In this long-awaited ethnography, Chuan-kang Shih details the traditional social and cultural conditions of the Moso, a matrilineal group living on the border of Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces in southwest China. Among the Moso, a majority of the adult population practice a visiting system called tisese instead of marriage as the normal sexual and reproductive institution. Until recently, tisese was noncontractual, nonobligatory, and nonexclusive. Partners lived and worked in separate households. The only prerequisite for a tisese relationship was a mutual agreement between the man and the woman to allow sexual access to each other. In a comprehensive account, Quest for Harmony explores this unique practice specifically, and offers thorough documentation, fine-grained analysis, and an engaging discussion of the people, history, and structure of Moso society. Drawing on the author's extensive fieldwork, conducted from 1987 to 2006, this is the first ethnography of the Moso written in English.
This book is a detailed guide to image interpretation in patients with spine and spinal cord tumors that will enable clinicians and residents to improve their diagnostic abilities. The book opens by introducing basic concepts in the imaging of spinal tumors, namely the compartmental approach and the histologic basis for the different imaging appearances. These concepts are explained with the aid of representative cases and schematic illustrations. The second part of the book represents a “training step” in which various spinal tumors are described in detail, focusing on the imaging findings. Representative cases are presented with radiographic, CT, and MR images; in addition, schematic illustrations and pathologic or operative images are included in selected cases. The third part is a “practice step” describing tips for correct imaging diagnosis. Individual chapters in this part focus on incidence-, age-, location-, and imaging pattern-based approaches to bone, extradural, intradural extramedullary, intramedullary, and pediatric spinal tumors. The presented cases will enhance the reader’s understanding of the different tumor patterns and assist in solving diagnostic problems that may be encountered in daily practice.
Surface Engineering of Polymer Membranes covers the processes that modify membrane surfaces to improve their in-service performance, meaning, to confer surface properties which are different from the bulk properties. Purposes may be to minimize fouling, modulate hydrophilicity/ hydrophobicity, enhance biocompatibility, create diffusion barriers, provide functionalities, mimic biomembranes, fabricate nanostructures, etc. First, the basics of surface engineering of polymer membranes are covered. Then topics such as surface modification by graft polymerization and macromolecule immobilization, biomimetic surfaces, enzyme immobilization, molecular recognition, and nanostructured surfaces are discussed. This book provides a unique synthesis of the knowledge of the role of surface chemistry and physics in membrane science. Dr. Zhikang Xu of the Institute of Polymer Science of Zhejiang University has eight Chinese patents and in 2006 was honored as a Distinguished Young Scholar by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC).
In this timely work, Liu Kang argues that globalization in China is both a historical condition in which the country's gaige kaifang (reform and opening up) has unfolded and a set of values or ideologies by which it and the rest of the globe are judged. Moreover, globalization signals a significant ascendancy of culture. Liu examines China's current ideological struggles in political discourse, intellectual debate, popular culture, avant-garde literature, the news media, and the internet. With careful textual analysis and observation informed by critical theories and cultural studies, he offers a forceful critique of the Chinese version of globalism that privileges economic development at the expense of social justice and equality.
FROM HAN KANG, WINNER OF THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE “[Han Kang writes in] intense poetic prose that . . . exposes the fragility of human life.”—from the Nobel Prize citation WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE • “Kang viscerally explores the limits of what a human brain and body can endure, and the strange beauty that can be found in even the most extreme forms of renunciation.”—Entertainment Weekly One of the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century “Ferocious.”—The New York Times Book Review (Ten Best Books of the Year) “Both terrifying and terrific.”—Lauren Groff “Provocative [and] shocking.”—The Washington Post Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams—invasive images of blood and brutality—torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It’s a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that’s become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself. Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman’s struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her. A Best Book of the Year: BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, Wall Street Journal, Time, Elle, The Economist, HuffPost, Slate, Bustle, The St. Louis Dispatch, Electric Literature, Publishers Weekly
Tears of Theory demonstrates the value of making storytelling and personal experience integral parts of International Relations (IR) scholarship. Through an examination of the disappearance of Korean Air (KAL) flight 858 in 1987, the book also explores what it means to conduct research in sensitive and difficult settings. According to South Korea, a female secret agent bombed the plane under instructions from the North Korean leadership, killing 115 people. Many unanswered questions emerged and resulted in two rounds of reinvestigations. Taking this case in the context of the ongoing Cold War, Park-Kang presents the story about a researcher, whose life is deeply entangled with the Cold War mystery. The story is based on the author’s dramatic research journey of twenty years on the mysterious spy. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of IR, Asian/Korean Studies, Narrative Studies, Security Studies, Pedagogy and methodology.
