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Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies
In Mytho-poetics at Work Rengenier Rittersma offers an account of
the posthumous fame of the Count of Egmont (1522-1568), whose
public decapitation triggered the Dutch revolt. Drawing from
numerous European sources - pamphlets, chronicles, and literature -
this monograph tries to unravel why and how the alleged freedom
fighter became an icon in European thought. It demonstrates that
Egmont unfurled an evocative power over several centuries and
cultural regions, as his name could be deliberately
instrumentalized by different groups of people in order to
corroborate their own confessional and political programs. In
addition, this book offers the very first systematic study of the
phenomenon of mytho-genesis and provides a conceptual model that
can be applied to analogous historical myths.
The community development profession: issues, concepts and
approaches is an informative resource for students and
practitioners of community-based development as it faces the
stumbling blocks of a new professionalism. Authors Professors Frik
de Beer and Hennie Swanepoel introduce and debate the relevant
issues, concepts and approaches, and their evolution,
interpretation and application in the field of development. Based
on an extensive literature study, the book argues that some more
recently evolved approaches can be traced to a "community
development" origin, with possible pitfalls of marginalisation and
disempowerment in the hands of powerful people. De Beer and
Swanepoel also discuss issues such as the origin and history of
community development from an international and South African
perspective; community development principles, policy, ethics,
institutions and training; community development project management
and evaluation; the integrated development programme (IDP); all
aspects of participatory planning, local economic development, and
sustainability; the important role played by government and NGOs.
Lecturers will benefit from the questions for reflection and
discussion, a reading list per theme and a glossary for
second-language users, all of which are included in each chapter.
This unique ethnographic investigation examines the role that
fashion plays in the production of the contemporary Indian luxury
aesthetic. Tracking luxury Indian fashion from its production in
village craft workshops via upmarket design studios to fashion
soirees, Kuldova investigates the Indian luxury fashion market's
dependence on the production of thousands of artisans all over
India, revealing a complex system of hierarchies and exploitation.
In recent years, contemporary Indian design has dismissed the
influence of the West and has focused on the opulent heritage
luxury of the maharajas, Gulf monarchies and the Mughal Empire.
Luxury Indian Fashion argues that the desire for a luxury aesthetic
has become a significant force in the attempt to define
contemporary Indian society. From the cultivation of erotic capital
in businesswomen's dress to a discussion of masculinity and
muscular neo-royals to staged designer funerals, Luxury Indian
Fashion analyzes the production, consumption and aesthetics of
luxury and power in India. Luxury Indian Fashion is essential
reading for students of fashion history and theory, anthropology
and visual culture.
Cognitive cultural theorists have rarely taken up sex, sexuality,
or gender identity. When they have done so, they have often
stressed the evolutionary sources of gender differences. In Sexual
Identities, Patrick Colm Hogan extends his pioneering work on
identity to examine the complexities of sex, the diversity of
sexuality, and the limited scope of gender. Drawing from a diverse
body of literary works, Hogan illustrates a rarely drawn
distinction between practical identity (the patterns in what one
does, thinks, and feels) and categorical identity (how one labels
oneself or is categorized by society). Building on this
distinction, he offers a nuanced reformulation of the idea of
social construction, distinguishing ideology, situational
determination, shallow socialization, and deep socialization. He
argues for a meticulous skepticism about gender differences and a
view of sexuality as evolved but also contingent and highly
variable. The variability of sexuality and the near absence of
gender fixity-and the imperfect alignment of practical and
categorical identities in both cases-give rise to the social
practices that Judith Butler refers to as "regulatory regimes."
Hogan goes on to explore the cognitive and affective operation of
such regimes. Ultimately, Sexual Identities turns to sex and the
question of how to understand transgendering in a way that respects
the dignity of transgender people, without reverting to gender
essentialism.
How does milk become cow milk, donkey milk or human milk? When one
closely explores this question, the species difference between
milks is not as stable as one might initially assume, even if one
takes an embodied perspective. To show this, this book takes
readers through an ethnographic comparison of milk consumption and
production in Croatia in a range of different social settings: on
farms, in mother-infant breastfeeding relations, in food hygiene
documentation and in the local landscape. It argues that humans
actually invest considerable work into abstracting and negotiating
milks into their human and animal forms.
