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Lifescapes: A Biographer’s Search for the Soul
by Ann WroeThe acclaimed biographer and obituarist for The Economist reflects on a career spent pursuing life and capturing it on the page.It is soul that I go looking for. Or, to put it another way, real life.'She's a genius, I believe' HILARY MANTEL'A masterful celebration' JOHN BANVILLE'A rare and beautiful book' KAPKA KASSABOVA'What is life?' asked the poet Shelley, and could not come up with an answer. Scientists, too, for all their understanding of how life manifests, thrives and evolves, have still not plumbed that fundamental question. Yet biographers and obituarists continue to corral lives in a few columns, or a few hundred pages, aware all the time how fleeting and elusive their subject is.In this dazzlingly original blend of memoir, biography, observation and poetry, Ann Wroe reflects on the art and impossibility of capturing life on the page. Through her experiences and those of others, through people she has known, studied or merely glimpsed in windows, she movingly explores what makes a life and how that life lingers after.Animated by Wroe's rare imagination, eye for the telling detail, and the wit, beauty and clarity of her writing, Lifescapes is a luminous, deeply personal answer to Shelley's question.
Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice: The Heart of Helping
by Hwi-Ja Canda Edward R, Canda Leola Dyrud FurmanSocial workers and helping professionals serve many people who draw upon religion and spirituality to find meaning, thrive, and overcome oppression and obstacles in their lives. The third edition of Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice provides a comprehensive framework of values, knowledge, and skills for spiritually sensitive and culturally appropriate practice with diverse religious and non-religious clients. This classic text contains forty different case examples and stories that vividly illustrate the professional values and ethical principles that guide spiritually sensitive practice. Learning activities at the end of each chapter encourage readers' personal and professional development through self-reflection, dialogue, creative expression, outreach to the community, and skill application. The book also draws connections between spiritual and cultural diversity, gender, and LGBTQI issues. It introduces beliefs, values, and social welfare applications of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous spiritual perspectives, Islam, Judaism, Existentialism, and Transpersonal and Deep Ecological Theories. Skills for spiritual assessment and spiritually sensitive practices include mindfulness, meditation, ritual and ceremony, forgiveness, spiritually sensitive administration, and engagement with community-based spiritual support systems. For social workers and other professional helpers committed to supporting the spiritual care of individuals, families, and communities, this definitive guide offers state-of-the-art interdisciplinary and international insights as well as practical tools that students and practitioners alike can put to immediate use.
A Time to Gather: Archives and the Control of Jewish Culture (Oxford Series on History and Archives)
by Jason LustigHow do people link the past to the present, marking continuity in the face of the fundamental discontinuities of history? A Time to Gather argues that historical records took on potent value in modern Jewish life as both sources of history and anchors of memory because archives presented one way of transmitting Jewish history from one generation to another as well as making claims of access to an "authentic" Jewish culture. Indeed, both before the Holocaust and especially in its aftermath, Jewish leaders around the world felt a shared imperative to muster the forces and resources of Jewish life. It was a "time to gather," a feverish era of collecting-and conflict-in which archive-making was both a response to the ruptures of modernity, and a mechanism for communities to express their cultural hegemony. Jason Lustig explores how archives became battlegrounds over control of Jewish culture from the turn of the twentieth century to the cusp of the digital era. He excavates a tradition of monumental collecting, represented by repositories like the Gesamtarchiv der deutschen Juden, the German Jews' central archive formed in Berlin in 1903, alongside the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People in Jerusalem and the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati, both opened in 1947, which all showcase the continual struggle over "owning" the Jewish past. Lustig presents archive-making as an organizing principle of twentieth-century Jewish culture, as a metaphor of great power and broad symbolic meaning with the dispersion and gathering of documents falling in the context of the Jews' long diasporic history. In this light, creating archives was just as much about the future as it was about the past.
