Kulturstudier

What can the fall of Rome teach us about the decline of the West today? A historian and a political economist, both experts in their field, investigateOver the last three centuries, the West rose to dominate the planet. Then, suddenly, around the turn of the millennium, history reversed. Faced with economic stagnation and internal political division, the West has found itself in rapid decline.This is not the first time the global order has witnessed such a dramatic rise and fall. The Roman Empire followed a similar arc from dizzying power to disintegration - a fact that is more than a strange historical coincidence. In Why Empires Fall, historian Peter Heather and political economist John Rapley use this Roman past to think anew about the contemporary West, its state of crisis, and what paths we could take out of it.In this exceptional, transformative intervention, Heather and Rapley explore the uncanny parallels - and productive differences - between the two cases, moving beyond the familiar tropes of invading barbarians and civilizational decay to learn new lessons from ancient history. From 399 to 1999, the life cycles of empires, they argue, sow the seeds of their inevitable destruction. The era of western global domination has reached its end - so what comes next?

Cette étude a été conçue comme un voyage en terre inconnue. Les trois autrices choisies étaient déjà considérées en Irlande et dans le monde, comme représentatives de la littérature irlandaise de la fin du XXe siècle et du début du XXIe. Mais le terrain des réactions de lectrices et lecteurs reste une zone encore peu étudiée. L¿enquête a été menée à la recherche d¿une parole vive, dans des clubs de lecture, et aussi dans des échanges informels sur des forums en ligne.Le travail de Rita Felski, universitaire américaine, a permis de formaliser l¿analyse de différentes sources, orales et écrites, provenant d¿Irlande, de France, mais aussi des États-Unis et du Royaume-Uni, en fournissant de nouvelles perspectives sur le la réception des oeuvres littéraires. La lecture permet une reconnaissance de soi, elle enchante, elle ouvre à de nouvelles connaissances, et parfois choque.Les croisements subtils entre l¿indétermination qui caractérise plusieurs des romans considérés, et l¿expérience des réceptrices et récepteurs issus des différentes zones géographiques étudiées, offrent une réflexion stimulante sur les traits communs de la résonance lectorale, ainsi qüun écho puissant des oeuvres des trois écrivaines.

Narratives of Women¿s Health and Hysteria in the Nineteenth-Century Novel looks extensively at hysteria discourse through medical and sociological texts and examines how this body of work intersects with important cultural debates to define women¿s social, physical, and mental health. The book sketches out prominent shifts in cultural reactions to the idea of diffused agency and the prized model of the interiorized, individual person capable of self will and governance. Melissa Rampelli takes up the work of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy, showing how the authors play with and manipulate stock literary figures to contribute to this dialogue about the causes and cures of women¿s hysterical distress.

Der gebürtige Dresdner Bruno Gutmann (1876-1966) ist einer der bekanntesten und zugleich einer der umstrittensten Missionare der Leipziger Mission. Von 1902 bis 1938 wirkte er mit Unterbrechungen am Kilimanjaro im heutigen Tansania. Seine Lehren wirken bis heute nach.Bei den Chagga wird Gutmann nach wie vor hoch verehrt. 1963 wurde er von den lutherischen Gemeinden mit dem Ehrentitel "Wasahuye O Wachagga" ("Pate der Chagga") ausgezeichnet. Als Missionar erforschte und dokumentierte er Bräuche und mündlichen Überlieferungen, die er nach seiner Rückkehr nach Deutschland in umfangreichen Bänden veröffentlichte. In der Kultur der Chagga mit ihren ausgeprägten sozialen Bindungen spiegelte sich für Gutmann das biblische Idealbild christlicher Nächstenliebe. Für ihn galt das Lebensmodell der Chagga als erstrebenswert, nicht die seiner Auffassung nach im Werteverfall begriffene Gesellschaft in Deutschland. Daher verteidigte er die Chagga-Kultur auch gegenüber kolonialen Einflüssen. Anlässlich seines 50. Todestages fand am 16./17. Dezember 2016 im Leipziger Missionswerk ein Symposium zu seinem Leben und Wirken statt. Aus sehr verschiedenen Perspektiven wurde Gutmanns Wirken in Ostafrika und darüber hinaus sein ganzes Leben neu in den Blick genommen. In diesem Band sind die Vorträge des Symposiums, weitere Aufsätze über Gutmann und auch ein Originaltext von Bruno Gutmann versammelt.