In Transcultural Communication, Andreas Hepp provides an accessible
and engaging introduction to the exciting possibilities and
inevitable challenges presented by the proliferation of
transcultural communication in our mediatized world. * Includes
examples of mediatization and transcultural communication from a
variety of cultural contexts * Covers an array of different types
of media, including mass media and digital media * Incorporates
discussion of transcultural communication in media regulation,
media production, media products and platforms, and media
appropriation
Beginning with Erich Auerbach's reflections on the Goethean concept
of World Literature, Ottmar Ette unfolds the theory and practice of
Literatures of the World. Today, only those literary theories that
are oriented upon a history of movement are still capable of doing
justice to the confusing diversity of highly dynamic, worldwide
transformations. This is because they examine transareal pathways
in the field of literature. This volume captures literary processes
of exchange and transformation between the Mediterranean, Atlantic
and Pacific as well as the interplay of different ways of narrating
space and time. Thus, this volume speaks from a fractal point of
view and unfolds multiple perspectives. Literatures of the World
allows the reader to think in different logical frameworks at the
same time, therefore shaping our future on the basis of the
diversity of humankind.
Understanding the challenges in research and practice of
participation in the digital era, and the important role of local
governance in achieving the sustainable development goals,
Community Participation and Civic Engagement in the Digital Era
unfolds the complex relationship of community participation, social
capital and social networks. Singh presents an in-depth literature
review alongside case studies from developing countries, showcasing
the role of participation in sustainable development, and
explaining how digital development creates technological tools and
a virtual space for community engagement - increasing the
complexity of community participation and civic engagement, and the
potential for implementing the sustainable development goals at a
local level. From the historic concept and forms of participation
to describing and analysing the environmental and individual
factors shaping practice of participation, community development
interventions and local governance, the book culminates in a
discussion of future work and challenges in the digital world.
Delivering a careful review of the theoretical and practical
problems of community participation in the digital age and
featuring applied theories and cases which appeal to public policy
makers and researchers, Community Participation and Civic
Engagement in the Digital Era offers a rich theoretical perspective
and detailed critical review of social capital and social networks
that has profound application in the fields of political science,
sociology and development economics.
With the nation reeling from the cultural and political upheavals
of the 1960s era, imaginings of the white South as a place of
stability represented a bulwark against unsettling changes, from
suburban blandness and empty consumerism to race riots and
governmental deceit. A variety of individuals during and after the
civil rights era, including writers, journalists, filmmakers,
musicians, and politicians, imagined white southernness as a
tradition-loving, communal, authentic--and often, but not always,
rural or small-town-- abstraction that both represented a refuge
from modern ills and contained the tools for combating them. The
South of the Mind tells this story of how many Americans looked to
the nation's most maligned region to save them during the 1960s and
1970s. This interdisciplinary work uses imaginings of the South to
illuminate the recent American past. In it, Zachary J. Lechner
bridges the fields of southern studies, southern history, and post-
World War II American cultural and popular culture history in an
effort to discern how conceptions of a tradition-bound,
""timeless"" South shaped Americans' views of themselves and their
society and served as a fantasied refuge from the era's political
and cultural fragmentations, namely, the perceived problems
associated with ""rootlessness."" In its exploration of the source
of these tropes and their influence, The South of the Mind
demonstrates that we cannot hope to understand recent U.S. history
without exploring how people have conceived the South, as well as
what those conceptualizations have omitted.
Descartes and the 'Ingenium' tracks the significance of embodied
thought (ingenium) in the philosophical trajectory of the founding
father of dualism. The first part of the book defines the notion of
ingenium in relation to core concepts of Descartes's philosophy,
such as memory and enumeration. It focuses on Descartes's uses of
this notion in methodical thinking, mathematics, and medicine. The
studies in the second part place the Cartesian ingenium within
preceding scholastic and humanist pedagogical and
natural-philosophical traditions, and highlight its hitherto
ignored social and political significance for Descartes himself as
a member of the Republic of Letters. By embedding Descartes' notion
of ingenium in contemporaneous medical, pedagogical, but also
social and literary discourses, this volume outlines the
fundamentally anthropological and ethical underpinnings of
Descartes's revolutionary epistemology. Contributors: Igor
Agostini, Roger Ariew, Harold J. Cook, Raphaele Garrod, Denis
Kambouchner, Alexander Marr, Richard Oosterhoff, David Rabouin,
Dennis L. Sepper, and Theo Verbeek.
This book is the winner of the 2020 Joseph Levenson Pre-1900 Book
Prize, awarded by the Association for Asian Studies. In Song
Dynasty Figures of Longing and Desire, Lara Blanchard analyzes
images of women in painting and poetry of China's middle imperial
period, focusing on works that represent female figures as
preoccupied with romance. She discusses examples of visual and
literary culture in regard to their authorship and audience,
examining the role of interiority in constructions of gender,
exploring the rhetorical functions of romantic images, and
considering connections between subjectivity and representation.
