Central America Books

Eric Cunninghan's _Hallucinating the End of History: Nishida, Zen, and the Psychedelic Eschaton_ (312 pages) is a truly significant contribution to the field of Zen Buddhism studies, the philosophy of Nishida Kitaro, the psychedelic movement, and method and theory in historiography. Ambitious and grandiose, Cunningham is nevertheless up to the task in weaving together an impressive array of original research, new insights, and a compelling yarn for the adventurous intellectual.

This work consists of six chapters:
1: The Problem of Nishida Kitaro's Historical Philosophy and an Introduction to the Psychedelic Paradigm
2: The Zen Nexus between Nishida Kitaro and Modern Psychedelic Experience
3: Experience and the Self: The Early Phase of Nishida's Thought (1911-1931)
4: Nishida Kitaro's Historical World (1931-1945)
5: A Psychedelic Paradigm of History
6: Hallucinating the End of History: Reflections on Myth, the Eschaton, and the Problem of Overcoming Modernity

After laying out the problematic of Zen experience, psychedelia, and historiography in chapter 1, Cunningham proceeds in chapter two to delineate the historical intersections and structural homologies between Nishida's Zen-influenced philosophy and the psychedelic movement of the mid- to late-twentieth century. In chapters 3 and 4, he delves into the biographical, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of Nishida's work relevant to the themes of the book. In chapter 5 he defines a psychedelic view of history, influenced by the work of Terence McKenna, that resonates with the historical philosophy of Nishida and criticizes the modern academic discipline of history. Chapter 6 provides a concluding summary as well as enunciation of key themes related to religious experience, the discourse of myth, and the limits of modern historiography.

Some of the key contributions of this work are its examination of the emergence of modern Zen, additional contextualization of Nishida's wartime rhetoric, analysis of Asian-influenced countercultural movement in the sixties and seventies, and presentation of the work of Terence McKenna as a philosopher of time and history:

Cunningham uses the innovative phrase "Bourgeois Zen" to describe the emergence of the modern Zen intellectual as someone who engages in Zen practice to one degree or another, but unlike the traditional scholar-monk lives and works in a modern, Westernized, intellectual culture that is defined in terms of an emerging or dominant middle-class, bourgeois lifestyle. This term is used both descriptively and critically to illuminate the Zen life and thought of Nishida in terms of the philosophical, social, and personal challenges he faced.

This approach to Nishida also adds another perspective to the ongoing debate concerning this Kyoto School philosopher and his and others' involvement in the wartime rhetoric of Japan around the time of the Pacific War.

By identifying the historical connections and homologies between Zen and the psychedelic movement, Cunningham shows the particular constellation of factors that made both Asian religions and psychedelia attractive to and culturally transformative of a wide swath of westerners. He locates the fascination with these phenomena in terms of a crisis in the search for spiritual significance in an increasingly commodified culture and the intrinsic vacuity of a history shorn of religious or mythical meaning.

Terence McKenna's psychedelic paradigm is used to both diagnose the above and to suggest possible venues of reinvigorating history and historiography. Key to this is the idea that in and through both Nishida and McKenna, one gains access to insights concerning the end of history and historiography, and a horizon beyond time that nevertheless unfolds within the temporal order.

In all aspects, Cunningham goes into great detail concerning the historical circumstances, textual evidence, and philosophical logic that is relevant to the several strands of his work. While he draws on recent scholarship, especially on Zen studies and Nishida studies, his own original research combined with his distinctive methodological approach results in a fascinating tale of Zen, Psychedelia, and Time Beyond History.

Whether you are a novice or expert on the subject, the author has captured the essence of Maya culture in this work. This book is a compilation by several experts of different Maya subjects i.e. architecture, agriculture, hieroglyphics etc. It would qualify as the textbook for a course on the Maya. Not only is the book easy reading but it is stocked full of facts that every student of the Maya should know.

Beautifully photographed and engagingly written, this is a thoughtful portrayal of the Mayan people presented as a day-in-the-life, and focusing on a lifestyle where hands still do the work (instead of dishwashers, food processors, etc!) It would be a wonderful gift book for a young child, or a great classroom supplement for a pre-K through 2nd grade class focusing on the Americas, community, indigenous peoples... or even the human body!

In this book, Fantasia and Voss--two long-time, respected labor scholars--provide a great overview of and introduction to the American labor movement. The book was actually originally written for a French audience, so they assume you know very little about the American labor movement, explaining things like the National Labor Relations Board and the Taft-Hartley Act, instead of assuming you know about them. They also at times contrast the American labor movement with those in Eruope, which is also frequently illuminating.

