Book Description
The essays in this book trace the development of Joel Migdal's "state-in-society" approach. The essays situate the approach within the classic literature in political science, sociology, and related disciplines but present a new model for understanding state-society relations. It allies parts of the state and groups in society against other such coalitions, determines how societies and states create and maintain distinct ways of structuring day-to-day life, the nature of the rules that govern people's behavior, whom they benefit and whom they disadvantage, which sorts of elements unite people and which divide them, and what shared meaning people hold about their relations with others and their place in the world.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent review of state and society subject.......2006-09-29
Hegal once said "Philosophy is the history of philosophy". I have the same feeling after reading Migdal's State in Society.
In this book, Migdal masterfully presents his "state in society" theory by examining the history of State-Society study. If his theory can be reduced by some as simply the final stage of a thesis-antithesis-synthesis process (e.g. "culturalist"-"statist"-"state-in-society"), the way he establishes his theory is nevertheless exceptionally informative and eloquent. Migdal does not tell you everything about every author in this grand debate. Yet after reading his book, you will be left with a distinct impression of each author's role and position in the debate.
A must read for students of State-Society studies.
Book Description
This volume is designed to serve as a core text for the widest range of Introduction to Political Science courses; also to be used as a supplement to a variety of textbooks in the field of political science. Although as a core book it will be succinct and tightly organized and without a particular disciplinary slant, it will present the essence of the subject in an interesting way. Chapters of special relevance: our Western political heritage, comparative politics, international relations, recent focuses of study. Major contributors to particular areas of political science will be noted throughout.
Customer Reviews:
A good, wide-ranging primer.......2006-04-25
This short textbook gives a brief, balanced introduction to just about every aspect of political science.
I was drawn to this book partly because of the author's passionate opening assertion that "Throughout history the breakdown of political authority has taken a devastating toll in human suffering." I hoped that this strong point of view would be carried through the book and inform the author's explanations of the topics. While I can't exactly say that this was achieved, I can say that he does write from a strong conviction in the importance of politics in the widest sense, and with a sense that all the many aspects and subdisciplines of political science play important parts in this complex, sometimes ill-defined discipline.
The text is broken down into five parts, dealing respectively with the traditions of Western political thought, individual and group behavior, government institutions, international politics, and finally an examination of political science itself as a discipline. Each part consists of from two to five short chapters, which are in turn broken into subsections giving short descriptions of the important topics. With the possible exception of part 5 (since I am not a student of academic political science), I found Heineman's survey most relevant to helping my understanding of the political world.
To take one example, he covers a lot of ground in a short space as he describes the history of political thought and the thinking behind liberalism, Marxism, and conservatism. After a lifetime of reading newspapers and magazines, I felt for the first time that I was discovering what the core outlooks and ideas are behind the politics of the left and right, and why the various positions on the spectrum think as they do.
Heineman's writing style can be a little academic and wordy, and sometimes, in his zeal for balance, he gives the impression of trying almost too hard to see value in points of view that he clearly doesn't agree with (for example, postmodernism), but over all his interest in and respect for the discipline carries the day. Also, my copy, published in 1996, is a bit dated--although this is not important for a primer. The brevity of the individual subsections, which are almost like encyclopedia entries, also helps speed the reader along.
In sum, it is a wide, concise survey that lets you see the whole field in one text, so that you can decide which areas of the discipline you might want to examine further. At the very least, after reading this you should be able to get much more out of news stories.
Book Description
A coherent picture of Jesus' teaching on the kingdom that deals with relevant critical scholarship in an accessible way. Fresh and comprehensive, it brings readers up to date in the current debate about the historical Jesus.
Customer Reviews:
wonderful.......2007-09-22
what a marvelous book. chilton does tremendous research and is very passionate in his writing. extremely well written and enjoyable. i read 'rabbi jesus' also and that was excellent. i highly reccomend this book to anyone who wants to explore the beauty of jesus and his teachings.
New perspective for a reader on historical Jesus.......2003-05-06
I re-read the professional reviews, and I think they fairly present the author's approach. To these good reviews I will merely add my few minor thoughts.
1) This book is not devotional reading for Christians who are mostly focused on living a godly life. It requires some thought and a genuine interest in Jesus history.