The paintings in particular have sometimes been interpreted as
simple representations of the daily lives of women, or as
straightforward artifacts of heteroerotic desire; Blanchard
proposes that such works could additionally be interpreted as
political allegories, representations of the artist's or patron's
interiorities, or models of idealized femininity.
This volume collects twelve new essays by leading moral
philosophers on a vitally important topic: the ethics of eating
meat. Some of the key questions examined include: Are animals
harmed or benefited by our practice of raising and killing them for
food? Do the realities of the marketplace entail that we have no
power as individuals to improve the lives of any animals by
becoming vegetarian, and if so, have we any reason to stop eating
meat? Suppose it is morally wrong to eat meat-should we be blamed
for doing so? If we should be vegetarians, what sort should we be?
While technological developments are evolving at a rapid pace,
employee workplace skills are falling behind. This rate of change
will continue to accelerate, and it is the responsibility of
businesses to provide their employees with a solid foundation for
keeping pace with the technology surrounding them.
Technology-Driven Productivity Improvements and the Future of Work:
Emerging Research and Opportunities provides a comprehensive
discussion of the latest strategies and methods for creating
harmony between the workplace population and their technological
environments. Featuring coverage on relevant topics such as STEM
skills, economic complexities, and social programs, this is an
informative resource for all business owners, professionals,
practitioners, and researchers who are interested in discovering
new methods that will enable humans and technology to work
together.
This ready reference is a comprehensive guide to pop culture in
Asia and Oceania, including topics such as top Korean singers,
Thailand's sports heroes, and Japanese fashion. This entertaining
introduction to Asian pop culture covers the global superstars,
music idols, blockbuster films, and current trends-from the
eclectic to the underground-of East Asia and South Asia, including
China, Japan, Korea, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and
Pakistan, as well as Oceania. The rich content features an
exploration of the politics and personalities of Bollywood, a look
at how baseball became a huge phenomenon in Taiwan and Japan, the
ways in which censorship affects social media use in these regions,
and the influence of the United States on the movies, music, and
Internet in Asia. Topics include contemporary literature, movies,
television and radio, the Internet, sports, video games, and
fashion. Brief overviews of each topic precede entries featuring
key musicians, songs, published works, actors and actresses,
popular websites, top athletes, video games, and clothing fads and
designers. The book also contains top-ten lists, a chronology of
pop culture events, and a bibliography. Sidebars throughout the
text provide additional anecdotal information. Supports the
National Geography Standards by examining cultural mosaics and the
globalization of cultural change Connects popular culture to many
disciplines, including anthropology, history, literature, film
studies, political science, and sociology Allows for cross-cultural
comparisons between pop culture in the United States and Asia
Focuses on East Asia and South Asia, including China, Japan, Korea,
India, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Pakistan, among
other countries Features a detailed introduction with important
contextual information about pop culture in Asia and an extensive
chronology
"Everything but the Coffee" casts a fresh eye on the world's most
famous coffee company, looking beyond baristas, movie cameos, and
Paul McCartney CDs to understand what Starbucks can tell us about
America. Bryant Simon visited hundreds of Starbucks around the
world to ask, Why did Starbucks take hold so quickly with
consumers? What did it seem to provide over and above a decent cup
of coffee? Why at the moment of Starbucks' profit-generating peak
did the company lose its way, leaving observers baffled about how
it might regain its customers and its cultural significance?
"Everything but the Coffee" probes the company's psychological,
emotional, political, and sociological power to discover how
Starbucks' explosive success and rapid deflation exemplify American
culture at this historical moment. Most importantly, it shows that
Starbucks speaks to a deeply felt American need for predictability
and class standing, community and authenticity, revealing that
Starbucks' appeal lies not in the product it sells but in the
easily consumed identity it offers.
The presence of Jews in Quebec dates back four centuries. Quebec
Jewry, in Montreal in particular, has evolved over time, thanks to
successive waves of migration from different regions of the world.
The Jews of Quebec belong to a unique society in North America,
which they have worked to fashion. The dedication with which they
have defended their rights and their extensive achievements in
multiple sectors of activity have helped foster diversity in
Quebec. This work recounts the different contributions Jews have
made over the years, along with the cultural context that
encouraged the emergence in Montreal of a Jewish community like no
other in North America. This is the first overview of a history
that began during the French Regime and continued, through many
twists and turns, up to the turn of the twenty-first century.
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