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E-book The Global Encyclopaedia of Informality : A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Informal Problem-Solving in Human Life

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Penilaian

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In the post-apocalyptic scenario of Douglas Adams’ 1979 novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, one person escapes the destruction of Earth and struggles to explain to aliens what humanity was like. Other sci-fi civilisations may be more advanced, but they fail to understand us. It may be that they are missing the informal dimension that escapes offi-cial records and data monitoring but remains central for problem-solving in human life. This volume aims to fill that void.Our journey to the world’s open secrets, unwritten rules and hidden practices starts at a crossroads in Amsterdam, a YouTube video of which has attracted millions of viewers (2018). The video captures the intricate way in which pedestrians, cyclists and car and truck drivers negotiate the right of way at a complex crossroads, which is a perfect metaphor for the invisibility, omnipresence and importance of unwritten rules on the one hand, and human cooperation on the other.Figure 0.0.1 depicts both the complexity of the constraints that shape daily routines and the role of human contact in overcoming them, often without much awareness on the part of the participants. The metaphor of driving is a perfect example of interaction between culture-specific behaviours and universally accepted rules.Humans are social animals. Yuval Harari emphasises the crucial role of cooperation in the rise of humans over other species (2011). Social cooperation has made us what we are. We are born connected to other people, and as we grow up we cooperate initially with family and friends, before gradually expanding our connections to our neigh-bourhood, school, town, country and the world. Just as cooperation is a profound part of our life story, it runs deep through our economies and societies. Routes of migration, maps of networks, directions of trade, mutual help and sharing access to resources, and economic and political activities presented in this volume are all aspects of human cooperation. Human cooperation is also a major source of meaning and happiness for human beings. The COVID-19 pandemic, as a natural experiment, showed that while digital technology allows people to cooperate produc-tively from remote locations, it falls short of providing the experience that makes them mentally healthy and happy. Human beings need to be close to each other, to smile, to rub shoulders, to share a joke and to laugh at it together. The pandemic has proved that informality is essential for mental health, well-being, and happiness at individual and societal levels all over the world. Not surprisingly, during lockdown many companies and individuals tried, with limited success, to recreate informal gather-ings online.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

320.531 RIV t

Penerbit

London : UCL Press., 2024

Deskripsi Fisik

669 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9781800086142

Klasifikasi

320.531

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

Vol. 3

Subjek

Socialism

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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