Author: W. Michael Ashcraft File Type: pdf The American publics perception of New Religious Movements (NRMs) as fundamentally harmful cults stems from the anticult movement of the 1970s, which gave a sometimes hysterical and often distorted image of NRMs to the media. At the same time, academics pioneered a new field, studying these same NRMs from sociological and historical perspectives. They offered an interpretation that ran counter to that of the anticult movement. For these scholars in the new field of NRM studies, NRMs were legitimate religions deserving of those freedoms granted to established religions. Those scholars in NRM studies continued to evolve methods and theories to study NRMs. This book tells their story. Each chapter begins with a biography of a key person involved in studying NRMs. The narrative unfolds chronologically, beginning with late nineteenth- and early-twentieth century perceptions of religions alternative to the mainstream. Then the focus shifts to those early efforts, in the 1960s and 1970s, to comprehend the growing phenomena of cults or NRMs using the tools of academic disciplines. The books midpoint is a chapter that looks closely at the scholarship of the anticult movement, and from there moves forward in time to the present, highlighting themes in the study of NRMs like violence, gender, and reflexive ethnography.No other book has used the scholars of NRMs as the focus for a study in this way. The material in this volume is, therefore, a fascinating viewpoint from which to explore the origins of this vibrant academic community, as well as analyse the practice of Religious Studies more generally. **

Author: Alexander Clemm File Type: pdf Network Management FundamentalsA guide to understanding how network management technology really worksAlexander Clemm, Ph.D.Network management is an essential factor in successfully operating a network. As a company becomes increasingly dependent on networking services, keeping those services running is synonymous with keeping the business running. Network Management Fundamentals provides you with an accessible overview of network management covering management not just of networks themselves but also of services running over those networks. Network Management Fundamentals explains the different technologies that are used in network management and how they relate to each other. The book focuses on fundamental concepts and principles. It provides a solid technical foundation for the practitioner to successfully navigate network management topics and apply those concepts to particular situations.The book is divided into four partsullPart I provides an overview of what network management is about and why it is relevant. It also conveys an informal understanding of the functions, tools, and activities that are associated with it. llPart II examines network management from several different angles, culminating in a discussion of how these aspects are combined into management reference models. llPart III provides more detail into different building blocks of network management introduced in Part II, such as management protocols, management organization, and management communication patterns. llPart IV rounds out the book with a number of management topics of general interest, including management integration and service-level management. lulDr. Alexander Clemm is a senior architect with Cisco. He has been involved with integrated management of networked systems and services since 1990. He has provided technical leadership for many leading-edge network management development, architecture, and engineering efforts from original conception to delivery to the customer, and he has also served as technical program co-chair of the 2005 IFIPIEEE International Symposium on Integrated Network Management. ullGrasp the business implications of network management llExamine different management reference models, such as Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS)llUnderstand the building blocks of network management and their purposes llAssess the implications and impact of management technologies and put them in perspective llPrepare for decisions about network management that require an understanding of the big picturelulThis book is part of the Cisco Press Fundamentals Series. Books in this series introduce networking professionals to new networking technologies, covering network topologies, example deployment concepts, protocols, and management techniques.Category NetworkingCovers Network ManagementAbout the AuthorDr. Alexander Clemm, Ph.D. is a Senior Architect with Cisco Systems. He has been involved with integrated management of networked systems and services since 1990. Alex has provided technical leadership for many network management development and engineering efforts from original conception to delivery to the customer. They include management instrumentation of network devices, turnkey management solutions for packet telephony and managed services, and management systems for Voice over IP networks, broadband access networks, and provisioning of residential subscriber services. Alex has approximately 30 publications related to network management and 15 patents pending. He is on the Organizing Committee or Technical Program Committee of the major technical conferences in the field, including IM, NOMS, DSOM, IPOM, and MMNS, and he served as Technical Program Co-chair of the 2005 IFIPIEEE International Symposium on Integrated Network Management. He holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Munich and a Masters degree from Stanford University.