Seeing Through Paintings: Physical Examination in Art Historical Studies

Book Description

This prize-winning book offers the only comprehensive discussion available on materials, techniques, and condition issues in Western easel paintings from medieval times to the present. Selected by Choice as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2000. Winner of the College Art Association and Heritage Preservation joint award for Distinction in Scholarship and Conservation

Customer Reviews:

Good Job.......2005-09-12

Yeah, I ordered two books at the same time, one from amazon and one from this seller. This seller provided the best service. While Amazon's order was delayed and frought with difficulty the transaction with this seller was quick and efficient.

Seeing Through Paintings: Physical Examination in Art Historical Studies

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Seeing Through Paintings: Physical Examination in Art Historical Studies
Andrea Kirsh (au); Rustin S. Levenson (au)
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS2Q6E

Seeing Through Paintings: Physical Examination in Art Historical Studies (Materials & Meaning in the Fine Arts S.)

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Seeing Through Paintings: Physical Examination in Art Historical Studies (Materials & Meaning in the Fine Arts S.)
Rustin S. Levenson Andrea Kirsh
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORKF5O

Watercolour Painter's Pocket Palette (Painters Pocket Palette)
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Watercolour Painter's Pocket Palette (Painters Pocket Palette)
Moira Clinch
Manufacturer: Search Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Watercolor | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 085532886X

The Watercolour Flower Painter's Pocket Palette (Pocket Palette Series)
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The Watercolour Flower Painter's Pocket Palette (Pocket Palette Series)
Adelene Fletcher
Manufacturer: Search Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0855329300

The Watercolour Flower Painter's Pocket Palette
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The Watercolour Flower Painter's Pocket Palette
Elisabeth Harden
Manufacturer: Search Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Watercolour Flower Painters Pocket Palette : Instant visual Refrence on Colours and Shapes
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The Watercolour Flower Painters Pocket Palette : Instant visual Refrence on Colours and Shapes
Michael Harden
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Australia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0731805747

The Watercolour Landscape Pocket Palette (Painter's Pocket Palette)
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The Watercolour Landscape Pocket Palette (Painter's Pocket Palette)
Adalene Fletcher
Manufacturer: Search Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Watercolor | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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The Watercolour Seascape Pocket Palette (Painter's Pocket Palette)

ASIN: 1903975050

Watercolour Painter's Pocket Palette : Instant, Practical visual guidance on Mixing and Matching Watercolours to Suit All Subjects
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Watercolour Painter's Pocket Palette : Instant, Practical visual guidance on Mixing and Matching Watercolours to Suit All Subjects
Moira Clinch
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Australia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0731803205

The Watercolour Seascape Pocket Palette (Painter's Pocket Palette)
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The Watercolour Seascape Pocket Palette (Painter's Pocket Palette)
Joe Francis Dowden
Manufacturer: Search Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1903975069

Suzanne Bloom and Ed Hill (Manual): Research and collaboration : White Oak Bayou, A phenomenological study of life drawing, Art in context-homage to Walter ... Arts, Houston, February 20-April 13, 1980
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Great book on the changing appearance of urban landscapes

Suzanne Bloom and Ed Hill (Manual): Research and collaboration : White Oak Bayou, A phenomenological study of life drawing, Art in context-homage to Walter ... Arts, Houston, February 20-April 13, 1980
Suzanne Bloom
Manufacturer: Seashore Press : distributed by the Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0915426021

Customer Reviews:

Great book on the changing appearance of urban landscapes.......2002-01-13

This artistic team of Bloom/Hill were my professors while I attended the University of Houston pursuing my degree in fine arts photography. I know the area very well that was documented in this book and this book was a forerunner to the path that other artists have taken since it's publication in the field of ecology art.

It's All Quite Legal
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It's All Quite Legal
G. Luke , and George Luke
Manufacturer: Lexis Law Publishing (Va)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0409491500

Amazon.com

Hollywood producer Lynda Obst (Flashdance, Sleepless in Seattle) recounts her own battles in Hollywood's trenches--from her beginnings as a journalist to her current role as the maker and breaker of careers. Like other "classic" Hollywood books--Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger and You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again by Julia Phillips--Hello, He Lied is saturated with sleaze and proves, once again, that most of Tinseltown's stars are seriously lacking in the upstairs department.

