palestine, making an essential contribution to the literature on lawfare, framing and narrative, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict.
A Zionist among Palestinians (Encounters)
by Mubarak Awad Edward Edy Kaufman Hillel BardinA Zionist among Palestinians offers the perspective of an ordinary Israeli citizen who became concerned about the Israeli military's treatment of Palestinians and was moved to work for peace. Hillel Bardin, a confirmed Zionist, was a reservist in the Israeli army during the first intifada when he met Palestinians arrested by his unit. He learned that they supported peace with Israel and the then-taboo proposal for a two-state solution, and that they understood the intifada as a struggle to achieve these goals. Bardin began to organize dialogues between Arabs and Israelis in West Bank villages, towns, and refugee camps. In 1988, he was jailed for meeting with Palestinians while on active duty in Ramallah. Over the next two decades, he participated in a variety of peace organizations and actions, from arranging for Israelis to visit Palestinian communities and homes, to the joint jogging group "Runners for Peace," to marches, political organizing, and demonstrations supporting peace, security, and freedom. In this very personal account, Bardin tries to come to grips with the conflict in a way that takes account of both Israeli-Zionist and Palestinian aims.
Zionist Israel and Apartheid South Africa: Civil society and peace building in ethnic-national states (Routledge Studies on the Arab-Israeli Conflict)
by Amneh BadranThis book is a comparison of two ethnic-national "apartheid" states – South Africa and Israel – which have been in conflict, and how internal dissent has developed. In particular it examines the evolution of effective white protest in South Africa and explores the reasons why comparably powerful movements have not emerged in Israel. The book reveals patterns of behaviour shared by groups in both cases. It argues that although the role played by protest groups in peace-building may be limited, a tipping point, or ‘magic point’, can become as significant as other major factors. It highlights the role played by intermediate variables that affect the pathways of protest groups: such as changes in the international system; the visions and strategies of resistance movements and their degree of success; the economic relationship between the dominant and dominated side; and the legitimacy of the ideology in power (apartheid or Zionism). Although the politics and roles of protest groups in both cases share some similarities, differences remain. Whilst white protest groups moved towards an inclusive peace agenda that adopts the ANC vision of a united non-racial democratic South Africa, the Jewish Israeli protest groups are still, by majority, entrenched in their support for an exclusive Jewish state. And as such, they support separation between the two peoples and a limited division of mandatory Palestine / ‘Eretz Israel’. This timely book sheds light on a controversial and explosive political issue: Israel being compared to apartheid South Africa.
Zion's Dilemmas: How Israel Makes National Security Policy
by Charles D. FreilichIn Zion's Dilemmas, a former deputy national security advisor to the State of Israel details the history and, in many cases, the chronic inadequacies in the making of Israeli national security policy. Chuck Freilich identifies profound, ongoing problems that he ascribes to a series of factors: a hostile and highly volatile regional environment, Israel's proportional representation electoral system, and structural peculiarities of the Israeli government and bureaucracy.Freilich uses his insider understanding and substantial archival and interview research to describe how Israel has made strategic decisions and to present a first of its kind model of national security decision-making in Israel. He analyzes the major events of the last thirty years, from Camp David I to the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, through Camp David II, the Gaza Disengagement Plan of 2000, and the second Lebanon war of 2006.In these and other cases he identifies opportunities forgone, failures that resulted from a flawed decision-making process, and the entanglement of Israeli leaders in an inconsistent, highly politicized, and sometimes improvisational planning process. The cabinet is dysfunctional and Israel does not have an effective statutory forum for its decision-making-most of which is thus conducted in informal settings. In many cases policy objectives and options are poorly formulated. For all these problems, however, the Israeli decision-making process does have some strengths, among them the ability to make rapid and flexible responses, generally pragmatic decision-making, effective planning within the defense establishment, and the skills and motivation of those involved. Freilich concludes with cogent and timely recommendations for reform.