2) Bruce Chilton says he is associated with the Jesus Seminar. I've read a little from others associated with the Jesus seminar, like Crossan and Funk. This is NOTHING like the other Jesus Seminar writers. He clearly places Jesus within (the variegated) Second Temple Judaism, and credits him with thorough knowledge of Hebrew Scripture.
3) I was impressed with how carefully Chilton develops his arguments throughout the book, along the way making some very enlightening observations.
4) His book changed my understanding of the Kingdom of God, and how Jesus delivered it to those to whom he ministered.
5) I'm not good enough a reader or well trained enough in history or theology to know whether I truly agree with everything Chilton wrote, but he wrote many things in this book that I found worthy to ponder and to recommend to others.
6) I have now purchased other books of his because I liked this one so well.
Book Description
Studying Music History: Learning, Reasoning and Writing About Music History and Literature: Second Edition develops a thorough knowledge of genres, composers and compositions, as well as skills for organizing, assimilating, applying and writing using this knowledge. The text maintains a strict three-fold emphasis that includes (1) a systematic approach to the data of music history and literature, (2) identification and interpretation of unidentified music samples and excerpts from several kinds of historical documents, and (3) properly written expression of musical knowledge and judgment through small-scale writing projects.
Customer Reviews:
Great as an overview.......2006-08-09
This is an excellent review and condensation of Western Music History. I recommend it in particular for:
1. Master's students preparing for music history placement tests.
2. Doctoral students in music, preparing for comprehensive exams.
3. Any music teacher who would like a concise description of musical styles, in a more condensed format that traditional music history books (such as those by Grout or Stolba).
I would not recommend it for anyone studying the History of Music for the first time.
A great tool to prepare for exams.......2000-02-11
As a music graduate student, I don't think I would have passed my oral or qualifying exams if not for this book. Poultney takes the major details of the major musical periods and boils them down to broad strokes. If you've studied a lot of music history but need a way to pull it all together, this book is a great tool.
Book Description
A critical analysis of issues and approaches in a variety of areas, ranging from the political economy of popular music through its history and ethnography to its semiology, aesthetics and ideology. The book focuses on Anglo-American popular music of the last 200 years.
Book Description
What are the most appropriate theories and methods for analyzing contemporary America cinema? This book answers this question by taking an innovative approach to writing about individual movies: in each of the main chapters the authors examine the assumptions behind one traditional theory of film (e.g. auteurism, narratology, psychoanalysis), distil a method of analysis from it, and then analyze a contemporary American movie. They then go beyond the traditional theory by analyzing the same movie using a more current theory and method (e.g. new media theory, deconstruction, cognitivism).
Customer Reviews:
A useful guide for students.......2002-10-08
Against the background of rising temperatures and shorter tempers among film theorists, 'Studying Contemporary American Film' sets out to pour oil on troubled waters. Between classical models of film interpretation and analysis (auteurist, structuralist, psychosemiotic) and the current plethora of contending paradigms (cognitivist, Deleuzian,
post-feminists, deconstructivist and hypertextual) it treads a
delicate, but determined path. The authors accept that film analysis is a matter of being wise after the fact, and being aware of open or hidden agendas. In order to be clear and consistent, you don't have to be dogmatic; being able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of certain critical positions doesn't mean that 'everything goes'. Although centered on close analysis of nine mainstream movies, this is not just another collection of essays on the authors' favorite films. The distinction classical and post-classical narrative, the Hollywood/Europe divide, the co-existence of linear narrative and videogame logic, and the differences between ontological realism and digital realism are all lucidly laid out and practically demonstrated. Highlights - to this reader at least - are the chapters on Die Hard, Lost Highway, The Fifth Element and Silence of the Lambs. The general movie buff may think the bullet points and numbered sub-headings rather too prescriptive; however, the authors tone is for the most part refreshingly dead-pan and descriptive, and students may be grateful for the many useful hints of how to ask the right questions and structure their papers accordingly. This is a guide in the best tradition of 'Teach Yourself Film Studies', of which 'Studying Contemporary American Film' could be seen as a welcome sequel.
Book Description
Early in his political career, Adolf Hitler declared the importance of what he called "an antisemitism of reason." Determined not to rely solely on traditional, cruder forms of prejudice against Jews, he hoped that his exclusionary and violent policies would be legitimized by scientific scholarship. The result was a disturbing, and long-overlooked, aspect of National Socialism: Nazi Jewish Studies.