Sensors and Probes for Bioimaging A fulsome exploration of the history, design, and application of bioimaging probes and sensors In Sensors and Probes for Bioimaging, distinguished researcher Professor Young-Tae Chang and Professor Nam-Young Kang deliver a comprehensive discussion of bioimaging achieved with sensors and probes. In the book, readers will find a complete discussion of the history of colorful sensors and probes, probe design and the mechanisms of staining, as well as cell and tissue application and whole-body imaging. You’ll learn how probes can be used, how to choose and use a variety of probes, and new directions in research and application in the area of sensors and probes for bioimaging. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to bioimaging, as well as discussions of chemical sensors and probes used in bioimaging Comprehensive explorations of organelle and cell selective probes, as well as discussions of a model for organelle selectivity Practical discussions of tissue selective probes and whole-body imaging Fulsome treatments of imaging for biological function and for the diagnosis of disease, including cancer and Alzheimer’s imaging Perfect for chemical biologists, analytical chemists, biochemists, and materials scientists, Sensors and Probes for Bioimaging will also earn a place in the libraries of clinical chemists and advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals working in the bioimaging and sensor industry.
Develop and maintain a healthy body using advanced Taekwondo training principles. In Black Belt Fitness for Life, Grandmaster Tae Sun Kang applies his four decades of experience to guide you through an innovative method of fitness using Taekwondo principles. Whether you're a beginner or veteran to stretching and exercise, you can easily follow Grandmaster Kang's 7-week routine based on the belt system of Taekwondo, an ancient Korean martial art. With each week of the regimen, you will learn new skills and techniques that culminate in the mastery of the techniques necessary to continue exercising and eating right for life. Through the use of Taekwondo stretches and movements, this black belt "Combined Dynamic Stretching" method will improve your flexibility and balance, stamina and strength, as well as your focus and mental health. You'll stretch multiple parts of your body at the same time, improving circulation and building mental strength while warming up to minimize injuries. As part of his holistic approach to health and fitness, Grandmaster Kang also outlines an eating plan designed to help you lose weight naturally. Unlike extreme diets and workouts that emphasize drastic results quickly, the Grandmaster's approach is a balanced, easy-to-follow, and--most importantly--realistic plan designed for your life. Friend and longtime student of Grandmaster Kang, actor Michael Imperioli wrote the foreword for the book and shares his experience in training under Grandmaster, as well as the benefits he has received in following Grandmaster's philosophy.
Targeted by an elaborate and violent scheme after the murder of his elderly next-door neighbor, recent MFA recipient Philip Kim, an expert on the gritty underworld of modern times, finds himself outmaneuvering laconic police officers, militant surfers and aggressive creative writing students in a suddenly menacing San Francisco. 30,000 first printing.
