Társadalomtudomány

Beauty can be consoling, disturbing, sacred, profane

Africa is home to hundreds of ethnic groups, who together speak more than a thousand languages. It is not surprising, then, that Africa's enormous range of peoples, cultures, and ways of life has engendered a wide diversity of religious practices.This Very Short Introduction offers a wide-ranging look at the myriad indigenous religious traditions on the African continent. Drawing on archeological research, historical evidence, ethnographic studies, and archival materials such as missionaryrecords, Jacob Olupona-one of the world's leading authorities on African religions-captures a wealth of information in a short compass. The book not only gives the reader a full and vivid sense of African religious belief-exploring myths, gods and localdeities, ancestor worship, rites of passage, festivals, divination, and much more-but it also underscores the role these religions play in everyday African life. Indeed, traditional religions inform everything from birthing and death, marriage and familydynamics, to diet, dress and grooming, health care, and even governance. Monarchs, chiefs, and elders play both political and religious roles, imparting secular and spiritual guidance to their subjects, while also being guardians of religious centressuch as shrines, temples, and sacred forests. The author also examines the spread of Christianity and Islam throughout Africa, both the moderate sects (which often blend aspects of indigenous faith into their own practice) and the more extremefundamentalist sects, which the author states have had a dire effect on African life. In fact, radical forms of Christianity and Islam-both of which decry tradition religion as paganism-have driven a near total collapse of indigenous practice. But iftraditional religions are engaged in a battle for their lives in Africa, Olupona shows that they are thriving elsewhere in the world-particularly in the Americas and in Europe.

Most of us recognize that organizations are everywhere. You meet them on every street corner in the form of families and shops, study in them, work for them, buy from them, pay taxes to them. But have you given much thought to where they came from, whatthey are today, and what they might become in the future? How and why do they have so much influence over us, and what influences them? How do they contribute to and detract from the meaningfulness of lives, and how might we improve them so they betterserve our needs and desires?This Very Short Introductions addresses all of these questions and considers many more. Mary Jo Hatch introduces the concept of organizations by presenting definitions and ideas drawn from the a variety of subject areas including the physical sciences,economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, literature, and the visual and performing arts. Drawing on examples from prehistory and everyday life, from the animal kingdom as well as from business, government, and other formal organizations, Hatchprovides a lively and thought provoking introduction to the process of organization.

'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it' This slogan, attributed to Voltaire, is frequently quoted by defenders of free speech. Yet it is rare to find anyone prepared to defend all expression in everycircumstance, especially if the views expressed incite violence. So where do the limits lie? What is the real value of free speech? Here, Nigel Warburton offers a concise guide to important questions facing modern society about the value and limits offree speech: Where should a civilized society draw the line? Should we be free to offend other people's religion? Are there good grounds for censoring pornography? Has the Internet changed everything? This Very Short Introduction is a thought-provoking,accessible, and up-to-date examination of the liberal assumption that free speech is worth preserving at any cost.

This book introduces readers to the concepts of political philosophy. It starts by explaining why the subject is important and how it tackles basic ethical questions such as 'how should we live together in society?' It looks at political authority, thereasons why we need politics at all, the limitations of politics, and whether there are areas of life that shouldn't be governed by politics. It explores the connections between political authority and justice, a constant theme in political philosophy,and the ways in which social justice can be used to regulate rather than destroy a market economy. David Miller discusses why nations are the natural units of government and whether the rise of multiculturalism and transnational co-operation will changethis: will we ever see the formation of a world government?

In this provocative but balanced essay, Kenneth Minogue discusses the development of politics from the ancient world to the twentieth century. He prompts us to consider why political systems evolve, how politics offers both power and order in oursociety, whether democracy is always a good thing, and what future politics may have in the twenty-first century.

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was chosen as the next Pope in one of the shortest conclaves in history. He is thefirst Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope, the first Pope to come from Latin America. Who is this man, and how did he come to such high position?This book begins with the arrival of Bergoglio's family in Buenos Aires in 1929, travelling from Italy, explores his childhood as one of a family of five, his first job as a factory cleaner and the bout of pneumonia which forced him to reassess his lifecompletely. Then from his early days as a seminarian through his experience as a teacher of psychology and literature, through to his consecration as a cardinal by Pope John Paul II, Bergoglio shares his experiences of faith and life.The difficult subjects are met head on, from the declining numbers of priests to celibacy and even the sex abuse scandals that have rocked the church - and through it all, Bergoglio's humble approach and desire to live an austere and faithful life shinethrough.This is a Pope who will not allow himself to be fitted to a traditional mould - and the world waits with bated breath to see what his time as leader of the world's largest church will bring.

