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Badiou's 'Being and Event': A Reader's Guide (Reader's Guides)
by Christopher NorrisAlain Badiou's Being and Event is the most original and significant work of French philosophy to have appeared in recent decades. It is the magnum opus of a thinker who is widely considered to have re-shaped the character and set new terms for the future development of philosophy in France and elsewhere. This book has been written very much with a view to clarifying Badiou's complex and demanding work for non-specialist readers. It offers guidance on philosophical and intellectual context, key themes, reading the text, reception and influence; and further reading.
Starting with Kierkegaard (Starting with…)
by Patrick SheilSøren Kierkegaard was one of the most important European philosophers of the nineteenth-century and is widely regarded as the founder of existentialism. His work had a profound influence on some of the main intellectual currents of the last two centuries. Clearly and thematically structured, with investigations into a host of Kierkegaard's key concepts-including 'immediacy', 'sin', 'despair', 'individuality' and 'the crowd'-and with references to a wide range of his works, Starting with Kierkegaard provides the reader with a balanced overview of the Danish philosopher's project, paying as much attention to the signed 'edifying' works as to the famous authorship of the pseudonyms.Starting with Kierkegaard also offers a short survey of the historical, biographical and philosophical context of Kierkegaard's ideas as they started to take shape in the 1830s. The book closes with a discussion of Kierkegaard and society, and of his continuing relevance to today. Starting with Kierkegaard is the ideal introduction for anyone coming to the work of this hugely important thinker for the first time.
Memory and Urban Religion in the Ancient World (Cultural Memory and History in Antiquity)
by Martin Bommas Juliette Harrisson Phoebe RoyMemory and Urban Religion in the Ancient World brings together scholars and researchers working on memory and religion in ancient urban environments. Chapters explore topics relating to religious traditions and memory, and the multifunctional roles of architectural and geographical sites, mythical figures and events, literary works and artefacts. Pagan religions were often less static and more open to new influences than previously understood. One of the factors that shape religion is how fundamental elements are remembered as valuable and therefore preservable for future generations. Memory, therefore, plays a pivotal role when - as seen in ancient Rome during late antiquity - a shift of religions takes place within communities. The significance of memory in ancient societies and how it was promoted, prompted, contested and even destroyed is discussed in detail. This volume, the first of its kind, not only addresses the main cultures of the ancient world - Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome - but also look at urban religious culture and funerary belief, and how concepts of ethnic religion were adapted in new religious environments.
The Continuum Companion to Metaphysics (Bloomsbury Companions)
by Neil A. Manson Robert W. BarnardTheContinuum Companion to Metaphysics offers the definitive guide to a key area ofcontemporary philosophy. The book covers all the fundamental questions asked inmetaphysics - areas that have continued to attract interest historically aswell as topics that have emerged more recently as active areas of research. Elevenspecially commissioned essays from an international team of experts discussresearch problems and methods in metaphysics, reveal where important workcontinues to be done in the area and, most valuably, indicate exciting newdirections the field is taking. The Companion explores issues pertainingto modality, universals and abstract objects, naturalism and physicalism, mind,material constitution, endurantism and perdurantism, personal identity, personalidentity, free will, and God. Featuring a series of indispensable researchtools, including an A to Z index of key terms and concepts, a detailed list of researchresources and a fully annotated bibliography, this is the essentialreference tool for anyone working in contemporary metaphysics.
Stars and Stardom in French Cinema
by Ginette VincendeauFrench cinema is second only to Hollywood in the number of its movie stars who have emerged to achieve international fame. France is, in fact, arguably the only country other than the United States to have an international "star system." Yet these glamorous and charismatic stars differ from their U.S. counterparts in that they maintain more freedom to control their own images and often straddle both mainstream and auteur cinema.Ginette Vincendeau, a leading authority on French cinema, analyzes the phenomenon of French film stardom and provides brilliant in-depth studies of the major popular stars of the French cinema: Max Linder, Jean Gabin, Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau, Louis de FunFs, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve, GTrard Depardieu, and Juliette Binoche. This volume analyzes these stars' images and performance styles in the context of the French film industry, but also in relation to national culture and society. In the country where Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve have modeled for Marianne (the effigy of the Republic) and left-wing politicians have held up Jean Gabin as a role model, Vincendeau examines the unusual relationship between French film stars and national identity.Ginette Vincendeau is professor of film studies at the University of Warwick. She is the author and editor of a number of books on cinema.