Zirkulares Grundeinkommen und Nullzinspolitik: Eine Lösung für zwei Probleme (essentials)
by Eduard LukschandlDie Einführung eines Zirkularen Grundeinkommens wird die beiden Hauptziele eines Bedingungslosen Grundeinkommens erreichen: Allen Menschen wird die Möglichkeit gegeben, in Würde leben zu können, und die Ärmsten und Armutsgefährdeten können ein erträgliches Leben führen. Das Zirkulare Grundeinkommen stellt zugleich die Lösung für das Problem der EZB dar, mit einer zeitlich befristeten Geldmengenerhöhung das Inflationsziel von zwei Prozent zu erreichen, um die Wirtschaft anzukurbeln. Eduard Lukschandl zeigt in dem Band, warum die Einführung einer Komplementärwährung der Nullzinspolitik überlegen ist.
Zivil - Gesellschaft - Staat
by Thomas Bibisidis Jaana Eichhorn Ansgar Klein Christa Perabo Susanne RindtDer Band thematisiert die Bedeutung der Freiwilligendienste hinsichtlich ihrer Potenziale und Wirkungen für die Zivilgesellschaft, ihre Handlungsfelder und Rahmenbedingungen und nimmt die beteiligten Akteure in den Blick. Dabei geht es um Entwicklungslinien, Profildiskussionen und aktuelle Debatten, u. a. zu Fragen der Qualitätssicherung, zum Bildungsbegriff, der politischen Indienstnahme von Freiwilligendiensten, zur Arbeitsmarktneutralität und zum Trägerprinzip als konstitutivem Merkmal der Freiwilligendienste.
Zivilgesellschaft in Subsahara Afrika
by Walter EberleiDer ,,arabische Frühling" hat vielfaches Erstaunen über die Kraft zivilgesellschaftlicher politischer Arbeit ausgelöst. So unbemerkt wie das Pulverfass in Nordafrika entstand, so unbeachtet scheinen auch die gesellschaftspolitischen Dynamiken in den Ländern südlich der Sahara zu sein. Die Wahrnehmung politischer Entwicklungen in diesem ärmsten Teil der Welt begrenzt sich vielfach auf zerfallene Staaten wie Somalia, korrupte Kleptokratien wie Simbabwe oder in schier endlosen Kriegen und Konflikten versunkene Länder wie dem Kongo. Der Band beschäftigt sich mit gesellschaftspolitischen Dynamiken jenseits dieser Extreme, genauer: mit dem vielfach erkennbaren Phänomen verstärkter zivilgesellschaftlicher politischer Einflussnahme in Subsahara Afrika. Das Autorenteam leistet einen Beitrag dazu, diese neuere politische Entwicklung zu verstehen und seine Ausprägungen zu erklären.
Zivilgesellschaft und Stadtöffentlichkeit: Eine akteurszentrierte Analyse der kommunikativen Figuration der Stadt
by Katharina Heitmann-WernerStadtöffentlichkeiten sind bunt, vielfältig und heterogen. Besonders deutlich wird dies bei der Analyse der beteiligten Akteure. Denn während klassische Öffentlichkeitsakteure, wie etwa lokale Medien bereits vielfach wissenschaftlich erforscht worden sind, nimmt dieses Buch eine Akteursgruppe unter die Lupe, die bisher aus kommunikations- und medienwissenschaftlicher Perspektive wenige Beachtung erfahren hat. Zivilgesellschaftliche Kollektive wie Sportvereine, soziale Bewegungen oder Kunst- und Kultureinrichtungen prägen mit ihren vielfältigen Angeboten und Aktionen das Stadtbild. Gleichzeitig prägen sie auch die städtische Öffentlichkeit, indem sie sich aktiv an ihrer Konstitution beteiligen. Die Autorin identifiziert sieben unterschiedliche Typen zivilgesellschaftlicher Kollektive, die jeweils ganz eigene Medienpraktiken und -ensembles zur öffentlichen Kommunikation einsetzen. Sie verfolgen dabei sehr unterschiedliche Ziele innerhalb der Stadtöffentlichkeit und agieren innerhalbjeweils sehr verschiedener Netzwerke. Das Buch stellt die äußerst relevante Rolle dieser Akteure bei der Öffentlichkeitskonstitution heraus und zeigt, dass es gewinnbringend ist, Akteure von Stadtöffentlichkeiten nicht isoliert zu erforschen, sondern innerhalb ihrer Beziehungsgefüge zu anderen Akteuren der Stadtöffentlichkeit.
