The Nexus of Practices: connections, constellations, practitioners brings leading theorists of practice together to provide a fresh set of theoretical impulses for the surge of practice-focused studies currently sweeping across the social disciplines. The book addresses key issues facing practice theory, expands practice theory’s conceptual repertoire, and explores new empirical terrain. With each intellectual move, it generates further opportunities for social research. More specifically, the book’s chapters offer new approaches to analysing connections within the nexus of practices, to exploring the dynamics and implications of the constellations that practices form, and to understanding people as practitioners that carry on practices. Topics examined include social change, language, power, affect, reflection, large social phenomena, and connectivity over time and space. Contributors thereby counter claims that practice theory cannot handle large phenomena and that it ignores people. The contributions also develop practice theoretical ideas in dialogue with other forms of social theory and in ways illustrated and informed by empirical cases and examples. The Nexus of Practices will quickly become an important point of reference for future practice-focused research in the social sciences.

This book examines the interactions between trade policy and foreign and security policy in EU external action as a nexus of practices. Drawing on the rich empirical material of over 50 in-depth interviews with EU officials, members of the European Parliament and member state diplomats, the book reconstructs and analyses the distinctive institutional cultures of the Directorate-General for Trade and the European External Action Service, their policy practices and the effect on EU external action. It appeals to scholars of political science and international relations.

The robots are coming! So too is the ‘age of automation’, the march of ‘invasive’ species, more intense natural disasters, and a potential cataclysm of other unprecedented events and phenomena of which we do not yet know, and cannot predict. This book is concerned with how to account for these non-humans and their effects within theories of social practice. In particular, this provocative collection tackles contemporary debates about the roles, relations and agencies of constantly changing, disruptive, intelligent or otherwise 'dynamic' non-humans, such as weather, animals and automated devices. In doing so contributors challenge and take forward existing understandings of dynamic non-humans in theories of social practice by reconsidering their potential roles in everyday life. The book will benefit sociology, geography, science and technology studies, and human- (and animal-) computer interaction design scholars seeking to make sense of the complex entanglement of non-human phenomena and things in the performance of social practices.

This book is a compilation of papers from the inaugural International Science Education Conference held at the National Institute of Education (Singapore). The title, Science Education at the Nexus of Theory and Practice, reflects a pressing yet ongoing concern worldwide to integrate theory and practice in science education and the reader will find something of interest to both science education practitioners and researchers.

The world of development thinkers and practitioners is abuzz with a new lexicon: the idea of "the nexus" between water, food, and energy which is intuitively compelling. It promises better integration of multiple sectoral elements, a better transition to greener economies, and sustainable development. However, there appears to be little agreement on its precise meaning, whether it only complements existing environmental governance approaches or how it can be enhanced in national contexts. One current approach to the nexus treats it as a risk and security matter while another treats it within economic rationality addressing externalities across sector. A third perspective acknowledges it as a fundamentally political process requiring negotiation amongst different actors with distinct perceptions, interests, and practices. This perspective highlights the fact that technical solutions for improving coherence within the nexus may have unintended and negative impacts in other policy areas, such as poverty alleviation and education. The Water–Food–Energy Nexus: Power, Politics and Justice lays out the managerial-technical definitions of the nexus and challenges these conceptions by bringing to the forefront the politics of the nexus, around two key dimensions – a dynamic understanding of water–food–energy systems, and a normative positioning around nexus debates, in particular around social justice. The authors argue that a shift in nexus governance is required towards approaches where limits to control are acknowledged, and more reflexive/plural strategies adopted. This book will be of interest to academic researchers, policy makers, and practitioners in the fields of international development studies, environmental politics, and science and technology studies, as well as international relations.

"A special feature of the book is its development of the theoretical argument by sustained reference to two historical examples: the medicinal herb business of a Shaker village in the 1850s and contemporary day trading on the Nasdaq market. First focusing on the relative simplicity of Shaker life to illuminate basic ontological characteristics of the social site, Schatzki then uses the sharp contrast with the complex and dynamic practice of day trading to reveal what makes this approach useful as a general account of social existence.

The nexus between best practices and student achievement is demonstrated from the GRASP Project, discovering how some California charter schools with higher academic achievement showed evidence of a greater number of best practices as measured by performance, governance, education program, human resources, business practices, and facilitiesthe education program infrastructure. Surprisingly, technology did not show a correlation for reasons explained in the nexus. Moreover, the nexus is bolstered by administrative, innovation, and competition theory serving as foundations for The Nexus. The Nexus also introduces strategies to implement best practices and process improvements through Lean Six Sigma methods and strategic and action planning. The search for the next practice designed to improve education programs is perpetual. The significance to accreditation is profound as student achievement measures will require metrics paced to reform movements such as Common Core Standards derived from international settings. By the same token, quality education will become clearer as edification through international benchmarks such as ISO 9000 will promote higher standards of excellence. The Nexus conclusions have relevance to all school systems since implementing best practices can elevate student achievement. The reason is clear: the more a school system operates efficiently through best practices and process improvements, the more time is available to the school leadership to devote attention to academic achievement as the ultimate product of education. And for those invested in school improvement, a higher value-added education with a higher return on investment.