Russian Fractals in Indigenous Artifacts

Abdul Karim Bangura, American University Center for Global Peace and Leonid A. Zhigun, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russia; Financial University, Moscow, Russia

This book is the first comprehensive work on Russian Fractals in indigenous artifacts. While existing works focus on universal phenomena, such as liquid crystal or finance, none explore the intersection between Fractals and Russia. 'Russian Fractals in Indigenous Artifacts' therefore investigates how indigenous Russian cultures have a wonderful Fr... actal heritage that was originally tied to socially just and ecologically sustainable social practices, including those of indigenous northern groups such as the Yakut. Fractal designs originally allowed unalienated value, both human and nonhuman, to be visible, thereby enabling just and sustainable living. This book also examines how the tsarist elite encouraged the creation of unique creative masterpieces, developing and strengthening traditional crafts and art of indigenous people—hence, Fabergé, or imperial architecture. Today, the challenge for contemporary Russia is to reestablish the relationship between the social and ecological sustainability of indigenous cultures and practices, for which we can now provide modeling and analysis. Lay attempts at this have only limited success, as they have based the attempts on a purely religious basis, which recognizes the ecological aspects but often succumbs to authoritarian nationalism. However, the freely accession of indigenous peoples to Russia for the sake of national liberation has had a positive effect on enriching them with spirituality and creativity by Fractal artifacts through friendly exchanges with one another. In 'Russian Fractals in Indigenous Artifacts,' Bangura and Zhigun express why there is a need for a forward-thinking Fractal renaissance in Russia, bringing together contemporary computational and scientific analyses with these ecologically and socially sustainable traditions.   Show more

Silk Road Footprints: Transnational Transmission of Sacred Thoughts and Historical Legacy

Edited by David W. Kim, Harvard University / Australian National University / Kookmin University, Seoul, Corea

The Silk Road generally evokes images of places, cultures and peoples linked by the exchange of exotic goods and fabled treasures. The notion of the subject, however, often disregards the historical fact that the Silk Road routes functioned as a unique channel for spreading religious ideas, culture and literature. The personal or community beliefs...  of the Silk Road were changed radically as a result of the impact of external influences. 'Silk Road Footprints: Transnational Transmission of Sacred Thoughts and Historical Legacy' demonstrates that sacred communities interacted, coexisted, competed and influenced each other over long periods. These include those local traditions that evolved in ancient China, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, Korea and Japan and the subsequent larger traditions that arose in the region—Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam—as well as the shamanistic and animistic traditions of various nomadic peoples. The history of religions along the Silk Road is a remarkable illustration of how beliefs and civilisations often reflect a broad pattern of synthesis rather than clash. This book indicates that Asia (South, Southeast, East Asia and China), one of the most pluralistic religious regions in the world, has become a center of attention as a bridge between cultures. Ultimately, the creative study of the Silk Road and religious transnationalism evidences the implication that the local groups have been developed under the new environment of sacred principles and traditions as well as political influence.   Show more

Blue Crimes and International Criminal Law

Edited by Regina M. Paulose

Blue Crimes and International Criminal Law is a multi-author volume which explores the connection between criminal law and water (including our oceans and other bodies of water). The volume seeks to contribute to evolving discourse around water rights and water justice around the world. This novel volume surveys topics such as climate justice and ... blue crimes, water governance, illegal, unregulated, and underreported fishing, Rights of Nature, and examines the utility of ocean treaties and justice and accountability mechanisms within international criminal law, Blue Crimes and International Criminal Law is a companion volume to Green Crimes and International Criminal Law.   Show more

Anthropology in Sporting Worlds

Knowledge, Collaboration, and Representation in the Digital Age

Edited by Sean Heath, KU Leuven, Belgium et al.