Zivilgesellschaftliche Koordination in der kommunalen Selbstverwaltung: Eine komparative Untersuchung administrativ-politischer Verfahren und kommunalpolitischer Prozesse
by Peter-Georg AlbrechtKommunale Selbstverwaltung lässt sich allein weder institutionen-affin noch wettbewerbswirtschaftlich-freiheitlich oder kritisch-emanzipatorisch verwirklichen. Der Band analysiert ausgewählte Verfahren und Prozesse in der kommunalen Bau-, Wirtschafts- und Sozialpolitik sowie Ordnungs- und Sicherheitspolitik. Er gibt Empfehlungen für kommunalpolitische Akteure und Verwaltungsleitungen, die auf Basis eines Konzepts der zivilgesellschaftlichen Koordination handeln wollen. Die interessierte Leserin und den interessierten Leser erwarten eine detailreiche Einführung, ein breiter Überblick sowie eine dichte Beschreibung verschiedener Verfahren, Prozesse und Handlungsfelder.
Zivilgesellschaftliches Wirtschaften: Ein konzeptioneller Vorschlag (essentials)
by Philipp Degens Lukas LapschießGegenstand dieses essentials ist die Erarbeitung und theoretische Auskleidung einer eigenständigen Konzeption zivilgesellschaftlichen Wirtschaftens. Dazu bietet es eine Einführung in die Begriffe des Wirtschaftens und des Gemeinwohls und diskutiert verschiedene Perspektiven auf Zivilgesellschaft als eigenständige Sphäre bzw. Dritter Sektor, als spezifische, zivile Handlungsweise und als utopisches Projekt. Es werden Kernmerkmale, Prinzipien und normative Gehalte der Zivilgesellschaft identifiziert und auf wirtschaftliches Handeln und wirtschaftliche Organisationen übertragen. Hier zeigt sich, dass zivilgesellschaftliches Wirtschaften im weiten Sinne als notwendigerweise gemeinwohlorientiert verstanden werden kann und im engen Sinne ausschließlich demokratisch verfasstes Wirtschaften für das Gemeinwohl bezeichnet. Der Band hat damit einführenden Charakter und legt darüber hinaus auch eine eigene Positionierung vor.
Zizek's Politics
by Jodi DeanA critical introduction to the political thought of one of the most important, original and enigmatic philosophers writing today. Zizek's Politics provides an original interpretation and defence of the Slovenian philosopher's radical critique of liberalism, democracy, and global capital.
Zola: An Intellectual Quest for Justice (Peacemakers)
by Ramin JahanbeglooThis book examines the figure of the public intellectual through the work of Émile Zola in the Dreyfus affair. It analyzes Zola’s famous letter “J’Accuse” supporting Alfred Dreyfus and its philosophical and political consequences for the intellectual world, including Indian public intellectuals. The volume is an examination of the critical role that can be played by public intellectuals today by referring to the “J’Accuse” model and a homage to the ideal of living decently and truthfully through the exercise of critical reason and moral excellence. Accessible and comprehensive, the book will be essential reading for students of philosophy and critical reasoning. It will be of interest to general readers as well.
