Violence has only increased in Mexico since 2000: 23,000 murders were recorded in 2016, and 29,168 in 2017. The abundance of laws and constitutional amendments that have cropped up in response are mirrored in Mexico's fragmented cultural production of the same period. Contemporary Mexican literature grapples with this splintered reality through non-linear stories from multiple perspectives, often told through shifts in time. The novels, such as Jorge Volpi's Una novela criminal [A Novel Crime] (2018) and JuliAn Herbert's La casa del dolor ajeno [The House of the Pain of Others] (2015) take multiple perspectives and follow non-linear plotlines; other examples, such as the very short stories in !Basta! 100 mujeres contra la violencia de gEnero [Enough! 100 Women against Gender-Based Violence] (2013), also present multiple perspectives. Few scholars compare cultural production and legal texts in situations like Mexico, where extreme violence coexists with a high number of human rights laws. Unlawful Violence measures fictional accounts of human rights against new laws that include constitutional amendments to reform legal proceedings, laws that protect children, laws that condemn violence against women, and laws that protect migrants and indigenous peoples. It also explores debates about these laws in the Mexican house of representatives and senate, as well as interactions between the law and the Mexican public.

Up in Arms provides an illustrative and timely window onto the ways in which guns shape people's lives and social relations in Texas. With a long history of myth, lore, and imaginaries attached to gun carrying, the Lone Star State exemplifies how various groups of people at different historical moments make sense of gun culture in light of legislation, political agendas, and community building. Beyond gun rights, restrictions, or the actual functions of firearms, the book demonstrates how the gun question itself becomes loaded with symbolic firepower, making or breaking assumptions about identities, behavior, and belief systems. Contributors include: Benita Heiskanen, Albion M. Butters, Pekka M. Kolehmainen, Laura Hernandez-Ehrisman, Lotta Kahkoenen, Mila Seppala, and Juha A. Vuori.

This book offers an outside-in look at American cultural peculiarities that helps Americans, see ourselves as others see us -and vice versa. "American Cultural Baggage" lets both Americans and the rest of the world in on things most Americans don't know, about themselves and their values and how those things are perceived by others. Americans will learn of the impression they make, while others will gain insight into the curious tribal values of Americans.

In pre-Revolutionary War America, libraries were member-driven collections for the elite; it was not until 1790 that Benjamin Franklin helped to establish the first public lending library. Throughout the subsequent centuries the library has evolved, but always remained central to the cultural life of the nation. Thomas R. Schiff 's photographs trace the history of the library through aesthetic and style while featuring legendary architects such as Charles F. McKim; Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge; and I. M. Pei. The Library Book beautifully captures the shifting architectural styles and missions of the library in sweeping 360-degree panoramas-from the very earliest American libraries to the modernist masterpieces of Louis I. Kahn and others. In his introductory essay, acclaimed author and library lover Alberto Manguel considers the story of the library in America, its evolving architecture and cultural role, and how the American model reflects the archetypal idea of the universal library. Including brief descriptions of each unique library, this book brings bibliophiles into one hundred libraries across the nation.

Controversial poetry played a crucial role in dealing with religious, political, and scholarly conflicts from 1400 until 1625. This volume analyses roles and functions of Latin, Italian, Dutch, German, Scots, and Hungarian poetry in specific historical controversies. A media theory of poetical impact is proposed by Franz-Josef Holznagel and Dieuwke van der Poel. Levente Selaf, Philipp Steinkamp, and Guillaume van Gemert examine the genres sung in wars, and in rulers' controversies. Judith Kessler, Dirk Coigneau, Juliette Groenland, and Regina Toepfer analyse how female and male rhetoricians and humanists use verse in religious, municipal, and educational conflicts. Signe Rotter-Broman, Samuel Pakucs Willcocks, and Alasdair A. MacDonald explain how reception strategies can shape cultural and political identities. Controversial Poetry 1400-1625 diskutiert den entscheidenden Einfluss von Controversial Poetry, Kontrovers-Dichtung, in Konflikten zwischen 1400 und 1625. Dafur werden die Rollen und Funktionen lateinischer, italienischer, niederlandischer, deutscher, schottischer und ungarischer Dichtung in konkreten historischen Kontroversen analysiert. Eine Medientheorie der Beeinflussung durch Dichtung entwerfen Franz-Josef Holznagel and Dieuwke van der Poel. Levente Selaf, Philipp Steinkamp, and Guillaume van Gemert untersuchen verschiedene Gattungen gesungener Politik in Kriegen und Auseinandersetzungen von Herrschern. Judith Kessler, Dirk Coigneau, Juliette Groenland und Regina Toepfer analysieren, wie weibliche und mannliche rederijkers und Humanisten Verse in konfessionellen, stadtischen und Bildungs-Konflikten verwenden. Signe Rotter-Broman, Samuel Pakucs Willcocks und Alasdair MacDonald erklaren, wie Rezeptions-Strategien kulturelle und politische Identitaten gestalten koennen.

