“The books are true while reality is lying...” Championing the popular Fantasy genre on the same terms as its readers, Rayment casts a critical eye over the substance and methods of political critique in the Fantasy novels of Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman and China Miéville. Ranging across subjects as diverse as exquisite fundamentalism and revolutionary trains, encountering pervert-priests, dwarf hermaphrodites and sex-scarred lovers and pondering the homicidal tendencies of fairy tales and opera, Fantasy, Politics, Postmodernity develops a theoretically wide-ranging and illuminating account of how the novels of these writers do and do not sustain politically insightful critique of the real world, while bringing intellectual and ethical concerns to bear on the popular Fantasy form.
This book presents J. M. Coetzee's work as a complex, nuanced counterblast to contemporary, global, neoliberal economics and its societies. Not surprisingly, given his many years in South Africa and Australia, Coetzee writes from a `global-Southern' perspective. Drawing on a wealth of literature, philosophy, and theory, the book reads Coetzee's writings as a discreet, oblique but devastating engagement with neoliberal presumptions. It identifies and focuses on various key features of neoliberal culture: its obsession with self-enrichment, mastery, growth; its belief in plenitude, endless resources; its hubris and obsession with (self)-promotion; its desire for ease and easiness, `well-being', euphoria; its fetishization of managerial reason and the culture of security; its unrelenting positivity, its belief in illusory goods and trivial progressivisms. By contrast, Coetzee's writings explore the virtues of irony and self-reduction. He commits himself to difficulty, discomfort, patient and austere, if bleak, inquiry, rigorous questioning, and radical doubt. Destitution and failure come to look like a serious, dignified form of life and thought. The very tones of Coetzee's books run counter to those of our neoliberal democracies. They point in a different direction to an age that has gone astray.
The generation of young men and women who joined the British Army during the mid to late 1980s would serve their country during an unprecedented period of history. Unlike the two world war generations, they would never face total war – there was never any declaration of war and there was no one single country to defeat. In fact, it was supposed to have been the end of war, a time of peace and stability. Politicians started to use the term, Peace Dividend, with government officials even planning on how and where it should be spent. But for those in the military, the two decades following the end of the Cold War would not be a time of peace. Government spending and the size of the military was reduced but the Army’s commitments increased exponentially. Those serving not only faced continuous deployment in overseas operations, they would also be involved in immense upheavals that took place within the army. When the Berlin Wall came down, the British Army had not changed for decades. The ending of the Cold War, combined with a technological revolution, a changing society at home, and new global threats mean that the Army of the second decade of the twentieth-first century – the army this generation of soldiers is now retiring from – is unrecognizable from the one they joined in the late 1980s. This is the story of the soldiers who served in the British Army in those tumultuous decades.
An explanation of the unique role of the book and book collecting in South Africa due to the apartheid This book explores the power of print and the politics of the book in South Africa from a range of disciplinary perspectives- historical, bibliographic, literary-critical, sociological, and cultural studies. The essays collected here, by leading international scholars, address a range of topics as varied as: the role of print cultures in contests over the nature of the colonial public sphere in the nineteenth century; orthography; iimbongi, orature and the canon; book- collecting and libraries; print and transnationalism; Indian Ocean cosmopolitanisms; books in war; how the fates of South African texts, locally and globally, have been affected by their material instantiations; photocomics and other ephemera; censorship, during and after apartheid; books about art and books as art; local academic publishing; and the challenge of 'book history' for literary and cultural criticism in contemporary South Africa.
Arguing that there were important elements of continuity in the decisions of the Treasury and the Bank of England, this survey of macroeconomic policy in Britain contains a chronological account of policy actions that covers the most influential writings of economists during this period.
Shortly after the Allied landings in France the Germans unleashed the first of their so-called 'revenge weapons', the V1 flying bomb. Launched from specially constructed sites in northern France, the fast, small, pulse-jet powered pilotless aircraft were aimed at London with the sole intent of destroying civilian morale to the point where the British government would be forced to sue for peace. This dangerous new threat drew an immediate response, and the Air Defence of Great Britain (as Fighter Command had been temporarily renamed) established layers of defence that included a gun line and balloon barrage. The main element, however, were standing patrols by the fastest piston-engined fighters available to the RAF – the new Tempest V and Griffon-powered Spitfire XIV. Other types were allocated too, most notably the Polish Mustang wing, while night defence was left in the capable hands of several dedicated Mosquito squadrons. Although pilotless, the V1 was no easy foe thanks to its speed, powerful warhead and sheer unpredictability. Nevertheless, 154 pilots became V1 aces, 25 of whom were also aces against manned aircraft.
