Author: Ahmad S. Dallal
File Type: pdf
Replete with a cast of giants in Islamic thought and philosophy, Ahmad S. Dallals pathbreaking intellectual history of the eighteenth-century Muslim world challenges stale views of this period as one of decline, stagnation, and the engendering of a widespread fundamentalism. Far from being moribund, Dallal argues, the eighteenth century--prior to systematic European encounters--was one of the most fertile eras in Islamic thought. Across vast Islamic territories, Dallal charts in rich detail not only how intellectuals rethought and reorganized religious knowledge but also the reception and impact of their ideas. From the banks of the Ganges to the shores of the Atlantic, commoners and elites alike embraced the appeals of Muslim thinkers who, while preserving classical styles of learning, advocated for general participation by Muslims in the definition of Islam. Dallal also uncovers the regional origins of most reform projects, showing how ideologies were forged in particular sociopolitical contexts. Reformists ventures were in large part successful--up until the beginnings of European colonization of the Muslim world. By the nineteenth century, the encounter with Europe changed Islamic discursive culture in significant ways into one that was largely articulated in reaction to the radical challenges of colonialism. **
Author: Carne Ross
File Type: pdf
Although diplomats negotiate more and more aspects of world affairsfrom trade and security issues to health, human rights, and the environmentwe have little idea of, and even less control over, what they are doing in our name. In Independent Diplomat, Carne Ross provides a compelling account of whats wrong with contemporary diplomacy and offers a bold new vision of how it might be put right. For more than fifteen years, Ross was a British diplomat on the frontlines of numerous international crises, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Afghanistan, and the buildup to the invasion of Iraq, over which he eventually resigned from the British civil service. In 2005, he founded Independent Diplomat, a nonprofit advisory firm that offers diplomatic advice and assistance to poor, politically marginalized or inexperienced governments and political groups, including Kosovo, Somaliland, and the Polisario movement in the Western Sahara, as well as to NGOs and other international institutions. Drawing on vivid episodes from his career in Oslo, Bonn, Kabul, and at the UN Security Council, Ross reveals that many of the assumptions that laypersons and even government officials hold about the diplomatic corps are wrong. He argues passionately and persuasively that the institutions of contemporary diplomacyforeign ministries, the UN, the EU, and the likeoften exclude those they most affect. He exposes the very limited range of evidence upon which diplomats base their reports, and the profoundly closed and undemocratic nature of the worlds diplomatic forums. As a diplomat, Ross was encouraged to see the world in a narrow way in which the power of states and interests overwhelmed or excluded more complex, sophisticated ways of understanding. As Ross demonstrates, however, the reality of diplomatic negotiations, whether at the UN or among the warlords of Afghanistan, shows different forces at play, factors ignored in reductionist descriptions and academic theories of international relations. To cope with the complexities of todays world, diplomats must open their doorsand mindsto a far wider range of individuals and groups, concerns and ideas, than the current and increasingly dysfunctional system allows.
Author: Skya Abbate
File Type: epub
Taming the TigerWhen you grasp the needle, do so with great care, firm strength and caution for the peril, as if holding a tigers tail one wrong move and great harm could befall.--Huangdi NeijingThis uncommonly useful guidebook presents an overview of all aspects of needling, from the parameters of the needle itself to the importance of treating and anchoring the patients spirit. Skya Abbates clear language and detailed descriptions guide you step-by-step through thirteen categories of disease, ranging from anxiety, geriatric and chronic degenerative diseases to those illnesses thought to be untreatable. Specialized chapters offer insight and guidance for practitioners seeking to enhance their treatment strategies with additional therapeutic techniques, including moxibustion, bleeding techniques, herbal liniments, infrared light, threading, and others. Rounding out the text is a practical appendix with a glossary of Chinese medical terminology, sample instructions for patients, as well as an index with more than 2,000 disorders. Skillfully weaving the time-honored principles of Oriental medicine into the cutting-edge reality of the clinic, Advanced Techniques in Oriental Medicine offers a wealth of simple, yet effective, treatment strategies.