The only comprehensive book on racism for human service students and professionals; this book addresses all forms of racism from an historical, theoretical, institutional, interpersonal and professional perspective. This text discusses how racism can be dealt with in clinical, communal and organizational contexts. The third edition encompasses a wealth of vital new scholarship on the perpetually changing contours of racism and strategies to confront it. Fulfilling NASW and CSWE cultural competency requirements, this book teaches socially-just practices to helping professionals from any discipline. Using coloniality and other critical theories as a conceptual framework, the text analyzes all levels of racism: structural, personal, interpersonal, professional, and cultural. It features the contributions of a new team of authors and scholars; new conceptual and theoretical material; a new chapter on immigration racism and updated content to reflect how racism and white supremacy are manifested today; and new content on the impact of racism on economics, technology, and environmental degradation; expanded sections on slavery; current political manifestations of racism and much more. The new edition provides in-depth multilevel complex exploration and includes varied perspectives that will be meaningful for anyone involved in human services. Readers appreciate the book's sensitive, complex and multidimensional approach to this difficult topic. Purchase includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers. New to the Third Edition: Integrates the perspectives and insights of two new expert authors. Includes a new chapter on the root causes for the increased flow of migrants, displaced people, and refugees and the impact of racism on their lives; and discusses the rise of fascism and white supremacy along with the confluence of racism and COVID-19. Includes a new model of dialogue, “Critical Conversations,” which offers a roadmap for facilitating productive conversations on race and racism. Presents updated coverage of the killings of young people of color by law enforcement. Offers a detailed examination of the Trump era and the impact of Obama presidency on the dynamics of racism. Provides practical applications which include exercises that explore social group and intersectional identities, stereotypes, microaggressions, organizational audits, and structural oppression. Key Features: Addresses how racism is part of the DNA of human services organizations and provides strategies for facilitating change Explains how professionals can resist racism and serve as anti-racism activists Provides practical applications and exercises in each chapter Includes instructor’s manual, links to relevant podcasts and additional resources, and PowerPoint outlines for each chapter
Computer modeling and simulation (M&S) allows engineers to study and analyze complex systems. Discrete-event system (DES)-M&S is used in modern management, industrial engineering, computer science, and the military. As computer speeds and memory capacity increase, so DES-M&S tools become more powerful and more widely used in solving real-life problems. Based on over 20 years of evolution within a classroom environment, as well as on decades-long experience in developing simulation-based solutions for high-tech industries, Modeling and Simulation of Discrete-Event Systems is the only book on DES-M&S in which all the major DES modeling formalisms – activity-based, process-oriented, state-based, and event-based – are covered in a unified manner: A well-defined procedure for building a formal model in the form of event graph, ACD, or state graph Diverse types of modeling templates and examples that can be used as building blocks for a complex, real-life model A systematic, easy-to-follow procedure combined with sample C# codes for developing simulators in various modeling formalisms Simple tutorials as well as sample model files for using popular off-the-shelf simulators such as SIGMA®, ACE®, and Arena® Up-to-date research results as well as research issues and directions in DES-M&S Modeling and Simulation of Discrete-Event Systems is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate students of simulation/industrial engineering and computer science, as well as for simulation practitioners and researchers.
Since the onset of the twelfth Five-Year Plan, China has been at the forefront as an innovative nation based on a carefully designed strategy. Despite this, it can be argued that the Chinese government requires a series of more effective and systematic fiscal and taxation policies. This book analyses the status quo and possible optimization of China’s fiscal and taxation policies. By drawing comparisons with other countries, as well as a practical investigation into the lessons China has drawn from elsewhere, the author shows how a nation should make steadily growing and optimized financial investments in science and technology in order to foster the optimum environment for innovation. It is shown that institutional innovation should be a systematic project which involves top-level design and top-down leadership. This volume will be a useful reference for students, scholars, and policy makes who are interested in financial policy.
During the premodern period, Japan had significant political, economic and cultural relations with Korea. This book purports that this period, from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, was the formative stage of the East Asian diplomacy and ideology which laid the foundations for foreign relations between these two countries in the modern period. The book also investigates how Japan's and Korea's political and diplomatic ideologies emerged as a nascent form of nationalism which scholars have not previously clarified.