Building upon Voss' previous work, they address the question of the supposed exceptionalism of the American working class--the fact that, unlike European working classes, they never developed a militant labor movement that fought for the interests of all workers and embraced socialist or social-democratic politics; instead, the labor movement has fought primarily for benefits for its members and embraced mainstream politics. But, Fantasia and Viss argue, the American labor movement was not always like this--in the mid- to late nineteenth century, the American labor movement was as militant, broad-minded and radical as its European counterparts, if not more so. What was exceptional was not the American working class, but the American capitalist class, which was far more hostile to labor than their European counterparts. This hostile social environment, in which any major labor organziation that showed signs of a broad vision of social justice was brutally crushed, lead to the thoroughly domesticated politics of the AFL-CIO, in which they agreed to act as business' junior partner, gaining increased wages and benefits for their members, in return for abandonning any broader vision and supporting the Cold War agenda.

Even at its height, this bargain excluded most workers outside the core manufacturing industries. When the US and global economy began to undergo major changes in the 1970s (changes Fantasia and Voss don't explain well--this is one of the few weaknesses of the book), US business decided this bargain no longer suited its needs, rolling back the gains workers had made, a process that accelerated once the Reagan administration came to power. Traditional labor leaders were totally unprepared for this assult and it looked like organized American labor might go down the tubes.

Fortunately, the decentralized structure of some unions, while allowing for local corruption, had also allowed for progressives to survive in some localities. They have responded to the crisis of American labor with innovative new tactics and a new vision that embraces the interests of all workers, not just union members. They have begun working with other community groups and organizing groups unions had traditionally ignored--people of color, women and immigrants. (This is the other big weakness of the book--Fantasia and Voss don't pay enough attention to how deeply entrenched racism, sexism and nativism were entrenched in mainstream unions. They treat these matters casually instead of as central to understanding the crisis of American labor). With the election of Sweeney and the New Voices slate to the leadership of the AFL-CIO, these efforts began to get some official support. It is in this new, social movement unionism Fantasia and Voss see hope. However, it faces huge obstacles, both in the form of the entrenched leaders of many labor unions, leaders who are often conservative, corrupt or both; and the continuing hostility of American business and government to organized labor.

Despite the weaknesses I have mentioned, overall Fantasia and Voss do a great job of summarizing the history of the American labor movement, how it got into the mess it is today, and possible avenues out of the mess. The book is hopeful without being naive.

Rather than a comprehensive book about modern guatemala or a human rights thesis this is an anthropological study of violence.

There are 10 different case histories all written by different people who are among the top guatemalan scholars. In these case histories is information and analysis that isn't available in most books and it covers some areas of the country not always touched on by scholars. The whole thing is held together by an exellent 35 page introduction and a final chapter of conclusion with a wonderful chronology of events. Over all an exellent book for serious students but maybe not for beginners.

This is a study about the mayan people that provides exellent incites from the perspective of social anthropologists and ethnographers as opposed to activists or journalists. The contributors have spent enormous amounts of time with their subjects and know them well.

.............socks

This book is very concise and well written. It provides excellent information and analysis of all of the hot topics in healthcare today. A MUST read for all young healthcare administrators and a wonderful read for all of us living the healthcare fight!

...you just can't get over,once you've read her work you want to know everything there is to know about her!

i love this book- bought it for a class and usually resell when the class is over. i'll be keeping this one though. easy layout and text make it easy to find what you're looking for. great variety - excellent resource.

Max Hastings in The Sunday Telegraph `Books of the Year' 2 December 2001 >

The Hidden Hand by Richard Aldrich (John Murray) is as good an account of Cold War Intelligence between 1945 and 1962 as we are likely to get for some time.

George Walden in The Evening Standard 23 July 2001 >

From riveting case-histories of individual operations to the furious intrigues of the transatlantic intelligence community , from the unsung role of the low-level agent to the evolution of electronic espionage - everything is here ... Aldrich has a gift for conveying a sense of living history, combing colourful detail of this or that episode with the grand strategies that drove the intelligence men.

Cal McCrystal in The Financial Times 1 July 2001 >

What makes Aldrich's book so delightful is its abundance of marvellous anecdote ... Miles Copeland, the CIA's new station chief in Cairo at the time of the Suez crisis, had little time for US ambassadors and was a bit of a cowboy. As station chief in Syria in 1950 Copeland was blamed for a series of army coups that "eventually led to an increasingly pro-Soviet dictatorship". He was moved to Cairo after a wild party during which guns were fired through the ceiling. Indeed, an Aldrich sub-theme is the extent to which British and American secret agents frequently unnerved their own governments more than the regimes they were supposed to monitor subvert or liberate.

The state of Alabama is a natural wonder. From clear gulf waters kissed by blindingly beautiful white sand beaches, to rugged canyons and graceful mountains, Alabama truly has it all. Joe Cuhaj's book "Hike America: Alabama," covers enough trailblazing experiences in this well written and easy to follow guidebook to last a lifetime. The maps are clearly drawn and the text contains a wealth of information on everything from the local flora and fauna to the best restaurants in the area. Particularily nice are the individual hike profile maps, side elevation of the trail that can tell the novice more about the roughness of the terrain in a glance than squinting at a contour map all day. This is not the first book on hiking Alabama trails that I have bought, but it is by far the best.