To do anthropology in a sporting world, one must reckon with the digital. As digital technologies become more widespread and increasingly sophisticated, people develop new ways to use them when playing, watching, and learning sport. This volume adds to the growing literature in the Anthropology of Sport by framing key debates in the light of this ... digital context. More importantly, the authors articulate how apparently trivial contexts such as sport are crucial for exploring the ways human beings incorporate digital technologies in their everyday lives. From taekwondo in Argentina to horse-riding in Morocco, the contributors to this volume explore a diverse range of sports across a variety of global locales. Through insightful ethnography, they show how fundamental elements of sport, including movement, competition, and values are increasingly mediated by digital technologies. Whether it is Sri Lankan cricketers analysing their practice frame-by-frame, English youth swimmers curating their Instagram feeds, or women footballers navigating urban spaces safely in Brazil, such examples indicate the diverse relationships that exist between sport and the digital. Throughout, the authors reflect on issues around knowledge, collaboration, and representation and consider their implications for undertaking anthropological work. This reveals how the fundamental relationship between anthropologist and interlocutor continues to change in the digital age. This book will be of interest to both students and scholars in anthropology and the social sciences, including sociology, sports sciences, cultural studies, geography, and history. The nuanced yet accessible discussion of method will be useful for students preparing to undertake ethnographic work, while the contribution to theoretical debates will aid researchers exploring sport and/or the digital. The international scope of this volume, combined with the broad scope of the arguments therein, ensure a wide appeal for many readers.   Show more

Why Do Investors Act Irrationally? Behavioral Biases of Herding, Overconfidence, and Overreaction

Ooi Kok Loang

'Why Do Investors Act Irrationally? Behavioral Biases of Herding, Overconfidence, and Overreaction' explores the powerful psychological forces that drive investor decisions, often leading to irrational behavior and market turbulence. This book provides an in-depth analysis of three critical behavioral biases—herding, overconfidence, and overreacti... on—that influence investors across various financial markets. Drawing on cutting-edge research and real-world examples, it delves into why even experienced investors sometimes fall prey to these biases, challenging conventional financial theories that assume rational behavior. Designed for scholars, finance professionals, and advanced students, this book fills a gap in behavioral finance literature by examining not just the existence of these biases, but their consequences and the conditions that amplify or mitigate them. Unlike traditional finance texts, which focus primarily on quantitative models, this work bridges psychology and finance, making it uniquely suited for those interested in understanding the ‘why’ behind investor actions. It positions itself alongside essential readings in behavioral finance, offering original insights and a fresh perspective that will be invaluable to researchers, policy advisors, and practitioners alike. Its accessible yet academically rigorous content also makes it ideal for classroom adoption in advanced finance and behavioral economics courses, offering thought-provoking discussion points and practical implications. 'Why Do Investors Act Irrationally?' invites readers to rethink traditional assumptions about financial markets and provides actionable strategies to address the influence of irrational biases in investment decisions, making it an indispensable resource in the evolving field of behavioral finance.   Show more

Simply to Be Americans? Literary Radicals Confront Monopoly Capitalism, 1885-1938

Joel Wendland-Liu, Grand Valley State University

'Simply to Be Americans?' delves into the transformative power of radical U.S. literature from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries, uncovering how writers boldly confronted the intertwined forces of Americanism, capitalism, racism, imperialism, and patriarchy. Through the works of visionaries like Lucy Parsons, Albert Parsons, and Sut... ton Griggs, this book reveals how early literary radicals challenged the foundations of monopoly capitalism and white supremacy, planting the seeds for a culture of resistance that would flourish in the decades to come. Exploring the speculative genius of Mark Twain, Jack London, Gertrude Nafe, and W.E.B. Du Bois, 'Simply to Be Americans?' showcases how allegory and satire became powerful tools to dismantle nationalism, imperialism, and racial hierarchies. While these pioneers often grappled with the complexity of these systems, a study of their work illuminated both the possibilities and limitations of early radical thought. As the twentieth century unfolded, U.S. writers embraced revolutionary internationalism, forging connections between domestic struggles and global anti-imperialist movements. Figures like John Reed and Hubert Harrison championed solidarity across borders, while the Russian Revolution and worldwide labor uprisings inspired a new wave of politically charged art. Writers like Genevieve Taggard and W.E.B. Du Bois called for literature that expresses urgent struggles against systemic oppression. In the 1920s and 1930s, luminaries like Mary Burrill, Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, H.T. Tsiang, Josefina Niggli, Lola Ridge, and Dorothy West rejected assimilation, exposing American society’s capitalist and imperialist core. Their works vividly exposed the intersections of race, class, and gender, advocating for unity among the oppressed. 'Simply to Be Americans?' redefines the legacy of U.S. radical literature, tracing its evolution and celebrating its enduring impact. This groundbreaking study reveals how these writers critiqued their world and laid the foundation for future movements against exploitation and injustice, offering timeless insights into today’s struggles.   Show more