With clear vision this intimate memoir draws us into the intersections of everyday life and Communist power from the first days of "Liberation" in 1949 through the Tiananmen Square protests and after. The son of a professional family, Kang Zhengguo is a free spirit, drawn to literature. In Mao's China, these innocuous circumstances expose him at the age of twenty to a fierce struggle session, expulsion from university, and a four-year term of hard labor in Xian's Number Two Brickyard. So begins his long stay in the prison-camp system, a story of hardship and poignance, of warmth and humor in the face of cruelty. He finally escapes the Chinese gulag by forfeiting his identity: at age twenty-eight he is adopted by an aging bachelor in a peasant village, which enables him to start a new life. Rehabilitated after Mao's death, Kang finds himself still subject to the recurring nightmare of party authority.
Songsu Kim is orphaned when his father runs away from home and her mother takes poison. Raised by his uncle, he inherits the family pharmacy and later invests in a small fishing fleet. He marries Punshi of his uncle's choosing and has five daughters, but curse is the undercurrent of their lives--the eldest daughter by an allegation of baby murder; the second daughter by a failed love affair; the third by insanity resulting from her shameless pursuit of personal happiness; and the fourth by a grave misfortune at sea.
Carbon materials form pores ranging in size and morphology, from micropores of less than 1nm, to macropores of more than 50nm, and from channel-like spaces with homogenous diameters in carbon nanotubes, to round spaces in various fullerene cages, including irregularly-shaped pores in polycrystalline carbon materials. The large quantity and rapid rate of absorption of various molecules made possible by these attributes of carbon materials are now used in the storage of foreign atoms and ions for energy storage, conversion and adsorption, and for environmental remediation. Porous Carbons: Syntheses and Applications focuses on the fabrication and application of porous carbons. It considers fabrication at three scales: micropores, mesopores, and macropores. Carbon foams, sponges, and 3D-structured carbons are detailed. The title presents applications in four key areas: energy storage, energy conversion, energy adsorption, including batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells and environmental remediation, emphasizing the importance of pore structures at the three scales, and the diffusion and storage of various ions and molecules. The book presents a short history of each technique and material, and assesses advantages and disadvantages. This focused book provides researchers with a comprehensive understanding of both pioneering and current synthesis techniques for porous carbons, and their modern applications. - Presents modern porous carbon synthesis techniques and modern applications of porous carbons - Presents current research on porous carbons in energy storage, conversion and adsorption, and in environmental remediation - Provides a history and assessment of both pioneering and current cutting-edge synthesis techniques and materials - Covers a significant range of precursor materials, preparation techniques, and characteristics - Considers the future development of porous carbons and their various potential applications
Part horror story, part historical document, part memoir, part political tract, one man's suffering gives eyewitness proof to an ongoing sorrowful chapter of modern history.
Winner of the 2016 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award This book is the first long-term study of the Sino-Tibetan borderland. It traces relationships and mutual influence among Tibetans, Chinese, Hui Muslims, Qiang and others over some 600 years, focusing on the old Chinese garrison city of Songpan and the nearby religious center of Huanglong, or Yellow Dragon. Combining historical research and fieldwork, Xiaofei Kang and Donald Sutton examine the cultural politics of northern Sichuan from early Ming through Communist revolution to the age of global tourism, bringing to light creative local adaptations in culture, ethnicity and religion as successive regimes in Beijing struggle to control and transform this distant frontier.
The purpose of this book is to provide an elementary introduction to the theory of quantum groups and crystal bases, focusing on the combinatorial aspects of the theory.