Book Description

"Never go to a meeting without a strategy." "Ride the horse in the direction it's going." These are just two of the gems unearthed from the trenches of Hollywood by Lynda Obst, one of the most successful producers in the movie business today. In Hello, He Lied, Obst offers real, practical advice to would-be professionals in any field: "Thou shalt not cry at work," "thou shalt not appear tough," "thou shalt return all thy phone calls," and more. She takes us inside high-pressure meetings with David Geffen, onto the set of Sleepless in Seattle, and into the heated negotiations for The Hot Zone and reveals what she's learned in more than twenty years in the business: how to swim with the sharks--and not get eaten.

Customer Reviews:

An IRRATATING READ!!!!!!.......2007-09-05

Sorry guys, but I was unfortunate enough to have bought this book years ago from some hollywood bookclub I can't even remeber anymore, but this is THE MOST SUCK UP book, on how to make it in Hollywood that I ever had the time to waste reading. Do yourself a HUGE FAVOR and take her advice with CAUTION--PLEASE!

For the most part I simply felt her advice was outright--dishonest in a way...Tip-toe here...Compromise there...For what?

Talking about sucking up, she mentioned a pitch session she had with David Geffen, who wasn't even listening to her. After she was done he simply said to her, "You know, you'd be more attractive if you had some collogen shots." Obst's response? "What did he mean?" IT WAS OBVIOUS THIS MAN WAS BEING RUDE! Obst wasn't even honest enough to admitt that!

You want to learn the business and how to break in with at least half a chance on developing enough clout to call a shot? Consult with the INDUSRY HERETICS and PROFESSIONAL MAVERICKS! Obst is doing nothing but rehashing COMMON WISDOM a zillion different ways. The answer is not in COMMON HOLLYWOOD WISDOM.

You learn the RULES then BREAK THEM!

Excellent advice about more than just the movie business ..........2007-06-13

Ms. Obst has written a delightful book filled with many lessons about how to get complicated projects completed, something she's expert at accomplishing. This book has applications for most complex business projects, and also for building a career. Obst knows how to get over hurdles, deal with interference, hang in for the long haul, and keep the project moving along despite all the difficulties that come with big dollar, competitive deals.

It's one of the few excellent business books I've ever read (including the ones I had to read in business school). Even though it's centered on the movie business, the author has shared many nuggets that are relevant to all kinds of endeavors. Very high recommendation! Plus it's quite entertaining from start to finish.

P.S. The negative comments of some reviewers are a mystery to me. Complaints about "Hollywood movies" (whatever that stereotype means), and unsettling business practices are common enough feelings, but these feelings are not sufficient as critiques of Hello He Lied. If you truly want to learn more about how big deals are done, read this book.

BUY IT NOW -- -- It's the best guide to Hollywood deals.......2006-06-29

HELLO HE LIED is written by Lynda Obst one of the top female producers in Hollywood. (I only say female because she does talk about the challenges of being a woman in Hollywood). Her films include such classics as THE FISHER KING, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and CONTACT. She lives in Los Angeles and Texas -- which should give you a hint already that it's important to get some distance now and then (and maybe more) from TWINKLETOWN -- I MEAN TINSELTOWN. Her advice to NEVER GO TO A MEETING WITHOUT A STRATEGY is one we all should remember. All too often we worry about our powerpoint or our clothes or our car-- and not the strategy and outcome we want. IT's this good common sense business stuff that makes Lynda's book different from so many schmoozerama books -- how to schmooze and meet and network with Moguls in Hollywood. All too often MAGIC is associated with Hollywood movies and dealmakings and Lynda lets you know that it's not magic but good hard work and a thick SKIN. She also mentions Yoga and has a bit of a zen approach to all of this that makes us realize it ain't brain surgery! Her chapter on the TAO of Power and her description of how the film THE HOT ZONE did/didn't get made is fascinating....what a smart lady this is. If you are a woman you'll like the section called CHIX IN FLIX...oh you don't need any more recommenation-- just buy it - used or new-- I don't know why it took me so long to read it....BUT DO IT -- all of life is Hollywood in some way now -- ie American Idol etc.

