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Books > Humanities > History > Theory & methods > General

Paradata and Transparency in Virtual Heritage (Hardcover, New Ed): Anna Bentkowska-Kafel, Hugh Denard Paradata and Transparency in Virtual Heritage (Hardcover, New Ed)
Anna Bentkowska-Kafel, Hugh Denard
R4,733 Discovery Miles 47 330 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Computer-Generated Images (CGIs) are widely used and accepted in the world of entertainment but the use of the very same visualization techniques in academic research in the Arts and Humanities remains controversial. The techniques and conceptual perspectives on heritage visualization are a subject of an ongoing interdisciplinary debate. By demonstrating scholarly excellence and best technical practice in this area, this volume is concerned with the challenge of providing intellectual transparency and accountability in visualization-based historical research. Addressing a range of cognitive and technological challenges, the authors make a strong case for a wider recognition of three-dimensional visualization as a constructive, intellectual process and valid methodology for historical research and its communication. Intellectual transparency of visualization-based research, the pervading theme of this volume, is addressed from different perspectives reflecting the theory and practice of respective disciplines. The contributors - archaeologists, cultural historians, computer scientists and ICT practitioners - emphasize the importance of reliable tools, in particular documenting the process of interpretation of historical material and hypotheses that arise in the course of research. The discussion of this issue refers to all aspects of the intellectual content of visualization and is centred around the concept of 'paradata'. Paradata document interpretative processes so that a degree of reliability of visualization outcomes can be understood. The disadvantages of not providing this kind of intellectual transparency in the communication of historical content may result in visual products that only convey a small percentage of the knowledge that they embody, thus making research findings not susceptible to peer review and rendering them closed to further discussion. It is argued, therefore, that paradata should be recorded alongside more tangible outcomes of research, preferably as an integral part of virtual models, and sustained beyond the life-span of the technology that underpins visualization.

The Birth of the Past (Hardcover): Zachary S. Schiffman The Birth of the Past (Hardcover)
Zachary S. Schiffman; Foreword by Anthony T. Grafton
R1,657 Discovery Miles 16 570 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

How did people learn to distinguish between past and present? How did they come to see the past as existing in its own distinctive context? Zachary Sayre Schiffman explores these questions in his sweeping survey of historical thinking in the Western world.

Today we automatically distinguish between past and present, labeling things that appear out of place as "anachronisms." Schiffman shows how this tendency did not always exist and how the past as such was born of a perceived difference between past and present.

Schiffman takes readers on a grand tour of historical thinking from antiquity to modernity. He shows how ancient historians could not distinguish between past and present because they conceived of multiple pasts. Christian theologians coalesced these multiple pasts into a single temporal space where past merged with present and future. Renaissance humanists began to disentangle these temporal states in their desire to resurrect classical culture, creating a "living past." French enlighteners killed off this living past when they engendered a form of social scientific thinking that measured the relations between historical entities, thus sustaining the distance between past and present and relegating each culture to its own distinctive context.

Featuring a foreword by the eminent historian Anthony Grafton, this fascinating book draws upon a diverse range of sources--ancient histories, medieval theology, Renaissance art, literature, legal thought, and early modern mathematics and social science--to uncover the meaning of the past and its relationship to the present.

History and the Testimony of Language (Paperback): Christopher Ehret History and the Testimony of Language (Paperback)
Christopher Ehret
R1,170 Discovery Miles 11 700 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book is about history and the practical power of language to reveal historical change. Christopher Ehret offers a methodological guide to applying language evidence in historical studies. He demonstrates how these methods allow us not only to recover the histories of time periods and places poorly served by written documentation, but also to enrich our understanding of well-documented regions and eras. A leading historian as well as historical linguist of Africa, Ehret provides in-depth examples from the language phyla of Africa, arguing that his comprehensive treatment can be applied by linguistically trained historians and historical linguists working with any language and in any area of the world.