As the complexity and the density of VLSI chips increase with shrinking design rules, the evaluation of long-term reliability of MOS VLSI circuits is becoming an important problem. The assessment and improvement of reliability on the circuit level should be based on both the failure mode analysis and the basic understanding of the physical failure mechanisms observed in integrated circuits. Hot-carrier induced degrada tion of MOS transistor characteristics is one of the primary mechanisms affecting the long-term reliability of MOS VLSI circuits. It is likely to become even more important in future generation chips, since the down ward scaling of transistor dimensions without proportional scaling of the operating voltage aggravates this problem. A thorough understanding of the physical mechanisms leading to hot-carrier related degradation of MOS transistors is a prerequisite for accurate circuit reliability evaluation. It is also being recognized that important reliability concerns other than the post-manufacture reliability qualification need to be addressed rigorously early in the design phase. The development and use of accurate reliability simulation tools are therefore crucial for early assessment and improvement of circuit reliability : Once the long-term reliability of the circuit is estimated through simulation, the results can be compared with predetermined reliability specifications or limits. If the predicted reliability does not satisfy the requirements, appropriate design modifications may be carried out to improve the resistance of the devices to degradation.
Faced with the economic pressures of globalization, many countries have sought to curb the fundamental right of workers to join trade unions and engage in collective action. In response, trade unions in developed countries have strategically used their own governments' commitments to human rights as a basis for resistance. Since the protection of human rights remains an important normative principle in global affairs, democratic countries cannot merely ignore their human rights obligations and must balance their international commitments with their desire to remain economically competitive and attractive to investors. Human Rights and Labor Solidarity analyzes trade unions' campaigns to link local labor rights disputes to international human rights frameworks, thereby creating external scrutiny of governments. As a result of these campaigns, states engage in what political scientist Susan L. Kang terms a normative negotiation process, in which governments, trade unions, and international organizations construct and challenge a broader understanding of international labor rights norms to determine whether the conditions underlying these disputes constitute human rights violations. In three empirically rich case studies covering South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Canada, Kang demonstrates that this normative negotiation process was more successful in creating stronger protections for trade unions' rights when such changes complemented a government's other political interests. She finds that states tend not to respect stronger economically oriented human rights obligations due to the normative power of such rights alone. Instead, trade union transnational activism, coupled with sufficient political motivations, such as direct economic costs or strong rule of law obligations, contributed to changes in favor of workers' rights.
This book provides a significant new interpretation of China's rapid urbanization by analyzing its impact on the spread of Protestant Christianity in the People's Republic. Demonstrating how the transition from rural to urban churches has led to the creation of nationwide Christian networks, the author focuses on Linyi in Shandong Province. Using her unparalleled access as both an anthropologist and member of the congregation, she presents a much-needed insider's view of the development, organization, operation and transformation of the region's unregistered house churches. Whilst most studies are concerned with the opposition of church and state, this work, by contrast, shows that in Linyi there is no clear-cut distinction between the official TSPM church and house churches. Rather, it is the urbanization of religion that is worthy of note and detailed analysis, an approach which the author also employs in investigating the role played by Christianity in Beijing. What she uncovers is the impact of newly-acquired urban aspirations for material goods, success and status on the reshaping of local Christian beliefs, practices and rites of passage. In doing so, she creates a thought-provoking account of religious life in China that will appeal to social anthropologists, sociologists, theologians and scholars of China and its society.
In Compositional Subjects Laura Hyun Yi Kang explores the ways that Asian/American women have been figured by mutually imbricated modes of identity formation, representation, and knowledge production. Kang’s project is simultaneously interdisciplinary scholarship at its best and a critique of the very disciplinary formations she draws upon. The book opens by tracking the jagged emergence of “Asian American women” as a distinct social identity over the past three decades. Kang then directs critical attention to how the attempts to compose them as discrete subjects of consciousness, visibility, and action demonstrate a broader, ongoing tension between socially particularized subjects and disciplinary knowledges. In addition to the shifting meanings and alignments of “Asian,” “American,” and “women,” the book examines the discourses, political and economic conditions, and institutional formations that have produced Asian/American women as generic authors, as visibly desirable and desiring bodies, as excludable aliens and admissible citizens of the United States, and as the proper labor for transnational capitalism. In analyzing how these enfigurations are constructed and apprehended through a range of modes including autobiography, cinematography, historiography, photography, and ethnography, Kang directs comparative attention to the very terms of their emergence as Asian/American women in specific disciplines. Finally, Kang concludes with a detailed examination of selected literary and visual works by Korean women artists located in the United States and Canada, works that creatively and critically contend with the problematics of identification and representation that are explored throughout the book. By underscoring the forceful and contentious struggles that animate all of these compositional gestures, Kang proffers Asian/American women as a vexing and productive figure for cultural, political and epistemological critique.