In Private Salons and the Art World of Enlightenment Paris, Rochelle Ziskin explores in depth two remarkable private gatherings generating significant art criticism during the middle of the eighteenth century. She demonstrates how the sites harboring them came to embody and disseminate their judgments. One politically active group assembled at the house Mme Doublet shared with amateur Petit de Bachaumont; at her "Mondays" for artists, Mme Geoffrin collaborated with the powerful lover of antiquity Caylus and amateurs including Mariette and Watelet. In focusing on official Salons of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, historians too often overlook the crucial role of these frequent, regular assemblies, where works of art were quite often first assessed and taste shaped. This book will appeal to readers interested in eighteenth-century French artistic culture, journalism, and women's patronage. The painters discussed include Boucher, Van Loo, Charles Coypel, Cochin, Vien, Pierre, Lagrenee, and Hubert Robert.

Every month tons of green tea travel from China to West Africa in a movement that largely thrives beyond the attention of Western observers. In this trade, Malian merchants assumed a central role. They travel to China, visit family gardens and the factories, which process and package the product. Together with their Chinese suppliers, they select the tea leaves and create their brand. On Bamako's largest market, the Grand Marche, more than a hundred different tea brands are found, whose packages have colourfully, often eye-catching designs with brand-names such as Gazelle, Tombouctou, Arafat and Obama. This book explores the unique tea culture that celebrates with its brands the strength of desert animals, the fading glory of trading places, the excitement of social events and the accomplishments of admired politicians.

Self-reflection is fundamental for human thinking on many levels. Philosophy has described the mind's capacity to observe itself as a core element of human existence. Political and social sciences have shown how modern democracies depend on society's ability to critically reflect on their own values and practices. And literature of all ages has proven self-reflexivity to be a crucial trait of cultural production. This volume provides the first diachronic panorama of genres, forms, and functions of literary self-reflection and their connections with social, political and philosophical discourses from the 17th century to the present. Far beyond the usual focus on postmodernist opacity, these contributions present a rich tradition of critical transparency: Literary texts that show us what is behind and beyond them.

Multicultural Implications of Neuroethics: Issues in the Application of Neuroscience underscores the need for theory, research, and cultural perspective within neuroethics to thoughtfully address the ethical issues that arise from the application of neuroscience on an international scale. The text introduces readers to essential concepts in neuroethics, including cultural neuroethics, the foundation of neuroscience, and methodological issues. Dedicated chapters explore the key principles of neuroethics and various theoretical perspectives, including Western, Eastern, and Middle Eastern views. Readers will examine neuroethics and cultural issues, including discussions of brain enhancement and personnel selection using neuroscience, application of neuroscience in education, brain and neurofeedback methods, treatment of psychiatric and mental health conditions using neuroscience, and the application of neuroscience in law. Closing chapters address topical issues including the future of neuroethics with discussions on the use of nanotechnology, cultural considerations of neuroethical applications, informed consent, and how best to advance neuroscience. Featuring cutting-edge, essential research, Multicultural Implications of Neuroethics is an exemplary text for students and professionals in psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience, neurology, counselor education, educational neuroscience, as well as any social science that integrates research and practices inspired by neuroscience.

The present book examines the cultural diversities of the Northeast region in India. The chapters cover various aspects of cultural forms and practices of the communities. It serves as a bridge between vanishing cultural forms and their commodification, on the one hand, and their cultural ritual origins, evolution and significance in identity formation, on the other. The book analyses the continuity of cultural forms, their plural embodied representations associated with people's belief systems and their reinventions under globalisation. Further, the book underlines historical forces such as colonialism and religious conversion that transformed socio-cultural practices. Yet some of the pre-colonial, ritual-performative traditions hold on. Theoretically rich in analysis, this book presents a balanced view of the region's historical, ethnic-folk and socio-cultural aspects. The book is invaluable to students and researchers in cultural studies, anthropology, folklore, history and literature. It is also helpful for those critical readers engaged in research and interested in Northeast cultural forms and practices.

Timescapes of Waiting explores the intersections of temporality and space by examining various manifestations of spatial (im-)mobility. The individual articles approach these spaces from a variety of academic perspectives - including the realms of history, architecture, law and literary and cultural studies - in order to probe the fluid relationships between power, time and space. The contributors offer discussion and analysis of waiting spaces like ante-chambers, prisons, hospitals, and refugee camps, and also of more elusive spaces such as communities and nation-states. Contributors: Olaf Berwald, Elise Brault-Dreux, Richard Hardack, Kerstin Howaldt, Robin Kellermann, Amanda Lagji, Margaret Olin, Helmut Puff, Katrin Roeder, Christoph Singer, Cornelia Wachter, Robert Wirth.

