Against the gloomy forecast of "The Vanishing Diaspora", the end of the second millennium saw the global emergence of a dazzling array of Jewish cultural initiatives, institutional modalities, and individual practices. These "Jewish Revival" and "Jewish Renewal" projects are led by Jewish NGOs and philanthropic organizations, the Orthodox Teshuva (return to the fold) movement and its well-known emissary Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidism, and alternative cultural initiatives that promote what can be termed "lifestyle Judaism." This range between institutionalized revival movements and ephemeral event-driven projects circumscribes a diverse space of creative agency, which calls for a bottom-up empirical analysis of cultural creativity and the re-invention of Jewish tradition worldwide. Indeed, the trope of a "Jewish Renaissance" has become both a descriptive category of an increasingly popular and scholarly discourse across the globe, and a prescriptive model for social action. This volume explores the global transformations of contemporary Jewishness, which give renewed meaning to identity, tradition, and politics in our post secular world.

Exploring the basic conflict between the legal equality that black men possess as U.S. citizens and their social isolation stemming from white America's perceptions of them as "culturally alien," the author sets out to provoke, stimulate, and change the negative images and stereotypes that indicate a fundamental defect in the mainframe of American culture. As the author states, the purpose of this book is not to defend the black male, but to deconstruct him and to libertate him from the negative images and stereotypes that have stultified his existence. Largely through the victories of the Civil Rights movement, everyone in the United States is--formally--equal. Yet there remains a basic conflict between that legal equality and the social isolation of black men that stems from white America's perceptions of them as, by nature, culturally alien. This tautly argued, eloquently written, and passionate book is must reading for anyone concerned with the ongoing problems of the American dilemma. Each essay in this wide- ranging book will provoke, stimulate, and change one's view of the myths and stereotypes surrounding black men.

This work provides a thorough overview and analysis of the increasing gap between the Americans at the top and bottom of the economic scale. Rich and Poor in America: A Reference Handbook provides an in-depth analysis of—and possible solutions for—the growing disparity between those at the top of the economic ladder and everyone else, a disparity that has reached its highest level since the 1920s. Expertly researched and written, Rich and Poor in America explores a wide range of explanations for the trend that undercuts the U.S.'s "Land of Opportunity" image, including heavy immigration, weakening labor unions, globalization, and technological change. Separate chapters look at the issue chronologically and from a global perspective, while biographical sketches provide fascinating portraits of some of the "winners" in our winner-take-all society, as well as leading scholars and activists working on this issue. copywriter rewrite: Rich and Poor in America: A Reference Handbook provides an in-depth analysis of the widening income gap in the United States—a situation where, over nearly three decades, fewer and fewer Americans have made significant financial strides while more and more have seen their real incomes remain the same or decrease. Objective, expertly researched and clearly written, Rich and Poor in America looks at a wide range of explanations for the income gap, including heavy immigration, weakening labor unions, globalization, and technological change. Separate chapters examine the trend as it has evolved over time and from a global perspective, while biographical sketches provide fascinating portraits of some of notable successful individuals as well as leading scholars and activists working on this issue.

This volume concentrates on teaching group dynamics with an experiential, process focus. The procedure for instruction seeks to provide an integration of cognitive and affective components in learning how to tune into, and effectively use, group dynamics. Instructors and supervisors are provided with specific techniques for helping students understand manifestations of resistance, countertransference issues, assuming a process orientation, and dealing with both individual and group-as-a-whole concerns. Immensely practical and classroom tested.

Chapter 1 provides an overview and a discussion of ethical principles in group work. Chapter 2 focuses on how to structure the class, including a systematic method for monitoring group sessions, providing feedback to students, and addressing specific ethical concerns such as confidentiality and involuntary group membership. Chapter 3 develops the importance, and a process for, helping students to stay present-centered, keeping the group in a here-and-now focus, and how to recognize process. Chapter 4 presents the barriers to self-awareness and group process. Chapter 5 addresses how developing trust and cohesion in groups leads to therapeutic work on significant issues for group members. Chapter 6 describes the link between what is taking place in the present-centered group session and the past. Chapter 7 focuses on the roles that group members assume and the impact these roles may have on the progress and functioning of the group. Chapter 8 deals with teaching students to recognize and deal with overt and covert conflict in the group. Chapter 9 provides an introduction to the use of expressive techniques in groups. Chapter 10 presents specific exercises that are useful in teaching concepts, ranging from get-acquainted exercises to more complex ones for uncovering the self.