Revulsion: The Paradox of Disgust in the Rape-Revenge Narrative

Brandon West

The extant scholarship of the rape-revenge narrative has frequently either upheld this narrative form’s feminist bonafides (Clover) or condemned it as misogynistic (Creed). In this volume, West argues that these competing camps of thought have largely elided rape-revenge’s inherent ambivalence, which stems from the paradoxical role disgust plays i... n rape-revenge texts. That is, disgust is essential for portraying rape as the horrific act it is, but employing disgust in a rape-revenge text risks alienating audiences. To explore this issue, Brandon West first shows the strengths and pitfalls of different methods rape-revenge auteurs have used to approach this disturbing narrative form. Showing rape and revenge in graphic detail has well-documented issues in the scholarship, but the author shows how texts that eschew such graphic portrayals also have their own consequent weaknesses. Thereafter, West articulates the paradox of disgust so he can isolate this key issue hounding these texts and analyses thereof. Then, West shows how disgust plays multiple roles in these texts, roles that make the paradox more challenging to resolve. To this end, the book shows disgust not only risks alienating audiences but also forms part of the pleasure these texts offer audiences. And so, West enumerates the possible pleasures of disgust. Finally, this book pulls these threads together to examine a couple of final rape-revenge texts, one of which, 2017’s 'Revenge', West argues, is the most successful anti-rape narrative discussed in this volume because of the balance it strikes between evoking disgust and avoiding alienating audiences.   Show more

Everything is Design: The Hidden Ethics of Our Objects and Public Spaces

Alan J. Reid, Johns Hopkins University; Coastal Carolina University

Ethics – to put it concisely – is ‘mindful well-being’. It is a set of standards that guides how we treat ourselves, one another, and the environment. When we design things for public use, we also communicate an ethical perspective. When we use things designed for us, we adopt their ethics. This book synthesizes several different disciplines as t... hey relate to design, ethics, and the built environment. Our objects, according to philosophers like Ihde, Verbeek, and Latour, mediate our experiences with the world around us. Through their designs (and, by extension, our perceived affordances), we largely comply with what our objects and spaces want us to do. At the micro-level, the phones in our pockets command our attentive processes in order to feed an attention economy. At the macro level, urban planning and infrastructure can both promote inclusivity and foment violence. We are deeply intertwined with the objects and spaces that have been designed for us. Baked into every object, process, system, and environment are the remnants of the designer’s morals, ethics, values, and biases. Importantly, this book seeks to cultivate mindfulness of the reader’s interactions with their surrounding world, providing them with a line of inquiry that questions areas of unethical design in their built environment and offers useful critiques and new solutions to these ethical dilemmas. We often have the power to reject those things that are irresponsibly designed and unethical in nature, and it is through this agency as users that we can demand better from designers, developers, and companies. It is imperative to understand our mediated relationships with the built environment that surrounds us and the objects within it; this can help explain our behaviors and empower us to make ethical decisions that serve future generations.   Show more

Strategic Implications of the War in Ukraine for the Post-Soviet Space

A View from Caucasus and Central Asia

Edited by Rovshan Ibrahimov, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea and Fuad Shahbazov, Daniel Morgan School of National Security, US

This groundbreaking volume offers an in-depth exploration of how Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has reshaped the geopolitical landscape of the post-Soviet space, particularly in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Through expert analyses, the book examines the far-reaching consequences of the war, including shifts in regional alliances, energy secur... ity dynamics, the rise of new cooperation platforms, and the growing role of external actors such as China and Turkey. Through rigorous analysis, the book explores critical themes such as the shifting balance of power in the region, the re-emergence of the Organization of Turkic States, Azerbaijan’s deepening engagement with Central Asia, Kazakhstan’s strategic repositioning, and the complex interplay between Russia, China, Turkey, and the West. It also examines how regional actors are adapting to economic disruptions, energy security challenges, and evolving diplomatic alliances. Blending academic depth with policy relevance, "Strategic Implications of the War in Ukraine for the Post-Soviet Space" is an essential resource for scholars, analysts, and professionals in international relations, security studies, and Eurasian affairs.   Show more