A Cold Spell: A Human History of Ice
by Max LeonardTaking us from the beginning of our story to the present day, A Cold Spell examines how ice has shaped our thoughts, actions and societies – and what it means for us that it is rapidly disappearing from our planet'Bracingly original . . . As the earth warms threateningly, there could hardly be a more pertinent time for a story like this' MICHAEL PALIN'A book of limitless fascinations' OLIVIA LAING'A thought-provoking chronicle of humanity . . . Leonard consistently frames ice in surprising and insightful ways, and in doing so lends it a magical quality' GEOGRAPHICALIce has confounded, delighted and fascinated us since the first sparks of art and culture in Europe and it now underpins the modern world. Without ice, we would not feed ourselves or heal our sick as we do, and our towns and cities, countryside and oceans would look very different. Science would not have progressed along the avenues it did and our galleries and libraries would be missing many masterpieces.A Cold Spell uses this vital link to understanding our past to tell a surprising story of obsession, invention and adventure – how we have lived and dreamed, celebrated and traded, innovated, loved and fought over thousands of years. It brings together a sacrificial Incan mummy, Winston Churchill's secret plans for unusual aircraft carriers, strange bones that shook Victorian beliefs about the world and a macabre journey into the depths of the human body. It is an original and unique way of looking at something that is literally all around us, whose loss confronts us daily in the news, but whose impact on our lives has never been fully explored.
OCR A Level Geography Third Edition
by David Barker Michael Raw Helen Harris Andy Palmer Peter Stiff Nigel Yates Chris BroadbentHelp your students to develop the geographical skills and knowledge they need to succeed using this new Edition Student book, which includes new case studies and practice questions. Written by our expert author team, the new edition is structured to provide support for A-Level Geography learners of all abilities. The book includes:· Activities and regular review questions to reinforce geographical knowledge and build up core geographical skills· Clear explanations to help students to grapple with tricky geographical concepts and grasp links between topics· Case studies from around the world to vividly demonstrate geographical theory in action· Exciting fieldwork projects that meet the fieldwork and investigation requirementsThis student book is supported by digital resources on our new digital platform Boost, providing a seamless online and offline teaching experience.
Sound Tracks: Uncovering Our Musical Past
by Graeme LawsonA transporting voyage of archaeological discovery: Sound Tracks unearths instruments from around the world and across time, releasing the past's musical secrets for the first time. ‘A thrilling journey into the sonic richness of human experience’ PHILIP BALL, author of The Music Instinct‘A magical book’ FRANCIS PRYOR, author of Britain BCFrom the present day back to the dawn of time, from dark caves and murky swamps to open deserts and ocean depths, here is the history of humankind's relationship with music in fifty detective stories.We see a child’s delight in Peru in AD 700, playing with a water-filled pot that chirps like a bird; we shiver with a lonely soldier sending trumpet signals to the next watchtower on Hadrian's Wall; we sway to the stately rhythms of the 64 bells buried in a tomb in China in the 5th century BC. And on this grand tour, we learn that music is part of what makes us human – a way of commemorating our pasts, communicating with others and shaping our lives.Brimming with astonishing insights, Sound Tracks provides an enthralling alternative history of humanity in which the silences of the past are filled with a glorious treasure hoard of vanished sounds and voices.‘Piles revelation upon revelation to shed a completely new perspective on the tools we use for making music’ NORMAN LEBRECHT, author of Why Beethoven‘Lawson has brilliantly conjured up the sounds of 30,000 years of human history’ DAVID ABULAFIA, Professor Emeritus of Mediterranean History
Out of the Darkness: The Germans, 1942-2022
by Frank TrentmannA groundbreaking new history of the people at the centre of Europe, from the Second World War to todayIn 1945, Germany lay in ruins, morally and materially. The German people stood condemned by history, responsible for a horrifying genocide and a war of extermination. But by 2015 Germany looked to many to be the moral voice of Europe, welcoming almost one million refugees. At the same time, it pursued a controversially rigid fiscal discipline and made energy deals with a dictator. Many people have asked how Germany descended into the darkness of the Nazis, but this book asks another vital question: how, and how far, have the Germans since reinvented themselves?Trentmann tells the dramatic story of the Germans from the middle of the Second World War, through the Cold War and the division into East and West, to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunited nation's search for a place in the world. Their journey is marked by extraordinary moral struggles: guilt, shame and limited amends; wealth versus welfare; tolerance versus racism; compassion and complicity. Through a range of voices - German soldiers and German Jews; environmentalists and coal miners; families and churches; volunteers, migrants and populists - Trentmann paints a remarkable and surprising portrait over 80 years of the conflicted people at the centre of Europe.
The Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth
by Michael Spitzer'Michael Spitzer has pulled off the impossible: a Guns, Germs and Steel for music' Daniel Levitin 165 million years ago saw the birth of rhythm.66 million years ago was the first melody.40 thousand years ago Homo sapiens created the first musical instrument.Today music fills our lives. How we have created, performed and listened to this music throughout history has defined what our species is and how we understand who we are. Yet music is an overlooked part of our origin story. The Musical Human takes us on an exhilarating journey across the ages – from Bach to BTS and back – to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species. With insights from a wealth of disciplines, world-leading musicologist Michael Spitzer renders a global history of music on the widest possible canvas, looking at music in our everyday lives; music in world history; and music in evolution, from insects to apes, humans to AI. Through this journey we begin to understand how music is central to the distinctly human experiences of cognition, feeling and even biology, both widening and closing the evolutionary gaps between ourselves and animals in surprising ways.The Musical Human boldly puts the case that music is the most important thing we ever did; it is a fundamental part of what makes us human.
The Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth
by Michael Spitzer"Michael Spitzer has pulled off the impossible: a Guns, Germs and Steel for music." --Daniel Levitin A colossal history spanning cultures, time, and space to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species.165 million years ago saw the birth of rhythm.66 million years ago was the first melody.40 thousand years ago Homo sapiens created the first musical instrument.Today music fills our lives. How we have created, performed and listened to this music throughout history has defined what our species is and how we understand who we are. Yet music is an overlooked part of our origin story. The Musical Human takes us on an exhilarating journey across the ages – from Bach to BTS and back – to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species. With insights from a wealth of disciplines, world-leading musicologist Michael Spitzer renders a global history of music on the widest possible canvas, looking at music in our everyday lives; music in world history; and music in evolution, from insects to apes, humans to AI. Through this journey we begin to understand how music is central to the distinctly human experiences of cognition, feeling and even biology, both widening and closing the evolutionary gaps between ourselves and animals in surprising ways.The Musical Human boldly puts the case that music is the most important thing we ever did; it is a fundamental part of what makes us human.
Grassroots Development Initiatives in India: Rights Based Approach to Development and Advocacy
by Sampat KaleThis book examines how the voluntary organisations engaged with development programmes work with the approach of conscientisation to empower Adivasis. Their work has been instrumental in making government machinery pro-poor by implementing development programmes with greater transparency and accountability. Conscientisation of Adivasis by voluntary organisations through their educative role has resulted in the advancement of their lives and the emergence of autonomous leadership. The study concludes that the ideological base of the founders of the organisations made the Adivasis independent and self-supportive for their development from their earlier status of servitude through initiating and accomplishing the task of conscientisation. This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Grassroots Development Initiatives in India: Rights Based Approach to Development and Advocacy
by Sampat KaleThis book examines how the voluntary organisations engaged with development programmes work with the approach of conscientisation to empower Adivasis. Their work has been instrumental in making government machinery pro-poor by implementing development programmes with greater transparency and accountability. Conscientisation of Adivasis by voluntary organisations through their educative role has resulted in the advancement of their lives and the emergence of autonomous leadership. The study concludes that the ideological base of the founders of the organisations made the Adivasis independent and self-supportive for their development from their earlier status of servitude through initiating and accomplishing the task of conscientisation. This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Kashmir Under the Sultans
by Mohibbul HasanKashmir Under Sultans introduces the reader to a subject that begins with the foundation of the Sultanate and ends with the conquest of Kashmir by Akbar. During the Sultanate period, Kashmir had achieved a high standard of culture, but with the disappearance of her independence, her culture gradually declined. Poets, painters, and scholars had to leave the Valley and seek their livelihood elsewhere owing to the absence of local patronage. They then entered the service of the Mughal emperors and were added to the court, thereby lessening the cultural impoverishment of Kashmir. The book encloses political, social, economic and cultural activities that had a lasting influence on the Kashmir Valley in that period. It is of considerable value to social historians as Professor Mohibbul Hasan offers insights into political and cultural currents and crosscurrents in Kashmir. This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Kashmir Under the Sultans
by Mohibbul HasanKashmir Under Sultans introduces the reader to a subject that begins with the foundation of the Sultanate and ends with the conquest of Kashmir by Akbar. During the Sultanate period, Kashmir had achieved a high standard of culture, but with the disappearance of her independence, her culture gradually declined. Poets, painters, and scholars had to leave the Valley and seek their livelihood elsewhere owing to the absence of local patronage. They then entered the service of the Mughal emperors and were added to the court, thereby lessening the cultural impoverishment of Kashmir. The book encloses political, social, economic and cultural activities that had a lasting influence on the Kashmir Valley in that period. It is of considerable value to social historians as Professor Mohibbul Hasan offers insights into political and cultural currents and crosscurrents in Kashmir. This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Khilafat in History and Indian Politics
