The Nuclear Politics of the Middle East: The Crisis of Proliferation, Control and Diplomacy

I. B. Tauris & Company

Sufism is Islam's principal mystical tradition. This text provides an introduction that encompasses the history and richness of the Sufi spiritual tradition and introduces some of the great figures of Sufism.

Mystical Islam: An Introduction to Sufism

Julian Baldick

History

What common features can be found in the native religions of the vast Eurasian landmass? Julian Baldick, in this comparative study of the indigenous pre-Christian and pre-Muslim religions of Central Asia, argues that there was a common inheritance to be found among the beliefs of the various peoples who have lived in Central Asia or have migrated from there; Scythians, Huns, Turks, Mongols, Manchus, Finns and Hungarians.  Shamans - holy men healers among the pagan faiths - relied heavily on animal sacrifices to create spiritual purity and to nourish the soul. Animals and spirituality were thus locked in a mutually dependent embrace. In this survey of the ancient customs and religions of the larger inner Eurasian landmass, Baldick concludes that in pagan times there were remarkable common features in the forms of worship and spiritual expression among the different peoples of Central Asia, all largely based on the role of animals in their lives. These have survived not only in the myths and legends of the region but have also found their way into the mythologies of the West. This ground-breaking study will be of great importance to historians as well as cultural and social anthropologists.

Animal and Shaman

World

Fashioning Appetite

It can no longer be said that we are just what we eat. In the contested sphere of gastronomy divided between the golden arches of McDonalds and the prized stars of Michelin where personal identity is expressed through a frenetic quest for socially-approved tastes and distinctions, where, when, how and with whom we eat has become just as fundamental in defining who we are. In this follow-on to her classic 1989 work Dining Out: A Sociology of Modern Manners, Joanne Finkelstein takes a fragment of social life, dining out in restaurants, and uses it to examine the nature and meaning of manners and social relations in the modern world. In Fashioning Appetite, the restaurant becomes a liminal space in which public and privte boundaries are constantly renegotiated, in which our personal celebrations and seductions are conducted within full view of the next table, and where eating alone has become a perilous social minefield. When food is fetishized ad identity becomes a capitalist commodity, the experience of the restaurant transforms appetite into both a pleasure and a torment where being satisfied with one's meal is also about being satisfied with oneself. Applying new research in emotional capitalism to popular culture's pervasive images of conspicuous consumption, Finkelstein builds a cultural portrait in which every forfkful is weighted with meaning.

Biographies & Memoirs

Joanne Finkelstein

Professionals & Academics

It can no longer be said that we are just what we eat. In the contested sphere of gastronomy divided between the golden arches of McDonalds and the prized stars of Michelin where personal identity is expressed through a frenetic quest for socially-approved tastes and distinctions, where, when, how and with whom we eat has become just as fundamental in defining who we are. In this follow-on to her classic 1989 work Dining Out: A Sociology of Modern Manners, Joanne Finkelstein takes a fragment of social life, dining out in restaurants, and uses it to examine the nature and meaning of manners and social relations in the modern world. In Fashioning Appetite, the restaurant becomes a liminal space in which public and privte boundaries are constantly renegotiated, in which our personal celebrations and seductions are conducted within full view of the next table, and where eating alone has become a perilous social minefield. When food is fetishized ad identity becomes a capitalist commodity, the experience of the restaurant transforms appetite into both a pleasure and a torment where being satisfied with one's meal is also about being satisfied with oneself. Applying new research in emotional capitalism to popular culture's pervasive images of conspicuous consumption, Finkelstein builds a cultural portrait in which every forkful is weighted with meaning.

Politics & Social Sciences

Sociology

Italy in the thirteenth century was transformed by two new religious orders, the Dominicans and the Franciscans. They created a tremendous demand for works of all kinds – painted altarpieces, crucifixes, fresco cycles, illuminated choir books, and liturgical objects – to decorate their churches. The visual narratives they favoured are notable for their naturalistic treatment and the emphasis on expressive gestures to show human emotions, both of which were significant new developments in Italian art. This book is the first major study to examine the art of these rival religious orders together, exploring the ways in which they used art as propaganda to promote the charisma of their saints and to articulate their revolutionary concept of religious vocation.

Sanctity Pictured: The Art of the Dominican and Franciscan Orders in Renaissance Italy

Kennedy, Trinita (editor)

Hugely enjoyable and exciting, long awaited book by top world authority on French cinema. This is the first book to focus on this very contemporary film. 'Les Diaboliques' is often shown and is easily available on DVD and video. 'Les Diaboliques' was a top grossing film in 1955. Clouzot shrouded his film in mystery and also radically changed the original story of the novel, heterosexualising the original lesbian plot. 'Les Diaboliques' still intrigues perhaps due to its excessive ambiguities and numerous plot twists that make it a 'film noir' to end all 'films noir', and not least the great performance of Simone Signoret. In this enjoyable and challenging 'Cine-File', Hayward sets 'Les Diaboliques' against the political culture of its time and demonstrates the importance of Clouzot as a master of the thriller genre. She gives an illuminating in-depth textual analysis of the film and presents a comparison with its US remake.

Les Diaboliques. Susan Hayward (French Film Guide)

Humor & Entertainment

Hayward, Susan

Movies

Genocide in the Age of the Nation State

Levene, Mark

<p>Over the last decade, at a time when the forces of 'Islamic fundamentalism' appear to be the dominant face of Islam in the West, a vibrant and equally significant discourse has emerged from a number of prominent Muslim thinkers who wish to reformulate some of the main premises of Islamic theology and jurisprudence. The central goal of these 'New Islamists' is to reinterpret popular notions of Islam that are consistent with the tenets of modern life. Their work touches on three broad themes: Islamic hermeneutics; Islam's relationship with modernity; and the relationship of Islam with democracy and civil rights. The thinkers whose work is showcased in this book represent some of the most notable Muslim intellectuals of our time. They include Tariq Ramadan, Abdul Rahman Abbad, Fethullah Gulen, Chandra Muzzafar, Yusuf al Qaradawy, Nasr Abu Zaid and Mohammed Arkoun. Despite their importance in their own countries, seldom before have their voices been heard by western audiences. This timely volume, which places the life, career and arguments of each thinker in their proper national and historical contexts, remedies that neglect.</p>

New Voices of Islam, The. I.B.Tauris. 2009. (Library of Modern Middle East Studies S)

Kamrava, Dr Mehran

Anthropology

X Films: True Confessions of a Radical Filmmaker

Cox, Alex

Arts & Literature

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