Reclaiming African History (Paperback): Jacques Depelchin Reclaiming African History (Paperback)
Jacques Depelchin
R678 Discovery Miles 6 780 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Depelchin's thought-provoking essays show that through African histories it is possible to reconnect to all the histories of those who have been disconnected: shackdwellers, the poor, the dispossessed. His analysis of African history demonstrates how peoples have been forced into looking at their own histories through a shattered mirror, deliberately and forcefully crushed so as to render the exercise impossible. But, Depelchin says, history could be written in a way that would help break the mould and free it from being hostage, consciously and unconsciously, to European and US historical intellectual frameworks. Reclaiming African history enables a reconnection to humanity - not just for the sake of Africa, but for the sake of those who did everything to bury African history.

Small Worlds - Method, Meaning, & Narrative in Microhistory (Paperback, illustrated edition): Small Worlds - Method, Meaning, & Narrative in Microhistory (Paperback, illustrated edition)
R1,040 Discovery Miles 10 400 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Growing unease with grand theories of modernization and global integration brought twelve scholars from four disciplines to the School for Advanced Research for an experiment with the research genre known as microhistory. These authors now call for a return to narrative, detailed analysis on a small scale, and the search for unforeseen meanings embedded in cases. The essential feature of this perspective is a search for significance in the microcosm, the large lessons discovered in small worlds. Urging the recognition of potential commonalities among archaeology, history, sociology, and anthropology, the authors propose that historical interpretation should move freely across disciplines, historical study should be held up to the present, and individual lives should be understood as the intersection of biography and history. The authors develop these themes in a kaleidoscope of places and periods--West Africa, the Yucatan peninsula, Italy, Argentina, California, Brazil, Virginia, and Boston, among others. They illuminate discrete places, people, and processes through which both the intimacy of lived experience and the more distant forces that shaped their days can be viewed simultaneously.

The Philosophy of History - An Introduction (Paperback): Liza Thompson The Philosophy of History - An Introduction (Paperback)
Liza Thompson; Mark Day
R1,097 Discovery Miles 10 970 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This is the definitive companion to the study of the philosophy of history. It provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to all the major philosophical concepts, issues and debates raised by history. Ideal for undergraduate students in philosophy and history, the structure and content closely reflect the way the philosophy of history is studied and taught. The book offers a lucid treatment of existing approaches to the philosophy of history and also breaks new ground by extending the major debates in this area of growing philosophical interest. Subjects examined include: the centrality of historical language; objections to historical truth and realism; the relationship between the philosophy of history and the philosophy of science; historical interpretation and narrative; philosophical accounts of historical reasoning from the evidence. The text clearly presents and criticizes the arguments of the major philosophers and historians who have contributed to our understanding of the philosophy of history. Mark Day's rigorous analysis is supplemented by useful pedagogical features, including key examples from historical and philosophical writing; summaries of core debates; study questions; and guides to further reading.

The American History Highway: A Guide to Internet Resources on U.S., Canadian, and Latin American History - A Guide to Internet... The American History Highway: A Guide to Internet Resources on U.S., Canadian, and Latin American History - A Guide to Internet Resources on U.S., Canadian, and Latin American History (Paperback)
Dennis A. Trinkle
R1,354 Discovery Miles 13 540 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This brand new addition to the acclaimed "History Highway" series is essential for anyone conducting historical research on North, Central, or South America. Complete with a CD with live links to sites, it directs users to the best and broadest, most current information on U.S., Canadian, and Latin American history available on the Internet. "The American History Highway": provides detailed, easy-to-use information on more than 1,700 websites; covers all periods of U.S., Canadian, and Latin American History; features new coverage of Hispanic American and Asian American History; includes chapters on environmental history, immigration history, and document collections; all site information is current and up-to-date; includes a CD of the entire contents with live links to sites - just install the disc, go online, and link directly to the sites; and, also provides a practical introduction to web-based research for students and history buffs of all ages.