First Hollywood book I ever read.......2005-12-29

Lynda Obst uses her experience as an accomplished film producer to explain to new people how to make it in Hollywood. She hits every topic right on the head. I have experienced the same things in getting my films made, particularly The Indie Pendant. All of her info can used by anyone wanting to become a filmmaker. The chapter on figuring out which way the horse is headed was probably the best chapter I have ever read on getting things done in Hollywood. Look for all of this info and more during The Indie Film Hour on World Talk Radio. Hosted by myself. www.vdefilms.com

Next to "Hollywood Animal," must-have for screenwriters.......2004-11-29

"I wouldn't go near ______________ this week. It's scary over there." Direct quote. Fill in the name of any major studio/media conglomerate and you have the essence of HELLO, HE LIED: Know the territory. And have a tanda--that's the term for a group of allies, especially women. Novel concept. In a business where according to superstars such as Mollie Gregory (WOMEN WHO RUN THE SHOW) women are about as supportive as the final contestants on "The Bachelor," future movie moguls cwill be uplifted by Lynda Obst's lessons learned from being a "d-girl" (that's story development girl) and working on films such as THE ENGLISH PATIENT (standard line in Hollywood: "Great! If you get Julia Roberts we're a go!" Lynda's comment: "Like you're too dumb to know that Julia's unavailable.") Another lesson: Never go to a meeting (or have a conversation in Hollywood) without a strategy. Good advice for all of us, but especially for writers.

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Hello He Lied & Other Truths From The
Lynda Obst
Manufacturer: BANTAM DOUBLEDAY @ DELL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000Q1HWYK

Hello he Lied : and Other truths from the Hollywood Trenches

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Hello he Lied : and Other truths from the Hollywood Trenches
Lynda Obst
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0732258618

Hello, he Lied - & Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches

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Hello, he Lied - & Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches
Lynda Obst
Manufacturer: Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1996
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LVL7OQ

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HELLO, HE LIED, AND OTHER TRUTHS FROM THE HOLLYWOOD TRENCHES

Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H3QPZY

Book Description

From the author GQ has called "perhaps the most accomplished writer of his generation," a smart, questioning look at music and pop culture of the decade just past

He's the only person to whom The Velvet Underground ever played as an audience of one, the first British writer to talk to Patti Smith after her seventeen-year hiatus from rock. One reviewer hailed his previous book England is Mine as "surely the strangest and most beautiful book on pop music ever written." Greil Marcus said that even the "merely superb" passages of that book read like "intellectual sunrises," calling the work "intoxicated and intoxicating." The author in question is Michael Bracewell, celebrated surveyor of the punk and rock scenes. Now, through funny, engaging, and occasionally devastating essays about his experience in the thick of the music scene of the 1990's, Bracewell tackles a decade where Greed became disguised as "Attitude," where a "cozy, urban feelgood fable" replaced punk, and where the role of anxiety, so intrinsic to the culture and music of the 1980's, was swapped for a shallow "I feel your pain" sensibility. Read When Surface Was Depth and discover why Time Out has called Michael Bracewell, in a word, "terrific."

Customer Reviews:

Aimless and inaccessible.......2007-03-20

What do you get when you cross a social commentator with a culture of errors ripe for analysis? If your chief aim is appealing to a limited audience of linguistic elites, you'd end up with something like "When Surface Was Depth". To say this book is overwritten is like calling Homer's "Iliad" a lengthy read. While the book's title and outer description may seem enticing, enduring the content itself quickly becomes a cumbersome waste of time and brainpower. The author should probably be given a pat on the back for writing a reflective and elaborate body of work, but depth doesn't always translate into a page-turner. Casual readers will most likely find themselves pulled under while trying to decipher the author's overeducated jargon and I've-seen-it-all cadence. In practically every other paragraph, the book's tone becomes tiringly overdescriptive, whether Bracewell is proclaiming how romantic the "self-reflecting signs" of performance artists are or muddling up pop music, something that would normally be perfectly accessible, with observations on its "self-parodying nature". I admittedly haven't familiarized myself with any of Bracewell's other works, but if they're all crafted in the same stuffy manner as this one, I think I'll pass.