What Punk Taught Me

Edited by Gregory Blair, University of Southern Indiana and Jason Swift, University of West Georgia

From personal anecdotes to philosophical inquiries, ‘What Punk Taught Me’ gathers essays from fifteen different contributors whose lives have all been touched upon by punk culture in some meaningful way. Many years after hearing their first blast of distorted punk guitar as a youth or teenagers, these individuals (like so many others) have come to...  realize later in life that their experience of punk has provided them with an incredibly valuable tutelage in becoming an artist, writer, educator, or overall human being. For these contributors, the experience of punk has been the source of community and ethics, philosophy and aesthetics, or even an attitude and identity. This anthology explores how various individuals have connected with punk in a variety of distinctive ways—through music, venues, fashion, art, writing, activism, collecting culture, rebellion, subversion, or DIY projects. These essays document the lessons of punk, bringing together people from a wide array of backgrounds. Each of them shares their own unique story of what punk has taught them – how those experiences have been formative in their lives and how punk has supported their personal and professional development. These narratives serve as a reflection on the myriad influences of punk – as a methodology, a philosophy, an ontology, an aesthetic, a strategy, a cultural phenomenon, or a worldview. The culmination of this collection provides a deeper understanding of the individualized and personal influences of punk but also the wider arch and overall legacy of punk culture. Through this analysis, an explicit correlation is drawn between the world of punk, the educations it provides, and the ripples of its wider socio-cultural impact.   Show more

Community Engagement and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Affordances and Challenges of Service Learning in Crisis

Edited by Tawnya Azar, George Mason University

Community-engaged (CE) teaching is not a new concept. However, in the past several years, it has gained increased emphasis, as is evident by the changes to institution mission statements and the allocation of institution resources to support faculty development in CE teaching, as well as to support CE coursework and research. The arrival of the CO... VID-19 pandemic forced many faculty members to pivot to an all-online instruction model, impacting community-engaged teaching and research in both predictable and unexpected ways. Community partners, facing similar struggles to serve their communities with restrictions on face-to-face interaction, were often too overwhelmed to work with higher education volunteers. Legally, universities could not ask students to risk their health with face- to-face community engagement. In fact, the number of CE courses decreased dramatically in 2020 and 2021 due to the unique challenges posed by the pandemic. At the same time, the pandemic presented some CE faculty with new opportunities for community-engagement. Some responded swiftly to the immediate needs of the local, regional, or national community with which they worked, taking advantage of the affordances of digital technology or capitalizing on the issues that the pandemic itself created or exacerbated. This collection captures the incredible work (of pivoting and innovating) in community-engaged teaching. With a primary focus on community-engaged teaching in higher education, this collection explores how faculty, students, and community partners navigated their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it raises important questions about how we might stay engaged with community during a crisis.   Show more

Innovative Approaches to Narratives in Health Communication

Edited by Laura Blount Carper, Texas A&M University-Texarkana

'Innovative Approaches to Narratives in Health Communication' provides in-depth research studies, literature reviews, and step-by-step instructions for a variety of health communication contexts to help improve overall satisfaction and the empowerment of others. 'Innovative Approaches to Narratives in Health Communication' is intended to be used i... n many health-related contexts including, but not limited to, the classroom, further research, and health care professionals. While some texts focus on narratives in public communication or on a specific population (such as women’s health), this volume applies narratives in a variety of health communication contexts. 'Innovative Approaches to Narratives in Health Communication' opens with a chapter about the different types of narrative research, entertainment education, and narrative persuasion. Next, the first section includes chapters on the “human experience” and narratives. These chapters include powerful and emotional topics relating to the use of narratives in critical care, reproductive loss, video gaming and cancer narratives, and the impacts of the infant formula shortages. The second section highlights how narratives can be used in university/college-aged participants. The two chapters analyze how narratives can be applied to both the mental health of college students and those partaking in risky behaviors. The third and final section comprises chapters discussing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of narratives. The section begins with a chapter highlighting the “Coming age” during the pandemic and relevant research relating to narratives. The following chapters will include a discussion of the impacts of COVID-19 on black communities, and the importance of narratives with frontline workers. All of these chapters provide unique applications and examples that use narratives in current and important research. Overall, 'Innovative Approaches to Narratives in Health Communication' aims to provide a diverse audience with unique tools and perspectives to broaden our understanding and applicability of narratives in health communication contexts.   Show more