This book provides critical insights into the interplay of sociocultural change and educational practices by elucidating the trajectory of Hong Kong's early childhood music education system. It presents an extensive analysis of postcolonial music education in relation to globalization, westernization, cosmopolitanism, and nationalization. It makes contributions to the theoretical arguments that can be used to interpret the impact of China on the previously Western orientation of education in Hong Kong. This book also explicitly problematizes the theoretical foundations of mandated policies such as play-based learning and moral education in early childhood through music in Hong Kong and across the globe. The analysis of historical context, political influences, and education ideologies in Hong Kong's early childhood education subsystem provides fertile ground for a thorough understanding of the meaning and implications of globalization in education at multiple levels. Many empirical-based discussions in this book reflect the ideologies, trends, and practices of music education globally. Framed by Bandura's social cognitive theory, the empirical studies discussed in the book explore the self-efficacy and practices of education leaders and teachers, reflecting the contemporary challenges of music education. Ultimately, it makes a vital contribution by offering a new conceptual model of music teacher education within a globally resonant framework. 

This book examines contemporary Chinese transnational mobile practices with special focuses on the ethnographic exploration of the lives, experiences, views, and narratives of the Chinese mobile subjects in three ASEAN countries: Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and their interactions with the ethnic Chinese communities in these countries. This book is based on recent and updated original ethnographic research carried out by leading scholars in China and Southeast Asia.  The work addresses questions of integration and social embeddedness, interrogating the possibility of whether the transnational Chinese diaspora can be simultaneously embedded into two or more nation-states and geopolitical spheres. It contends that in moving in the transnational space, the Chinese diaspora may experience a strong yearning for a cultural home that may not be in one space for bicultural or multicultural diaspora. It also asks whether the transnational Chinese diaspora is motivated to negotiate cultural membership and social belonging in a new country. Shedding new light on the ways in which the transnational diaspora negotiates cultural membership to adapt to situational requirements, this volume is relevant to scholars researching in China studies, anthropology, international relations, and in Asian, Southeast and East Asian regional studies.

Published in the Series Encyclopedia of Indian Religions, this volume is devoted to Christianity in India, where it has had a long presence, going back to the time of the apostles of Jesus Christ. Divided into two parts, this volume focuses on the history, origin, organizations and local engagements, belief system, worship practices, Rites, Rituals, Christian life, Contributions, Spirituality and a few of the main doctrinal items. The Second Part covers the doctrinal and theological arena. It examines the earlier phase of the history of Christianity starting with the traditional belief of the arrival of St. Thomas in AD 52, moving to the periods of its association with the Chaldean church, the Portuguese, the Dutch, English and so on. This volume highlights the missionary activities of persons like St. Francis Xavier, the creative contributions made to the inter-religious dialogue by such people as Roberto de Nobili (1577-1656) and Swami Abhishiktananda (1910-1973), the linguistic and educational contributions of some of the pioneers like the German Jesuit Johanne Ernst Hanxleden (known as Arnos Padiri) (1681-1732), Herman Gundert (1814-1893), St. Elias Kuriakos Chavara (1805-1871), and, a fortiori, the enormous contributions in the healthcare area throughout the country. Caring for and serving the socio-economically marginalized ones, the peripheralized people formed an integral part of the Christian activity In India, as it is done even today. This is highlighted very much in the volume. It, further, explores the contact India had with European Christianity, showing that European Christianity proved to have wider influence in the Norther part of India, unlike Indiäs early episodic encounters with Palestinian and Persian forms of Christianity, which had deep influence in the Southern part of India. The volume also highlights the inner struggle among the followers resulting even in its division originating at the Synod of Diamper in 1599 manifesting, by and large, the Church-state ¿love and hate¿ relationships. In fine, in spite of the drawbacks of putting the herculean task of two thousand years of history in eight hundred pages or so, this volume gives a rather comprehensive view of Christianity in India especially to those who are unfamiliar with its life and dynamics in the Indian context. The wide range of photographs, especially of the churches revealing the architectural beauty and multiplicity along with the ensample of art and paintings and pilgrimage centers adds to the enrichment of the volume.