by Zaheer AliThis book is a brief historical account of Khilafat, an Islamic political institution mired in controversies from its inception. It is an attempt to present an objective critique of the Islamic polity that, in a way, was primarily responsible for crafting schisms in Islam with its commencement. By the time the last Khilafat of the Ottomans came to an end in the aftershock of the Second World War, the Muslim political elite in India launched a movement for the restoration and continuation of the Ottoman Khilafat. The most paradoxical dimension of the issue was that in the Arab peninsula, the epicenter of Islam, the people were struggling to cast away the yoke of the Ottoman Khilafat, then why were the Indian Muslims emotionally involved in a movement that was vehemently condemned and assailed by a majority of Muslims outside the Indian subcontinent? This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Khilafat in History and Indian Politics
by Zaheer AliThis book is a brief historical account of Khilafat, an Islamic political institution mired in controversies from its inception. It is an attempt to present an objective critique of the Islamic polity that, in a way, was primarily responsible for crafting schisms in Islam with its commencement. By the time the last Khilafat of the Ottomans came to an end in the aftershock of the Second World War, the Muslim political elite in India launched a movement for the restoration and continuation of the Ottoman Khilafat. The most paradoxical dimension of the issue was that in the Arab peninsula, the epicenter of Islam, the people were struggling to cast away the yoke of the Ottoman Khilafat, then why were the Indian Muslims emotionally involved in a movement that was vehemently condemned and assailed by a majority of Muslims outside the Indian subcontinent? This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Transformative Moments in Qualitative Research: Method, Theory, and Reflection
by Anna CohenMillerHave you ever wondered if through your research you could make the world a better place? Have you ever wanted to know more about how others conduct their research? In this groundbreaking book, Anna CohenMiller, multi-award- winning author and educational leader, eloquently fuses powerful stories of research with methodological insight and theory. Each chapter offers a clear, practical and engaging exploration of qualitative inquiry, emphasizing the power of research to foster equity, inclusion and justice-centered practice (e.g., social justice, economic justice, environmental/ ecological justice). Through a collection of captivating and thought-provoking stories from a diverse set of emerging and established scholars, the chapters inspire, challenge and empower readers to consider their own work and practice from research design, to fieldwork, analysis and interpretation, to sharing findings and coalition building and advocacy. The nuanced approach of this accessible text tackles complex issues, inviting readers to reflect on their own research practice and embrace transformative learning, shining a light on the work and experiences of marginalized communities often overlooked in academic discourse. In bringing together creative storytelling modes and methods, such as poetic inquiry, dialogic conversations and reflections across decolonial practice, Indigenous research, participatory youth action research and ecopedagogy, the stories provide a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives. This book is an invaluable resource and testament to the profound impact of qualitative research for graduate students, practitioners and researchers to enhance their research and praxis. It will appeal to audiences across disciplinary backgrounds including social sciences, educational sciences, humanities and STEM and health fields, encouraging us to embrace the power of research to shape a more inclusive and just world by creating positive change within ourselves, our practice and our research.
Transformative Moments in Qualitative Research: Method, Theory, and Reflection
by Anna CohenMillerHave you ever wondered if through your research you could make the world a better place? Have you ever wanted to know more about how others conduct their research? In this groundbreaking book, Anna CohenMiller, multi-award- winning author and educational leader, eloquently fuses powerful stories of research with methodological insight and theory. Each chapter offers a clear, practical and engaging exploration of qualitative inquiry, emphasizing the power of research to foster equity, inclusion and justice-centered practice (e.g., social justice, economic justice, environmental/ ecological justice). Through a collection of captivating and thought-provoking stories from a diverse set of emerging and established scholars, the chapters inspire, challenge and empower readers to consider their own work and practice from research design, to fieldwork, analysis and interpretation, to sharing findings and coalition building and advocacy. The nuanced approach of this accessible text tackles complex issues, inviting readers to reflect on their own research practice and embrace transformative learning, shining a light on the work and experiences of marginalized communities often overlooked in academic discourse. In bringing together creative storytelling modes and methods, such as poetic inquiry, dialogic conversations and reflections across decolonial practice, Indigenous research, participatory youth action research and ecopedagogy, the stories provide a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives. This book is an invaluable resource and testament to the profound impact of qualitative research for graduate students, practitioners and researchers to enhance their research and praxis. It will appeal to audiences across disciplinary backgrounds including social sciences, educational sciences, humanities and STEM and health fields, encouraging us to embrace the power of research to shape a more inclusive and just world by creating positive change within ourselves, our practice and our research.