When Surface Was Depth: Death By Cappuccino and Other Reflections on Music and Culture in the 1990's

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When Surface Was Depth: Death By Cappuccino and Other Reflections on Music and Culture in the 1990's
Michael Bracewell
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N766ZI

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families Conversation Cards: Conversation Starters for Highly Effective Family Living
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families Conversation Cards: Conversation Starters for Highly Effective Family Living
Inc. U S. Games Systems
Manufacturer: U.S. Games Systems
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards

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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 1572813962

Book Description

This comprehensive history of Canada's oldest public radio station records the human stories and the struggle to survive through turbulent times. Founded as a groundbreaking experiment by the University of Alberta's Department of Extension, CKUA is now a self-sufficient, listener-supported station that reaches a global audience via the Internet. From heady first years, it survived years of benign neglect under the Alberta government, culminating in a shut-down in 1997. The station has since undergone a dramatic revival and is now flourishing through the efforts of thousands of dedicated listeners. Marylu Walters has drawn together archival sources and original interviews to create a detailed portrait of the station. Happy 75th anniversary, CKUA!

Customer Reviews:

Enhanced with anecdotal stories.......2003-04-12

CKUA: Radio Worth Fighting For by Edmonton-based writer, editor, and dedicated CKUA listener Marylu Walters is the history of CKUA, a radio station that had its beginning on the campus of the University of Alberta and has evolved to enjoy a world-wide audience over the Internet. In addition to being the story of a little radio station that has become a global Internet information dispensing powerhouse, Walters has also captured the political and cultural context of its history including the pioneering spirit that brought the station to life, the creativity that emerged from benign neglect, and the passionate battles that maintained the station through adversity. Enhanced with anecdotal stories told by the people who lived them, CKUA: Radio Worth Fighting For is a unique and highly recommended contribution to Communication Arts reference collections in general, and CKUA fans in particular.

Book Description

As a parent and teacher Jean Augur learned to cope positively with dyslexia for over 20 years. This book records the stages in the development of the awareness of dyslexia both at home and in the classroom. It concludes by setting out the ways and means to help dyslexics to help themselves.

Customer Reviews:

Modern Hatreds review.......2007-03-22

Stuart J. Kaufman presents a political theory that can explain why ethnic violence and war begin and how it can be prevented in his book Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War. Kaufman believes that ethnic violence has its roots in the prevalent myths and symbols of the ethnic groups involved in the conflict, and dismisses other prominent theories as being too narrow to explain multiple conflicts and wars.
The idea of a "myth-symbol complex" is what Kaufman credits as being the root of ethnic conflict. This complex is the combination of various myths, symbols, histories, and cultural values that define who a person is and of which group that person is a part. These myths and symbols evoke strong emotions from the masses. If wielded properly by a leader, symbols can lead the masses' energy towards a chosen conflict simply because of the emotional baggage that is accompanied by many controversial symbols.
To support his theory, Kaufman presents empirical examples. The case studies that are examined are each a former Soviet, eastern European state. He chose these cases because they are all former soviet bloc states and have survived a similar past of occupation and dominance. By choosing cases that have similar histories, Kaufman is able to eliminate unnecessary differences and therefore concentrate on relevant asymmetries and circumstances, thus he is able to better examine the roles of myths and symbols in each case. An example that he puts forth is the conflicts involving Azerbaijanis after the collapse of the Soviet Union. While Azerbaijanis in Armenia and Azerbaijan were enveloped in conflict with Armenians, Azerbaijanis in Georgia had no conflict with the chauvinistic Georgians. The reason, he asserts, is because the myths and symbols in Georgia are not gauged against Azerbaijanis; rather, they are directed against other larger Georgian minorities. Likewise, Azerbaijani myths are not directed against Georgians.
In addition to the presenting his theory, rejecting other prominent theories, and examining case studies, Kaufman also presents ideas on avoiding ethnic violence through peace keeping and peace building efforts. He is optimistic about the great potential of peace keeping if people are promoting said peace by monitoring and controlling the prevalence and intensity of controversial ethnic myths and symbols. Kaufman mentions the event which is illustrated on the cover of the book as being a symbolic action which contributed to aggravation of ethnic conflict between Serbs and Croats. Had Tudjman refrained from kissing the flag that represented both Croatian and Ustasha fascist, the Serbs would have been less fearful of Croats and therefore less willing to engage in violence.
Kaufman's theory is sound; however he too quickly dismisses other theories in the outset of the work before turning to incorporate them into his own at the end of the book. He rightly asserts that the other theories, if combined, account for why ethnic conflicts exist. But by the end of his argument, he incorporates emotion into his theory as being a driving force behind the outbreak of ethnic violence. Compared to other various types of theories that have been used to explain ethnic conflict, such as rational choice, economic, or emotional theories, Kaufman's is a well rounded and adaptable theory. He recognizes the immense roles that emotion and opportunity play in the escalation of conflict, but maintains that cultural myths and symbols are at the roots of ethnic animosity. According to Kaufman, the histories and memories of a culture shape their myths, which in turn produce symbols that evoke strong emotion from the masses. Should the opportunity present itself, emotions lead those masses to violence gauged against mythical adversaries.
While myth-symbol complex theory is a good basis for explaining ethnic conflict in post Soviet areas, it is unclear whether it would fit as nicely to other conflicts in a different region. Kaufman's attempt to demonstrate the universal applicability of the theory is less concise and less effective than his arguments supporting the theory as an explanation for former Soviet bloc conflicts. He provides an example in the United States, which although emotionally loaded and relevant to symbolic politics, is not an issue that would lead to massive violent conflict, thus weakening his argument. Overall, however, the book was well written, easy to read, and very useful for providing information on infamous ethnic conflicts. Where other authors tend to assume a reader's knowledge of the conflicts before presenting theory content, Kaufman explains the histories and progression of events and interjects why different situations can be explained by his theory.