World Cup! History, Politics, and Art of the Beautiful Game

Edited by Daniel Noemi Voionmaa, Northeastern University

This collection of essays provides a multidimensional, interdisciplinary, creative, and colorful view on the meanings and possibilities of thinking football—'the beautiful game'—and its paramount event: the World Cup. It is intended to appeal to academics as well as to everyday experts, those for whom football is more than a sport. But it also wan... ts to be a source that stirs the interest of those who see football just as a curious experience; those who may have heard, in passing, that a new World Cup will be played in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 2026. This book has, like a football team, eleven chapters. The approaches, styles, and perspectives differ considerably: From how football is a center piece in politics to its representations in poetry, from gender issues to nationalism, from fictitious wars to real ones provoked by a football match, and from exile to the neo-liberalization of the sport, the authors provide us a multicolor and global fresco of football and the World Cup. Likewise, the selection provides a global perspective on football and the World Cup: views from powerhouses such as England or Argentina, as well as from countries with a very incipient football tradition, such as India and Israel. 'World Cup! History, Politics, and Art of the Beautiful Game' is an invitation to continue to understand and think about one of the most important cultural manifestations of our times; a book that, particularly in the context of the next World Cup in 2026, will appeal to a broad readership, all around the world.   Show more

Arte y deporte en Hispanoamérica: La cultura deportiva en la literatura y el cine

Edited by Bruno Nowendsztern, Arizona State University and Ana Silvia Cervantes Figueroa, Arizona State University

El deporte ha sido visto como una de las prácticas más importantes dentro de la constitución de muchas sociedades modernas. Así, tanto la práctica deportiva como la expectación generada en torno al deporte han derivado en dinámicas diversas que han conformado las identidades individuales y sociales. Dentro del mundo de habla hispana, específicamen... te, algunas narrativas ligadas a deportes han trascendido hasta construir identidades que tocan desde el plano social y político hasta el de la condición de género y las masculinidades. En este libro, titulado 'Arte y deporte en Hispanoamérica: La cultura deportiva en la literatura y el cine,' la meta es atender a los distintos espacios sobre la práctica y utilización del deporte dentro de las narrativas como la ficción literaria o el cine. Los trabajos de los investigadores que integran este volumen tienen como objetivo ofrecer un panorama contemporáneo sobre distintos aspectos de prácticas deportivas a lo largo de todo el mundo hispano: desde la literatura de fútbol en Sudamérica y la península española hasta los deportes y espectáculos de combate que forman parte de Norte y Centroamérica. Brevemente, las partes que componen el libro son la relación del fútbol con la identidad nacional, la relación del deporte con la creación de la identidad individual femenina y de inmigración, el análisis de personajes de ficción literaria que indagan en los pormenores del éxito y el fracaso personal dentro del deporte y, finalmente, algunos de los aspectos que trascienden más allá de lo que es la práctica o espectáculo deportivo, así como los recursos creativos que el lenguaje deportivo puede ofrecer a la literatura.   Show more

Archaeology as a Weapon: Long-lasting legacies of colonialism and nationalism in Israel, Palestine, Greece and Cyprus