Zola and the Victorians: Censorship in the Age of Hypocrisy
by Eileen HorneLondon, 1888: Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of Whitechapel; national strikes and social unrest threaten the status quo; a grave economic crisis is spreading across the Atlantic . . . Yet Her Majesty's government is preoccupied with "a mere book" - or rather, a series of books: new translations of the Rougon-Macquart saga by French literary giant Émile Zola.In his time, Zola made his British contemporaries look positively pastoral; much of his work is considered shocking and transgressive even now. But it was his English publisher who bore the brunt of the Victorians' moral outrage at Zola's "realistic" depictions of striking miners, society courtesans and priapic, feuding farmers.Seventy years before Lady Chatterley's Lover broke the back of British censorship, Henry Vizetelly's commitment to publishing Zola, and to the nascent principle of free speech, not only landed him in the dock and thereafter in prison, but brought to ruin to the publishing house he had founded. Meanwhile, Zola was going from strength to strength, establishing his reputation as a literary legend and falling in love with a woman half his age.This lively, humorous and ultimately tragic tale is an exploration of the consequences of translation and censorship which remains relevant today for readers, publishers and authors everywhere.
Zola and the Victorians: Censorship in the Age of Hypocrisy
by Eileen HorneLondon, 1888: Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of Whitechapel; national strikes and social unrest threaten the status quo; a grave economic crisis is spreading across the Atlantic . . . Yet Her Majesty's government is preoccupied with "a mere book" - or rather, a series of books: new translations of the Rougon-Macquart saga by French literary giant Émile Zola.In his time, Zola made his British contemporaries look positively pastoral; much of his work is considered shocking and transgressive even now. But it was his English publisher who bore the brunt of the Victorians' moral outrage at Zola's "realistic" depictions of striking miners, society courtesans and priapic, feuding farmers.Seventy years before Lady Chatterley's Lover broke the back of British censorship, Henry Vizetelly's commitment to publishing Zola, and to the nascent principle of free speech, not only landed him in the dock and thereafter in prison, but brought to ruin to the publishing house he had founded. Meanwhile, Zola was going from strength to strength, establishing his reputation as a literary legend and falling in love with a woman half his age.This lively, humorous and ultimately tragic tale is an exploration of the consequences of translation and censorship which remains relevant today for readers, publishers and authors everywhere.
The Zolta Configuration
by David QuammenQuammen's second novel before he became a celebrated nature writer is a gripping nuclear espionage story.
Zona a defender
by Manuel RivasUn libro comprometido sobre el mundo en el que vivimos y el que debemos dejar en herencia. La literatura de Manuel Rivas vuelve a intervenir en el mundo. En un mundo centrado en el rendimiento económico e industrial, este libro propone una perspectiva esperanzada y literaria sobre la necesidad de impulsar un cambio de significado de palabras como «sociedad», «naturaleza», «poder», «individuo», «cultura» o «creación», y de encontrar un espacio de reflexión sobre lo que nos falta. En cada página brilla el compromiso social y ecológico del autor, su sensibilidad, su ironía y la belleza de su prosa. En el mundo deberían multiplicarse las zonas a defender. Aquello que debería estar más defendido es lo más vulnerable. Lo más inseguro. ¡Mayday! Defiendo una internacional de las conciencias indóciles que ya no dejará dormir a las conciencias tranquilas.Defiendo la posibilidad. El primer paso es decir: «Es posible». Defiendo la posibilidad de ser humanos. Defiendo una república de iguales, una ruptura con la corrupción. Defiendo un nuevo contrato de la sociedad con la naturaleza. Defiendo una austeridad fértil, una abundancia creativa. Defiendo una soledad solidaria. Defiendo un nuevo lenguaje imaginativo contra la política del