The dynamic mechanism of plate tectonics remains a reasonable theory, but one with shortcomings such as insufficient bases for plate division, unclear plate boundaries, and unclear geological characteristics. This book proposes that the world's continents should not be divided by plates, and that their formation is not due to plate tectonics but rather due to global crustal uplift evolution and sea-land evolution. This proposal is based on the authors' broad theoretical foundation and comprehensive professional knowledge, built up over more than ten years of in-depth research by many scholars on the evolution of the Earth's continents.In this book, many case studies are better explained by global crustal uplift and sea-land evolution. Namely, that the entire continents of the world are indivisible, and the changes of each land block over geological periods resulted from the sea-land changes.The book further develops the original 'geomechanics theory' created by the famous geologist Li Siguang. As a vibrant and highly rigorous work, Prof Li's book offered important theoretical guidance that enriched the global geological community and led to a re-development within geological science. The strong response highlights the significance of geomechanics theory and our theories that build upon it in this book.
The book examines the expansion of investment and trade between China and New Zealand, and its changing composition within the political framework, especially the 2008 Free Trade Agreement. Particular attention is paid to China’s volatile agrifood market, where New Zealand dairy products play an important role for both countries. The New Zealand-China economic relationship – asymmetrical and complementary, but with increasing competition from domestic production – is a case study of the complexities of globalization and the interplay of economic imperatives, political pressures and cultural factors. China is now New Zealand’s main economic partner and a major source of migrants, tourists and students. This proposed study on how New Zealand and China manage their grave dissimilarities and disparities in growing, ever close economic ties will be of interest to academics, policy analysts, economic/trade decision makers, and business practitioners.
There are many studies of the Chinese cotton textile industry for various time periods. But most of them are rather limited in the scope of inquiry, and, occasionally, their interpretations cannot stand rigorous economic reasoning. The present study is an attempt to reorganized the data, which are widely scattered in an extremely large number of Chinese historical documents and modern writings, in a systematic fashion, and to provide an economic analysis. This study covers the entire history of the industry.
With the decline of traditional Sunday school and education programs in recent years, many Christians have not learned the fundamental doctrinal content of the faith. In this text Gary Parrett and Steve Kang set forth a thoroughly biblical vision for intentional teaching of the Christian faith that attends to both the content and process of educational and formational ministries.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans in 2005, this interdisciplinary book brings together five years of empirical research funded by the National Science Foundation. It explores the causes of flooding in the United States and the ways in which local communities can reduce the associated human casualties and property damage. Focussing on Texas and Florida, the authors investigate factors other than rainfall that determine the degree of flooding, and consider the key role of non-structural techniques and strategies in flood mitigation. The authors present an empirical and multi-scale assessment that underlines the critical importance of local planning and development decisions. Written for advanced students and researchers in hazard mitigation, hydrology, geography, environmental planning and public policy, this book will also provide policy makers, government employees and engineers with important insights into how to make their communities more resilient to the adverse impacts of flooding.
A mesmerizing read…A literary work of high distinction.” —William Grimes, New York Times This “gripping and poignant memoir” (New York Times Book Review) draws us into the intersections of everyday life and Communist power from the first days of “Liberation” in 1949 through the post-Mao era. The son of a professional family, Kang Zhengguo is a free spirit, drawn to literature. In Mao’s China, these innocuous circumstances expose him at age twenty to a fierce struggle session, expulsion from university, and a four-year term of hard labor. So begins his long stay in the prison-camp system. He finally escapes the Chinese gulag by forfeiting his identity: at age twenty-eight he is adopted by an aging bachelor in a peasant village, which enables him to start a new life.