Marie-Louise Winbladh

In Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Palestine, the reconstruction of the past through archaeology has been used to strengthen national identity. Narratives about the past and origin myths have been constructed for political purposes. Cyprus and Palestine have both suffered from British colonialism since the early twentieth century, which has had a profo... und influence on their cultural heritage. Through nationalism, archaeology has been exploited by far-right movements and political parties to claim ownership of heritage and has become an efficient political tool. In Israel, archaeology and religion have been exploited to construct the Israeli state and still play a crucial role. The country claims to be the conqueror of Palestine under the protection of God, who they believe gave them possession of the land. Western religious groups are convinced that it is the religious duty of Christians to support the modern nation-state of Israel. Biblical archaeology has become an ultra-religious American speciality, marked by fraud and pseudoresearch. Notorious smuggling scandals were staged by American Christian multibillionaires buying artefacts looted from the National Museum of Iraq and other countries. Looting, plundering and blacklisting are among the most serious problems in Cyprus, causing irreparable damage to artefacts, monuments and society. Palestine’s rich archaeological, historical, and religious heritage has been undermined by occupation and land confiscation. Hundreds of sites have been looted by the Israeli occupation, and an illegal trade of ancient artefacts has occurred on a large scale. Populism is frequently associated with extreme nationalism and racism. Over the past few years, white nationalists and white supremacists have seized the history of Greece and Rome. White nationalists and Neo-Nazis in the US and Europe have used the slogan “Classics Made Great Again” showing their obsession with ancient sculptures and their alleged whiteness. When visiting Jerusalem, the Trump administration promoted an evangelical program where the politics of moral superiority is associated with white Christian supremacy.   Show more

Ages and Stages: Glimpses into the Lives of Women in the Academy

Edited by Terry Novak, Johnson & Wales University

'Ages and Stages: A Glimpse into the Lives of Women in the Academy' offers the perspectives of ten women academics, mostly but not exclusively from the United States, who share both their struggles and their successes in the world of higher education. Ranging from graduate students to those nearing retirement, the essay authors aim to write in con... versation with one another and to bring readers into the conversation. Readers will find various perspectives on issues unique to women academics—including motherhood, societal expectations, and institutional assumptions—and will discover various methods of navigating the unique challenges of women academics.   Show more

Issues in Contemporary Journalism Education and Practice in Nigeria: Volume 1

Eric Msughter Aondover, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Nigeria and Nosa Owens-Ibie, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Nigeria

The twenty-first century is increasingly shaped by communications and media innovations. Societies and economies are now highly mediatised and digitised, like never before. There are phenomena changes in the ways global citizens communicate and interact. The era is one in which the mass media industries are highly disrupted. With mediatisation, di... gitalisation and audience participation in public sphere, old theories, concepts, curricula and pedagogy of communication and media studies are increasingly put to the test. Within this context, there is a paradigm shift from Mass Communication as a discipline to Communication and Media Studies, along with other highly specialised yet interrelated disciplines, taking into consideration the ongoing digital revolution harbingered by globalisation and contemporary Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). This has created the need for new instructional and reading materials relevant for use by stakeholders in tertiary educational system in Nigeria. Accordingly, 'Issues in Contemporary Journalism Education and Practice in Nigeria' is a timely and most adequate response to address the felt needs of teachers and learners in universities and colleges globally.   Show more

Emerging from the Rubble: Asian American Writings on Disasters

Edited by Yasuko Kase, University of the Ryukyus, Japan and Eliko Kosaka, Hosei University, Japan

With a focus on the transpacific and transnational relationship between North America and Asia, 'Emerging from the Rubble: Asian/American Writings on Disasters' explores Asian/Americans’ complex and nuanced involvement in disastrous events. Included in this purview of disaster are not only the damages and threats of current ongoing climate change ... but also the long-lasting ruining effects inflicted by imperialism, neo/colonialism, wars, and these historical components’ entanglement with global capitalism that have generated both spontaneous and slow and/or prolonged violent effects. Moreover, disasters can be acknowledged as manifestations of the Anthropocene — an epoch shaped by human activity — or what scholars like Jason W. Moore and Donna J. Harraway term the ‘Capitalocene,’ a paradigm where nature and capitalist society are deeply intertwined, co-creating an intricate web of life. Asian/American involvement in such a web has never been simple but convoluted: some of them have experienced tremendous losses, whereas others have perpetuated obfuscation of the truth and/or induced violence, often contingently with or without acknowledging the facts. When considering Asian migrants including refugees from Southeast Asia who had little option but to seek asylum in the U.S., and Asian Americans who have pursued their “happiness” under the U.S.’s capitalist premise of constant progress, protection of “human rights,” and freedom of “choice,” it is important to note that Asian migrants and Asian ‘Americans’ have become simultaneously active players and exploited individuals within the context of U.S. racial capitalism. Acknowledging the impossibility of clearly differentiating natural and human-made disasters, scholars who contribute to this volume note the reciprocal influences between nature and civilization. They examine how the entanglements of natural and human-made disasters lead to the acceleration and expansion of damage. This volume explores how Asian Americans’ connections with their ancestral origins along with their particular racial positions, social classes, and socio-historical backgrounds in North American societies force them to experience and witness disastrous events differently from the mainstream discourse on eco-crises.   Show more

