Few regions on earth have witnessed such rapid social change as the Arabian Gulf States (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Oman). Wealth from oil and gas has radically transformed the landscapes, lifestyles and human relationships across these nations. Transformation however is seldom painless, and numerous psychosocial challenges have followed the triumphal progress. The psychological implications of the region's meteoric modernization have not received sustained examination until now. Tensions between traditional ways of life, rooted in cultural and Islamic values, and the influx of foreign lifestyles are implicated in the rise of common psychological problems such as depression, addiction and eating disorders. Psychological Well-Being in the Gulf States examines these issues, providing an in-depth exploration of the psychological consequences of transition. This important work also looks at how the region's traditional cultural values may foster resilience against psychological problems, and how these values have a vital role to play in developing effective therapies and culturally grounded prevention strategies.

Few regions of the planet have undergone such rapid social transition as the Arabian Gulf States. Psychological Well-Being in the Gulf States explores the implications of these rapid changes in terms of mental health and psychological well-being.

Few regions of the planet have undergone such rapid social transition as the Arabian Gulf States. Psychological Well-Being in the Gulf States explores the implications of these rapid changes in terms of mental health and psychological well-being.

This book introduces contemporary Buddhists from across Asia and from various walks of life. Eschewing traditional hagiographies, the editors have collected sixty-six profiles of individuals who would be excluded from most Buddhist histories and ethnographies. In addition to monks and nuns, readers will encounter artists, psychologists, social workers, part-time priests, healers, and librarians as well as charlatans, hucksters, profiteers, and rabble-rousers—all whose lives reflect changes in modern Buddhism even as they themselves shape the course of these changes. The editors and contributors are fundamentally concerned with how individual Buddhists make meaning and display this understanding to others. Some practitioners profiled look to the past, lamenting the transformations Buddhism has undergone in recent times, while others embrace these. Some have adopted a “new asceticism,” while others are eager to explore different religious traditions as they think about their own ways of being Buddhist. Arranging the profiles according to these themes—looking backward, forward, inward, and outward—reveals the value of studying individual Buddhists and their idiosyncratic religious backgrounds and attitudes, thus highlighting the diversity of approaches to the practice and study of Buddhism in Asia today. Students and teachers will welcome sections on further readings and additional tables of contents that organize the profiles thematically, as well as by tradition (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana), region, and country.

Harlem jazz trumpeter Pete Peters was murdered in 1933, hours before the birth of his son. Twenty-four years later, his son, Horatio Peters believes he's only chasing his father s genius rather than following in his father s footsteps. A remarkable trumpet player in his own right, Horatio struggles with playing original pieces left behind by his father. The works play perfectly in his head, but terribly through his horn. Seeking his father s music teachers, Horatio's journey will take him to Clarksdale, Mississippi. There he will meet the grand music instructors Jackson and Gaston Fable and all their wondrous tricks, rich history, and thumping music. Horatio's journey will collide with the stories of three generations of women from Water Bug Hollow, Louisiana, a seductive and wicked woman of fair beauty, and the proper keys to unlock the endearing story of another lifetime hidden in the mysterious notations of his father's music.

Keith Joseph is a confidence man, a young 24-year old Black schemer with confidence. He's always had a method to his madness, a point to his sharp intellect. Now, he's about to add rhyme to his reason. Keith Joseph plans to steal the entire genre of Hip Hop. And to do this, he's going to assemble a crew of fellow confidence men, pranksters, a retired beat maker, and a poet to break into the toughest, most well concealed, heavily guarded place on the planet ... ... The Music Industry. From the author of 12 Stories High and The Ronin Poetz comes Code-47: Memoirs of a Hip Hop Heist.

North Africa, 1640. Welcome to al-Mari Ifriq, a small city dreaming of its borders to reach the coast. Its dusty, unpaved roads and small districts set the unofficial borders, providing reminders of the minor squabbles initiated by surrounding maritime companies that vie for control of each other, the city, and the entire region of Odongo-Mauharim. Thus sets the grand African tale of Moorish Company Bosses, corsairs, and kingdoms involved in all manner of legitimate and illicit politics. Join the adventure of three African states. The first, a city ruled by corsair politics. The second, a Kingdom on the brink of war. The last, a nomadic nation marked by Europeans for enslavement. Corsairs. Revolutionary warriors. Merchants, slavers, and gangsters. Join the Company.

Winner of the Henry J. Benda Prize sponsored by the Association for Asian Studies Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words examines modern and premodern Buddhist monastic education traditions in Laos and Thailand. Through five centuries of adaptation and reinterpretation of sacred texts and commentaries, Justin McDaniel traces curricular variations in Buddhist oral and written education that reflect a wide array of community goals and values. He depicts Buddhism as a series of overlapping processes, bringing fresh attention to the continuities of Theravada monastic communities that have endured despite regional and linguistic variations. Incorporating both primary and secondary sources from Thailand and Laos, he examines premodern inscriptional, codicological, anthropological, art historical, ecclesiastical, royal, and French colonial records. By looking at modern sermons, and even television programs and websites, he traces how pedagogical techniques found in premodern palm-leaf manuscripts are pervasive in modern education. As the first comprehensive study of monastic education in Thailand and Laos, Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words will appeal to a wide audience of scholars and students interested in religious studies, anthropology, social and intellectual history, and pedagogy.

Winner of the Henry J. Benda Prize sponsored by the Association for Asian Studies Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words examines modern and premodern Buddhist monastic education traditions in Laos and Thailand. Through five centuries of adaptation and reinterpretation of sacred texts and commentaries, Justin McDaniel traces curricular variations in Buddhist oral and written education that reflect a wide array of community goals and values. He depicts Buddhism as a series of overlapping processes, bringing fresh attention to the continuities of Theravada monastic communities that have endured despite regional and linguistic variations. Incorporating both primary and secondary sources from Thailand and Laos, he examines premodern inscriptional, codicological, anthropological, art historical, ecclesiastical, royal, and French colonial records. By looking at modern sermons, and even television programs and websites, he traces how pedagogical techniques found in premodern palm-leaf manuscripts are pervasive in modern education. As the first comprehensive study of monastic education in Thailand and Laos, Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words will appeal to a wide audience of scholars and students interested in religious studies, anthropology, social and intellectual history, and pedagogy.