A haunting homage to life and liberty, to society and solitude, and to the binding and unbinding that constitute the weft of our lives. Drawing on materials from across many cultures, Pascal Quignard makes an effort to establish shared human values as the breeding ground for a modern Enlightenment. Considering atheism as a spiritual liberation, suicide as a free act, and the rejection of society as a free choice, the author explores philosophical themes that have run through human civilizations--most often as heresies--from our earliest days. In his search for freedom, Quignard questions the binding dependency of religion, querying how, in a world where all forms of society presuppose that someone (or some collective) is looking over our shoulders, we can be free. These reflections, he implies, are the essential spiritual exercise for our times. Few voices in contemporary French literature are more distinct than that of Quignard. By reading this fragmentary, episodic assemblage of intimate experiences and borrowed tales, we open up a space of liberty, creating for the reader space for meditation and, perhaps, liberation.

"For everyone from expectant parents to those ready to release their Gifted Youngsters out into the Sentinel-filled world, Great Responsibility offers parenting wisdom and inspiration with a superheroic twist-tips, tricks, and advice drawn from the most beloved Marvel characters, all with a sense of humor to help navigate the most daunting of child-rearing tasks"--

Hog Wash documents the decade-long effort of a group of international collaborators to 'solve' the waste problem from industrial animal farming which poisons lakes, rivers, and streams.

""As I sat in the front row that day, I was 80% faking it with a 100% real Gucci bag." Samhita Mukhopadhyay had finally made it: she had her dream job, dream clothes-dream life. But time and time again, she found herself sacrificing time with family and friends, paying too much for lattes, and limping home after working for twelve hours a day. Success didn't come without costs, right? Or so she kept telling herself. And Samhita wasn't alone: far too many of us are taught that to live a good life we need to work ourselves to the bone. That to enact change, we just need to climb up the corporate ladder, to "lean in," to "hustle." But as Mukhopadhyay shows, these definitions of success are myths-and they are seductive ones. Mukhopadhyay traces the origins of these myths, taking us from the 60s into the present-day through a critical overview of feminist workplace movements that got us here today, stories from her own professional experience, analysis from activists and experts, and interviews with workers of all kinds. As more individuals continue to question whether dedicating their lives to their vocation can even lead to happiness and fulfillment in the first place, Mukhopadhyay asks: What would it mean to have a liberated workplace? To answer this question, Mukhopadhyay underlines where movements have fallen short in the past-and highlights where they have succeeded-and offers insights gleaned from interviews with those who have found a vision for work that feels authentically successful. What emerges is a vision for a workplace culture that pays fairly, recognizes our values, and gives people access to the resources they need"--

"In Magical/Realism, Vanessa Anéglica Villarreal offers us an intimate mosaic of migration, violence, and colonial erasure through the lens of her marriage and her experiences navigating American monoculture. As she attempts to recover the truth from the absences and silences within her life, her relationships, and those of her ancestors, Vanessa pieces together her story from the fragments of music, memory, and fantasy that have helped her make sense of it all. The trauma of remembering gives the collection its unique Each chapter is an attempt to reimagine and re-world what has been lost. In one essay, Vanessa examines the gender performativity of Nirvana and Selena; in another, she offers a radical but crucial racial reading of Jon Snow in Game of Thrones; and throughout the collection, she explores how fantasy can provide healing when grief feels insurmountable. She reflects on the moments of her life that are too painful to remember--her difficult adolescence, her role as the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrants, her divorce--and finds a new way to archive her history and map her future(s), one infused with the hope and joy of fantasy and magical thinking. By engaging readers in her project of rebuilding narrative, Vanessa broadens our understanding of what memoir and cultural criticism can be. Magical/Realism is a wise, tender, and essential collection that carves a path toward a new way of remembering and telling our stories." --

en magisk realistisk nutids-skildring af 2 forlovede, som foretager et compatibilitets-check på vejen, af-stemmer work/life balance forventninger, med hver deres eget karierre-baneforløb, ift deres 2 geografiske livs-historier. skuespillet kan læses som en udviklings-roman i sig selv, eller opsættes scene for scene for alle aldre over 12, da de komiske & magisk-realistiske skildringer, opvejer de mere tragi-komiske scener.

