Durkheim suggested that the religious categories of “good” and “evil”
represent the power of society to give life, but to also take it away. An odd
example perhaps, the production of a book would seem to verify this
sociological insight. One gets to the end of the road and cannot avoid
the realization that nothing interesting in life happens without a vast,
albeit oftentimes invisible, network of social support.
First and foremost, I would like to thank all the people at Palgrave
Macmillan that I have been fortunate enough to work with over the last
few months. Special thanks go to Sara Crowley Vigneau for her editorial
support. Connie Li and Manoj Mishra, who have worked diligently on
countless aspects of this book, also deserve many thanks.