Award Given for This Book.......2002-12-04

I haven't read this book, so I obviously can't review it. I gave it five stars based on the following note that appeared in today's (Dec. 4, 2002)on-line notes from the Chronicle of Higher Education, the "industry" newspaper for colleges and universities. I quickly add that I do not know Professor Kaufman, nor do I work in academia (unless paying college tuition for kids counts), but the fact that he was receiving this award suggests that his peers and other professionals consider this an important and noteworthy work. The Chronicle noted that

THE GRAWEMEYER FOUNDATION at the University of Louisville
today will give the 2003 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving
World Order to Stuart J. Kaufman, an associate professor of
political science at the University of Kentucky. Mr. Kaufman
was chosen for his book on the causes of ethnic conflict.

Given world tensions, this sounds like a timely contribution to finding ways to understand differences and to resolve conflicts without the last resort of violence and war.

Stuart J. Kaufman, Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
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Stuart J. Kaufman, Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Adam Luedtke
Manufacturer: Commission for Racial Equality
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B00082G0TK
Release Date: 2005-08-01

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, published by Commission for Racial Equality on July 1, 2004. The length of the article is 853 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Stuart J. Kaufman, Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War.(Book Review)
Author: Adam Luedtke
Publication: Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2004
Publisher: Commission for Racial Equality
Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Page: 850(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy, Morality, Modernity
Average customer rating:

A Great, quick read and a new insight on international terrorism.

Must Read

Fresh and insighful yet convoluted

Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy, Morality, Modernity
Faisal Devji
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801444373

Book Description

What are the motives behind Osama bin Laden's and Al-Qaeda's jihad against America and the West? Innumerable attempts have been made in recent years to explain that mysterious worldview. In Landscapes of the Jihad, Faisal Devji focuses on the ethical content of this jihad as opposed to its purported political intent. Al-Qaeda differs radically from such groups as Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiyah, which aim to establish fundamentalist Islamic states. In fact, Devji contends, Al-Qaeda, with its decentralized structure and emphasis on moral rather than political action, actually has more in common with multinational corporations, antiglobalization activists, and environmentalist and social justice organizations. Bin Laden and his lieutenants view their cause as a response to the oppressive conditions faced by the Muslim world rather than an Islamist attempt to build states.

Al-Qaeda culls diverse symbols and fragments from Islam's past in order to legitimize its global war against the "metaphysical evil" emanating from the West. The most salient example of this assemblage, Devji argues, is the concept of jihad itself, which Al-Qaeda defines as an "individual duty" incumbent on all Muslims, like prayer. Although medieval Islamic thought provides precedent for this interpretation, Al-Qaeda has deftly separated the stipulation from its institutional moorings and turned jihad into a weapon of spiritual conflict.

