Tag: books

Prose and Economic Development in an African Village

Paul Clough spent many years studying the economic situation of the Marmara village, in Hausaland, northern Nigeria. His work there began in 1977-1979, then was followed by stints in 1985, 1996, and 1998. In Morality and Economic Growth in Rural West Africa: Indigenous Accumulation in Hausaland, his book based on that fieldwork, the author explores the economic growth and accumulation of this non-capitalistic, polygynous society through boom and bust periods. Following is the author’s reflection on his book, fieldwork, and forged relationships.

 

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What drew you to the field of African studies? Specifically, what drew you to Hausaland in Nigeria?

 

 

All of this happened by accident when I was very young. I wanted to be a volunteer, to work in the field of development. Since the Peace Corps in early 1970 would not send me to Latin America (perhaps because I had no Spanish), I managed through other channels to find a teaching post in northern Nigeria. I arrived at Kano Airport in late 1970, when I was only twenty-two, knowing next to nothing about Africa or Hausaland.

 

But I fell in love immediately.

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International Migrants Day

On December 18, the international community recognizes and celebrates the rights of migrants around the world. In 1990 the UN General Assembly approved the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (commonly referred to as the Migrant Worker’s Convention or Migrant Rights Convention). This is the day to express our support and solidarity with all immigrants.

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In honor of this observance, Berghahn Journals presents a special virtual issue dedicated to migration with hope that this will contribute to the overall discussion of the lives of migrants.

Click Here to Access the Special Virtual Issue! 

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Berghahn is also delighted to present a selection of titles on Refugee & Migration Studies:

 

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF BORDER DRAWING
Arranging Legality in European Labor Migration Policies
Regine Paul

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Simulated Shelves: Browse November’s New Books

We are delighted to present a selection of our newly published November titles from our core subjects of History, Media Studies, Medical Anthropology, Sociology and Urban Studies, along with a selection of our New in Paperback titles.

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U.S. FOREIGN POLICY AND THE OTHER
Edited by Michael Patrick Cullinane and David Ryan

Continue reading “Simulated Shelves: Browse November’s New Books” →

Today in History of Performance Art

On this day in 1947, first-ever performance of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire thrilled the audience during it’s opening on the Broadway stage of Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

Produced by Irene Mayer Selznick and directed by Elia Kazan, the play shocked mid-century audiences with its frank depiction of sexuality and brutality onstage. When the curtain went down on opening night, there was a moment of stunned silence before the crowd erupted into a round of applause that lasted 30 minutes. On December 17, the cast left New York to go on the road. The show would run for more than 800 performances, winning numerous prizes and in 1951 was made into a movie.

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In relevance to the event Berghahn is delighted to offer an array of titles on Performance Studies:

 

PERFORMING PLACE, PRACTISING MEMORIES
Aboriginal Australians, Hippies and the State
Rosita HenryDuring the 1970s a wave of ‘counter-culture’ people moved into rural communities in many parts of Australia. This study focuses in particular on the town of Kuranda in North Queensland and the relationship between the settlers and the local Aboriginal population, concentrating on a number of linked social dramas that portrayed the use of both public and private space. Through their public performances and in their everyday spatial encounters, these people resisted the bureaucratic state but, in the process, they also contributed to the cultivation and propagation of state effects.

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Mathematics, A Fundamental Communication Tool

Two days after the United States announced its intention to launch an artificial satellite, on July 31, 1956, the Soviet Union announced its intention to do the same. Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4, 1957, beating the United States and stunning people all over the world. According to Carl L. Devito’s Science, SETI, and Mathematics, we have come a long way since then. Following is the author’s reflection on his volume.

 

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Mathematics is as much a part of our humanity as music and art.

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Simulated Shelves: Browse October’s New Books

We are delighted to present a selection of our newly published October titles from our core subjects of Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, History, Medical Anthropology, and Socio-Legal Studies along with a selection of our New in Paperback titles.

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ANTHROPOLOGY NOW AND NEXT
Essays in Honor of Ulf Hannerz
Edited by Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Christina Garsten and Shalini Randeria

Continue reading “Simulated Shelves: Browse October’s New Books” →

Media Studies

The media allows access to incredible amounts of information and continues to become very integral to the lives of many people. Legislatures, media executives, local officials, general population, historians and sociologists have all debated the controversial question of what rode and influence does mass media play in history and society. While opinions vary as to the extent and type of influence the mass media wields, all sides agree that mass media is a permanent part and a significant force in modern culture.

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Berghahn is delighted to present some of its relevant titles from the Media Studies list:

 

MEDIA AND REVOLT
Strategies and Performances from the 1960s to the Present
Edited by Kathrin Fahlenbrach, Erling Sivertsen & Rolf Werenskjold

Volume 11, Protest, Culture & Society

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Simulated Shelves: Browse September’s New Books

We are delighted to present a selection of our newly published, and soon to be published, September titles from our core subjects of Conflict Studies, Film Studies, Gender Studies, Genocide Studies, History and Religious Studies along with a selection of our New in Paperback titles.

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FOOD IN ZONES OF CONFLICT
Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives
Edited by Paul Collinson and Helen Macbeth
Foreword by Hugo Slim

Volume 8, Anthropology of Food & Nutrition Continue reading “Simulated Shelves: Browse September’s New Books” →

Venice Film Festival Kicking Off the Fall Movie Festival Season

The 71st Venice International Film Festival, organized by La Biennale di Venezia, opens today and runs through September 6th 2014, on the island of the Lido, Venice, Italy. Twenty films will be competing for the Golden Lion prize, and several dozen more will wrestle for the attention of critics and audiences.

 

The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (Italian: Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, “International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale”) is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the “Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica”, the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island

For this year’s festival line-up, screening schedule and other information please visit Venice Film Festival official website.

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In the interim, Berghahn is delighted to present its own line-up of Film Studies titles:

 

THE JOURNEY OF G. MASTORNA
The Film Fellini Didn’t Make
Federico Fellini
With the collaboration of Dino Buzzati, Brunello Rondi, and Bernardino Zapponi
Translated with a commentary by Marcus Perryman

Continue reading “Venice Film Festival Kicking Off the Fall Movie Festival Season” →