Everyday Heroism: Victorian Constructions Of The Heroic Civilian
by John PriceHeroism in the 19th and early 20th centuries is synonymous with military endeavours, imperial adventures and the 'great men of history'. There was, however, another prominent and influential strand of the idea which has, until now, been largely overlooked. This book seeks to address this oversight and establish new avenues of study by revealing and examining 'everyday' heroism; acts of life-risking bravery, undertaken by otherwise ordinary individuals, largely in the course of their daily lives and within quotidian surroundings.Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, John Price charts and investigates the growth and development of this important discourse, presenting in-depth case studies of The Albert Medal and the Carnegie Hero Fund alongside a nationwide analysis of heroism monuments and an exploration of radical approaches to the concept. Unlike its military and imperial counterparts, everyday heroism embraced the heroine and this study reflects that with an examination of female heroism.Discovering why certain individuals or acts were accorded the status of being 'heroic' also provides insights into those that recognized them. Heroism is a flexible and malleable constellation of ideas, shaped or constructed along different lines by different people, so if you want to identify the characteristics of a group or society, much can be learnt by studying those it holds up as heroic. Consequently, Everyday Heroism: Victorian Constructions of the Heroic Civilian provides valuable and revealing evidence for a wide range of social and cultural topics including; class, gender, identity, memory, celebrity, and literary and visual culture.
Why I Am Still a Catholic: Essays in Faith and Perseverance
by Peter StanfordWhat does it mean to be a Catholic in today's world? What distinguishes the modern Catholic from anyone else? At a time when the Vatican provokes hostility by its opposition to contraception, abortion and the use of condoms in fighting AIDS, how many Catholics share its views? And if they don't, how can they in good conscience stay in the Church? These are among the many questions that writer and broadcaster Peter Stanford is addressing here. There is a whole spectrum of response in this entertaining and enlightening collection. 'Fascinating... a surprisingly uplifting book.' Sunday Telegraph 'A hard-hitting book which criticizes as much as it praises... it should be read by anyone interested in the phenomenon of organized religion.' Spectator
British Culture and the First World War: Experience, Representation and Memory
by Toby ThackerThe First World War has been mythologized since 1918, and many paradigmatic views of it - that it was pointless, that brave soldiers were needlessly sacrificed - are deeply embedded in the British consciousness. More than in any other country, these collective British memories were influenced by the experiences and the work of writers, painters and musicians.This book revisits the British experience of the War through the eyes and ears of a diverse group of carefully selected novelists, poets, composers and painters. It examines how they reacted to and portrayed their experiences in the trenches on the Western Front, in distant theatres of war and on the home front, in words, pictures and music that would have a profound influence on subsequent British perceptions of the war.Rupert Brooke, Vera Brittain, Richard Nevinson, Paul Nash, Edward Elgar and T. E. Lawrence are amongst the figures discussed in this original exploration of the First World War and British collective memory. The book includes illustrations and maps to aid further study and research.
