Bestselling writer and psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom puts himself on the couch in a “candid, insightful” memoir​.

Irvin D. Yalom has made a career of investigating the lives of others. In this profound memoir, he turns his writing and his therapeutic eye on himself.

He opens his story with a nightmare: He is twelve, and is riding his bike past the home of an acne-scarred girl. Like every morning, he calls out, hoping to befriend her, "Hello Measles!" But in his dream, the girl's father makes Yalom understand that his daily greeting had hurt her. For Yalom, this was the birth of empathy; he would not forget the lesson.

As Becoming Myself unfolds, we see the birth of the insightful thinker whose books have been a beacon to so many. This is not simply a man's life story, Yalom's reflections on his life and development are an invitation for us to reflect on the origins of our own selves and the meanings of our lives.

'It is easier to tell you I used to be in a religious cult. My declaration is most likely to surprise you, even leave you confused. You might ask for more details. I’d tell you it was one of those evangelical churches, and you'd fill in the gaps for yourself because there are endless possibilities of what a cult-like evangelical church can look like in South Africa. Did I eat grass? Or maybe a snake? Was I sprayed with doom?'

Unlike more traditional denominational churches Pentecostal or evangelical churches are more of a movement and much less regulated. Journalist Pontsho Pilane's experience at a powerful evangelical church changed the trajectory of her life and began her journey of deconstruction. Her aim is to be a responsible believer contributing to a more just society.

In this memoir and analysis, Pontsho investigates the dangers of uninterrogated belief in Pentecostal churches and how these beliefs affect our everyday lives.

This book explores representations of fathers in select South African novels published from the birth of apartheid to the post-transitional moment.

Father figures in the texts reflect political and social climates in South Africa – at different times representing the oppressive apartheid government, righteous and authoritative liberation leaders and the unfulfilled promise of a democratic South Africa. Grant Andrews examines how father characters are linked to storytelling; they narrate the lives of their children and their patriarchal power is constituted through narratives. He features authors such as Alan Paton, Nadine Gordimer, J.M. Coetzee, Zakes Mda, K. Sello Duiker, Mark Behr, Zoë Wicomb, Lisa Fugard and Zukiswa Wanner.

Stories of Fathers, Stories of the Nation also investigates how fatherhoods are being reimagined in light of shifting discourses of gender and identity. More recent novels have deconstructed the father figure and his paternal narrative power, representing conflicts around racial identity, sexuality, legacy and how the sins of the father are visited on his children.

Drawing on the concept of the 'politics of compassion', this Handbook interrogates the political, geopolitical, social and anthropological processes which produce and govern borders and give rise to contemporary border violence. Chapters map different aspects of structural violence and mobilities in some of the world's most contentious border zones, highlighting the forms and practices that connect with labour exploitation, legal exclusion and a severe absence of human rights. International interdisciplinary contributors, including renowned sociologist Saskia Sassen, draw attention to the forms and spaces of resistance available to migrants and activists, contemplating how advocates attempt to provide protection and human security to those subjected to border violence. Offering empirical analyses of critical border spaces, the book covers extensively the US-Mexico border region and border zones around the Mediterranean. Border issues in South, Central and North America, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, the Middle East, Central Africa and East and Central Asia are also discussed. The Handbook thus provides a truly transnational approach to borders and migration, demonstrating the dynamic but asymmetric relationship between the social structure of border enforcement and the human agency of migrants and global activists. Combining theoretical insights into structural violence and human rights with key case studies of border zones, this comprehensive Handbook is crucial reading for scholars and researchers of social and political science investigating human migration, the humanitarian, border control and human rights. Its practical insights will also benefit policy-makers involved in borders and migration, as well as advocates and NGOs working with migrants and refugees to create secure environments.

How can we create more meaningful and intimate connections with our loved-ones? By using moments of discord to strengthen our relationships, explains this original, deeply researched book. You might think that perfect harmony is the defining characteristic of a good relationship, but the truth is that human interactions are messy, complicated, and confusing. The good news, however, is that we are wired to deal with this from birth - and even to grow from it and use it to strengthen our relationships, according to renowned psychologist Ed Tronick and paediatrician Claudia Gold. Scientific research - including Dr Tronick's famous 'Still-Face Experiment' - has shown that working through mismatch and repair in everyday life helps us form deep, lasting, trusting relationships; resilience in times of stress and trauma; and a solid sense of self in the world. This refreshing and original look at our ability to relate to others and to ourselves offers a new way for us to think about our relationships, and will reassure you that conflict is both normal and healthy, building the foundation for stronger connections.

