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Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 175
Language
English
Formats
Description
In this guide, Patricia Aufderheide takes readers along the diverse paths of documentary film history and charts the lively, often fierce debates among filmmakers and scholars about the best ways to represent reality and to tell the truths worth telling." "Beginning with an overview of the central issues of documentary filmmaking, Aufderheide focuses on several of its key subgenres, including public affairs films, government propaganda (particularly...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 116
Language
English
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Description
What do anarchists want? It seems easier to classify them by what they don't want, namely, the organizations of the State, and to identify them with rioting and protest rather than with any coherent ideology. But with demonstrations like those against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund being blamed on anarchists, it is clear that an explanation of what they do stand for is long overdue.
Colin Ward provides answers to these questions...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 119
Language
English
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Description
Exploring the cultural and institutional dimensions of Christianity, and tracing its course over two millennia, Linda Woodhead provides a fresh, lively, and candid portrait of Christianity's past and present. Addressing topics including the competition for power between different forms of Christianity, the churches' use of power, and its struggles with modernity, this new edition includes up to date information on the growth and geographical spread...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 62
Language
English
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Description
Schopenhauer is considered to be the most readable of German philosophers. This book gives a succinct explanation of his metaphysical system, concentrating on the original aspects of his thought, which inspired many artists and thinkers including Nietzsche, Wagner, Freud, and Wittgenstein. Schopenhauer's central notion is that of the will-a blind, irrational force that he uses to interpret both the human mind and the whole of nature. Seeing human...
Author
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Very short introductions volume 374
Language
English
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Description
The ancient Near East is known as the "cradle of civilization"-and for good reason. Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia were home to an extraordinarily rich and successful culture. Indeed, it was a time and place of earth-shaking changes for humankind: the beginnings of writing and law, kingship and bureaucracy, diplomacy and state-sponsored warfare, mathematics and literature.
This Very Short Introduction offers a fascinating account of this momentous...
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English
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Description
The Roman Empire was a remarkable achievement. It had a population of sixty million people spread across lands encircling the Mediterranean and stretching from northern England to the sun-baked banks of the Euphrates, and from the Rhine to the North African coast. It was, above all else, an empire of force-employing a mixture of violence, suppression, order, and tactical use of power to develop an astonishingly uniform culture.
Here, historian Christopher...
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English
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Rivers have acted as cradles for civilization and agents of disaster; a river may be a barrier or a highway, bearing trade and sediment, culture and conflict. This volume is a celebration of rivers in all their diversity. The author, a geographer covers a wide and eclectic range of river-based themes, from physical geography and mythology, to industrial history and literary criticism. Offering a truly global look at rivers including the Amazon, the...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 220
Language
English
Formats
Description
"Opening with a lucid overview of the rise and spread of Islam, from the seventh to the twenty-first century, this Very Short Introduction introduces the story of Islamic history, charting the evolution of what was originally a small, localized community of believers into an international religion with over a billion adherents. The book examines how Islam rose from the obscurity of seventh-century Arabia to the forefront of modern global concerns,...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 725
Language
English
Formats
Description
"The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), or Vatican II, is arguably the most significant event in the life of the Catholic Church since the Reformation. The Council initiated, intentionally or not, profound changes not simply within Catholic theology, but in the religious, social, and moral lives of the world's billion Catholics. It also reconfigured, intellectually and practically, the Church's engagements with those outside of it - most obviously...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 144
Language
English
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Description
How does the brain work? How different is a human brain from other creatures' brains? Is the human brain still evolving?
In this fascinating book, Michael O'Shea provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research, and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind. Chapters tackle subjects such as brain processes, perception, memory, motor control,...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 126
Language
English
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Description
"Michael Newman examines and explains the successes and failures of modern socialism by taking an international perspective - ranging from communism in Cuba to social democracy in Sweden." "Discussing its evolution from the industrial towns of the 19th century to its response to the feminist, Green, and anti-capitalist movements today; Newman concludes that, with its values of equality, solidarity, and cooperation, socialism remains as relevant as...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 381
Language
English
Formats
Description
"This volume places recent events in Iraq and Afghanistan to Tunisia and Egypt in historical context. It provides a history of revolutions and insurgencies, an introduction to the way social scientists think about the causes and outcomes of revolutions, and an explanation of their significance in historical and political change. Jack A. Goldstone begins with a brief history of revolutions and insurgencies, from the revolutions that brought democracy...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 445
Language
English
Formats
Description
In the history of philosophy, few topics are so relevant to today's cultural and political landscape as philosophy in the Islamic world. Yet, this remains one of the lesser-known philosophical traditions. In this Very Short Introduction, Peter Adamson explores the history of philosophy among Muslims, Jews, and Christians living in Islamic lands, from its historical background to thinkers in the twentieth century. Introducing the main philosophical...
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English
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Description
"Law has played a central role in American history. From colonial times to the present, law has not just reflected the changing society in which legal decisions have been made-it has played a powerful role in shaping that society, though not always in positive ways. In this Very Short Introduction, eminent legal scholar G. Edward White-author of the ongoing, multi-volume Law in American History-offers a compact overview that sheds light on the impact...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 38
Language
English
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Description
Augustine was arguably the greatest early Christian philosopher. His teachings had a profound effect on Medieval scholarship, Renaissance humanism, and the religious controversies of both the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. Here, Henry Chadwick places Augustine in his philosophical and religious context and traces the history of his influence on Western thought, both within and beyond the Christian tradition. A handy account to one of the...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 307
Language
English
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Description
This Very Short Introduction explores the historical impact of plague over the centuries, the ways in which it has been interpreted, and the powerful images it has left behind in art and literature. Paul Slack assesses its causes, which have often been disputed and are now being illuminated by microbiologists and archaeologist, and he looks at possible reasons for its periodic disappearance from whole continents. He shows what plague meant for those...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 3
Language
English
Formats
Description
"Since its origins in India over two thousand years ago, Buddhism has not only spread throughout Asia, but also around the world. In this new edition of the Very Short Introduction to Buddhism, Damien Keown looks at how the tradition began and how it evolved into its present-day form. Explaining its central teachings and practices as well as key topics such as karma and rebirth, meditation and ethics, Keown also includes updates related to the evolution...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 43
Language
English
Formats
Description
In this enlightening Very Short Introduction, Simon Critchley shows us that Continental philosophy encompasses a distinct set of philosophical traditions and practices, with a compelling range of problems all too often ignored by the analytic tradition. He discusses the ideas and approaches of philosophers such as Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Habermas, Foucault, and Derrida. He also introduces key concepts such as existentialism,...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 372
Language
English
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Description
There has been an explosion of interest in entrepreneurs in the popular media, as well as in business, policy, and education. But what do entrepreneurs do? What is entrepreneurship and why is it important? What is distinctive about entrepreneurs? And where do they come from? This book weaves a pathway through the debates about entrepreneurship, providing a guide to the entrepreneurial process. It looks at how the actions of entrepreneurs are shaped...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 656
Language
English
Formats
Description
The Maya have lived in parts of Mexico and Central America for thousands of years, forging one of the greatest societies in the history of the Americas -- indeed, of humankind. Long before European contact, Mayas built spectacular cities, created complex agricultural systems, mastered the visual arts, and developed a sophisticated writing system that recorded calendrical, mathematical, and astronomical knowledge. Yet there was never a Maya empire...
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