Multiculturalism, Social Justice, and the Community: Contemporary Readings provides students with an introduction to the flawed nature of definitions of race and ethnicity, and how these definitions contribute to disparate treatment, especially in the criminal justice system. The anthology examines majority group discrimination and bias and their impact on minority groups. It also provides policy recommendations designed to improve police-minority relationships. Unit I introduces the concept of multiculturalism and features articles that explore why minority groups are disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system and why it's imperative for criminological theories to not only examine the social status of justice-involved minorities but also the ways in which they are targeted and treated by mainstream society. In Unit II, the readings examine social justice issues through the intersectional lenses of class, race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. In Unit III, students explore how communities have shifted, changed, and, in some cases, reinforced segregation because of income and class status. Each unit features an engaging introduction, summary, and student study questions. Designed to address timely topics within our global society, Multiculturalism, Social Justice, and the Community is an excellent resource for courses and programs in social and criminal justice.

Gender and Sexuality in the Southern United States provides students with engaging and thought-provoking readings that examine the intersection of sex, gender, and sexuality in the American South. The anthology emphasizes the myriad identities and expressions present in the South and the rich opportunities available for sociological study in the region. The anthology is divided into five distinct units. In Unit I, students read articles that provide them with a brief primer on the Southern U.S. and why it remains a unique region. Unit II explores issues of Southern womanhood, including performances of religiosity, gender inequality, and conception, pregnancy, and abortion. Unit III features readings that examine masculinities in the South. These articles discuss hunting and the masculine ideal, collegiate athletics and the mascotting of Black masculinity, and how the ideas of honor, mastery, and independence fuel the South's concept of the masculine. Unit IV features readings on trans and non-binary Southerners. The final unit discusses Southern queer history, the lives of lesbians and Black gay men in the South, and the struggle of the "toxic closet" for gay people living in conservative areas. Gender and Sexuality in the Southern United States is an ideal resource for courses in gender studies, gender and sexuality, and sociology.

This first and only English translation of Rong Xinjiang's The Silk Road and Cultural Exchanges Between East and West is a collection of 28 papers on the history of the Silk Road and the interactions among the peoples and cultures of East and Central Asia, including the so-called Western Regions in modern-day Xinjiang. Each paper is a masterly study that combines information obtained from historical records with excavated materials, such as manuscripts, inscriptions and artefacts. The new materials primarily come from north-western China, including sites in the regions of Dunhuang, Turfan, Kucha, and Khotan. The book contains a wealth of original insights into nearly every aspect of the complex history of this region.

Institutions like schools, hospitals, and universities are not well known for having quality, healthy food. In fact, institutional food often embodies many of the worst traits of our industrialized food system, with long supply chains that are rife with environmental and social problems and growing market concentration in many stages of food production and distribution. Recently, however, non-profit organizations, government agencies, university research institutes, and activists have partnered with institutions to experiment with a wide range of more ethical and sustainable models for food purchasing, also known as values-based procurement. Institutions as Conscious Food Consumers brings together in-depth case studies from several of promising models of institutional food purchasing that aim to be more sustainable, healthy, equitable, and local. With chapters written by a diverse set of authors, including leaders in the food movement and policy researchers, this book: Documents growing interest among non-profit organizations and activists in institutional food interventions through case studies and first-hand experiences; Highlights emerging evidence about how these new procurement models affect agro-food supply chains; and Examines the role of policy and regional or geographic identity in promoting food systems change. Institutions as Conscious Food Consumers makes the case that institutions can use their budgets to change the food system for the better, although significant challenges remain. It is a must read for food systems practitioners, food chain researchers, and foodservice professionals interested in values-based procurement.

This book delves into the public character of public theology from the sites of subalternity, the excluded Dalit (non) public in the Indian public sphere. Raj Bharat Patta employs a decolonial methodology and explores the topic in three parts: First, he engages with 'theological contexts,' by mapping global and Indian public theologies and critically analysing them. Next, he discusses 'theological companions,' and explains 'theological subalternity' and 'subaltern public' as companions for a subaltern public theology for India. Finally, Patta explains 'theological contours' by discussing subaltern liturgy as a theological account of the subaltern public and explores a subaltern public theology for India.

"Reader in Religion and Popular Culture" is the classroom resource the field has been waiting for. It provides key readings as well as new approaches and cutting-edge work, encouraging a broader methodological and historical understanding. It is the first anthology to a trace broader themes of religion and popular culture across time and across very different types of media. With a combined teaching experience of over 30 years dedicated to teaching undergraduates, Lisle Dalton and Eric Mazur have ensured that the pedagogical features and structure of the volume are valuable to both students and their professors: - Divided into a number of units based on common semester syllabi- Provides a blend of materials focussed on method with materials focussed on subject- Each unit contains an introduction to the texts - Each unit is followed by questions designed to encourage or enhance post-reading reflection and classroom discussion- A glossary of terms from the unit's readings is provided, as well as suggestions for further reading and investigation- Online resource provides guidance on accessing some of the most useful interesting resources available onlineThe Reader is suitable as the foundational textbook for any undergraduate course on religion and popular culture.