Pius XII: The Hound of Hitler
by Gerard NoelA thoughtful and provocative biography of the controversial Pope who led the Catholic Church during World War II There is a claim that Hitler's rise to power was left unchallenged by the inaction of Pope Pius XII. In contrast, Gerard Noel's Pius XII: The Hound of Hitler is a highly original study of the exercise of political and religious power, of realpolitik and the extent to which politics is always the art of the possible. This book also offers an intimate portrait of a man at the pinnacle of the Catholic church. Noel contends that Pius XII was mother-fixated and dominated by a German nun, Sister Pasqualina, who became the real power behind the throne and who was ultimately more liberal and anti-Nazi than the Pope himself. Indeed, he says, it was Pasqualina who did most to shelter the Jewish population of Rome. As time advanced, Pius XII became more and more aloof and rigid in his views. By 1950 he promulgated the Doctrine of The Assumption, the ultimate expression of autocratic power, as infallible. Today there is a movement to canonize Pius XII which is predictably resisted by many influential people, and for this reason alone Pius XII continues to command much attention, debate, and controversy. Pius XII: The Hound of Hitler is neither a demolition job nor a piece of hagiography, as Gerard Noel explores the fatal effect of the Vatican's concord with Hitler and Pius XII's failure to condemn Hitler's attempt to exterminate the Jews.
Fantastic Creatures in Mythology and Folklore: From Medieval Times to the Present Day
by Juliette WoodDrawing on historical sources, myth and folklore, Fantastic Creatures in Mythology and Folklore explores the roles of fantastical beasts - particularly the unicorn, the mermaid, and the dragon - in a series of thematic chapters organised according to their legendary dwelling place, be this land, sea, or air. Through this original approach, Juliette Wood provides the first study of mythical beasts in history from the medieval period to the present day, providing new insights into the ways these creatures continue to define our constantly changing relationship to both real and imagined worlds. It places particular emphasis on the role of the internet, computer games, and the cyberspace community, and in doing so, demonstrates that the core medieval myth surrounding these creatures remains static within the ever-increasing arena of mass marketing and the internet.This is a vital resource for undergraduates studying fantastic creatures in history, literature and media studies.
Strangely Warmed: Reflections on God, Life and Bric-a-Brac: The Mowbray Lent Book 2010
by Andrew RumseyA collection of short pieces designed to be read on the bus or in the bath, as one would a magazine column. Each piece takes a wry look at the world and reflects on the questions of faith that arise from the everyday -- the advertising slogan, the church jumble sale...Drawing on the ingredients of scripture, theology and philosophy, Strangely Warmed aims to make serious doctrinal points with a lightness of touch, offering bite-sized morsels to be enjoyably chewed over, in the hope that this will lead to a deeper reflection on, and appreciation of, Christian faith.
Phenomenologies of Art and Vision: A Post-Analytic Turn (Bloomsbury Studies in Philosophy)
by Paul CrowtherContemporarydiscussions of the image like to emphasize art's societal functions. Fewstudies come close to answering why pictures and sculptures fascinate andintrigue regardless of any practical functions they might serve. In thisoriginal, thought-provoking study, Paul Crowther reveals the intrinsicsignificance of pictures and sculptures. To address thequestion of how painting becomes an art, Crowther uses the analytic philosophyof Richard Wollheim as a starting point. But to sufficiently answer thequestion, he makes an important link to a tradition much more successful ingiving voice to the deeper ontology of visual art - existential phenomenology. The result is a work that demonstrates thereciprocal relationship between phenomenology and analytic aesthetics. Toexpand its ontological scope and solve the problem of expression, analytic aestheticsneeds phenomenology; while to develop a sustained, critically balanced, andintellectually available ontology, phenomenology needs the discursive force andlucidity of analytic philosophy. This convincing case for a post-analyticphenomenology of art is an important advancement of contemporary discussions ofthe philosophy of art.
The Ethics of Metropolitan Growth: The Future of our Built Environment (Think Now)
by Robert KirkmanThe Ethics of Metropolitan Growth is about the decisions people make that shape the built environment, from the everyday concerns of homeowners and commuters to grand gestures of national policy. Decisions about the built environment have taken on a particular urgency in recent months. The financial crisis that began in the home mortgage system, the instability of fuel prices, and long-term projections of oil depletion and climate change are now intertwined with more conventional concerns about metropolitan growth, such as traffic flow and air quality. Now, it would seem, is an excellent time for clear thinking about what the built environment can and should become in the future. Robert Kirkman argues that decisions about how to configure and live within the built environment have ethical dimensions that are sometimes hard to see, questions relating to well-being, justice, and sustainability. This book provides practical guidance for sorting through the ethical implications surrounding metropolitan growth, bringing the most immediate concerns of ordinary people to the centre of environmental ethics.