Studying the Jew investigates the careers of a few dozen German scholars who forged an interdisciplinary field, drawing upon studies in anthropology, biology, religion, history, and the social sciences to create a comprehensive portrait of the Jew--one with devastating consequences. Working within the universities and research institutions of the Third Reich, these men fabricated an elaborate empirical basis for Nazi antisemitic policies. They supported the Nazi campaign against Jews by defining them as racially alien, morally corrupt, and inherently criminal.
In a chilling story of academics who perverted their talents and distorted their research in support of persecution and genocide, Studying the Jew explores the intersection of ideology and scholarship, the state and the university, the intellectual and his motivations, to provide a new appreciation of the use and abuse of learning and the horrors perpetrated in the name of reason.
Customer Reviews:
documents pseudo-scientific drivel.......2007-06-11
Steinweis reveals a time and place where "Jewish Studies" was not the multicultural subject that it suggests to a current reader. Instead, in the Third Reich, it was a twisted look at and a pseudo-scientific attempt at justifying antisemitism. In several German universities, it became popular amongst some intellectuals who supported the government.
The book describes the ravings that were generated by these academics. All in the name of "reason" and National Socialism. In page after page, Steinweis outlines the hateful drivel that was output in the guise of research.
A sobering look at what can happen when reason is distorted in the service of a feral government. What is especially unsettling is the realisation that most of the German academics mentioned in the book were not out and out charlatans or dolts. The failings of the German antisemitic scholars were moral rather than intellectual. Wittingly, they made themselves accomplices to dreadful events.
A helpful book.......2006-12-06
It is not a suprise that many leading nazis had Phds or that they were academics. It turns out that academia, lends itself to nazism because it dehumanizes man by classifying him as if he is beast, by treating him as biology, thus it is not suprising that in the name of 'science' and 'progressive ideas' man committed genocide and killed far more efficiently than he ever did in the name of religion. Many beleived that secularism would be a harbinger of peace in the 19th century but it led directly to race thoery and anti-semitism. The leading philosopher of Nazism, Hiedegger, was widely respected after the war, as were many other academics who traded their souls during the nazi era. THis book exposes the truth behind the Nazi collaboration with the academy and in many ways it there is much we could learn from it today in terms of the way in which academics can be coopted to tragedy.
Seth J. Frantzman
When 'Jewish Studies' was nefarious.......2006-05-05
Many colleges and universities now have programs or departments in ethnic studies, or specifically in Chicano Studies, Jewish Studies, etc. And we think that is fine, although some twenty or thirty years ago some academics questioned such fields.
But in Nazi Germany "Jewish Studies" were big on campus. They were the place where ambitious and/or anti-semitic academics -- biologists, demographers, sociologists, criminologists, historians -- lent their academic skills and insights to the Nazi program of denegrating Jews as foreign, dangerous, insidious, and noxious to Germans.
No one claims that without seemingly scholarly studies of Jewish communities in Lithuania and Ukraine, or of Jewish marriage patterns in Leipzig or Frankfurt, the Nazi would have in any way been impeded in their plans for the elimination of Jews from Europe. Nevertheless many academics -- some with splendid credentials -- were willing to use their talents in the service, ultimately, of genocide, whether they saw this clearly or not a few years before.
Nothing here is surprising, since scholars have been showing for decades how much German elites helped and favored the Nazi assault on liberal, democratic, socialist, and Jewish life in Germany and beyond Germany. But it is good to have the way this occurred shown in some specificity. Alan Steinweis has written a most timely and important little book and it deserves to be read and pondered. Scholars and intellectuals have often betrayed their calling -- in America as well as in Europe -- but rarely has this taken place with such murderous consequences. The nature of scholarship, objectivity, science, and learning is laid very bare here for all to see. It needs to be more than a blame-the-Germans game, for it could very well happen here -- indeed, in some ways it has already happened here, with regard to slavery, African-Americans, Jews, and non-northern European immigrants. It can happen again.
Book Description
Through film and literature, this book shows students the moral and ethical lessons that have evolved from the Holocaust so they can connect them with the moral dilemmas they face in their own lives. The authors focus on 3 main lessons of the Holocaust - thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator and thou shalt not be a bystander - and address the issues of courage, compassion, character and civility.