For people living in U.S. cities, social services come not only from the government but increasingly also from local religious communities. Ever since the Clinton administration's welfare reform, faith-based institutions, and especially congregations, have been allowed to bid for federal funds for their programs. In The Other Philadelphia Story, drawing on the first-ever census of congregations in any American city, Ram Cnaan and his colleagues provide an authoritative account of the functioning of congregations, their involvement in social services, and their support of other charitable organizations. An in-depth study of 1,392 congregations in Philadelphia, the book illuminates how these groups function as community hubs where members and neighbors alike gather throughout the week. Cnaan's findings show that almost every assembly of parishioners emphasizes caring for others, even if the help is modest. Thus American congregations uphold an implicit but strong norm of social responsibility and work to improve the quality of life for members and nonmembers alike. Many of the problems associated with urban life persist in the face of governmental inaction, and the burden of responsibility cannot be shouldered entirely by congregations. However, in a city such as Philadelphia, where half the residents are regular attenders of religious congregations, hopes for urban improvement are largely to be found in these local groups. Special focus is given in the book to kinds of care that often go unnoticed: volunteerism, provision of refuge, and informal assistance to community members in need. All told, Cnaan asserts, congregations are an essential component of Philadelphia's civil society. Without them, the quality of life would deteriorate immeasurably.
This book is part of the ongoing debate about Paul’s understanding of the relationship between his own mission and the church’s. While this study endorses some previous scholarship on Paul’s silence about the church’s proactive evangelism in his letters, it argues that explanations for such silence cannot be adequately made from exegetical conclusions on related texts alone. Rather, this study suggests that constructing a plausible conception of mission as understood by Paul, influenced by the impact of the Jesus-tradition and Jewish restoration eschatology, is essential for explaining Paul’s thinking. Dr Kang proposes that Paul’s silence regarding congregational evangelism is due to his unique two-pronged conception of mission – one being the event of eschatological heralds, the other being the event of eschatological community.
This book is a must read for women's studies and sociology classes on labor, migration and gender as it provides its readers a rich and theoretically engaging discussion on feminine culture, the intersections of race, class, gender and migrant women's labor."—Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, Brown University "In The Managed Hand, Miliann Kang makes a significant contribution to the existing literature on Asian-American women, gender relations, service workers, beauty and the body. Based on fieldwork in nail salons, Kang reveals the social and emotional negotiations between and amongst women in that setting. We will never look at fingernails and what they tell us about ourselves in the same way again!"—Rebecca King-O'Riain, author of Pure Beauty: Judging Race in Japanese American Beauty Pageants "I enjoyed reading Kang's work so much that I felt disappointed when I finished. The book is a wonderful example of what sociology does best—i.e., skillfully examining a relatively small site of interest, such that the analysis speaks not only to matters of individual experience and identity, but also to those of broader social and cultural processes and structures."—Debra L. Gimlin, author of Body Work: Beauty and Self-Image in American Culture "How did manicured nails become such ubiquitous symbols of feminine status? In this innovative and compelling ethnography, Kang unravels the many social consequences of the polished nail, bringing together insights from care work, ethnic enclave entrepreneurship, and gender and migration scholarship to illuminate the growing sector of body labor. All those who would dismiss manicured nails as socially irrelevant should read this book!"—Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, author of Domestica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence
In the rich and varied life stories in Under the Black Umbrella, elderly Koreans recall incidents that illustrate the complexities of Korea during the colonial period. Hildi Kang here reinvigorates a period of Korean history long shrouded in the silence of those who endured under the "black umbrella" of Japanese colonial rule. Existing descriptions of the colonial period tend to focus on extremes: imperial repression and national resistance, Japanese subjugation and Korean suffering, Korean backwardness and Japanese progress. "Most people," Kang says, "have read or heard only the horror stories which, although true, tell only a small segment of colonial life." The varied accounts in Under the Black Umbrella reveal a truth that is both more ambiguous and more human—the small-scale, mundane realities of life in colonial Korea. Accessible and attractive narratives, linked by brief historical overviews, provide a large and fully textured view of Korea under Japanese rule. Looking past racial hatred and repression, Kang reveals small acts of resistance carried out by Koreans, as well as gestures of fairness by Japanese colonizers. Impressive for the history it recovers and preserves, Under the Black Umbrella is a candid, human account of a complicated time in a contested place.