Butler's Saints of the Third Millennium: Butler's Lives of the Saints: Supplementary Volume
by Paul BurnsPope John Paul II has proclaimed an unprecedented number of new saints and blesseds in the 25 years of his pontificate and shows few signs of slowing the process, despite the criticism from at least one cardinal that the altars are getting 'a little crowded'. The proclamations have been made in a large number of countries, from which the new saints and blesseds have come. This reflects a deliberate policy of strengthening the faith of local churches against the threats from totalitarianism, secularism, Pentecostalism, etc. (the Vatican tends to see most of the 'outside' world as a threat). There has also been a deliberate policy to seek more examples of holiness from outside the ranks of clergy and religious. The twentieth century has been seen as the century of martyrs, largely those of Nazism and Communism, and they feature prominently - those of nominally Catholic military regimes are less favoured. The Introduction will make such points. This volume proposes to cover a four-year period in the Butler's style. Blesseds appearing in the 1995-2000 volumes who have since been canonized will have their entries updated and expanded as necessary; new blesseds will be featured with the information that is available - which in the case of some Third-World figures is not very much. Entries will therefore range from around 3,000 words to 200, with an average of some 800. The number of entries will be approximately 80.
Ethnography as Christian Theology and Ethics
by Christian Scharen Aana Marie VigenIn response to a variety of critical intellectual currents (post-colonial, post-modern, and post-liberal) scholars in Christian theology and ethics are increasingly taking up the tools of ethnography as a means to ask fundamental moral questions and to make more compelling and credible moral claims. Privileging particularity, rather than the more traditional effort to achieve universal or at least generalizable norms in making claims regarding the Christian life, echoes the most fundamental insight of the Christian traditionGÇöthat God is known most fully in Jesus of Nazareth. Echoing this scandal of particularity at the heart of the Christian tradition, theologians and ethicists involved in ethnographic research draw on the particular to seek out answers to core questions of their discipline: who God is and how we become the people we are, how to conceptualize moral agency in relation to God and the world, and how to flesh out the content of conceptual categories such as justice that help direct us in our daily decisions and guiding institutions.
You're History!: How People Make the Difference
by Michelle P. Brown Richard J. KellyThis book arose out of a challenge. The challenge was made by Bob Geldof to the British academic and historian Michelle Brown. Pop singers raise huge sums of money for Band Aid and touch the hearts of people from all walks of life. But to give money can be an easy way out. How does the so called intellientsia respond with their minds(not just their hearts and pockets) to the appalling disparities in the conditions of members of the human race. This a challenge that a number of notable and gifted people have responded to enthusiastically. They range from John Simpson and Martin Bell to Former President Mary Robinson and the noted US feminist intellectual Charlotte Bunch. Other noted authors include Sir David Ramsbothom, Ricardo Navarro, Founder of the Friends of the Earth and Simon Counsell, Director of The Rainforest Foundation. Ultimately the purpose of this book is to make people think and connect wires, to encourage them to question their own place within the world , to acknowledge personal and collective responsibility and to discuss a range of situations and issues that have been changed by individuals. The book is also published to coimcide with Britian's Presidenct of the G8 and EU and ther associated drive to focus on issues of global social justice through the newly established Commission for Africa.