Providing a comprehensive overview of the governance of urban infrastructures, this Companion combines illustrative cases with conceptual approaches to offer an innovative perspective on the governance of large urban infrastructure systems. Contributions by leading scholars in the field present a transdisciplinary approach to the topic, with a global scope. Chapters examine the challenges facing urban infrastructure systems, including financial, economic, technological, social, ecological, jurisdictional and demand. Using novel conceptualizations of urban infrastructure, and examining global cases of specific energy, mobility, water, housing, green and telecommunication systems, the Companion further illustrates how these challenges are interrelated with their governance. Finding efficiency, sustainability, and resilience to be key governance performance indicators, it concludes by highlighting the role that digitalization plays in making cities smarter and argues for the potential of digitalization for large urban infrastructure governance. With global significance, this Companion will be an invaluable read for students and scholars of urban studies, governance and infrastructure. The informative case studies will be an excellent resource for city practitioners, officials and policymakers.

This groundbreaking Research Handbook provides a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the impact of international law on cities. It sheds light on the growing global role of cities and makes the case for a renewed understanding of international law in the light of the urban turn. Written by a group of scholars from a wide range of different geographical and theoretical backgrounds, this Research Handbook contributes to a better understanding of the practice of cities in various fields of international law ranging from climate change over human rights and migration to security governance. Additionally, it offers reflections on how to account for this urban turn in the light of historical and cross-cutting theoretical perspectives from legal and non-legal scholarship alike. Combining doctrinal work and analysis of international practice with critical historical and theoretical contributions, this Research Handbook will be a must-have reference book for researchers and students in the field of international law as well as other disciplines, including human geography, urban studies, sociology and political science.

This volume considers the important and timely question of criminal justice as a method of addressing state violence committed by non-democratic regimes. The book's main objectives concern a fresh, contemporary, and critical analysis of transitional criminal justice as a concept and its related measures, beginning with the initiatives that have been put in place with the fall of the Communist regimes in Europe in 1989.The project argues for rethinking and revisiting filters that scholars use to interpret main issues of transitional criminal justice, such as: the relationship between judicial accountability, democratisation and politics in transitional societies; the role of successor trials in rewriting history; the interaction between domestic and international actors and specific initiatives in shaping transitional justice; and the paradox of time in enhancing accountability for human rights violations. In order to accomplish this, the volume considers cases of domestic accountability in the post-1989 era, from different geographical areas, such as Europe, Asia and Africa, in relation to key events from various periods of time. In this way the approach, which investigates space and time-lines in key examples, also takes into account a longitudinal study of transitional criminal justice itself.

This is the first anthropological monograph of Muslim and Hindu lives in contemporary Myanmar. In it, Judith Beyer introduces the concept of "we-formation" as a fundamental yet underexplored capacity of humans to relate to one another outside of and apart from demarcated ethno-religious lines and corporate groups. We-formation complements the established sociological concept of community, which suggests shared origins, beliefs, values, and belonging. Community is not only a key term in academic debates; it is also a hot topic among Beyer's interlocutors in urban Yangon, who draw on it to make claims about themselves and others. Invoking "community" is a conscious and strategic act, even as it asserts and reinforces stereotypes of Hindus and Muslims as minorities. In Myanmar, this understanding of community keeps self-identified members of these groups in a subaltern position vis-a-vis the Buddhist majority population. Beyer demonstrates the concept's enduring political and legal role since being imposed on "Burmese Indians" under colonial British rule. But individuals are always more than members of groups. The author draws on ethnomethodology and existential anthropology to reveal how people's bodily movements, verbal articulations, and non-verbal expressions in communal spaces are crucial elements in practices of we-formation. Her participant observation in mosques and temples, during rituals and processions, and in private homes reveals a sensitivity to tacit and intercorporeal phenomena that is still rare in anthropological analysis. Rethinking Community in Myanmar develops a theoretical and methodological approach that reconciles individuality and intersubjectivity and that is applicable far beyond the Southeast Asian context. Its focus on we-formation also offers insights into the dynamics of resistance to the attempted military coup of 2021. The newly formed civil disobedience movement derives its power not only from having a common enemy, but also from each individual's determination to live freely in a more just society.

Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest secular associations with its modern origins dating to the remnants of the medieval stonemasons' guilds in the late seventeenth century. Today it is a major contributor to charities and promotes high levels of moral conduct and integrity in its members, who number about 250,000 in England and Wales. In the past, over-zealous notions of privacy created an impression of secrecy and mystery which led to misplaced accusations of corruption and improper behaviour by its members. The resulting and very welcome official policy of openness and transparency has led to a wider understanding of its aims and ideals. One of the most important aspects of Freemasonry is to provide its member with tools to enable them to embark on a voyage of self-discovery and self-improvement, ultimately enabling them to gain a better understanding of their spirituality. This book looks at some of the images and objects used in Masonic ritual to illuminate the Freemason's s journey of self-discovery and examines how Freemasonry's use of symbolism and allegory can provide the Freemason with tools to assist him in both facing the challenges of his everyday life and in exploring his spirituality. By looking at the development of these symbols and ritual objects and by the examination of contemporary images it also sheds light on the evolution of English freemasonry itself.