This book offers a unique perspective on the Brazilian communication environment in the middle of its most serious political crisis after a military dictatorship. The 2013 protests were an important turning point in the political life of the country, and are often seen as the trigger of many communicational and political dynamics that have led to recent political events, such as the election of a far right wing president. Understanding the transformation of the communication environment at that moment, as well as its consequences, helps to explain what is happening in the country today. The book's argument finds its foundations in the following: a systemic view of the communication environment, a conception of technology as structured and transformed by its use, and an understanding of communicational dynamics as an essential part of democratic systems. Drawing on both interviews with key actors in the protests and on analysis of a corpus of tweets, the book assesses the relationship between the use of social media and the formation of mainstream discourses surrounding the concept of mediactivism. It also investigates alternative paths of information made possible by the use of social media when new mediators emerge, going on to search for an understanding of the consequences of social media visibility dynamics on the construction of the common world.

This unique book starts from the premise that students, scholars, and educators should be given access to a form of global education that is genuinely global. Using the notion of interculturality as change and exchange as a basis, the authors examine fifty discourse instruments (e.g. idioms, neologisms, slogans) related to what they call 'Chinese stories of interculturality'. China, like other countries, has a rich and complex history of intercultural encounters and her engagement with the notion today, which shares similarities and differences with glocal discourses of interculturality, deserves to be unpacked and familiarized with. By so doing, digging into the intricacies of the Chinese and English languages, the reader is empowered to unthink, rethink and especially reflect on their own take on the important notion of interculturality.  

In various ways, Chinese diasporic communities seek to connect and re-connect with their "e;homelands"e; in literature, film, and visual culture. The essays in Affective Geographies and Narratives of Chinese Diaspora examine how diasporic bodies and emotions interact with space and place, as well as how theories of affect change our thinking of diaspora. Questions of borders and border-crossing, not to mention the public and private spheres, in diaspora literature and film raise further questions about mapping and spatial representation and the affective and geographical significance of the push-and-pull movement in diasporic communities. The unique experience is represented differently by different authors across texts and media. In an age of globalization, in "e;the Chinese Century,"e; the spatial representation and cultural experiences of mobility, displacement, settlement, and hybridity become all the more urgent. The essays in this volume respond to this urgency, and they help to frame the study of Chinese diaspora and culture today.

This book explores connections between music, neural activations and brain plasticity, in order to better understand its associated psychological and physiological effects. The final goal is to focus on the positive effects of music to treat neurological disorders, establishing a new co-ordination between different brain areas to improve both mental illness and wellbeing. A secondary goal is to analyse the role of music at a psycho-sociological level, to understand both the transformation of music into a cultural model and the vision of music as an innate instinct.Music is able to create both emotions and volitional processes. The application of new neuroimaging techniques allows us to explore and evaluate with accuracy what happens in our brain during the creative and artistic performance. A wide range of brain regions are recruited for creative tasks, and music has the opportunity to help in enhance and reset some brain pathological disturbances being also able to ameliorate and restore some rhythmic body activities such as sleep, movement and co-ordination.The book represents a valuable and innovative tool both for neurologists as well as healthcare professionals involved in the management of neurological disorders.

Gaia-Ästhetiken entwerfen Figurationen der Erde und ihrer Lebensformen, welche die Menschen dezentrieren und den Fokus auf die Verbindungen zwischen Lebewesen untereinander und dem Unbelebten richten. Diese Ästhetiken sind der Gaia-Theorie entlehnt. In den 1970er Jahren bei der NASA entwickelt, wird sie von Bruno Latour und Isabelle Stengers in den Kontext des Anthropozäns gesetzt. Die Erde als Gaia ist eine mehr-als-menschliche Assemblage, in der die Menschen Knotenpunkte der Verantwortlichkeit darstellen. Filmische Ästhetiken können diese Knotenpunkte wahrnehmbar werden lassen, wie die Spielfilme I Am Legend (2007) und Planet of the Apes (2011-2017) zeigen. Die Filme präsentieren ihren Zuschauer_innen eine Welt in der Post/Apokalypse, in der die Filmfiguren mit dem Eindringen Gaias konfrontiert sind. Sie werden in der Post/Apokalypse kompostiert: Viren dringen in ihre Körper ein, zersetzen ihre Menschlichkeit und lassen sie zum Teil des mehr-als-menschlichen Gaia-Komposts werden.