Drawing on studies of social class, crime and deviance, education, work in bureaucracies and changes in religious and political organizations, this Very Short Introduction explores the tension between the individual's place in society and society's rolein shaping the individual, and demonstrates the value of sociology for understanding the modern world.In this new edition Steve Bruce discusses the continuing arguments for social egalitarianism, considering issues such as gay marriage, women in combat roles, and the 2010 Equality Act to debunk contemporary arguments against parity. As gender divisionsare increasingly questioned he looks ahead to the likely consequences of this for society. Delving into the theory of sociology, Bruce also argues that the habit of dividing sociology into apparently competing 'sects' is misleading, and shows how a newunderstanding of the disciplinary background of many of the most famous theorists, which shows that much social theory is actually philosophy or literary theory, will prove useful to today's sociologists.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combinefacts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

An engrossing expose of scientific practice in America.-KIRKUS REVIEWSFrom the authors of the New York Times bestselling Plague of Corruption comes the prescription on how to end the plague infecting our medical community.Ending Plague continues the New York Times bestselling team of Dr. Judy A. Mikovits and Kent Heckenlively with legendary scientist, Dr. Francis W. Ruscetti joining the conversation. Dr. Ruscetti is credited as one of the founding fathers of humanretrovirology. In 1980, Dr. Ruscetti's team isolated the first pathogenic human retrovirus, HTLV-1. Ruscetti would eventually go on to work for thirty-eight years at the National Cancer Institute.Dr. Ruscetti was deeply involved in performing some of the most critical HIV-AIDS research in the 1980s, pioneered discoveries in understanding the workings of the human immune system in the 1990s, isolating a new family of mouse leukemia viruses linkedto chronic diseases in 2009, and offers his insights into the recent COVID-19 pandemic. In 1991, Ruscetti received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Institutes of Health.Dr. Ruscetti offers a true insider's portrait of nearly four decades at the center of public health. His insights into the successes and failures of government science will be eye-opening to the general public. You will read never-before-revealedinformation about the personalities and arguments which have been kept from view behind the iron curtain of public health. Can we say our scientists are protecting us, or is another agenda at work? For most of his decades at the National CancerInstitute, Dr. Ruscetti has been in almost daily contact with his long-time collaborator, Dr. Mikovits, and their rich intellectual discussions will greatly add to our national discussion. Science involves a rigorous search for truth, and you will cometo understand how science scholars are relentless in their quest for answers.

Critical Theory emerged in the 1920s from the work of the Frankfurt School, the circle of German-Jewish academics who sought to diagnose-and, if at all possible, cure-the ills of society, particularly fascism and capitalism. In this book, Stephen EricBronner provides sketches of leading representatives of the critical tradition (such as George Lukács and Ernst Bloch, Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse and Jurgen Habermas) as well as many of its seminal texts and empiricalinvestigations. This Very Short Introduction sheds light on the cluster of concepts and themes that set critical theory apart from its more traditional philosophical competitors. Bronner explains and discusses concepts such as method and agency,alienation and reification, the culture industry and repressive tolerance, non-identity and utopia. He argues for the introduction of new categories and perspectives for illuminating the obstacles to progressive change and focusing upon hiddentransformative possibilities. Only a critique of critical theory can render it salient for a new age. That is precisely what this very short introduction provides.

The companion volume to 12 Rules for Life offers further guidance on the perilous path of modern life.In 12 Rules for Life, clinical psychologist and celebrated professor at Harvard and the University of Toronto Dr. Jordan B. Peterson helped millions of readers impose order on the chaos of their lives. Now, in this bold sequel, Peterson delivers twelvemore lifesaving principles for resisting the exhausting toll that our desire to order the world inevitably takes.In a time when the human will increasingly imposes itself over every sphere of life-from our social structures to our emotional states-Peterson warns that too much security is dangerous. What's more, he offers strategies for overcoming the cultural,scientific, and psychological forces causing us to tend toward tyranny, and teaches us how to rely instead on our instinct to find meaning and purpose, even-and especially-when we find ourselves powerless.While chaos, in excess, threatens us with instability and anxiety, unchecked order can petrify us into submission. Beyond Order provides a call to balance these two fundamental principles of reality itself, and guides us along the straight and narrowpath that divides them.

In this modern tale for the ages, hit Instagram illustrator @iuliastration takes us a on a healing journey. Following the story of a traveller as they move from darkness to light through the rhythm of the seasons, this is a deeply relatable quest forinner peace told through calming and original illustrations. Using ancient wisdom and philosophical quotes from around the world - from Rumi to Emily Dickinson - to anchor her striking visual storytelling, Iulia Bochis weaves a timeless story of personalgrowth and self-love.

'It all starts with waking up... to what our bodies are expressing and our minds are suppressing' Western countries invest billions in healthcare, yet mental illness and chronic diseases are on a seemingly unstoppable rise. Nearly 70% of Americans arenow on prescription drugs. So what is 'normal' when it comes to health? Over four decades of clinical experience, renowned physician and addiction expert Dr Gabor Maté has seen how health systems neglect the role that trauma exerts on our bodies and ourminds. Medicine often fails to treat the whole person, ignoring how today's culture stresses our bodies, burdens our immune systems and undermines emotional balance. Now, in his most ambitious and urgent book yet, Dr Maté connects the dots between ourpersonal suffering and the pressures of modern-day living - with disease as a natural reflection of a life spent growing further and further apart from our true selves. But, with deep compassion, he also shows us a pathway to health and healing. Filledwith stories of people in the grip of illness or in the triumphant wake of recovery, this life-affirming book, co-written with his son Daniel, proves true health is possible - if we are willing to reconnect with each other and our authentic selves.