Ambiguities of History - The Problem of Ethnocentrism in Historical Writing (Paperback): Finn Fuglestad Ambiguities of History - The Problem of Ethnocentrism in Historical Writing (Paperback)
Finn Fuglestad
R609 Discovery Miles 6 090 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This book argues that history may, by definition, be an imperialist science or a quintessentially Western form of discourse. Finn Fuglestad thinks there is something profoundly ambiguous about the science or academic discipline we call history. It is the only science that is the product of its own object of study, the past, an object outside of which it cannot exist. It is also the only science that can study itself. The author argues that history has a relationship with one of the so-called civilisations of the world that borders on the incestuous. That civilisation is Western Civilisation: history has both emerged from it and helped to shape it in such a way that they are inextricably linked. History, with its Western conceptual framework, has become a defining part of Western Civilisation to the extent that the West cannot even conceive of itself being without history. But what happens when history is removed from its natural habitat? Can it be done, and has it been done, other than on the terms of the West? The real issue therefore concerns all those societies and peoples outside the West who, in accordance with the Hegelian tradition, have traditionally been labelled as 'without history'. What does it mean exactly 'not to have history?' The reconstruction of the pasts of 'peoples without history' poses a tremendous challenge to the science of history, especially at the conceptual level. Finn Fuglestad not only believes that there has been a failure to confront this challenge properly, but he also questions whether anything can really be done.

The River of History - Trans-national and Trans-disciplinary Perspectives on the Immanence of the Past (Paperback, Illustrated... The River of History - Trans-national and Trans-disciplinary Perspectives on the Immanence of the Past (Paperback, Illustrated Ed)
James Gerrie, M. Carleton Simpson, Stephen F. Haller, Peter Farrugia; Edited by Peter Farrugia; Contributions by …
R1,235 Discovery Miles 12 350 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Does history matter any more? In an era when both the past and memory seem to be sources of considerable interest and, frequently, lively debate, has the academic discipline of history ceased to offer the connection between past and present experience that it was originally intended to provide? In short, has History become a bridge to nowhere, a structure over a river whose course has been permanently altered? This is the overarching question that the contributors to The River of History : Trans-national and Trans-disciplinary Perspectives on the Immanence of the Past seek to answer. Drawn from a broad spectrum of scholarly disciplines, the authors tackle a wide range of more specific questions touching on this larger one. Does history, as it is practised in universities, provide any useful context for the average Canadian or has the task of historical consciousness-shaping passed to filmmakers and journalists? What can the history of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal conceptions of land and property tell us about contemporary relations between these cultures? Is there a way to own the past that fosters sincere stock-taking without proprietary interest or rigid notions of linearity? And, finally, what does the history of technological change suggest about humanity's ability to manage the process now and in the future? The philosopher Heraclitus once likened history to a river and argued for its otherness by stating that "No man can cross the same river twice, because neither the man nor the river is the same." This collection reconsiders this conceptualization, taking the reader on a journey along the river in an effort to better comprehend the ways in which past, present, and future are interconnected. With Contributions By: Jeffrey Scott Brown A.R. Buck Carol B. Duncan Peter Farrugia James Gerrie Leo Groarke Stephen F.Haller John S. Hill John McLaren M. Carleton Simpson Robert Wright Nancy E. Wright

What is History For? (Hardcover): Beverley Southgate What is History For? (Hardcover)
Beverley Southgate
R4,552 Discovery Miles 45 520 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

"What is History For?" is a timely publication that examines the purpose and point of historical studies. Recent debates on the role of the humanities and the ongoing impact of poststructuralist thought on the very nature of historical enquiry, have rendered the question "what is history for?" of utmost importance.
Charting the development of historical studies, Beverley Southgate examines the various uses to which history has been put. While history has often supposedly been studied "for its own sake," Southgate argues that this seemingly innocent approach masks an inherent conservatism and exposes the ways in which history, has, sometimes deliberately, sometimes inadvertently, been used for socio-political purposes. With traditional notions of truth and historical representation now under question, it has become vital to rethink the function of history and renegotiate its uses for the post-modern age. History in the 21st century, Southgate proposes, should adopt a morally therapeutic rolethat seeks to advance human happiness.
This fascinating historicisation of the study of history is unique in its focus on the future of the subject as well as its past. What is History For? provides compulsive reading for the general reader and students alike.

History (Paperback, New ed): John Vincent History (Paperback, New ed)
John Vincent
R987 Discovery Miles 9 870 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

John Vincent has often been accused of political incorrectness, but never in his writings about history. In this controversial and thought-provoking study of history, Professor Vincent goes to the very heart of the complex issues raised by the subject. In 1928 Bernard Shaw wrote his "Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism." Nearly 70 years later, in a simliarly polemical tract, Vincent makes no such concessions to feminist sensibilities or to the politics of the left. The text provides a comprehensive examination of the philosophy and evolution of history. It explores notions of historical evidence, meaning, the concept of historical imagination, morality and history, causality and bias, and hindsight. This is a controversial work by a leading historian. Penetrating, incisive and always provocative, An Intelligent Person's Guide to History will be a vital text for the scholar and a stimulating guide for the general reader.

Inside Colombia: Drugs, Democracy and War (Paperback, New): Grace Livingstone Inside Colombia: Drugs, Democracy and War (Paperback, New)
Grace Livingstone; Foreword by Jenny Pearce
R1,219 Discovery Miles 12 190 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

"A great resource for students and scholars. Chock-full of up-to-date, reliable information, this book has practically everything you need to know about contemporary Colombia all in one package." --Herbert Braun, author of Our Guerrillas, Our Sidewalks: A Journey into the Violence of Colombia The South American nation of Colombia has seen more than forty years of unrest, conflict, and civil war. It is a country in which social violence and warfare are intricately intertwined. Colombia is also notorious for its drug trade, being one of the leading producers of cocaine in the world, and for its central role as a staging ground for the U.S. "war on drugs." Since 9/11 the Bush administration has sought to draw political links between the Colombian drug trade, guerrilla organizations, and terrorism. Inside Colombia offers a valuable introduction and quick reference guide to this complex nation. With chapters devoted to history, human rights issues, the economy, drugs, the controversial antidrug intervention known as Plan Colombia, and relations with the United States, the book offers an easily accessible and comprehensive overview. Readers will learn about the major players in the conflicts, significant political figures, how Colombia's economy has fared in the twentieth century, how the country's geography influences its politics and economy, and how U.S. intervention shapes Colombia's political scene. Grace Livingstone is a journalist who regularly contributes to a range of publications on Latin American current affairs and has reported for the BBC World Service. She is currently based in Venezuela where she is a correspondent for The Guardian. Jenny Pearce is the coauthor of Civil Society and Development: A Critical Exploration.

Action as History - The Historical Thought of R.G. Collingwood (Hardcover): Stein Helgeby Action as History - The Historical Thought of R.G. Collingwood (Hardcover)
Stein Helgeby
R1,178 Discovery Miles 11 780 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

R G Collingwood's philosophy of history reflected his historical practices and his moral philosophy. Reflection on historical practice provided him with a theory of knowledge; his moral philosophy provided him with a theory of the object of history. This study shows how Collingwood's concepts of action and history developed together.

Leni Riefenstahl - The Seduction of Genius (Paperback, Illustrated Ed): Rainer Rother Leni Riefenstahl - The Seduction of Genius (Paperback, Illustrated Ed)
Rainer Rother
R2,480 Discovery Miles 24 800 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Leni Riefenstahl, now aged 101, achieved fame as a dancer, actress photographer, and director, but her entire career is colored by her association with the Nazi party. This overt tension between the political meaning of her work for National Socialism and its essential aesthetic quality forms the basis of the compelling account. Appointed by Hitler, Leni Riefenstahl directed the Nazi propaganda film Triumph des Willens along with her bestknown work Olympia, a documentary of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. By 1939 Riefenstahl was arguably the most famous women film director in the world; yet, after World War II, she was never again accepted as a filmmaker. Rainer Rother's book is a remarkable account of the fascinating life and work of Germany's most controversial photographer and filmmaker.

Paradigms of Memory - The Occupation and Other Hi/stories in the Novels of Patrick Modiano (Hardcover): Martine Guyot-Bender,... Paradigms of Memory - The Occupation and Other Hi/stories in the Novels of Patrick Modiano (Hardcover)
Martine Guyot-Bender, William VanderWolk
R1,524 Discovery Miles 15 240 Ships in 9 - 17 working days

The first collective study in English of the novels of Patrick Modiano (b. 1945), these essays approach the question of memory - and its interaction with history - in Modiano's works from several different theoretical and critical angles, all leading to an examination of the relationship between recollection and representation. The historical background of the Nazi occupation of France offers grounds for reflection on the ambiguous relationship between individual and collective memory. Through investigation, memory, repetition, and a coming to writing, Modiano's narrators represent each one of us as we come to terms with our individual and historical past.

History as Re-enactment - R. G. Collingwood's Idea of History (Paperback, New Ed): William H. Dray History as Re-enactment - R. G. Collingwood's Idea of History (Paperback, New Ed)
William H. Dray
R1,916 Discovery Miles 19 160 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A central motif of R. G. Collingwood's philosophy of history is the idea that historical understanding requires a re-enactment of past experience. However, there have been sharp disagreements about the acceptability of this idea, and even its meaning. This book aims to advance the critical discussion in three ways: by analysing the idea itself further, concentrating especially on the contrast which Collingwood drew between it and scientific understanding; by exploring the limits of its applicability to what historians ordinarily consider their proper subject-matter; and by clarifying the relationship between it and some other key Collingwoodian ideas, such as the place of imagination in historical inquiry, the sense in which history deals with the individual, the essential perspectivity of historical judgement, and the importance of narrative and periodization in historical thinking. Professor Dray defends Collingwood against a good deal of recent criticism, while pointing to ways in which his position requires revision or development. History as Re-enactment draws upon a wide range of Collingwood's published writings, and makes considerable use of his unpublished manuscripts. It is the most systematic study yet of this central doctrine of Collingwood's philosophy of history, and will stand as a landmark in Collingwood studies. 'For many years William Dray has been working at the task of retrieving Collingwood for contemporary philosophy. . . . It is something of an event then to have this new work, the culmination of a lifetime of thought, appear in his retirement. As one would expect, it is a deeply considered book, lucidly written, and scrupulously fair to all parties . . . a sound and serious philosophical commentary . . . anyone interested in either Collingwood or the philosophy of history should consider joining the dialogue and will learn much in the process.' Canadian Journal of History

Ancients against Moderns (Hardcover, New): Joan Dejean Ancients against Moderns (Hardcover, New)
Joan Dejean
R2,745 Discovery Miles 27 450 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

As the end of the century approaches, many predict our fin de siecle will mirror the nineteenth-century decline into decadence. But a better model for the 1990s is to be found, according to Joan DeJean, in the culture wars of France in the 1690s--the time of a battle of the books known as the Quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns.
DeJean brilliantly reassesses our current culture wars from the perspective of that earlier fin de siecle (the first to think of itself as such), and rereads the seventeenth-century Quarrel from the vantage of our own warring "ancients" and "moderns." In so doing, DeJean shows that a fin de siecle taking place in the shadow of culture wars can be more a source of constructive cultural revolution than of apocalyptic gloom and doom. Just as the first fin de siecle's battle of the books served as the spark that set off the Enlightenment, introducing radically new sexual and social politics that laid the groundwork for modernity, so can our current culture wars result in radical, liberating changes--if we take an active stand against our own "ancients" who seek to stifle such reforms.