Al-Qaeda and its jihad, Devji suggests, are only the most visible manifestations of wider changes in the Muslim world. Such changes include the fragmentation of traditional as well as fundamentalist forms of authority. In the author's view, Al-Qaeda represents a new way of organizing Muslim belief and practice within a global landscape and does not require ideological or institutional unity.

Offering a compelling explanation for the central purpose of Al-Qaeda's jihad against the West, the meaning of its strategies and tactics, and its moral and aesthetic dimensions, Landscapes of the Jihad is at once a sophisticated work of historical and cultural analysis and an invaluable guide to the world's most prominent terrorist movement.

Customer Reviews:

A Great, quick read and a new insight on international terrorism........2007-03-20

This is a pretty good book with a few flaws. It has four main points.

1. Islamic terrorism is done as an ethical end in itself with vague political intentions.

2. Jihadists have failed to change politics in their home countries, so they get the international media's attention with violent attacks, and thus try to project responsibility for these local failures onto foreign (democratic) people that it is their responsibility to address the local political problems the jihadists have failed at.

3. Islamic terrorism is a disorganized movement that spreads organically--new cells are created by small, inspired groups...there is no hierarchy and no dogma...only the belief in suicide bombing against Westerners and secularists as a good deed.

4. Jihadism is historically divorced from other Islamic movements because it scorns the authority of ulama and because the individual terrorists have vastly differing individual beliefs. Its message is, in part, that each Muslim can interpret doctrine his own way, without a Qadi or other official to direct his beliefs.

However, there are a few problems with the book.

1. First of all, 75% of Devji's sources are interviews with bin Laden and al-Zawahiri from 1998, or 2001 interviews. He needs to interview a greater variety of jihadists in order to have a better picture.

2. Second, he completely ignores the situation in Iraq. Since 2003, the number of suicide attacks in Iraq has been vastly greater than those anywhere else in the past 10 years. And I would guess that the majority of those attacks have a specific goal--an Islamic state in Iraq. It's suspicious and statistically ridiculous to overlook Iraq.

All in all, he explains international terrorism well, but not local terrorism in places like Iraq or Palestine--which have specific political aims.

Must Read.......2006-04-13

Since the previous reviewer has done an excellent job summarizing this complex, dazzling, often exhilirating book, I should just say that I was really struck by Devji's writerly gifts that make layered arguments accessible to a lay reader such as myself.

Fresh and insighful yet convoluted.......2006-03-22

How did Islam become a global phenomenon in Al-Qaeda's Jihad? This is the question that Faisal Devji seeks to address in his Landscapes of the Jihad. Devji argues that while violence is certainly the most visible part of Al-Qaeda's jihad, it should be taken into consideration with a "world of ethical, sexual, aesthetic, and other forms of behaviour" (xvi). Devji avoids attempting explaining contemporary Jihad as the result of political or nationalistic motivations. Instead, he argues that while Jihad is indeed meant to accomplish certain ends, it has become more ethical that political in nature. For example, Al-Qaeda, unlike the image portrayed by media in the west, actually has no "coherent vision or plan for the future" (4). Thus, it is absurd to suggest that Al-Qaeda's motivations stem from oppressive or disturbed conditions in the Muslim world. Indeed, most of the fighters in Al-Qaeda are actually privileged and inexperienced middle-class youth, who never had any experience of such conditions, choosing instead to "battle in more exotic locations like Bosnia, Chechnya, and Afghanistan" (4).