What is globalisation? How are its effects felt by different people across the world? How can we help young people flourish in a world characterised by globalisation? Conflict, poverty, breaches of human rights, and environmental sustainability are everyday issues for global citizens today, old and young. Global Learning and Education presents a detailed and challenging introduction to a central concern facing education systems and curricula around the world: How young people understand and experience globalisation and how meaningful global learning can be developed. Encouraging a critical and reflective approach in order to advance understanding of a range of theoretical and practical factors, it considers the meaning and definitions of globalisation, global citizenship and global education. Global Learning and Education explores key issues including interconnectedness and interdependency, cultural diversity, social justice and sustainable development. It considers how global learning should and can imbue all aspects of education, within curriculum subjects, through project based learning, and through extra-curricular activities that help students participate and engage in global issues. It argues the importance of the mission and ethos of a school itself, of shaping global learning for different educational contexts, and of ensuring teaching and learning meets the needs of individual learners. Global Learning and Education is a comprehensive, thought-provoking - sometimes contentious - introduction for educationalists concerned with what globalisation means for our young people. Illustrated throughout with case studies that seek to inspire creativity and hope, and including questions and suggested reading for further investigation, it is essential reading for all those involved in the teaching and learning of young people, as well as those studying this vital topic on Education Studies and Masters level courses.
Covering each of the core medical specialties, this is a reference guide to each of the specialties you will encounter through your medical school training and clinical rotations.
An authoritative and detailed account of contract law; this is a widely renowned and well-respected textbook for students of contract law, and a trusted source of reference for practitioners and academics.
Pain management is an essential part of clinical practice for all healthcare providers from trainees, physician assistants and nurse practitioners through to practising physicians. Problem-Based Pain Management is a collaboration between experts in anesthesiology, geriatric medicine, neurology, psychiatry and rehabilitation which presents a multidisciplinary management strategy. Over 60 chapters follow a standard, easy-to-read, quick access format on: clinical presentation, signs and symptoms, lab tests, imaging studies, differential diagnosis, pharmacotherapy, non-pharmacologic approach, interventional procedure, follow-up and prognosis. The broad spectrum of topics include headache, neck and back pain, bursitis, phantom limb pain, sickle cell disease and palliative care. Unlike other large, cumbersome texts currently available, this book serves as a quick, concise and pertinent reference in the diagnosis and management of common pain syndromes.
Piracy is a significant global threat to international sea-borne trade - the life-blood of modern industrial economies and vital for world economic survival. The pirates of today are constantly in the world's news media, preying on private and merchant shipping from small, high-speed vessels. Andrew Palmer here provides the historical background to the new piracy, its impact on the shipping and insurance industries and also considers the role of international bodies like the UN and the International Maritime Bureau, international law and the development of advanced naval and military measures. He shows how this 'new' piracy is rooted in the geopolitics and socio-economic conditions of the late-20th century where populations live on the margins and where weak or 'failed states' can encourage criminal activity and even international terrorism. Somalia is considered to be the nest of piracy, but hotspots include not only the Red Sea region, but also the whole Indian Ocean, West Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the South China Seas.
This book summarizes the main discoveries, management insights and policy initiatives in the science, management and policy arenas associated with temperate woodlands in Australia. More than 60 of Australia's leading researchers, policy makers and natural resource managers have contributed to the volume. It features new perspectives on the integration of woodland management and agricultural production, including the latest thinking about whole of paddock restoration and carbon farming, as well as financial and social incentive schemes to promote woodland conservation and management. Temperate Woodland Conservation and Management will be a key supporting aid for farmers, natural resource managers, policy makers, and people involved in NGO landscape restoration and management. KEY FEATURES * High quality chapters from the nation's leading researchers, managers and policy makers in temperate woodlands * New perspectives on the integration of woodland management and agricultural production * Easy to follow format that distills key new insights and lessons for future conservation and management initiatives
One of the key achievements of critical realism has been to expose the modernist myth of universal reason, which holds that authentic knowledge claims must be objectively ‘pure’, uncontaminated by the subjectivity of local place, specific time and particular culture. Wright aims to address the lack of any substantial and sustained engagement between critical realism and theological critical realism with particular regard to: (a) the distinctive ontological claims of Christianity; (b) their epistemic warrant and intellectual legitimacy; and (c) scrutiny of the primary source of the ontological claims of Christianity, namely the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth. As such, it functions as a prolegomena to a much needed wider debate, guided by the under-labouring services of critical realism, between Christianity and various other religious and secular worldviews. This important new text will help stimulate a debate that has yet to get out of first gear. This book will appeal to academics, graduate and post-graduate students especially, but also Christian clergy, ministers and informed laity, and members of the general public concerned with the nature of religion and its place in contemporary society.
This book explores the ways in which AgeTech can contribute to healthy cognitive aging and support the independence of people with dementia. Technology can play a key role in supporting the health, independence, and well-being of older adults, particularly as a response to rapid worldwide population aging. AgeTech refers to the use of technologies, such as information and communication technologies (ICTs), robotics, mobile technologies, artificial intelligence, ambient systems, and pervasive computing to drive technology-based innovation to benefit older adults. AgeTech has the potential to provide new ways of meeting the growing demands on health and social care services to support people to stay healthy and active. As such, AgeTech represents an increasingly important market sector within world economies. The book also addresses some of the research, innovation, and policy challenges that need to be resolved if technology-based products and services are to fulfill their potential and deliver real-world impacts to improve the lives of older adults and their carers, thus promoting more inclusive communities for the benefit of all.
