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Over the past several decades, liberal western Europe's attempts to
improve human rights, social equality, and political democracy have
increasingly conflicted with countervailing tendencies. The 2000s
brought its own range of conflicts, including an upsurge in
terrorism, economic downturn, and growing divisions over matters of
ethnicity, religion, and history. During the 2010s, a new wave of
refugees and immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa
further split xenophobic, anti-Muslim nationalists from those who
welcomed the non-European "Other". And now, Europe is undergoing
the unexpected shock of a virulent pandemic that has already
spawned another round of economic devastation and socio-political
unrest. Studying contemporary western European film uncovers how
the cinema can reflect on and contribute to discourses of conflict
and survival in the new century. This edited collection uncovers
the ways western Europe's filmmakers have taken it upon themselves
to represent and interrogate this new era of uncertainty, and to
pose implicitly the broadly political question of "whither
Europe?". The chapters demonstrate a broad theoretical and
methodological understanding of filmmakers as thinking
citizen-artists who are directly involved in their society's
discussions of the past, the present, and the future. Far from
merely "reflecting" their times, filmmakers have become activists
who use their art to reflect on their times and to encourage their
audiences to think critically about Europe's problems and
potentials.
"Turning to Nature in Germany" is a study of mass movements that
aimed to bring the German people into closer contact with nature.
In the early twentieth century organized hikers, nudists, and
conservationists all looked to nature for solutions to the nation's
political crises. Following these movements over three political
eras--the Second Empire, the Weimar Republic, and the Third
Reich--the book shows how manifestations of popular culture
reflected the concerns and hopes of their time. Williams breaks
with historians who have long seen nature movements as anti-modern
and irrational by arguing that naturists were calling not for
Germany to turn back the clock, but for the nation to find a way to
navigate the treacherous waters of contemporary life and strive
toward a brighter future.
It was the aim of Capt. Thomas, in writing this history of Marlboro
County, South Carolina, to make it so full in the matters of
tradition and genealogy as to leave no room for complaint, but in
spite of his zeal, industrious inquiry and research, he was unable
to procure from some families, facts and data, whilst some others
were unable to give information sought, having preserved no family
records, and having no traditions stored up in memory. The Rev. J.
A. W. Thomas endeavored to write this piece of local history of a
people loyal to the State, valorous in war, law abiding,
industrious and thrifty in time of peace. The citizens of Marlboro
should feel deeply indebted for the history of the people who have
ever been true to themselves and their State in time of war, and
who, in peace, by quiet industry and exemplary thrift have made
Marlboro the garden spot of the State.
Interweaving social, political, environmental, economic, and
popular history, John Alexander Williams chronicles four and a half
centuries of the Appalachian past. Along the way, he explores
Appalachia's long-contested boundaries and the numerous, often
contradictory images that have shaped perceptions of the region as
both the essence of America and a place apart.
Williams begins his story in the colonial era and describes the
half-century of bloody warfare as migrants from Europe and their
American-born offspring fought and eventually displaced
Appalachia's Native American inhabitants. He depicts the evolution
of a backwoods farm-and-forest society, its divided and unhappy
fate during the Civil War, and the emergence of a new industrial
order as railroads, towns, and extractive industries penetrated
deeper and deeper into the mountains. Finally, he considers
Appalachia's fate in the twentieth century, when it became the
first American region to suffer widespread deindustrialization, and
examines the partial renewal created by federal intervention and a
small but significant wave of in-migration.
Throughout the book, a wide range of Appalachian voices enlivens
the analysis and reminds us of the importance of storytelling in
the ways the people of Appalachia define themselves and their
region.
In his clear, eminently readable style, Williams organizes the
tangled strands of West Virginia's past around a few dramatic
events the battle of Point Pleasant, John Brown's insurrection in
Harper's Ferry, the Paint Creek labor movement, the Hawk's Nest and
Buffalo Creek disasters, and more. Williams uses these pivotal
events as introductions to the larger issues of statehood, Civil
War, unionism, and industrialization. Along the way, Williams
conveys a true feel for the lives of common West Virginians, the
personalities of the state's memorable characters, and the powerful
influence of the land itself on its own history."
In the nearly nineteen years since the destruction of the Wall that
divided East from West Berlin, Germans have struggled with the
challenges of reunification. The task has been daunting-unifying
two countries with a common language but mutually hostile political
and economic systems. Contrary to the optimistic predictions of
1989/1990, reunification has aggravated many of Germany's problems
within the larger context of globalization. Berlin, divided
epicenter of the Cold War, Germany's largest city and the capital
since 1999, has been forced to confront the challenges of
reunification with particular urgency. This book presents the work
of six scholars who met at Bradley University's annual Berlin
seminar in June, 2006 to discuss the recent past and the future
prospects of the German metropolis. Two broad concerns--society and
historical memory--emerged during the seminar and are reflected in
these scholars' writings. The first section of the book assesses
how Berliners have reunified the city through urban planning and
social, economic and cultural policies. These chapters also speak
to pressing contemporary issues of immigration, citizenship and
cultural diversity. The essays in the book's second part trace how
historical memory has been shaped and politically contested in
German culture, both in the divided nation and since 1989. Berlin
Since the Wall's End casts light on a metropolis that has been
scarred, but not destroyed, by the upheavals of recent history.
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