People and Society Books

Having read the first two volumes of Rashi's Daughter's I ordered this immediately upon Amazon making it available, March 28, 2008.I didn't know it was for readers "ten and up." I assumed (always a bad idea) that it would be about the third daughter, Rachel. Silly me. It is a re-telling of the story of Jocheved for younger readers...unless they have read the first two volumes. I will give the book to a young girl, a friend's daughter. I am sure she will find it fascinating.
My disappointment is more than likely my own fault.

For those who love 'gender' as a lens through which to analyze other social processes (warfare, citizenship, empire- or nation- formation, etc.) this may not be the book for you: this is an actual analysis of Gender itself. The author looks at the relations between men and women in peasant communities in Mexico, using concrete examples of real families that went through the justice system. But not just husbands-wives--he addresses daughters-parents (mother/father), sisters-brothers, AND fathers-sons, brothers-brothers... Priests-parishioners... he really looks at patriarchy as a system that organized society NOT as static and merely oppressive, but dynamic and unstable. And he looks at how patriarchy not only organized men-women relations, but relations between the rich and poor AND politics and power, in the most convincing way I have read so far. It's GREAT in that regard--but getting through the INSANELY NUMEROUS examples and statistics gets pretty tiresome...

Perhaps it is as a result of the influx of newer media or the fact that it's always been around for most of us, that we often take radio for granted. And yet what a valuable resource the signals that permeate the ether can be. Take for example the role of radio in the Native American community. That's exactly the subject of Keith's book. I borrowed it from a professor of mine and am enjoying the read. It's an interesting and important treatise on the underreported native broadcasters. If you love radio, especially the kind that really serves a community (that's me!), and are at all into programming aspects, I recommend you get the book.

I enjoyed this book. The author analyzes Marakwet society by looking at organization of space in their houses (traditionally round in shape), and how this relates to gender roles. She notes how these relationships change with modernization. This is a good case study of how women in Third World societies are affected by globalization. Her approach is both economic and symbolic -- some of the early chapters on the analysis of space harken back to Bourdieu's study of the Kabyle house.

This book was not what I needed. It seemed to skim the surface for someone not dealing with an actual stroke victim. I needed more in-depth discriptions and information.

Very interesting details and perspectives on violence and kinship obligations to assist and avenge feuds. The flexibility of relationships might help Westerners get a better understanding of campaigns against the Moros in the Southern Philippines, particularly in light of the current security concerns with the Abu Sayaf Group, who are Tausug.

Miller's book provides the reader with an extremely well thought-out interdisciplinary journey through the issues current in Francophone African literature. His careful analysis is fully supported through insistent references to a myriad of other works, and a conscientious and sensitive approach to discussing African literaure. I highly recomend it to anyone with interests in African discourse, literary theory, culture studies, anthropology, and textual practice.

"Through Navajo Eyes" examines the importance of cutural perspective in ethnographic filmmaking. Sol Worth and John Adair's study of the Navajo made a simple innovation. Previously, filmmakers had usually pointed the camera at others in order to create an audiovisual representation of their world. In essence, Worth and Adair instead handed over the camera to see what would result. The results were fascinating, and elude definitive interpretation to this very day. This "experiment" has been repeated many times, and in many places, which is perhaps the greatest testament to the power and originality of a simple, yet ultimately radical, shift of control over the perspective and re-presentation of reality in film.

Igor Golomstock bravely explores the frightening aesthetic similarities of four of the modern world's most notorious dictatorships and totalitarian cultures, focusing primarily on Nazi Germany under Hitler and the Soviet Union under Stalin. His intelligently written book reveals how they each used and abused the Western realist tradition in the so called fine arts. Each of these regimes employed similar iconography's and themes of happy workers and heroic soldiers or of dutiful mothers and wives, in epic painting and colossal sculpture. Pictures of the bountiful Fatherland and the industrial might of all four states figured heavily too, especially in The Third Reich, The Soviet Union, The Peoples Republic of China, and to a lesser extent in Fascist Italy. And of course looming in importance above all other subject matter was the iconic and idealized portrait of the loving and benevolent, visionary and wise leader himself. Ancient Graeco-Roman architecture served as the model for most state buildings (irrespective of political ideology) in the form of monumental stripped or neo-classical architecture that was used to oppressive and soul destroying ends. Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin for example had audacious and bold plans to completely rebuild their respective capital cities - Rome, Berlin and Moscow - on a stupendously massive scale to suit their pompous tastes. Fortunately for later generations of people to live in these three beautiful cities these grand and delusional visions were never fully realized.

Mr. Golomstock's book deftly shows how politics can twist and subvert the arts to chilling ends, thus reducing them to the level of sterile, blatant, and at the same time kitsch propaganda. He details how art was cynically used by political leaders and parties as an important tool of state sponsored terrorism to indoctrinate and control the teeming masses. All four totalitarian states led the populace to believe that they were being liberated from aristocratic, bourgeoisie or alternatively Jewish cultural dominance and that the only solution to societies ills was provided by them. This insightful and perceptive book illustrates that the Far Right and the Far Left have more in common than many people at either extreme of the political spectrum would like to admit!

It is a shame that there are not more colour photographs, for I believe art books really do need them. However, with a book such as this it is the message that is unquestionably most important, so that's okay. If you are interested in the relationship between art and politics, especially in totalitarian cultures or regimes, then do yourself a favour and read this perceptive and timely book. And be warned that civil liberties and democratic freedoms could easily be taken away in your beloved homeland, so don't be an unthinking patriot and always question your government... always.

This book displays works of 4 martyred Jesuit priests in El Salvador. The book is written from a perspective of Liberation Theology/Psychology. Not only is it a good summary of each of those arts, it also is an incisive look at society, pertinent not only to a war-torn El Salvador and Central America of many years ago, but also to the world and society now -- perhaps even more so. At times the book is heavy reading -- but well worth the effort. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the world they live in! The fact that the authors were all martyred by assassins' bullets makes the work even more inspiring.