Das Buch eröffnet ein neues Forschungsfeld praxeologischer Demokratieforschung. Statt von bestimmten theoretischen Konzeptionen auszugehen, was Demokratie ist oder sein soll, wird untersucht, wie Demokratie praktisch gemacht wird. Wie wird der ¿demos¿ zum Subjekt des Regierens gemacht, als politischer Akteur mit kollektivem Willen und Handlungsmacht? Das Buch verfolgt den Ansatz, nach konkreten praktischen Formen zu suchen, in denen Repräsentationen des Willens von kollektiven Subjekten hergestellt und geltend gemacht werden. Dabei entfaltet sich ein Blick auf die Multiplizität und Dynamik der Demokratie.

This comprehensive collection brings out the rich and deep philosophical resources of the Zhuangzi. It covers textual, linguistic, hermeneutical, ethical, social/political and philosophical issues, with the latter including epistemological, metaphysical, phenomenological and cross-cultural (Chinese and Western) aspects. The volume starts out with the textual history of the Zhuangzi, and then examines how language is used in the text. It explores this unique characteristic of the Zhuangzi, in terms of its metaphorical forms, its use of humour in deriding and parodying the Confucians, and paradoxically making Confucius the spokesman for Zhuangzi's own point of view. The volume discusses questions such as: Why does Zhuangzi use language in this way, and how does it work? Why does he not use straightforward propositional language? Why is language said to be inadequate to capture the "e;dao"e; and what is the nature of this dao? The volume puts Zhuangzi in the philosophical context of his times, and discusses how he relates to other philosophers such as Laozi, Xunzi, and the Logicians.

Das Buch befasst sich mit der Architektur, dem Städtebau und der Stadtplanung im Freistaat Bayern aus interdisziplinärer, urbanistischer Sicht. Damit verbundene baukulturelle Partizipation kann zur Bewältigung von Krisen beitragen, wenn sowohl Akteure der Planung und Gestaltung als auch der Nutzung berücksichtigt werden. Ziel des Buches ist, den gebauten Raum Bayerns zu lesen und zu verstehen, ihn einer Kritik zu unterziehen, dabei die Erfolge nicht auszublenden, um Lösungen zu präsentieren und um schließlich Raum für die Reflexion und das Imaginieren zu "bauen". Wenn Menschen die gebaute Umwelt lesen und verstehen, dann informiert das auch ihr Handeln, insbesondere, wenn sie partizipativ an Planungs- und Gestaltungsprozessen für die Errichtung des gebauten Raums beteiligt sind. Um diese Phänomene ihrem Kontext entsprechend zu fassen und zu deuten, schlägt das Buch den Begriff der Bavarität vor. Im Fall des Freistaats Bayern und seines ländlich-städtischen Kontinuums als Ergebnis historischer baulich-räumlicher Entwicklung, durch Tradition und Moderne konturiert, stellt Bavarität eine sozio-kulturelle Leistung dar, deren Ergebnis in der Partizipation aller Beteiligten gründet und nicht endet.

