The Last Bastion of Civilization is a scenario analysis in the form of a series of letters and essays from various intellectuals and leading figures written in 2041. Extrapolating from present day events, it chronicles the rise of Japan as the leading superpower of the world by examining relevant economic, cultural, and technological advancements. Coupled with the rise of Japan is the fall of Western society in the wake of massive riots, depressions, and an overall decline in the quality of life. Widespread unemployment, rising illegitimacy, and moral and spiritual decline have led the formerly great United States into a period of extreme mob-driven violence. Europe meets a similar fate, coupled with a decline in the euro and the defaulting of banks. As a work of speculative fiction, The Last Bastion of Civilization offers a critically insightful look at a possible future, a future that will not seem far off from the truth.
In The Great Enterprise, Henry H. Em examines how the project of national sovereignty shaped the work of Korean historians and their representations of Korea's past. The goal of Korea attaining validity and equal standing among sovereign nations, Em shows, was foundational to modern Korean politics in that it served a pedagogical function for Japanese and Western imperialisms, as well as for Korean nationalism. Sovereignty thus functioned as police power and political power in shaping Korea's modernity, including anticolonial and postcolonial movements toward a radically democratic politics. Surveying historical works written over the course of the twentieth century, Em elucidates the influence of Christian missionaries, as well as the role that Japan's colonial policy played in determining the narrative framework for defining Korea's national past. Em goes on to analyze postcolonial works in which South Korean historians promoted national narratives appropriate for South Korea's place in the U.S.-led Cold War system. Throughout, Em highlights equal sovereignty's creative and productive potential to generate oppositional subjectivities and vital political alternatives.
This book discusses the nature and process of change in human society over the past two million years. The author draws on economic, historical and biological concepts to examine the driving forces of change and looks to likely developments in the future. This analysis produces some very thought-provoking and controversial conclusions.
Television shows and movies emphasize gruesome rituals and violent warfare, but what was life really like in pre-Columbian cultures? This book presents a holistic view of Mayan and Amazonian civilizations and includes maps, stunning full-color photographs, and engaging sidebars about key figures. The book separates fact from fiction and demonstrates the rich history of the Americas.
Raymond Williams was “by common consent” one of the “two most commanding intellectual figures in the New Left that emerged in Britain at the turn of the sixties,” the other being Edward Thompson. Williams published in 1961 a text entitled “The Future of Marxism.” In that essay, Williams has some remarkable things to say about imperialism, the successes of actually existing socialism, balanced against its failures, and the continued relevance of socialism as the horizon of human liberation. He also makes a characteristic methodological point: “the relation between systems of thought and actual history is both complex and surprising.” The future of Marxism, that is to say, will not depend on dogma, but will instead rest on historical developments, on how well are able to actualize Marx’s ideals in our own unique conjuncture. This volume takes up the challenge of reading and extending Williams’s thought in light of the actual history that has occurred since his passing but with the same ideal of socialism as its guiding horizon. If there is one thread visible throughout all of Williams’s work, it is the felt presence of a living, thinking individual, of a person continually testing ideas in experience in order to see whether they fit the world they are meant to describe. The aim of this volume, timed to coincide with what would have been Williams’s 100th birthday, is to test his ideas in our own experience and to engage Williams’s work in ways that move past the familiar terrain that has grown around it. We now know that “experience” is a dangerous category, that “community” can be hijacked by the right as much as the left, and that “tradition” contains as much conflict as commonality. Those committed to Williams’s work can easily find textual arguments or developments across his career to answer these charges, and they have. What our volume offers is a set of arguments by younger scholars influenced by Williams’s writings that moves past some of these debates, extending Williams’s work into the 21st century, testing and weighing his ideas in light of recent developments and contemporary intellectual culture. In doing so, we treat Williams’s thought as one of those “resources of hope,” which he famously suggested would sustain us. At a time of deepening inequality and austerity and growing rightward reaction, and yet simultaneously, and with seeming dialectical necessity, a renewed investment in socialism, Williams might be exactly the kind of figure we need.
The period spanning approximately 624–545 BC to 175–225 AD is often considered the most exciting in Western philosophy. Designed as a companion to the original works of the ancient philosophers from this early period, this introductory text spotlights seminal thinkers, including the Sophists; offers a detailed analysis of the thoughts and teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; and features a well-rounded assessment of the Hellenistic and Roman philosophers, examining Epicureanism, Stoicism, and skepticism. Thomson’s comprehensive treatment features accessible explanations of the philosophers’ central arguments in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and politics. He presents critical assessments of the philosophers’ views and recounts some of the major interpretations of the original texts by noted scholars.