By exploring Shakespeare's use of law and justice themes in the context of historical and contemporary criminological thinking, this book challenges criminologists to expand their spheres of inquiry to avenues that have yet to be explored or integrated into the discipline. Crime writers, including William Shakespeare, were some of the earliest investigators of the criminal mind. However, since the formalization of criminology as a discipline, citations from literary works have often been omitted, despite their interdisciplinary nature. Taking various Shakespearean plays and characters as case studies, this book opens novel theoretical avenues for conceptualizing crime and justice issues.

What types of crimes did Shakespeare's characters commit? What were the motivations put forth for these crimes? What type of social control did Shakespeare advocate? By utilizing a content analysis procedure, the author confirms that many of the crimes that plague society today were also prevalent in Shakespeare's time. She gleans twelve criminological theories as motivations for character deviance. Character analysis also provides valuable insight into Shakespeare's notions of formal and informal social control.

The first biography of Geronimo aimed at the high school and undergraduate student audience, this book provides a balanced account of Geronimo's life in the context of key historical and cultural events of his lifetime. A revered Apache spiritual and military leader and a recurring figure in pop culture lore, Geronimo was a key figure during the settlement of the American Southwest. He led one of the last major independent Indian uprisings and personified the struggle of Native Americans during westward expansion. Geronimo: A Biography explores the life of this legendary leader, a man who has become an icon of the courageous—and doomed—struggle of the Native Americans. This biography follows Geronimo's life from his traditional Apache upbringing to his final days as a celebrity prisoner of war. It discusses the historical and social forces at work during the period, including Native American traditions and lifeways. It also shows how Geronimo's surrender in 1886 marked the end of the traditional Native American way of life. No longer free to roam the lands of their forefathers, Indians faced a future of captivity and a struggle to maintain their identity and traditions.

The death and devastation wrought by the tsunami in South Asia, Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf states, the earthquake in Pakistan, the mudslides in the Philippines, the tornadoes in the American Midwest, another earthquake in Indonesia-these are only the most recent acts of God to cause people of faith to question God's role in the physical universe. Volcanic eruptions, wildfires, epidemics, floods, blizzards, droughts, hailstorms, and famines can all raise the same questions: Can God intervene in natural events to prevent death, injury, sickness, and suffering? If so, why does God not act? If not, is God truly the All-Loving, All-Powerful, and All-Present Being that many religions proclaim? Grappling with such questions has always been an essential component of religion, and different faiths have arrived at wildly different answers. To explore various religious explanations of the tragedies inflicted by nature, author Gary Stern has interviewed 43 prominent religious leaders across the religious spectrum, among them Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People; Father Benedict Groeschel, author of Arise from Darkness; The Rev. James Rowe Adams, founder of the Center for Progressive Christianity; Kenneth R. Samples, vice president of Reason to Believe; Dr. James Cone, the legendary African American theologian; Tony Campolo, founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education; Dr. Sayyid Syeed, general secretary of the Islamic Society of North America; Imam Yahya Hendi, the first Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University; Dr. Arvind Sharma, one of the world's leading Hindu scholars; Robert A. F. Thurman, the first American to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk; David Silverman, the national spokesman for American Atheists; and others—rabbis, priests, imams, monks, storefront ministers, itinerant holy people, professors, and chaplains—Jews, Roman Catholics, mainline Protestants, evangelical Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Atheists-people of belief, and people of nonbelief, too. Stern asked each of them probing questions about what their religion teaches and what their faith professes regarding the presence of tragedy. Some feel that the forces of nature are simply impersonal, and some believe that God is omniscient but not omnipotent. Some claim that nature is ultimately destructive because of Original Sin, some assert that the victims of natural disasters are sinners who deserve to die, and some explain that natural disasters are the result of individual and collective karma. Still others profess that God causes suffering in order to test and purify the victims. Stern, an award-winning religion journalist, has extensive experience in this type of analytical journalism. The result is a work that probes and challenges real people's beliefs about a subject that, unfortunately, touches everyone's life.