La celebración de los seres queridos que han fallecido es un pilar de las tradiciones mexicanas, que Mary J. Andrade retrata de manera exquisita en Senderos de vida y recuerdos: Día de Muertos en México, el compendio magistral de toda la experiencia adquirida en sus recorridos por tierras llenas de cultura.A lo largo de décadas, la reconocida fotógrafa y periodista ha visitado todos los rincones del país en los que se celebran estas fiestas, desde Veracruz, Oaxaca, Michoacán y la región central, hasta llegar a la huasteca potosina e hidalguense y la península de Yucatán.A través de reveladoras fotografías y detalladas descripciones, la autora nos muestra las distintas variantes que toma la celebración del Día de Muertos en cada zona y localidad de México. En estas páginas, los altares con sus alimentos, bebidas, flores, fotografías quedan retratados al ser iluminados por velas o decorados por arcos. Los preparativos previos y las procesiones a los cementerios son mostradas a la luz de un profundo conocimiento de las costumbres mexicanas. Las palabras y fotografías de Mary nos muestran cómo los pueblos originarios rinden homenaje a las almas de los fallecidos por medio de bailes, velaciones y rezos los primeros días de noviembre.La vida palpita en cada uno de los altares que se erigen en las tumbas iluminadas por las veladoras y en el murmullo de las oraciones que familiares y rezanderos ofrecen en honor de las almas. En los hogares, la abundancia de las ofrendas resalta como testimonio de amor y respeto. En los cementerios, esas mismas ofrendas son repartidas y consumidas por miembros de la familia y de la comunidad. A lo largo del camino, visitando poblaciones y ciudades de México, hemos tenido el privilegio de que cientos de personas nos acogieran e invitaran a sus hogares durante los días previos a la celebración de la tradición del Día de Muertos, en los que presenciamos el ritual de la ofrenda, así como el homenaje a las almas en los panteones. Esos momentos viven en nuestros recuerdos con nuestro profundo agradecimiento por habernos dado la oportunidad de ser parte de sus familias.Mary Andrade, fotógrafa y periodista

«This is a splendidly lucid and readable book, a distinctive and a distinguished contribution to Nordic Studies.» (Colin Roth, Centre for Nordic Studies, University of Sheffield)«Eloquently narrates with precision and wit the fascinating story of how the objects and imagery of Danish architecture, design and lifestyle helped satisfy an appetite for novel and improved ways of living among British consumers during the postwar decades.»(Martin Søberg, Royal Danish Academy School of Architecture, Copenhagen)In the decades after the Second World War, Denmark¿s national image in Britain was greatly changed through the acclaim it received for its modern architecture and design, which British critics, consumers and entrepreneurs increasingly came to desire and emulate. Using architecture and design historical methods, this book relates Danish post-war success in promoting architecture and design in Britain to wider political and economic contexts. It also documents and analyses the multiple contributory aspects of what may now be considered to have been an early exemplar of the successful marketing of identity through the outputs of creative industries. In addition, it explains the human relationships and networks of acquaintances involved in the promotion of Danish creativity in Britain and of the mutually beneficial advantages achieved through the Danes¿ joint exhibiting of design, food and lifestyle to build appealing, multi-faceted images of the nation.

The definitive case for radically rethinking humanity's relationship with other animals - for the good of us all. 'The book that had the most impact on me' JANE GOODALL'Probably the single most influential document in the history of ... animal welfare' GUARDIANIn 1975, Animal Liberation started a global movement when it uncovered the abuse of animals in factory farms and laboratories and showed these horrific practices to be morally indefensible. In the decades since, science has vindicated Peter Singer's arguments about animal sentience, plant-based diets have become mainstream and his landmark book has changed millions of minds. And yet, for animals, the situation has grown worse.Fully rewritten for the twenty-first century, Animal Liberation Now reveals these new developments and refines its arguments to address the pressing problems of today, including the impact of meat consumption on the climate emergency and the spread of lethal new viruses. A book of galvanising power and importance, it shows that the need to radically rethink our relationship with animals is more pressing than ever.'Will motivate a new generation of readers who are resolutely committed to creating a just society for all' JOAQUIN PHOENIX'The indispensable foundational text for the movement, new and updated' J. M. COETZEE'One the most important books of the last 100 years' ECOLOGIST

An awestruck love letter to one of the most spectacular places on earth, from the author of international bestseller The Eight MountainsPaolo Cognetti marked his 40th birthday with a journey he had always wanted to make: to Dolpo, a remote Himalayan region where Nepal meets Tibet. He took with him two friends, a notebook, mules and guides, and a well-worn copy of The Snow Leopard. Written in 1978, Matthiessen's classic was also turning forty, and Cognetti set out to walk in the footsteps of the great adventurer.Without Ever Reaching the Summit combines travel journal, secular pilgrimage, literary homage and sublime mountain writing in a short book for readers of Macfarlane, Rebanks and Cognetti's own bestseller, The Eight Mountains. An investigation into the author's physical limits, an ancient mountain culture, and the magnificence of nature, it is an awestruck love letter to one of the most spectacular places on earth.

This handbook is a fundamental contribution to the recent history and contemporary context of feminist, gender, and women's studies in a global perspective.