Author: Mike Farquharson-Roberts
File Type: pdf
For many years the naval warfare of World War I has been largely overlooked yet, at the outbreak of that war, the British Government had expected and intended its military contribution to the conflict to be largely naval. Britain was not simply defending an island it was defending a far flung empire. Without the navy such an undertaking would have been impossible. Following the naval arms race in the early 20th century, both Britain and Germany were equipped with the latest naval technology, including revolutionary new vessels such as dreadnoughts and diesel-powered submarines. Although the Royal Navys operations in World War I were global, most of the fleets strength was concentrated in the Grand Fleet, which confronted the German High Seas Fleet across the North Sea. At the Battle of Jutland in 1916 the Royal Navy, under the command of Admiral Jellicoe, fought an iconic, if inconclusive battle for control of shipping routes. 43,244 Royal Navy personnel lost their lives fighting on the seas in World War I. This book tells their story and places the navy back at the heart of the British war effort.**ReviewThis book is essential and enjoyable reading for anyone who wants to understand the nature of the truly global war fought beyond the trenches of the Western Front. Insightful, authoritative and digestible, it opens a window onto the Royal Navys vital but largely unseen work from executing the strategic economic blockade which tied a noose around the neck of Kaisers Germany, to the little known but significant contribution of the Royal Naval Division in the land war. It also shines a penetrating spotlight on the Royal Navys innovation, people and organisation, as well as the unfolding revolution in its battle space, as submarines and aircraft emerged to transform warfare at sea, and from the sea. Admiral Sir George Zambellas KCB DSC ADC DL, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff A lively, commendably wide-ranging and judicious evaluation of the Royal Navys performance in the First World War which effectively refutes the charge that it barely participated in the conflict. - Michael Duffy, Centre for Maritime Historical Studies, Exeter University About the Author Mike Farquharson-Roberts CBE OStJ PhD MA MB BS FRCS holds a PhD in Maritime History from University of Exeter, UK. He previously had a long and distinguished career in the Royal Navy.
Author: David Nicolle
File Type: pdf
Of all the conquerors who swept out of Central Asia, two names stand out in European memory Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan the Mongol. Both are remembered for massacres and devastation yet whereas Genghis is also famous for the laws he imposed on half of Asia and for the trade which flourished under Mongol rule, Attilas notoriety seems unrelieved by positive achievements. But what was Attilas short-lived empire really like? What happened to the Huns afterwards, and what role did the nomads of Central Asia play in the centuries between Attila and Genghis Khan?From the PublisherAn unrivalled illustrated reference source on fighting men and commanders, past and present. Each volume is packed with full colour artwork, making military history uniquely accessible to enthusiasts of all ages. About the AuthorDavid Nicolle was born in 1944 and worked for the BBC, including the overseas broadcasting service before returning to university, obtaining his PhD in Edinburgh. He subsequently taught at Yarmouk University in Jordan, since which he has contributed a substantial number of Osprey titles. He is a specialist in medieval arms and armour and has written several books as well as numerous articles for specialist journals.