Book Description
Did Jesus actually exist? Much has been written recently on this subject, including numerous books examining the New Testament record of Jesus' life. Now Robert Van Voorst presents and critiques the ancient evidence outside the New Testament-the Roman, Jewish, pre-New Testament, and post-New Testament writings that mention Jesus. This fascinating study of the early Christian and non-Christian record includes fresh translations of all the relevant texts. Van Voorst shows how and to what extent these ancient writings can be used to help reconstruct the historical Jesus.
Customer Reviews:
For Believers Only.......2007-08-05
If you are already a believer in Christ, this book might interest you. Buy it and you'll have a physical object to wave in the face of doubters and unbelievers while saying, "My faith is enough for me but if you want *proof*, here it is!"
Others need not apply. There is not much here.
Van Voorst overstates his case for his evidence, I think. The Thallus fragment is nothing if one doesn't crank up the faithful irrationality pump to force relevance into it and his defense of the authenticity of the "Testimonium" of Josephus is inadequate. As for most of the rest of it, it merely backs up the fact of the existence of Christians, hardly an impressive achievement.
His near-libelous assault on G. A Wells is completely inexcusable. It relies on misrepresentation and misinformation to a degree that one would expect of a raving fundamentalist, not a serious scholar. To my sensibility, his treatment of Wells undermines what little credibility Van Voorst could have had.
Fascinating study of Jesus in writings outside the Bible.......2006-09-01
This is THE best book on the subject. For an academic scholar, Van Voorst writes really well, and does a good job at holding your attention. In this book, Van Voorst surveys what has been written about Jesus by historians such as Tacitus and Josephus. There are also candid discussions of controverted writings such as Suetonius (who mentions the name Chrestus) and Lucian of Samosota.
Van Voorst also delves into the early church fathers, the writings of rabbinical Judaism, and even early Islam to give a portrait of what others have written (or may have written) about Jesus. The discussions are fascinating, and the conclusions are well argued. Get this book without hesitation.
Rev. Marc Axelrod
Scholarly.......2006-06-21
Robert van Voorst's book Jesus Outside the New Testament is one of the most scholarly looks at ancient evidence about the life of Jesus. He systematically probes every reference to Jesus from outside the New Testament, and then subjects them to a thorough analysis from every angle. Watching him at work is a true guide for any scholar.
In the classical area, Van Voorst examines the traditional Pliny, Suetonius, Tacitus, and Celsus writings, but he also includes such lesser known authors such as Thallos, Serapion, and Lucian of Samosata. In the Jewish writings he covers just about every reference there is to Yeshu, ben Stada, Balaam, and "the certain one". It's a tour d'force.
Curiously enough, while Van Voorst is unsurpassed in his presentation and interpretation of material, it's his conclusions that I find wanting. For example, he discusses all the reasons why the mention of Jesus in Josephus is regarded as a later addition, then concludes that he "present(s) an independent account of Jesus" (p. 103). His main reason for discarding all the contrary evidence is his disbelief that the later interpolators could describe Jesus in less than glowing terms. Hardly convincing for me. Similarly, he concludes that references to Balaam cannot be references to Jesus because Balaam was traditionally the "prototype of the deceitful prophet from outside Israel" (p. 116) and Jesus, after all, was a Jew. True, but to the people who wrote the Talmud, even in Tannaitic times, Jesus was accused of being deceitful and was then outside Israel. So the use of Balaam can be accepted as referring to Jesus.
My disagreemeents with Van Voorst's conclusions notwithstanding, this is an excellent book and belongs on the shelf of any scholar. Much of the material is generally unavailable elsewhere, and Van Vorost scholarship is exceptional.
Very Good Overview of Evidence for Historical Jesus.......2005-04-24
This is your one-stop shopping place for reviewing the modern status of the historical Jesus discussion outside of the Bible. Areas covered include possible mentions of Jesus in contemporary classical authors (Thallos, Pliny, Seutonius, Tacitus, etc.) and Jewish writings (including Josephus and the Talmud). Each piece of evidence is offered and evaluated pro and con.
I used this book to clarify some points regarding the so-called "Testimonium" in Josephus' Antiquities. I found the information to be absolutely up-to-date and referencing the best scholarly arguments.
