Jangar is the heroic epic of the Kalmyk nomads, who are the Western Mongols of Genghis Khan's medieval empire in Europe. Today, Kalmykia is situated in the territory that was once the Golden Horde, founded by the son of Genghis Khan, Juchi. Although their famed West-Wing khanates and cities have long since disappeared under the sands of the Great Eurasian Steppe, the Kalmyks have witnessed, memorized, and orally transmitted some of the most transformative developments, both victorious and tragic, in the history of civilizations. A tribute to the protectors of the mythical country Bumba, Jangar reflects the hopes and aspirations of the Kalmyk people, their centuries-long struggle for their cultural existence. This book is an important step in the Kalmyk people's struggle for cultural survival following Soviet repression. Making Jangar available in English is a landmark event, bringing a lost classic to the world's attention and restoring the voices of an almost erased tradition at the heart of the history of Eurasia.
University of California Press Boeken






This counter-cultural collection of American verse fits in Robert Lowell's famous definition of the raw in American poetry. Contributors include: Olson; Duncan; Creeley; Guest; Ashbery; Ginsberg; Kerouac; Levertov; O'Hara; Snyder; and Schuyler.
The Chinese Pursuit of Happiness
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- 7 uur lezen
"What is happiness and how can we get it? The way people in China ask and try to answer these universal questions tells a lot about the tensions in Chinese culture and society during the present time of political and economic change. These essays by a team of researchers illuminate the causes of anxiety and reasons for hope in China today. They vividly describe the moral dilemmas experienced in contemporary family life, the rituals of happiness performed in modern weddings, the practices of conviviality carried out in shared meals, the professional tensions confronted by social workers, and the hopes and frustrations shared by political reformers"-- Provided by publisher
Beyond Bioethics
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- 20 uur lezen
"For several decades, the field of bioethics has played a dominant role in shaping the way society thinks about ethical problems related to developments in science, technology, and medicine. But its traditional emphases on, for example, doctor-patient relationships, informed consent, and individual autonomy have led the field to not be fully responsive to the challenges posed by new human biotechnologies such as assisted reproduction, human genetic enhancement, and DNA forensics. Beyond Bioethics provides a focused overview for students and others grappling with the profound social dilemmas posed by these developments. It brings together the work of cutting-edge thinkers from diverse fields of study and public engagement, all of them committed to a new perspective that is grounded in social justice and public interest values. The contributors to this volume seek to define an emerging field of scholarly, policy, and public concern: a new biopolitics."--Provided by publisher.
Thinking Globally
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- 16 uur lezen
In this accessible text, Mark Juergensmeyer, a pioneer in global studies, provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging field of global studies from regional, topical, and theoretical perspectives. Each of the twenty compact chapters in Thinking Globally features Juergensmeyer’s own lucid introduction to the key topics and offers brief excerpts from major writers in those areas. The chapters explore the history of globalization in each region of the world, from Africa and the Middle East to Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and cover key issues in today's global era, such as: • Challenges of the global economy • Fading of the nation-state • Emerging nationalisms and transnational ideologies • Hidden economies of sex trafficking and the illegal drug trade • New communications media • Environmental crises • Human rights abusesThinking Globally is the perfect introduction to global studies for students, and an exceptional resource for anyone interested in learning more about this new area of study.
Conversations with Cezanne
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- 9 uur lezen
This work gathers together texts by contemporaries of Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) - including artists, critics and writers - that illuminate the painter's philosophy of art, particularly in his later years.
SPECIAL COMMENDATION in Africa's 100 Best Books of the Twentieth Century. The series is illustrated throughout with maps and black and white photographs.
Introduction -- Origin stories -- Poetry -- Doctrine and disputation -- Liturgy -- Asceticism -- Mysticism and prayer -- Biblical interpretation -- Hagiography -- Books, knowledge, and translation -- Judaism -- Islam -- Religions of the Silk Road -- Appendix 1 : translations and editions -- Appendix 2 : biographies of named authors -- Appendix 3 : glossary.
The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong
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- 14 uur lezen
Lady Hyegyong's memoirs, which recount the chilling murder of her husband by his father, is one of the best known and most popular classics of Korean literature. From 1795 until 1805 Lady Hyegyong composed this masterpiece, which depicts a court life whose drama and pathos is of Shakespearean proportions.
Students of philosophy, psychology, sociology, and literature will welcome this collection of original essays on self-deception and related phenomena such as wishful thinking, bad faith, and false consciousness. The book has six sections, each exploring self-deception and related phenomena from a different perspective.