Pride and Perjury: An Autobiography
by Jonathan AitkenWhen Jonathan Aitken stepped from Number 10 Downing Street on July 20th 1994, he was soon tipped as next Leader of the Conservative Party. John Major had just appointed him First Secretary to the Treasury and his future could not have been brighter. What went wrong? Within a year headlines appeared such as 'Aitken tried to arrange girls for Saudi friends' and 'New Light on who paid what at The Ritz in Paris.' Accused of pimping, arms dealing and corruption, both his career and reputation hung in the balance as he came out fighting with his now famous Sword of Truth speech.In 'Pride and Perjury' Aitken tells for the first time how he became the most vilified politician in Britain since John Profumo. He reveals his dealings with cabinet colleagues, his relationship with the Saudi Royal Family, and a full account of his stay at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. He also describes the intense and dramatic events behind his failed libel action and his subsequent trial for perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.Aitken's fall from grace was the greatest personal catastrophe for a public figure since the trials of Oscar Wilde - a living hell including bankruptcy, divorce and a prison sentence. With insight and with elegance Pride and Perjury is a moving and compelling account of a fallen politician's penitence and delves into the darker side of human nature. It is also an inspiring message of hope and redemption.
Calvin (Outstanding Christian Thinkers)
by T. H. ParkerJohn Calvin (1509-64) influence reaches from the Reformation to Karl Barth and beyond. Outstanding as biblical scholar, preacher and practical Church reformer, Calvin intended all his work to serve the Word of God. Although couched in 16th century terms, his theology drew on the wealth of previous Christian thought and continues to be relevant to the situation of the Church today.This book is a comprehensive introduction to the whole range of Calvin's theology. Concentrating on Calvin's major work The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Parker explains it's relevance to Christians of all times. This volume will give readers a full and serious sense of Calvin both as a Christian and as a thinker.
Portraits of Jesus in the Gospel of John (The Library of New Testament Studies)
by Craig KoesterJohn's Gospel is best known for its presentation of Jesus as the Word of God made flesh. But as the narrative unfolds, readers discover that the identity of Jesus is surprisingly complex. He is depicted as a teacher, a healer, a prophet, and Messiah. He is Jewish and Galilean, a human being who is Son of Man and Son of God. Portraits of Jesus considers each of these roles in detail, showing how each makes a distinctive contribution to the Gospel's rich mosaic of images for Jesus. John's multifaceted portrait of Jesus draws on a broad spectrum of early Christian traditions. Contributors to this collection of essays explore the ways in which these traditions are both preserved and transformed in the Fourth Gospel. The writers draw us more deeply into the questions of the way in which traditions about Jesus developed in the early church and how the Gospel of John might contribute to our understanding of that dynamic process.
The City in the Hebrew Bible: Critical, Literary and Exegetical Approaches (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)
by James K Aitken Hilary F. MarlowThese essays explore the idea of the city in the Hebrew Bible by means of thematic and textual studies. The essays are united by their portrayal of how the city is envisaged in the Hebrew Bible and how the city shapes the writing of the literature considered. In its conceptual framework the volume draws upon a number of other disciplines, including literary studies, urban geography and psycho-linguistics, to present chapters that stimulate further discussion on the role of urbanism in the biblical text. The introduction examines how cities can be conceived and portrayed, before surveying recent studies on the city and the Hebrew Bible. Chapters then address such issues as the use of the Hebrew term for 'city', the rhythm of the city throughout the biblical text, as well as reflections on textual geography and the work of urban theorists in relation to the Song of Songs. Issues both ancient and modern, historical and literary, are addressed in this fascinating collection, which provides readers with a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary view of the city in the Hebrew Bible.
Becoming John: The Making of a Passion Gospel (The Library of New Testament Studies)
by Kari SyreeniIn this new analysis of the Gospel of John, Kari Syreeni argues that the gospel is a heavily reworked edition of earlier Johannine work, and that the original did not include Jesus' passion. Syreeni theorizes that the original gospel ended at Chapter 12, with the notion of Jesus' disappearance from the world, and that the passion narrative was incorporated by a later editor freely using the existing gospels of Mark and Matthew.Syreeni suggests that the letters of John - written after the predecessor gospels but before the final edition - reveal a schism in the Johannine community that was caused by the majority faction's acceptance of Jesus' death and resurrection, as it was then recorded in the new gospel. By exploring the gospel's different means of legitimizing the passion story, such as the creation of the 'beloved disciple' to witness Jesus' passion, and the foreshadowing of the resurrection of Jesus in the miracle of Lazarus, Syreeni provides a bold and provocative case for a new understanding of John.