Author: André-G. Bourassa
File Type: pdf
p MS Shell Dlg 2, serif 12px margin 14px padding In 1948 the Quebec artist Paul-Emile Borduas published his famous manifesto Refus global--a plea on behalf of the powers of imagination and sensibility in society and a revolt against rationalization, mechanization, and other restraining influences, including the church. Borduas and his consigners were bitterly attacked. But the message ofRefus globalhad far-reaching and revolutionary effects on the culture of Quebec and ultimately on its politicsfont color=#333333 face=Arial, serifspan MS Shell Dlg 2, serif 14px background- (255, 255, 255).spanfontp MS Shell Dlg 2, serif 12px margin -4px 14px padding AndrE Bourassa, in this important work, underlines the role played by artists and poets during the 1940s and the relationships among various groups. But his emphasis is on the literature of Quebec, from the first novel in 1837 (also the year of Quebecs first revolution), through the Quiet Revolution of the 1950s and 1960s, to the present. In manifestos, poems, articles, and theatre pieces he examines the nature of Quebec surrealism and its international context.p margin -4px 14px padding span MS Shell Dlg 2, serif 12pxSurrealism took three main forms in the province one reflecting AndrE Bretons school of thought as defined in the manifestos from 1924 on another more generally related to the movements such as cubism or revolutionary surrealism and finally, the spontaneous use of surrealism in its timeless aspect--as in cathedral gargoyles and African masks, religious myths and communications with the spirit spanworld, the dream imagery of Bosch and Goya, or the automatic writing of Achim von Arnim and GErard de Nerval.p margin -4px 14px padding An understanding of these kinds of surrealism is essential to understanding the significance ofRefus globaland of the events and attitudes which followed when surrealists took ideological stands, especially against Stalinism and Duplessis.p margin -4px 14px padding When first published in 1977,SurrEalisme et literature quEbEcoisewon immediate critical acclaim, including the Prix France-Canada. Jean Ethier-Blais, in Le Devoir, called une vue spectrale, non seulement de nos lettres, mais mieux encore, de notre sensibilitE. For this English translation, Bourassa has revised the text significantly to incorporate new insights and new information. The updated and comprehensive bibliography will be particularly valuable for anyone studying surrealism.
Author: Jason Barker
File Type: epub
Karl Marx is a revolutionary. He is not alone. It is November 1849 and London is full of them a bunch of fanatical dreamers trying to change the world. Persecuted by a tyrannical housekeeper and ignored by his sexually liberated wife, Marx immerses himself in his writing, believing that his book on capital is the surest way of ushering in the workers revolution and his family out of poverty. But when a mysterious figure begins to take an obsessive interest in his work Marxs revolutionary journey takes an unexpected turn... Marx Returns combines historical fiction, psychological mystery, philosophy, differential calculus and extracts from Marx and Engelss collected works to reimagine the life and times of one of historys most exceptional minds, in this next fiction offering from Zero Books.**ReviewCurious, funny, perplexing, and irreverent, an inspired divagation that casts unexpected light on Marxs thought. (Ray Brassier, author of Nihil Unbound Enlightenment and Extinction) For years weve been led to believe that Marx was right. On the evidence of Jason Barkers debut novel, however, it seems we may have grossly underestimated him. Joyful, artful and playfully anachronistic, Marx Returns is a book youre unlikely to want to end. (Yong Soon Seo Seo, Professor of Philosophy, Sungkyunkwan University) About the Author Jason Barker is the writer, director and co-producer of the 2011 documentary Marx Reloaded. He is Professor of English at Kyung Hee University, South Korea and visiting professor of Media Philosophy at the European Graduate School.
Author: Stan Persky
File Type: pdf
The first decade of the twenty-first century was noteworthy for war, terror, religious revival, economic collapse, and a technological revolution that prompted countless critical responses and gave rise to a paradox writing flourished, but reading declined. Reading the 21st Century investigates the urgent themes, major works, and crisis of reading in an era of instant communication. In wide-ranging and innovative criticism, Stan Persky examines international non-fiction and fiction to engage with both the triumphs and tensions of reading and writing today. Evaluating works by established authors Philip Roth, Orhan Pamuk, J.M. Coetzee, and Jose Saramago, as well as emerging writers like Naomi Klein, Javier Cercas, and Chimamanda Adichie, Persky also showcases a remarkable group of reporters - Steve Coll, Dexter Filkins, and Rajiv Chandrasekaran - who have written essential books about global issues. An illuminating and accessible work about the present age, Reading the 21st Century introduces new ways of thinking about the worlds most significant cultural, political, and moral problems.**