Devji believes it is high time scholarship began to distinguish global Jihad from local struggles. For Devji, Jihad today has become so globalized that it can be compared to environmental groups, supporters of disarmament, anti-abortion groups, etc. (12). Furthermore, contrary to popular views that all members of Al-Qaeda espouse a single school of Islamic law or thought, Devji shows that there instead exists a kind of pluralism, one that is accepting of "Arabs and non-Arabs, including even the Chinese" (16). Thus, some of the hijackers on September 11 were not averse to consuming alcohol, gambling in Las Vegas, or even attending lap-dances in clubs just a few days before their suicide missions (17). Devji explains such behaviour not as "schizophrenic" or "incongruous," but as "yet another sign of the disintegration of old-fashioned distinctions, whether religious or political, in a universe of global effects that is best represented by the mass media"-a theme that is repeated throughout the book (91). In addition, despite claims made by the popular media, Al-Qaeda has "no formal procedure of recruitment or indoctrination, not even by way of sleepers who supposedly lurk in mosques to trap the unwary martyrs of tomorrow" (20). As a result, the new Jihad is a series of global effects that subverts traditional forms of Islamic devotion.

Devji dismisses Osama Bin Laden's statements about Americans having a "government within the government," as conspiracy theories-something that Osama could have picked up while watching "a television show like the X-Files or a film by Oliver Stone" (6). However, it might be erroneous to dismiss Osama so simply since covert and surreptitious operations by the Americans to overthrow regimes, to cover up "blowbacks" or to support other unsavoury operations have been quite well documented. Furthermore, Devji points out that while most scholarship, and even the media, remains fixated specifically upon Sunni Islam and Middle East, "the most successful examples of political Islam have been revolutionary Iran and the Hezbollah in Lebanon, both [of which are] Shia movements" (21). Similarly, Devji criticizes scholars for not noticing that most Jihad today "happens to be based fore the most part outside the Middle East...among populations that have barely an inkling of Salafi or Wahhabi conditions" (21). The fact that they have Arab fighters or funding from Salafi or Wahhabi groups is not sufficient to convince Devji of the resulting nature of the Jihad there: "That the reverse might be true, with Arab fighters and financiers importing the jihad from these regions to the Middle East, is not seriously considered" (22). Despite these criticisms, Devji provides little convincing evidence to prove otherwise, mentioning insignificant movements such as the Tablighi Jamaat and the fundraising activities of Ayatullah Sistani in Iraq.

Another popular notion that Devji addresses in his work is the idea that Al-Qaeda is a puritan organization, inspired by Salafi and Wahhabi principles, and is therefore vehemently against Sufi or Shia practices. Instead, Devji shows that within Al-Qaeda such genealogies and structures have broken down, and that there exists a synthesis of various practices. For example, certain practices in the Al-Qaeda compare favourably with Sufi or mystical brotherhoods, "even if these happen to be disapproved by members of the movement itself" (42). There are also elements of mysticism that are frequently invoked, as well as Shia practices venerating the Prophet and his family. Devji points that there even is a tradition of the mahdi or messiah, as evidenced by Juhayman al-Utaibi's claim when he captured the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979 (48). Devji also explains why Hollywood movies (such as the Long Kiss Goodnight) are accepted as fact against news reports-"simple political intentions no longer suffice to explain events in a global landscape" (89).

The last half of Devji's book draws heavily from letters by Bin Laden, which present him as an erudite and well-informed man, not a radical and misinformed terrorist. For example, Bin Laden clearly explains Islam's right to Palestine based upon the faith's universality while making Muslims true heirs of the Jewish and Christian traditions (85). Indeed, there are even echoes to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 in one of Osama's statements. Ultimately, Devji's book offers fresh and new insights towards understanding Jihad today. A sorely needed book, it breaks the vicious cycle of tired and hackneyed arguments that one so often reads in the common media today while providing compelling insight into what is rightly now a global phenomenon.

Jihad's deconstruction of Islam.(Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy Morality Modernity)(Critical essay) : An article from: Midstream

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Jihad's deconstruction of Islam.(Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy Morality Modernity)(Critical essay) : An article from: Midstream
Abigail L. Rosenthal
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000GAL6IO
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Midstream, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2006. The length of the article is 4275 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Jihad's deconstruction of Islam.(Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy Morality Modernity)(Critical essay)
Author: Abigail L. Rosenthal
Publication: Midstream (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 52 Issue: 2 Page: 33(5)

Article Type: Critical essay

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

This catalog contains data on the magnitudes of more than 100,000 stars in the Galaxy. For each star listed, the catalog gives the position, identification, and ultraviolet, blue and visual magnitude from photoelectric measurements. The measurements from which these mean values were computed were collected from observations published between 1953 and 1992. The volume includes more than 1400 references.

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