Enchanted Revolution moves religion and gender to center stage in the Chinese Communist revolution, examining the mobilizational dynamics of anti-superstition propaganda in support of the Communist Party's rise from rural backwaters to national dominance. Xiaofei Kang argues that religion was not merely adversary for the revolutionaries-it also served as a model for the ways in which the Party mobilized support and constructed legitimacy. In this parallel and often paradoxical process, the Party attacked "superstitions" that had long supported the foundations of Chinese religious life. At the same time, Party propaganda co-opted these same religious resources for its own political ends. Kang demonstrates that the persuasive power of Party propaganda relied heavily on recasting the cosmic forces of yin and yang that sustained the traditional gender hierarchy and ritual order. Moreover, revolutionary art and literature revamped old narratives of female ghosts and ritual exorcism to inject the people with a new masculinist vision of the Party-state endowed with both scientific potency and the heavenly mandate. Gendered language and symbolism in Chinese religion thus remained central to inspiring pathos, ethos, and logos for the revolution. Enchanted Revolution sheds light on the contemporary significance of the Maoist legacy in China through a deft exploration of the complex interplay of religion, gender, and revolution.
David C. Kang tells an often overlooked story about East Asia's 'comprehensive security', arguing that American policy towards Asia should be based on economic and diplomatic initiatives rather than military strength.
The regime of Kim Jong-Il has been called "mad," "rogue," even, by the Wall Street Journal, the equivalent of an "unreformed serial killer." Yet, despite the avalanche of television and print coverage of the Pyongyang government's violation of nuclear nonproliferation agreements and existing scholarly literature on North Korean policy and security, this critical issue remains mired in political punditry and often misleading sound bites. Victor Cha and David Kang step back from the daily newspaper coverage and cable news commentary and offer a reasoned, rational, and logical debate on the nature of the North Korean regime. Coming to the issues from different perspectives—Kang believes the threat posed by Pyongyang has been inflated and endorses a more open approach, while Cha is more skeptical and advocates harsher measures—the authors together have written an essential work of clear-eyed reflection and authoritative analysis. They refute a number of misconceptions and challenge much faulty thinking that surrounds the discussion of North Korea, particularly the idea that North Korea is an irrational nation. Cha and Kang contend that however provocative, even deplorable, the Pyongyang government's behavior may at times be, it is not incomprehensible or incoherent. Neither is it "suicidal," they argue, although crisis conditions could escalate to a degree that provokes the North Korean regime to "lash out" as the best and only policy, the unintended consequence of which are suicide and/or collapse. Further, the authors seek to fill the current scholarly and policy gap with a vision for a U.S.-South Korea alliance that is not simply premised on a North Korean threat, not simply derivative of Japan, and not eternally based on an older, "Korean War generation" of supporters. This book uncovers the inherent logic of the politics of the Korean peninsula, presenting an indispensable context for a new policy of engagement. In an intelligent and trenchant debate, the authors look at the implications of a nuclear North Korea for East Asia and U.S. homeland security, rigorously assessing historical and current U.S. policy, and provide a workable framework for constructive policy that should be followed by the United States, Japan, and South Korea if engagement fails to stop North Korean nuclear proliferation.
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