The Lettered City (Hardcover): Angel Rama The Lettered City (Hardcover)
Angel Rama; Translated by John Charles Chasteen
R2,255 Discovery Miles 22 550 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Extremely influential cultural analysis by Uruguayan author published posthumously in 1984. Chasteen's very good English translation includes entire text with original notes, along with useful locating introduction and index. Important contribution to the literature and an excellent volume for classroom use"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

The Logic of Historical Explanation (Paperback): Clayton Roberts The Logic of Historical Explanation (Paperback)
Clayton Roberts
R1,407 Discovery Miles 14 070 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Ever since 1942, when Carl Hempel declared that historical events are explained by subsuming them under laws governing the occurrence of similar events, philosophers have debated the validity of explanations based on "covering laws." In The Logic of Historical Explanation, Clayton Roberts provides a key to understanding the role of covering laws in historical explanation. He does so by distinguishing between their use at the macro- and micro- levels, a distinction that no other scholar has made.

Roberts contends that the positivists were right to believe that covering laws are indispensable in historical explanations but wrong to think that these laws apply to macro-events (such as wars and revolutions). Similarly, the humanists were right to declare that historians do not explain the occurrence of macro-events by subsuming them under covering laws but wrong to deny the role of covering laws in tracing the course of events leading to the macro-event. Roberts resolves this debate by showing that, though useless in explaining macro-events, covering laws are indispensable in connecting the steps in an explanatory narrative. He then sets forth the logic of an explanatory narrative, explores the nature of rational explanation, and distinguishes the logic of historical interpretation from the logic of historical explanation.

Visions of the Future - The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Paperback, New edition): Robert Heilbroner Visions of the Future - The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Paperback, New edition)
Robert Heilbroner
R1,063 Discovery Miles 10 630 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

`This is an exceedingly long short book, stretching at least fifty thousand years into the past and who knows how many into the future...' So begins Visions of the Future, the prophetic new book by Robert Heilbroner.

Heilbroner's basic premise is stunning in its elegant simplicity. He contends that throughout all of human history there have really only been three distinct ways of looking at the future. In the Distant Past (Prehistory to the 17th century) there was no notion of a future measurably and materially different from the present or the past. In the period he calls Yesterday (1700-1950), science, capitalism, and democracy gave humanity an unwavering faith in the superiority of the future. While Today, we feel a palpable anxiety that is quite apart from both the resignation of the Distant past or the bright optimism of Yesterday.

The Ironist's Cage - Memory, Trauma, and the Construction of History (Paperback, New): Michael S. Roth The Ironist's Cage - Memory, Trauma, and the Construction of History (Paperback, New)
Michael S. Roth
R1,162 Discovery Miles 11 620 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In a rich, thought-provoking work, Roth explores central questions in the philosophy of history. "The Ironist's Cage" asks why we are interested in having a past, why we try to recollect it, and what desires we hope to satisfy through this recollection.

Greatness - Who Makes History and Why (Hardcover, New in Paperback): Dean Keith Simonton Greatness - Who Makes History and Why (Hardcover, New in Paperback)
Dean Keith Simonton
R3,213 Discovery Miles 32 130 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

What do Madonna, Confucius, and Jackie Robinson have in common? What does it take to go down in history as a great political leader? Why do revolutions occur, riots break out, and lynch mobs assemble? Which events do people find the most shocking or memorable? This path-breaking work offers the first comprehensive examination of the important personalities and events that have influenced the course of history. It discusses whether people who go down in history are different from the rest of us; whether specific personality traits predispose certain people to become world leaders, movie stars, scientific geniuses, and athletes, while others are relegated to ordinary lives. In exploring the psychology of greatness, this volume sheds light on the characteristics that any of us may share with history-making people. Throughout, the book addresses two broad questions: what sorts of people are responsible for historic events and achievements, and what kinds of events are most likely to be seen as history-making at their time of occurrence. Providing a wealth of examples, the text probes the lives of important figures, from charismatic political and military leaders to famous writers, Nobel Prize winners, child prodigies, and Olympic athletes. The book covers history-making events such as international crises, technological innovations and scientific breakthroughs, popular TV shows, natural disasters, and many more. With unerring insight, Simonton examines the full range of phenomena associated with greatness--everything from genetic inheritance, intuition, aesthetic appreciation, and birth order, to formal education, sexual orientation, aging, IQ, and alcohol and drug abuse. The work embeds psychological topics in the larger contexts of science, art, politics, and history to essentially define a new interdisciplinary field of study: the psychology of history. Written in an engaging style, and offering the first in-depth examination of a topic with universal appeal, GREATNESS will be welcomed by everyone interested in the people and events that have made the world what it is today.