The Yugoslav War of Succession had untold ramifications for those living in the embattled region. What often goes overlooked, however, is the impact that the war had on people from the former Yugoslavia who were living abroad. We are Now a Nation considers the effect that the war and the independence of Croatia had on Croatian diaspora-homeland relations. In doing so, it confronts complex questions of ideology, nostalgia, social suffering, nationalism, and identity politics as manifested in the relationship between diaspora and homeland Croats. Daphne Winland draws upon extensive, multi-sited ethnographic research in both Toronto and Croatia from 1992 to the present, exploring the problematic nature of Croatian identity. The occasion of Croatian independence, she suggests, resulted in the emergence of a politics of 'desire' and 'disdain,' which further complicated efforts to define 'Croatness' (Hrvatstvo) both at home and abroad. The idea of the Croatian homeland has become, therefore, an ambiguous space of identification, a source of either conflict and tension or unity and pride, a place to remember, to forget, or to return to. The first book-length examination of North American Croatian diaspora responses to war and independence, We are Now a Nation highlights the contradictions and paradoxes of contemporary debates about identity, politics, and place.
"e;. . . grows more addicting with each chapter."e; -Kirkus Reviews In adversity lies strength beyond imagining.Abandoned as a baby, young Emelyn's life as a housemaid in the quiet village of Fallow is unremarkable-and empty. That is, until a host of magical creatures arrives and inflicts terrible misdeeds on the townsfolk. Inexplicably immune to their enchantments, Emelyn joins a pair of Magi intent on stopping the cause of the trouble-and who claim to know of her parents, promising Emelyn answers to a lifetime of questions.But the answers Emelyn seeks prove to be more elusive than she hoped, and the world outside Fallow more perilous than she imagined. Magical creatures roam the land over, attacking yet another town before coming after Emelyn. The key to her survival-and finding her family-lies deep within her, if only she can conquer her doubts and believe she is more powerful than she ever dreamed.In a journey that explores facing one's fears amidst the uncertainties of an unknown world, The Thirteenth Tower is a magical tale of discovery, growth, and of love's enduring strength.
"Detailed and mysterious, a place to explore and relish. Empire of Exiles is highly recommended!”—R.A. Salvatore, author or “The Legend of Drizzt” and the DemonWars novels The Imperial Archives holds the treasures of the ten nations that fled the collapse of the world to settle in Semilla behind a wall of salt and iron. When Quill, an apprentice scribe, arrives to request the loan of several artifacts for a client, he’s hoping for a tour and maybe a glimpse of some of the rarer relics the archives’ sorcerous caretakers are rumored to protect. Instead, Quill finds himself a witness to a ghastly murder tangled in present-day politics and the history of the empire—worse, the accused killer is his own shy and scholarly best friend, a very unlikely assassin. Quill’s amateur investigations run afoul of an archivist dodging questions about her buried past, an investigator eyeing Quill’s motives too closely, and threads that lead back to a long-dead usurper—nothing makes sense, and Quill doesn’t know who to trust. But if he can’t find allies, the next victim may be the empire of Semilla itself. This edition includes a brand-new illustrated guide to the peoples of the empire. Praise for Empire of Exiles: "Readers will be drawn in by the memorable cast, vibrantly drawn fantasy cultures, and vivid prose. Epic fantasy fans will be eager to see where the series goes."—Publishers Weekly "An excellent new fantasy series by Evans (The Devil You Know), perfect for fans of Katherine Addison or those who enjoy slow-burning and complex court intrigue."—Library Journal "From the rich world building as these remnants of humanity hide from changelings behind a Salt Wall, to the interesting culture, a unique magic system, and a variety of humanoids, readers will be delighted that nothing is predictable in this intriguing story."—Booklist "Empire of Exiles by Erin M. Evans is a triumph of fantasy, murder mystery, and political thriller that handles grief, PTSD, panic, and anxiety disorder with tact.... I cannot wait to read what Evans has cooking up for the follow-up."—Geekly Inc “Empire of Exiles has it all: characters I love, intertwined compelling mysteries in the past and present, plot twists that keep coming, and a unique and fascinating world and magic system! One of my favorite books of the year!"—Melissa Caruso, author of the Swords and Fire Trilogy
Equally important to our understanding of history and humanity are the great works of literature. The Nobel Prize for literature recognises modern classics and the efforts of authors to bridge gaps between different cultures, time-periods and styles; the prizewinners between 1968 and 1995 are from four continents. These volumes are collections of the Nobel lectures delivered by the prizewinners, together with their biographies, portraits and presentation speeches for the period 1968 - 1995. Each Nobel lecture is based on the work that won the laureate his prize. New biographical data of the laureates, since they were awarded the Nobel prize, are also included. These volumes of inspiring lectures by outstanding individuals should be on everyone's bookshelf. Literature: (1981) E Canetti -- for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power; (1982) G G Marquez -- for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composedworld of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts; (1983) W Golding -- for his novels which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today; (1984) J Seifert -- for his poetry which endowed with freshness, sensuality and rich inventiveness provides a liberating image of the indomitable spirit and versatility of man; (1985) C Simon -- who in his novel combines the poet's and the painter's creativeness with a deepened awareness of time in the depiction of the human condition; (1986) W Soyinka -- who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama ofexistence; (1987) J Brodsky -- for an all-embracing authorship imbued with clarity of thought and poetic intensity; (1988) N Mahfouz -- who, through works rich in nuance -- now clearsightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous --
