Arguing that excluded and marginalized social groups should benefit from the growth of international higher education, "Origins, Journeys and Returns" reports on the development and impact of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) which is designed to further social justice in some of the world's poorest, most populous, and most unequal countries.

Extending opportunities for advanced education to individuals from marginalized communities has a significant impact that transcends individual beneficiaries. In 2001, the Ford Foundation began to dedicate substantial resources toward providing disadvantaged groups with postgraduate education, a process that gave hope to many. Fellows' academic success challenged presumptions about the disadvantaged and their ability to benefit from educational opportunities in prestigious international universities. Alumni have also exhibited a deep dedication to their communities, proving there is a collective return on investing in individuals. In some regions, IFP practices have modified institutional practices in universities and other fellowship programs. Through case studies of seven countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, "Origins, Journeys and Returns" shows how nuanced approaches to defining the disadvantaged, along with flexible, local implementation of global program goals can actually counter "brain drain" and empower individuals to effect social change at home.

"This is the most important book to come out of Brazil in this decade, perhaps in the last 30 years." -- Choice

From 1964 until 1985, Brazil was ruled by a military regime that sanctioned the systematic use of torture in dealing with its political opponents. The catalog of what went on during that grim period was originally published in Portuguese as Brasil: Nunca Mais (Brazil: Never Again) in 1985.

The volume was based on the official documentation kept by the very military that perpetrated the horrific acts. These extensive documents include military court proceedings of actual trials, secretly photocopied by lawyers associated with the Catholic Church and analyzed by a team of researchers. Their daring project-- known as BNM for Brasil: Nunca Mais-- compiled more than 2,700 pages of testimony by political prisoners documenting close to three hundred forms of torture.

The BNM project proves conclusively that torture was an essential part of the military justice system and that judicial authorities were clearly aware of the use of torture to extract confessions. Still, it took more than a decade after the publication of Brasil: Nunca Mais for the armed forces to admit publicly that such torture had ever taken place. Torture in Brazil, the English version of the book re-edited here, serves as a timely reminder of the role of Brazil's military in past repression.