Neuroteología católica

Andrew Newberg, Thomas Jefferson University and Mary Clare Smith, Sisters of Notre Dame

El tema de la neuroteología ha visto incrementada su popularidad en los ámbitos académicos, religiosos y divulgativos. Este campo de estudio investiga la intersección entre el cerebro y el fenómeno espiritual y religioso. Sin embargo, no se ha intentado de manera exhaustiva explorar específicamente cómo el pensamiento y la experiencia católica pue... den estar relacionados con la neuroteología. El propósito de 'Neuroteología Católica' es abordar íntegramente esta área inexplorada. Los temas se relacionan con un enfoque neuroteológico de creencias fundamentales del catolicismo derivadas de la Escritura y la Tradición, una exploración de los diversos elementos del catolicismo, de los rituales y prácticas católicas, así como una revisión de la espiritualidad y el misticismo católico. Se ha tenido en consideración a diferentes académicos especializados en cuanto a la relación entre sus ideas o enseñanzas y los distintos procesos mentales. En 'Neuroteología Católica' se abordan estos temas de una manera accesible, incorporando aspectos científicos, religiosos, filosóficos y teológicos dentro del campo emergente de la neuroteología. Al revisar estos conceptos a través de argumentos sencillos y, a la vez, complejos, los lectores, sin importar su contexto, serán capaces de entender las dificultades y la amplitud de la neuroteología desde una perspectiva católica. Para profundizar, se abordan cuestiones como: una revisión de la neurociencia y las técnicas neurocientíficas; las experiencias religiosas y espirituales; el desarrollo y análisis teológico; el ritual y la liturgia; la filosofía, epistemología y ética; y las implicaciones sociales, todo desde el punto de vista del catolicismo.   Show more

God: A brief philosophical introduction V

K.H.A. Esmail, University of Cambridge

This is a clear and concise and original investigation of God’s nature and existence. First of all, it considers (among other things) two of God’s traditional properties: being all-knowing and being all-powerful. It argues he cannot possess these properties. But, it argues this is in accord with him being worthy of worship. Secondly, it introdu... ces the notion of evil being “overridden”. It argues he has to bring about other free living things and it is plausible they have to be liable to experience evil due to their conditions. But, it argues the evil in this world is “overridden”. Thirdly, it considers the principal arguments for the claim he does not exist. (They refer to the evil in the world.) It argues they do not establish sufficient grounds for this claim. Finally, it considers some well-known arguments for the claim he exists. It argues they face difficulties. It sets out other arguments: eg, some arguments to increase any degree of belief one has that God can exist. It includes a number of Appendices: God’s sovereignty; Are there sufficient grounds for the claim that, very probably, God does not exist?; Theodicy and some theodicies; Some further remarks on God and time; Some further remarks on a living thing which possesses the power to do this or that freely; Some remarks on God being simple; Some remarks on God being present in a spatial realm and God being present in a non-spatial realm; ... . It covers as a whole the principal parts of the Philosophy of Religion. It unifies these parts to a significant degree. It proceeds regularly by way of formal and clear arguments. It will be of interest to advanced students and specialists in Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Theology. Given its explanation of key terms, its jargon-free language, its clarity and brevity.... , it will be of interest to others, too.   Show more