100 Years of Radio in South Africa, Volume 1: South African Radio Stations and Broadcasters Then & Now
by Sisanda Nkoala Gilbert MotsaathebeThe book brings together media scholars and practitioners to deliberate on the role and influence of radio broadcasting in South Africa over the past 100 years. The publication will add to the existing body of knowledge on radio in this context by being among one of the few to consider radio broadcasting in South Africa. Essentially, the book will make a distinct contribution by providing the following: a historical account of the development of the sector, an in-depth look at some of the key people and institutions that have shaped the sector, and a critique of the medium’s role in community-building and culture making among others. While the book will provide relevant theoretical frameworks, it also aims to include the voices of media practitioners who can reflect on the importance of this medium from a more realistic perspective. Volume 1 focuses on South African radio stations and broadcasters in the past and present.
100 Years of Radio in South Africa, Volume 2: Community Radio, Digital Radio and the Future of Radio in South Africa
by Sisanda Nkoala Gilbert MotsaathebeThe book brings together media scholars and practitioners to deliberate on the role and influence of radio broadcasting in South Africa over the past 100 years. The publication will add to the existing body of knowledge on radio in this context by being among one of the few to consider radio broadcasting in South Africa. Essentially, the book will make a distinct contribution focusing on a critique of the medium’s role in community-building and culture making among others. While the book will provide relevant theoretical frameworks, it also aims to include the voices of media practitioners who can reflect on the importance of this medium from a more realistic perspective. Volume 2 focuses on the impact of digitization on radio in South Africa, and considers the future of radio in South Africa.
1177 B.C.: A Graphic History of the Year Civilization Collapsed
by Eric H. Cline Glynnis FawkesA beautiful, full-color graphic version of Eric Cline&’s bestselling 1177 B.C., adapted by award-winning author-illustrator Glynnis FawkesEric Cline&’s 1177 B.C. tells the story of one of history&’s greatest mysteries: what caused the ancient civilizations of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean to collapse more than three thousand years ago, bringing the Late Bronze Age to an abrupt end? In this vivid and captivating full-color graphic adaptation of the landmark book, author-illustrator Glynnis Fawkes invites us to follow two young friends living in the aftermath of the cataclysm as they unravel why it happened—and reveal important lessons for today&’s interconnected and vulnerable world.Pel, a member of the marauding Sea Peoples, and Shesha, an Egyptian scribe, visit the kingdoms of the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Hittites, Canaanites, Assyrians, and Egyptians to explore the calamities that brought them down. This graphic history depicts the people, events, art, architecture, and lands that Pel and Shesha encounter. We witness the Sea Peoples&’ battles on land and sea, earthquakes on the Greek mainland, droughts and famine in Anatolia, invasions in north Syria, and possible rebellions in Canaan. Along the way, we also learn about the assassination of a Hittite prince traveling to marry an Egyptian queen, the sinking of a merchant ship laden with international goods, and the return of a pair of sandals to Crete by the Babylonian king Hammurabi.An entertaining adventure story, this dazzling comic is also historically accurate and enlightening, inviting readers of all ages to think about the surprising factors and theories that explain why societies, whether ancient or modern, die or survive when struck by catastrophes.