On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History (Hardcover, Revised): Thomas Carlyle On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History (Hardcover, Revised)
Thomas Carlyle; Introduction by Michael Goldberg; Contributions by Michael Goldberg; Text written by Joel J. Brattin, Mark Engel, …
R2,613 Discovery Miles 26 130 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In his 1840 lectures on heroes, Thomas Carlyle, Victorian essayist and social critic, championed the importance of the individual in history. Published the following year and eventually translated into fifteen languages, this imaginative work of history, comparative religion, and literature is the most influential statement of a man who came to be thought of as a secular prophet and the 'undoubted head of English letters' (Emerson). His vivid portraits of Muhammad, Dante, Luther, Napoleon - just a few of the individuals Carlyle celebrated for changing the course of world history - made "On Heroes" a challenge to the anonymous social forces threatening to control life during the Industrial Revolution. In eight volumes, "The Strouse Edition" will provide the texts of Carlyle's major works edited for the first time to contemporary scholarly standards. For the general reader, its detailed introductions and annotations will offer insight into the author's thought and a reconstruction of the diverse and often arcane Carlylean sources.

Apocalypse and/or Metamorphosis (Paperback, New ed): Norman O. Brown Apocalypse and/or Metamorphosis (Paperback, New ed)
Norman O. Brown
R969 Discovery Miles 9 690 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Here is the final volume of Norman O. Brown's trilogy on civilization and its discontents, on humanity's long struggle to master its instincts and the perils that attend that denial of human nature. Following on his famous books "Life Against Death" and "Love's Body", this collection of eleven essays brings Brown's thinking up to 1990 and the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. Brown writes that 'the prophetic tradition is an attempt to give direction to the social structure precipitated by the urban revolution; to resolve its inherent contradictions; to put an end to its injustice, inequality, anomie, the state of war ...that has been its history from start to finish'. Affiliating himself with prophets from Muhammad to Blake and Emerson, Brown offers further meditations on what's wrong with Western civilization and what we might do about it. Thus the duality in his title: crisis and the hope for change. In pieces both poetic and philosophical, Brown's attention ranges over Greek mythology, Islam, Spinoza, and Finnegan's Wake. The collection includes an autobiographical essay musing on Brown's own intellectual development. The final piece, "Dionysus in 1990," draws on Freud and the work of Georges Bataille to link the recent changes in the world's economies with mankind's primordial drive to accumulation, waste, and death.

Reconstructing Marxism - Essays on Explanation and the Theory of History (Paperback): Andrew Levine, Elliott Sober, Erik Olin... Reconstructing Marxism - Essays on Explanation and the Theory of History (Paperback)
Andrew Levine, Elliott Sober, Erik Olin Wright
R764 R706 Discovery Miles 7 060 Save R58 (8%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

"Reconstructing Marxism" explores fundamental questions about the structure of Marxist theory and its prospects for the future. The authors maintain that the disintegration of the old theoretical unity of classical Marxism is in part responsible for what is commonly called the "crisis of Marxism." Only a reconstructed Marxism can come to terms with this disintegration.
Addressing a range of problems in historical materialism and class analysis, the authors compare historical materialism with Darwinian evolutionary theory, and identify what is distinctively "historical" in Marx's theory of history. Through an evaluation of G.A. Cohen's defense and Anthony Giddens's critique of historical materialism they suggest what a plausible, yet still Marxist, theory of history might be. They analyze the relationship of micro-analysis to macro theory and the assignment of causal primacy in explanations, and present a general assessment of the current state of Marxist theory and the prospects for its analytical reconstruction.
Distinguished by the clarity of its presentation, the analytical rigor of its argument and its concern with fundamental philosophical and sociological issues, "Reconstructing Marxism" advances, at this critical juncture in the history of Marxism, a challenging new research program.

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