Monsters show us our deepest fears and anxieties, our discomfort with difference, and our simultaneous repulsion with and fascination for the other. Understanding that the concept of the monster can be a political tool used to dehumanize opponents and a psychological tool that can help us reconsider our beliefs, Interdisciplinary Essays on Monsters and the Monstrous analyses and explores the enduring influence and imagery of monsters and the monstrous on human societies. Introducing the innovative practice of "imagining monsters" as a way to rethink the key organizing principles in our society that we have traditionally taken for granted, the authors explore not only what monsters are but, most importantly, what monsters reveal about us. This cutting-edge collection of chapters challenges us to contradict worldviews, such as the binary of gender, that have organized our thinking for millennia. Showcasing discussions loaded with ontological, ideological, socio-political, and aesthetic implications, the monstrous is rendered uncannily familiar as our own public and domestic socio-political and psycho-emotional realities are subjected to scrutiny. Launching a critical question: when faced with an existential threat, what can we do? The authors show us how the study of monsters and monstrosity is perfectly positioned to answer. Tackling this question from a unique interdisciplinary scope, the research presented in the chapters are interesting reading for a variety of researchers interested in monsters and the monstrous from across sub-disciplines.

Choosing the right college is a big decision for most people. American Indian and Alaska Natives are no exception, but finding a college that offers a good educational program in their major plus a strong support system for tribal traditions makes that decision even more complex. This volume will help Native people clarify their postsecondary aspirations, improve their college choice, and increase their success in college. After a thorough examination of the issues that should be considered, Pavel and Inglebret present the different types of colleges available, programs and services to meet the special needs of Native students, and financial aid options. By answering many of the basic questions students have about going to college, Pavel and Inglebret help to demystify the process and encourage more Native students to pursue a college education. Special features include: -A list of colleges with Native American studies, and those most friendly to Native Americans' needs -A list of sources for financial aid, with contact information -Interviews with Native American students on all aspects of their college experiences -Suggestions for students on how to balance their new college experiences with their community and heritage

Syria has served as a major crossroads in the Middle East since prehistoric times, leaving it open to change and passing customs from other societies. Syria's melting pot of cultures has led it to become an ethnically diverse country, sometimes leading to turbulence among other countries as well as within its own borders. Focusing on contemporary traditions, topics such as religion, cuisine, fashion, music, and art unveil Syria's true modern-day culture. Readers will discover how Syrians live today-what they eat, what they wear, and how they celebrate life in today's conflicted Middle East. Ideal for high school students and general readers, Culture and Customs of Syria serves as a staple for all library shelves.

In all its diversity, Christianity has been a powerful force in South African life. From the history of colonial missions, through the development of denominations, to the emergence of African initiated churches, Christianity has assumed a variety of distinctively South African forms. This comprehensive guide offers detailed reviews of over 600 works that have established the importance of Christianity in South African history, society, and religious experience. Of interest to scholars and students of religious studies, cultural anthropology, African Studies, and history, this volume, together with "African Traditional Religion in South Africa" and "Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism in South Africa" (both Greenwood, 1997), will become the standard reference work on South African religions.

In each section-Christian Missions, Christian Denominations, and African Initiated Churches-an introductory essay identifies significant themes in the literature. The annotations are concise yet detailed essays, written in an engaging and accessible style and supported by an exhaustive index. The book therefore provides a full and complex profile of Christianity as a religious tradition in South Africa.