The New Atheist Novel is the first study of a major new genre of contemporary fiction. It examines how Richard Dawkins's so-called 'New Atheism' movement has caught the imagination of four eminent modern novelists: Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie and Philip Pullman. For McEwan and his contemporaries, the contemporary novel represents a new front in the ideological war against religion, religious fundamentalism and, after 9/11, religious terror: the novel apparently stands for everything - freedom, individuality, rationality and even a secular experience of the transcendental - that religion seeks to overthrow. In this book, Bradley and Tate offer a genealogy of the New Atheist Novel: where it comes from, what needs it serves and, most importantly, where it may go in the future. What is it? How does it dramatise the war between belief and non-belief? To what extent does it represent a genuine ideological alternative to the religious imaginary or does it merely repeat it in secularised form? This fascinating study offers an incisive critique of this contemporary testament of literary belief and unbelief.
The mysterious history of Rosslyn Chapel and the Knights Templar is revealed in this authoritative volume by a descendent of its first patrons. In the 15th century, William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness and Baron of Roslin, built a Catholic chapel in the Midlothian region of Scotland. Famous for its esoteric symbolism, this flamboyant Gothic church was of great importance to the Knights Templar, who formed a third Temple of Solomon with the patronage of the Sinclair lairds. Historian Andrew Sinclair, whose own family lineage traces back to William, explores the rise and fall of Rosslyn over the course of centuries. It is a tale of religious conflicts and ancient relics, of epic battles and secret societies. Along the way, he dispels the many myths and misinterpretations that have grown up around Rosslyn, as the fortunes of the Sinclair family declined and the Church and Castle fell into ruin.
Synoptic and Dynamic Climatology provides the first comprehensive account of the dynamical behaviour and mechanisms of the global climate system and its components, together with a modern survey of synoptic-scale weather systems in the tropics and extratropics, and of the methods and applications of synoptic climate classification. It is unrivalled in the scope and detail of its contents. The work is thoroughly up to date, with extensive bibliographies by chapter. It is illustrated with nearly 300 figures and plates. *Part 1 provides an introduction to the global climate system and the space-time scales of weather and climate processes, followed by a chapter on climate data and their analysis *Part 2 describes and explains the characteristics of the general circulation of the global atmosphere and includes the nature and causes of global teleconnection patterns *Part 3 discusses synoptic weather systems in the extratropics and tropics and satellite-based climatologies of synoptic features. It also describes the applications of synoptic climatology and summarises current climatic research and its directions.
An exploration of information literacy and ICT skills education from the point of view of social and political theory. The author incorporates theories to argue why the idea of information literacy is so important in the 21st century, and also to develop teaching strategies to this end. The book argues that only through expanding the range of information literacy education taking it beyond just formal school and university education and into homes, friendship networks and workplaces can we construct an effective educational response to information technology in the 21st century. Information literacy includes, but transcends, ICT skills and ultimately is about being politically, socially and communicatively competent in an information society. Although this is a book about ‘education’, it argues that we need to start thinking of education as something done by families, friends, workmates and society as a whole, as well as schools and colleges Each chapter introduces the readers to some social and political theory, but in ways accessible to a lay audience To complement each section, ‘think tasks’ and practical exercises will help the readers apply the insights in their personal contexts
Sheppard first came to prominence as a cricketer in the 1950s. An opening batsman, he was selected for England while still at Cambridge, and later captained his country. In the 1960s Sheppard was a leading figure in the campaign to sever sporting links with South Africa, a crucial factor in the ending of apartheid. Converted in his first year at Cambridge, Sheppard was ordained into the Church of England in 1955. His curacy in Islington gave him a passion to serve the church in the inner city, a calling he fulfilled as warden for twelve years of the Mayflower Centre in Canning Town. Following his appointment as Bishop of Woolwich in 1969, he published a major text about his work in urban areas, Built as a City. David Sheppard made his biggest mark as Bishop of Liverpool from 1975-97, forging a pioneering partnership with Archbishop Derek Worlock, his Roman Catholic counterpart. For twenty years the two worked tirelessly to revive the fortunes of the city, helping to break down its many internal divisions. In 1991 Sheppard was seriously considered for Archbishop of Canterbury following Robert Runcie’ retirement. In 1997 Sheppard was awarded a life peerage, and played an active role in the Lords, and as a writer, speaker and preacher, until his death in 2005. This biography draws on the papers left by Sheppard in Liverpool Central Library, other archival material, and more than 150 interviews conducted by the author.
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