daño. Defiendo un humor amoratado, sabotear el dogmatismo con ironía. Defiendo un feminismo que emancipe a las mujeres y libere a los hombres del «histerismo masculino». Defiendo descolonizar la imaginación, contar historias para sostener el cielo. Defiendo una nueva lucha por la libertad. Defiendo la prohibición en la posesión de armas, con una excepción: la risa. Defiendo el acuerdo entre generaciones. Defiendo el arte de la escucha, defiendo ver lo que no está «bien visto». Defiendo la democracia afectiva. Defiendo los libros demasiado largos, las películas demasiado lentas. Defiendo el arte de caer. Defiendo pensar lo impensable. Hago boxeo de sombras. Camino por el horizonte enfermo. El pesimismo rebelde va de la mano de una esperanza indócil. MANUEL RIVAS La crítica ha dicho:«Manuel Rivas ha escrito un libro contundente: Contra todo esto. Hecho a toque de corneta, para la rebelión. ¿Vamos hacia la utopía o hacia la distopía? ¿Qué se puede cambiar en este mundo cochambroso? Para leer en traje (civil) de campaña.»Luisgé Martín «Escrito con un lirismo que hace que cada página se deguste dulcemente [y] en sintonía con una indignación que cada vez vemos más representada en pensadores, Manuel Rivas transporta al lector a un mundo mejor, un mundo posible. Un ensayo necesario especialmente en estos tiempos en los que la pandemia nos ha distanciado aún más de nuestros mayores, pero que a la vez ha servido para evidenciar queel sistema en el que vivimos no es ni justo, ni eficaz.»Ahora Qué Leo, La Sexta «Una señal de socorro en forma de libro donde se expone sin resguardo y su única arma defensiva es la palabra. [...] A Manuel Rivas el parque le sienta bien y es testigo del gran narrador oral que es. Te hipnotiza.»Marta de la Calzada, Telva «Rivas es un clásico indiscutible.»The Scotsman «Manuel Rivas es un narrador importante porque es sensible y tiene un oído increíble que, en su ficción, está aliado con una gran integridad.»John Berger «Rivas desvela el alma de los espacios, lo que guardan o contienen en tanto que expresión de emblema del carácter de un pueblo.»Ana Rodríguez Fischer, Babelia «Un autor que sabe cómo introducir la poesía no solo en sus frases, sino también en su manera de ver el mundo.»Raphaëlle Rérolle, Le Monde «Rivas nunca pierde la fe en la capacidad humana para superar la más
Zone
by Charlotte Mandell Mathias Énard Brian EvensonOne of the truly original books of the decade--written as a single, hypnotic, propulsive, physically irresistible sentence--Zone tells the story of a French Intelligence agent on his way to the Vatican to sell a briefcase of secrets. Over the course of his train ride, he thinks back over his life and all the damage he's caused in this violent century.
The Zone: An Alternative History of Paris
by Justinien TribillonAN OUTSIDER&’S GUIDE TO MODERN PARISIn The Zone, Justinien Tribillon takes the reader on a tour of an eponymous Parisian hinterland. The site of dreams and nightmares, from Van Gogh&’s paintings to the cinematic violence of La Haine, the Zone, so often misun- derstood, is the key to understanding today&’s Paris, and even France itself.Originally the site of defensive walls, alongside which mushroomed makeshift housing, allotments, and dancehalls in the nineteenth century, the Zone has performed many functions and been a place of contention for two centuries. Dismantled in the 1920s, the fortifications were first replaced with gardens, stadia and homes. After the war came the Boulevard Périphérique, a ring road promising seamless travel in a futuristic car-centric Paris. With the ring road came new dreams of modernity in reinvented suburbs: new towns, high-rise architecture and social housing built at record speed. Yesterday&’s Paris made way for tomorrow&’s banlieue.But the metropolitan dream was never realised. The Zone became a symbol of division: between inner and outer cities; between the bourgeois centre and the working-class immigrant outskirts; between &‘us&’ and &‘them&’. The Zone, both a physical space and a powerful myth, came to crystallise the social, spatial and ethno-racial differences between Paris and the banlieue.The Zone is a brilliant anatomy of the true heart of Paris. An essential book for urbanists and historians.