Polity Books

GAZA: This book certainly does not lie in the depiction of Israel's brutal conduct in the Gaza Strip, at the same time it creates a helicopter view that sees a series of misunderstandings and misjudgments on both sides.

RACISM: A neo-conservative movement has made it its virtue to 'expose' especially the political mission of critical race theory, led by Christopher Rufo who believes this constitutes nothing less than an existential threat to the United States. A network of 'Trufers'?

ECOLOGY: In this story, life on the sailboat becomes a microcosm. Tourists' life in the south disturbs the wildlife – while underwater life has been lost due to overfishing, erosion is increasing due to lost kelp forests. Is it possible to understand that the world that supports the body and consciousness is nature itself?

TECHNOLOGY: The more I read in Screen Damage, the stronger the guilt for the damage I must have caused my children. Children between zero and six should not be exposed to screens at all, according to the book.

EU: Europe has never become an adult and responsible player in a multipolar world. And a common foreign and security policy has never gone beyond the sketch plane. Will it happen now?

Netflix: Media professor Amanda Lotz provides some interesting perspectives on the global streaming services' business models and Netflix's success.

PHILOSOPHY: The immune democracy. According to the Italian philosopher Donatella Di Cwesare, there exists today a political culture ruled by the fear of the foreigner and the future, a sham democracy in favor of security, control and short-term competitive considerations. And those who consider themselves "liberal" today have suffered greatly in standing up to the irrational impulses and decisions that govern the market and the pursuit of short-term profit.

Reciprocity: Competition and cooperation are like nature's yin and yang, claim two French biologists. Today, recent biological and psychological research on reciprocity is based on both biochemistry, game theory, empirical examination of symbiotic relationships and the new sociobiology's theories of group selection.

Normality: Mark GE Kelly examines how norms affect important parts of life and our understanding of normality – with regard to sexuality, orientation, body image, identity, illness, death, individualism, hedonism, racism and white privilege.

Ecology: What does this overwhelming information maze of a book really say about ecofascism? Have we ended up in a downward argument that only leads us deeper into conflict-creating dichotomies – us/them, left/right and nice/naughty?

ECOLOGY: In the future, plastics will be the largest driver for continued oil demand – with almost half of global oil demand by 2050.

CAPITALISM: Is not the struggle now about the right not to be exploited, but the right to be allowed to participate? There is much that is valuable in Mikkel Bolt Rasmussen's short book about the possible return of fascism in today's world – but it is weak in terms of empirical documentation.

CARBON FASCISM: Climate change facilitates economic speculation and political positioning. Against corruption, we must prepare not only for a state of emergency, but for a climate war against declared enemies, writes Marc Alizart.

DATING: Marie Bergström looks at modern love and sexuality in connection with online dating. But is online dating really as safe as she claims?

Philosophy: A book by Paul Ricoeur on topics such as the work of art, metaphors, opinion formation and the significance of the French Revolution for Europe's culture and politics.

PSYCHOLOGY: A book about self-esteem, eating disorders, trauma and eternal depression – and love.