Swedish Design: A History
by Lasse BrunnströmSwedish Design: A History provides a fascinating and comprehensive introduction to the development of design in Sweden from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twenty-first.Leading design historian Lasse Brunnström traces the move from artisanal crafts production to the mass production and consumption of designed objects, a process by which the role and profile of the designer became increasingly important. His survey, richly illustrated with images of the designed objects discussed, takes in forms of design traditionally associated with Sweden, such as household objects and textiles, while also considering some less-written about genres such as industrial and graphic design. Brunnström questions many established ideas about design in Sweden, notably its aesthetics and its relationship to Sweden's national and political culture. He argues that the history of design in Sweden has been far more complex and less straightforwardly 'blond' than hitherto understood.
Ethical Experience: A Phenomenology
by Nicolle Zapien Susi FerrarelloEthical Experience provides a unique phenomenological dialogue between psychology and philosophy. This novel approach focuses on lived experiences that belong to daily practical life, such self-identity and ethical decision-making. This practical focus enables the reader to explore how ethics relates to psychology and how the ethical agent determines herself within her surrounding community and world. Using Husserl's ethics the authors present a phenomenological approach moral psychology that offers an alternative to cognitive and neuroscientific theories. This is a practical and theoretically rigorous textbook that will be of use to those researching and studying ethics, morality, psychology and religion.
Collaborative Worldbuilding for Writers and Gamers
by Trent HergenraderThe digital technologies of the 21st century are reshaping how we experience storytelling. More than ever before, storylines from the world's most popular narratives cross from the pages of books to the movie theatre, to our television screens and in comic books series. Plots intersect and intertwine, allowing audiences many different entry points to the narratives. In this sometimes bewildering array of stories across media, one thing binds them together: their large-scale fictional world.Collaborative Worldbuilding for Writers and Gamers describes how writers can co-create vast worlds for use as common settings for their own stories. Using the worlds of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, A Game of Thrones, and Dungeons & Dragons as models, this book guides readers through a step-by-step process of building sprawling fictional worlds complete with competing social forces that have complex histories and yet are always evolving. It also shows readers how to populate a catalog with hundreds of unique people, places, and things that grow organically from their world, which become a rich repository of story making potential.The companion website collaborativeworldbuilding.com features links to online resources, past worldbuilding projects, and an innovative card system designed to work with this book.
Cultural Approaches to Studying Religion: An Introduction to Theories and Methods
by Sarah J. Bloesch Meredith MinisterThis is the first book to provide an introduction to contemporary cultural approaches to the study of religion. This book makes sophisticated ideas accessible at an introductory level, and examines the analytic tools of scholars in religious studies, as well as in related disciplines that have shaped the field including anthropology, history, literature, and critical studies in race, sexuality, and gender. Each chapter is written by a leading scholar and includes: · the biographical and historical context of each theorist· their approaches and key writings· analysis and evaluation of each theory · suggested further reading.Part One: Comparative Approaches considers how major features such as taboo, texts, myths and ritual work across religious traditions by exploring the work of Mary Douglas, Phyllis Trible, Wendy Doniger and Catherine Bell. Part Two: Examining Particularities analyzes the comparative approach through the work of Alice Walker, Charles Long and Caroline Walker Bynum, who all suggest that the specifics of race, body, place and time must be considered. Part Three: Expanding Boundaries examines Gloria Anzaldúa's language of religion, as well as the work of Judith Butler on performative, queer theories of religion, and concludes with Saba Mahmood, whose work considers postcolonial religious encounters, secularism, and the relationship between “East” and “West.” Reflecting the cultural turn and challenging the existing canon, this is the anthology instructors have been waiting for.For primary texts by the theorists discussed, please consult The Bloomsbury Reader in Cultural Approaches to the Study of Religion, edited by Sarah J. Bloesch and Meredith Minister.