This collection of essays examines the question of how injustices of the past affect entire groups of people today and outlines the current beneficiaries of these injustices. Although discriminatory practices can be based on ethnicity, religion, and gender, this book focuses on one important type--racial discrimination--and deals with the way it affects both blacks and whites. The authors address the question from different perspectives and, although there is no real consensus as to what extent unjust enrichments currently exist because of past discrimination, the focus of several essays is on the need to systematically and equitably redistribute wealth. In beginning to explore these questions, the volume addresses the larger issues of how the costs and benefits of past practices can be measured and how historical injustices should affect current public policy matters. The volume is organized in a straightforward manner intended to create an integrated discussion. An introductory essay charts the development of the project and offers a summary and critique of each essay. The first section explores the issue of slavery and current policy and considers the caution required when developing policy based on disputed models and assumptions. The second section examines the economic impact of slavery and discrimination on the functioning of the labor market. In the final section, some of the implications of redistribution policies are considered in relation to the various cost and benefit analyses. A final essay and conclusion sum up the study and outline the broad policy setting in which this work can take place. The book will be an important resource for courses in history, sociology, andpublic policy and an important addition to public and university libraries.

Nearly eight out of ten homeless and runaway young girls between the ages of 13 and 20 have given birth to at least one child. Social Bonds and Teen Pregnancy reports on a recent study of pregnant and parenting runaway and homeless girls found on American streets. Authors LaWanda Ravoira and Andrew Cherry examine the factors that shape these girls' decisions and life experiences, including family, individual, and community bonds; religiosity; parental and individual attitudes toward premarital sex; tolerance for minor deviance; feelings of self-worth; and sense of power over one's own life. Contrary to prior research, which characterizes sexually active girls as dependent or victimized, this study suggests that girls who have had sexual intercourse before age sixteen are more mature and in control of their lives than their peers.

Social Bond theory is used to provide a framework for thinking about the development of prevention and intervention programs for at-risk girls, as well as for the development of national policies to address the long-term negative consequences of adolescent pregnancy and parenting. Ravoira and Cherry provide an overview of youth services, along with an appraisal of the impact of current government policies, in order to highlight gaps in services at the national and local levels. A review of the antecedents of teen pregnancy and a critique of the theoretical literature suggest numerous psychosocial reasons for the growing phenomenon of earlier pregnancy and parenting. Excerpts from and summaries of actual case studies and tape-recorded personal accounts of teenage mothers bring the research to life.

Adler, Freud, and Jung were the key figures in the development of psychology as we know it. Yet, while Freud and Jung are widely studied and debated, Adler is far less well known. Nonetheless, as Loren Grey demonstrates, some of Adler's novel early precepts are valuable tools for personality diagnosis, even to this day. Examples include his belief in the social equality of all human beings, regardless of race, position, class, or gender; that all human behavior is logical--however bizarre or psychotic its goal may be; that mistaken precepts about others, being learned, can be unlearned; and in the importance of understanding the dynamics behind the family interactions with particular emphasis on the ordinal position of each child in the family constellation. Many of these ideas, though ignored or rejected by the early Freudians and Jungians, have become part of the post-Freudian movements in psychology and counseling. In this book, Grey systematically examines the life and ideas of Alfred Adler as well as the approaches taken by his leading students. Many of Adler's early supporters felt that he was 100 years ahead of his time; Grey demonstrates that many of his approaches can serve humanity well in the new millennium. This text provides an important survey for students, scholars, and practitioners of psychology.

'Mary Gaitskill is willing to think about the problematic with complexity and humanity, and without taking sides or engaging in all the fashionable moral hectoring that passes for serious thought these days.' Eimear McBride Nuanced, daring and tender, these essays from the celebrated author of This is Pleasure and Bad Behavior, consistently fascinate and provoke. Mary Gaitskill takes on a broad range of topics from Nabokov to horse-riding with her unique ability to tease out unexpected truths and cast aside received wisdom. Written with startling grace and linguistic flair, and delving into the complicated nature of love and the responsibility we owe to the people we encounter, the work collected here inspires the reader to think beyond their first responses to life and art. Spanning thirty years of Mary Gaitskill's writing, and covering subjects as diverse as Dancer in the Dark, the world of Charles Dickens and the Book of Revelation with her characteristic blend of sincerity and wit, Oppositions is never less than enthralling.