I've used Herford's "Christianity in Talmud and Midrash" as a source and found Van Voorst was able to assist me in coming to more sound conclusions about the many references Herford offered. If anything, I believe Van Voorst is a just a little too cautious. Still, a recommended book.
Van Voorst Gives Readers a Lot for their Money.......2004-08-13
Judging this book by its cover, you would expect a discussion of references to Jesus outside the New Testament. And that you do get. Jesus Outside the New Testament is the best introduction to all of the usual topics, from the Roman references--Thallus, Suetonius, Pliny, and most importantly Tacitus--to the Jewish sources--Josephus and the Talmud--to post New Testament Christian writings. The term "introduction," however, may be deceiving. Van Voorst deals with each subject in accessible depth, addressing often overlooked objections to such passages as Tacitus' references to Jesus (shown to be without merit). He takes these objections seriously and concedes their merit (admitting that Pliny is not "a witness to Jesus independent of Christianity") or refutes them decisively (showing that Josephus provides two "non-Christian witnesses to Jesus").
But what you may not realize you are getting with this book, based on its cover, is an effective one-chapter discussion of the Jesus Myth and a very informative discussion of the Gospel sources.
Indeed, Van Voorst is one of the few contemporary New Testament scholars to devote much time to the Jesus Myth. He devotes most of Chapter 1 to discussing the Jesus Myth, including a helpful overview of its historical development. At the end of the chapter, Van Voorst helpfully summarizes seven grounds upon which New Testament scholars and historians have continuously rejected the Jesus Myth:
1. Jesus Mythologists routinely misinterpret Paul's relative silence about some biographical details of the life of Jesus.
2. Jesus Mythologists are forced to offer radically late and unsupported datings of the Canonical Gospels.
3. Jesus Mythologists often claim that evidence of literary development and errors in the Gospels support the idea that Jesus did not exist. But as Van Voorst points out, "development does not necessarily mean wholesale invention, and difficulties do not prove non-existence."
4. Jesus Mythologists have failed to "explain to the satisfaction of historians why, if Christians invented the historical Jesus around the year 100, no pagans and Jews who opposed Christianity denied Jesus' historicity or even questioned it."
5. Jesus Mythologists rely partially on "well-known text-critical and source-critical problems" in ancient Non-Christian references to Jesus, but go beyond the evidence and difficulties by claiming that these sources have no value. They also ignore "the strong consensus that most of these passages are basically trustworthy."
6. Jesus Mythologists are not doing history, but polemics. "Wells and others seem to have advanced the non-historicity hypothesis not for objective reasons, but for highly tendentious, anti-religious purposes. It has been a weapon of those who oppose the Christian faith in almost any form, from radical Deists, to Free thought advocates, to radical secular humanists and activist atheists like Madalyn Murray O'Hair."
7. Jesus Mythologists have consistently failed to offer a better explanation for the origins of Christianity than the existence of Jesus as its founding figure. Though various mythical origins have been attempted, they are even more deficient in corroborative evidence than the existence of Jesus.
Mocking these points hardly advances the Jesus Myth's agenda. Nor does raising red herrings like evolutionary theory and supposed double standards (not evidenced in the book by any means). Van Voorst is summarizing a war already won, not refighting all of the battles. The Jesus Myth has been leveled again and again by scholars--particularly earlier in the previous century (by scholars like Maurice Gougel and Shirely Case). Subsequent scholarly trends have been even less kind. Van Voorst helpfully distills down the reasons that "[b]iblical scholars and classical historians now regard [the Jesus Myth] as effectively refuted."
Finally, a surprising but welcome feature of this book is that it devotes an entire chapter to "Jesus in the Sources of the Canonical Gospels." This chapter is packed with excellent discussions (and bibliographical references) about the sources of Matthew, Luke, and John. Each section lays out the likely contents of these sources in convenient charts and provides informed discussions of their origins. Perhaps the most insightful discussion is of "L"--Luke's unique material--which Van Voorst concludes was likely a "complete" pre-existing source of material about Jesus. Next he provides enlightening discussions of "M"--Matthew's unique material--and the Gospel of John's "Signs Source." He caps off the chapter with an excellent overview of the "Q" question, accepting the established consensus that it was a source for Matthew and Luke, but chiding the overly speculative reconstructions by scholars such as Burton Mack and John D. Crossan
This book belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the study of the historical Jesus. I highly recommend it.
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