There have been books written in the past purporting to expose the secrets of Freemasonry. By and large these have been written by non-Masons and have generally been somewhat negative and antagonistic towards Freemasons and Freemasonry; missing critical nuances and making unjustified assumptions. There have also been books written by Freemasons and aimed primarily at new Freemasons, as an introduction to Freemasonry, and as such have tended to go over the heads of non-Masons. This book is written by a Freemason specifically for the non-Mason. It does not set out in any way to proselytise, neither does it attempt to justify the case for Freemasonry nor to try and make Freemasonry more acceptable or sanitised. Indeed having read the book a reader may well still continue to be left antagonistic towards Freemasonry but at least will be better informed and know the reasons why.

The artist Steve Cadburn is a full-time professional cartoonist and caricaturist and has the ability to capture facial expressions perfectly. So much so that sometime you wonder if the you're looking at a portrait from your very own lodge! If you love freemasonry this book is sure to amuse, entertain, and offer a unique insight into how Freemasons balance their commitment to families and work. With the duties, obligations and fellowship to be found in Freemasonry A must for all Masons as well as their families and friends.

The Royal Arch, also known as 'Red Lodge' or Chapter is one of the most popular and enlightening of the Orders beyond the Craft. Published to coincide with the celebrations of 200 years of Royal Arch Freemasonry, this extensive volume encompasses much more than the title implies. Divided into three parts with added appendices, the book covers the story behind the creation of Supreme Grand Chapter within the context of Craft Freemasonry, to which it is so closely attached.

The author has previously stated on many occasions that if we don't take the time to understand what the contents of our ceremonies mean, and explain them, then we are in danger of them becoming empty shells devoid of any relevance, just empty words and empty actions. They are really based on practical knowledge This book starts by looking at: * Where the Royal Arch degree comes from * Factors that influence it both historically and through religion. * Changes in fashion * Changes in knowledge * The moral lessons it teaches * How those moral lessons were derived * The meaning behind the allegory. * The place of Royal Arch in our modern world Chapter outlines - Chapters to cover: * Tracing the origins of Royal Arch * 3 most important buildings in Britain, for Royal Arch Masonry * Religion, Faith and Fact in the lectures o Key figures and their pedigree * RA Symbols - what they mean and how they are derived * Roman, Greek and Norman influence * The Greek philosophers influence in Royal arch * Wisdom recovered and featured in Royal Arch * Two great rebellions and their consequences for Royal Arch * The third rebellion that never came that influences freemasonry * The influence of James I & VI * William of Orange at Hampton Court * The square and compasses rediscovered o The allegory of the square and compasses * Solomon's Temple o Egyptian benefit o Defeat and catastrophe o The child burners o Exile o Return of the child burners and rebuild o Destruction again o Rebuild again without Royal Arch foundations * Why a pick, shovel and crow? * Colour symbolism o Influence on ceremonies * RA lectures explained * The arrival of five nobles from afar and their influence.

Contents include: Chapter One - Living Landmarks of Freemasonry Chapter Two - 1723 and All That Chapter Three - Father Christmas and Charitable Giving Chapter Four - Darkness Much More Visible Chapter Five - 2nd Duke of Richmond - Grand Master 1724-1725 Chapter Six - Freemasonry and the Bible Chapter Seven - Freemasonry under Adversity Chapter Eight - English Nobility and Freemasonry Chapter Nine - Not Just Geometry Chapter Ten - Ritual and Freemasonry Chapter Eleven - Who Was Adoniram? Chapter Twelve - Hogarth's "Night"

For more than 500 years, the symbology of Freemasonry has fostered a secret stream of radical ideas running just beneath the surface of popular culture today. These ideas, illuminated by public symbols hidden in full view, have influenced and shaped the society we have today. Despite this ongoing record of inspiration, no illustrated guide book to the basic ideas of Masonic Symbology has even been published and the story remains mysterious-until now. This authoritative guide reveals how this symbology has been the backdrop to key historical events in the history of humanity from ancient times and how, in more recent times, inspired leaders have harnessed the symbols' power to bring about change in society. Renowned Freemasonry historian Dr. Robert Lomas takes you inside the Secret Order and shows you how Entered Apprentices first learn their craft and how continual exposure to these mystical symbols can change the way you think. You'll explore the six mysterious Tracing Boards that are at the heart of every Masonic Grand Lodge, ending with the final, most mystical symbol, known as "the Centre." Let The Secret Power of Masonic Symbols be your personal guide and show you how these symbols have made their indelible mark on the past, and how they will continue to influence society in the future.