Widely used in university courses on Native American history through five editions, The American Indian: Past and Present has been thoroughly revised to present an up-to-date view of Indian heritage. This timely anthology brings together pieces written over the last thirty years - most published in the past decade - that represent some of the best scholarship available.The readings offer a broad overview of indigenous peoples of North America from first contact to the present, showing how Indians relied on their cultural strengths and determination to retain their independent identities. These essays trace the ever changing situations of Indians as both tribes and individuals. They bring readers through Native victory and military defeat, relocation, mandatory acculturation, and militant protests to the present era of self-determination, when the meaning of Native identity is sometimes hotly debated. Editor Roger L. Nichols has selected the new readings and organized the collection to reflect a balance of time periods, geographic areas, and historical and political topics for the student's first exposure to American Indian history. He also includes suggestions for further reading and study questions as aids to those interested in learning more about the subjects covered. A fresh update to a valuable classic, The American Indian: Past and Present remains an accessible resource for undergraduates and a flexible and authoritative set of readings for the instructor.

Dr. Alexis Brooks De Vita takes up the challenge to develop culturally relevant modes of literary analysis of African/Diaspora literatures by identifying traditional African and Diaspora figures of myth, religion, legend, and history that interact with African and Diaspora literary heroines and their authors. Following upon Karla Holloway's arguments in "Moorings and Metaphors" that African American and West African women share strong traits of storytelling that both isolate and identify their literatures, Brooks De Vita traces these traits to their religious, legendary, and historical sources, identifying African and Diaspora female figures of power whose interaction with literary protagonists places personal stories among the collective historical and spiritual African/Diaspora experience, broadening and deepening each authorial voice by demonstrating how it breaks free of the European perspective of linear time and resonates in a timeless community whose members ceaselessly interact.

African/Diaspora women's symbols of power assert their autonomous definitions of good and evil, enabled by decolonialist analysis as expounded by theorists such as Chinweizu, Jemie, and Madubuike to be separated from universalizing, Eurocentric or masculinist assessments. Symbols of inherent, rootedness and empowerment are clearly identified, allowing the reader to perceive tales of salvation and success underlying and further developing literal tales of suffering, surrender, or loss. Will be of particular interest to students, scholars, and researchers of comparative literature as well as African American literature and African/Diaspora and Women's Studies.

How did California become the amazing state that it is today you may wonder? "More than Petticoats: Remarkable California Women" recognizes the women who shaped the Golden State. The lives of female teachers, writers, entrepreneurs, and artists from across the state are illuminated through short biographies.

The essays in this collection explore taboo and controversial humour in traditional scripted (sitcoms and other comedy series, animated series) and non-scripted forms (stand-up comedy, factual and reality shows, and advertising) both on cable and network television.  Whilst the focus is predominantly on the US and UK, the contributors also address more general and global issues and different contexts of reception, in an attempt to look at this kind of comedy from different perspectives. Over the last few decades, taboo comedy has become a staple of television programming, thus raising issues concerning its functions and appropriateness, and making it an extremely relevant subject for those interested in how both humour and television work. 

Emphasizing diagnosis, causality, and holistic treatment, this is the only book offering a full discussion of Avoidant Personality Disorder for therapists and sufferers. Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPD) is an extremely widespread, devastating disorder that generally goes unrecognized or misrepresented by what little scientific literature there is on the topic. Therapists are left mystified about how to diagnose and treat it, and patients and other sufferers are at a loss as to what is wrong and how to go about correcting it. The Essential Guide to Overcoming Avoidant Personality Disorder is the only book available to guide both patients and those trying to help them. This thorough and much-needed volume explores the development of AvPD and presents a holistic view of its causes from the psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and interpersonal perspectives. It offers an extensive section on diagnostic criteria that will be useful to sufferers and therapists, and it discusses the various therapies for AvPD. Finally, and perhaps most critically, the book provides a section intended as a guide for psychiatrists—and a self-help guide for sufferers—including a day-by-day, one-step-at-a-time, monthly guide on how to overcome AvPD.