2020: A Reckoning
by Eric KlinenbergRenowned sociologist and best-selling author Eric Klinenberg turns a year of devastation into a year of revelation in this wise, deeply researched and cathartic account of the pandemic.'A gripping, deeply moving account' SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE, author of The Song of the CellWhat unites us? What divides us? What do we value? Sociologist Eric Klinenberg had been studying what crises reveal about societies for over two decades when his home of New York became the deadliest hot spot of the global pandemic. In this book he tells the deeply reported stories of seven ordinary people trying to survive at the epicentre of the crisis, and combines them with data gathered from around the world to provide unprecedented insights into what societies are made of, why they come together or fall apart, and how they shape our lives.'Compellingly reveals what the pandemic laid bare about our culture, our institutions, and ourselves' Matthew Desmond, author of Evicted'A book that's at once intimate and far-ranging, that reveals the importance of social solidarity and also its fragility' Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction
The 3 Dimensions of Digitalised Archaeology: State-of-the-Art, Data Management and Current Challenges in Archaeological 3D-Documentation
by Marco Hostettler Anja Buhlke Clara Drummer Lea Emmenegger Johannes Reich Corinne StäheliThis open access book aims to provide an overview of state-of-the-art approaches to 3D documentation from a practical perspective and formulate the most important areas for future developments. Bringing together a wide range of case studies, examples of best practice approaches, workflows, and first attempts to establish sustainable solutions to pressing problems, this book offers readers current practical advice on how to approach 3D archaeology and cultural heritage.Divided into five parts, this book begins with an overview of 3D archaeology in its present state. It goes on to give insights into the development of the technology and recent cutting-edge applications. The next section identifies current challenges in 3D archaeology and then presents approaches and solutions for data management of a large number of 3D objects and ways to ensure sustainable solutions for the archiving of the produced data. This book will be of interest to researchers working in the fields of archaeology, heritage management, and digital humanities in general.
500 Years of Christianity and the Global Filipino/a: Postcolonial Perspectives (Pathways for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue)
by Cristina Lledo Gomez Agnes M. Brazal Ma. Marilou S. IbitaThe year 2021 marked the five-hundredth anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines. With over 90% of the Filipin@s (Filipino/as) in the country and more than eight million around the world identifying as Christian, they are a significant force reshaping global Christianity. The fifth centenary called for celebration, reflection, and critique. This book represents the voices of theologians in the Philippines, the United States, Australia, and around the world examining Christianity in the Philippines through a postcolonial theological lens that suggests the desire to go beyond the colonial in all its contemporary manifestations. Part 1, “Rethinking the Encounters,” focuses on introducing the context of Christianity’s arrival in the archipelago and its effect on its peoples. Part 2, “Reappropriation, Resistance, and Decolonization,” grapples with the enduring presence of coloniality in Filipin@ religious practices. It also celebrates the ways Christianity has been critically and creatively reimagined.
Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1
by Angela Y. DavisFrom trailblazing political activist Angela Y. Davis, a major new collection of essays and interviews that argue for a radical rethinking of our prison systemsAn icon of revolutionary politics, Angela Y. Davis has been at the forefront of collective movements for prison abolition for over fifty years. Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, the first of two important new volumes, brings together an essential collection of Davis’s essays, conversations, and interviews over the years, showing how her thinking has sharpened and evolved even as she has remained uncompromising in her commitment to collective liberation.Davis traces a genealogy of the penal system, from slavery to the prison industrial complex, offering a trenchant analysis of the relationship between the prison system and capitalism, both in the US and on a global scale. Combining decades of analytical brilliance and lessons from organising both inside and beyond prison walls, Davis addresses the history of abolitionist practice, details the unique contributions of women to abolitionist struggles, and offers the radical tools we need for revolutionary change.Powerful and rewarding, filled with insight and provocation, Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, is essential reading for anyone seeking to imagine a world without prisons.‘A woman of undeniable courage. She should be heard’ New York Times‘She has eyes in the back of our head. With her we can survive and resist’ John Berger‘Behold the heart and mind of Angela Davis: open, relentless, and on time! She is as radiant, she is as true, as that invincible sunrise’ June Jordan
Abortion and Catholicism in Britain: Attitudes, Lived Religion and Complexity (Palgrave Studies in Lived Religion and Societal Challenges)
by Sarah-Jane Page Pam LoweThis book details how British Catholic communities view abortion, highlighting the diversity of positions which often contrast with the official line of Catholic Church doctrine. The authors’ extensive qualitative investigation involving various Catholic constituents demonstrates the complex ways attitudes are formed. Based on interviews with priests, Catholic parishioners, anti-abortion activists and Catholics living in close proximity to activism, this book takes a lived religion approach to argue that attitudes and approaches to abortion are nuanced and contextual, with the Catholic concept of individual conscience playing a fundamental role in navigating abortion issues. Ultimately, this investigation helps to explore in much greater depth the increased liberalisation in attitudes among Catholics towards abortion, at a time when Catholic activism opposing abortion is growing, and therefore shines a light on the conflicts that are apparent at the heart of Catholic parishes. Thisbook will be of interest to scholars in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Sociology, Theology and Religious Studies.