Suchergebnisse

On Tuesday, 26 April 2016, I sat down with former head of History at Maynooth University, Professor Vincent Comerford, to chat about the current state of the discipline, about changes within history over time and the telling of Irish history, and about the centennial commemorations of Ireland's 1916 Rising. Prof. Comerford is originally from Tipperary and came to Maynooth in 1962, where he studied for his undergraduate and Master's degree. He then attended Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and earned his PhD with the guidance and supervision of T. W. Moody. Subsequently, he became a lecturer in History at Maynooth in 1977, and was appointed Professor of Modern History and head of department in 1989, remaining in post until his retirement in 2010. At Maynooth he supervised more than thirty PhD theses on nineteenth- and twentieth-century Ireland, and oversaw a great expansion in the size of the History department and the scope of its activities. Professor Comerford's bibliography includes: Charles J. Kickham: A Study in Irish Nationalism and Literature (1979); The Fenians in Context: Irish Politics and Society, 1848-82 (1985); and Ireland: Inventing the Nation (2003). Comerford also contributed the primary narrative for the period 1850-91 to A New History of Ireland. He has edited several collections and written numerous articles that focus on Irish nationalism and nineteenth century Irish history. The following is a transcript of our (just-over-one-hour-long) conversation.

"This work traces the history of the jukebox from its origins in the invention of the phonograph by Thomas Alva Edison in the 1880s up to its relative obscurity today." "The jukebox's first twenty years were experimental, with low technical quality and other limitations. It then practically disappeared for a quarter-century, beaten out by the player piano as the coin-operated music machine of choice." "Then, new and improved, the jukebox spread quickly across America, largely as a result of the repeal of Prohibition and the increased number of bars nationwide. Other important elements of the jukebox are covered: it played patriotic tunes during wartime and, located in youth centers, entertained young people and kept them out of "trouble." The industry had one last fling due to a healthy export trade and then went into decline in the 1960s. Richly illustrated."--Jacket

A riveting, comprehensive history of the Arab peoples and tribes that explores the role of language as a cultural touchstone. This kaleidoscopic book covers almost 3,000 years of Arab history and shines a light on the footloose Arab peoples and tribes who conquered lands and disseminated their language and culture over vast distances. Tracing this process to the origins of the Arabic language, rather than the advent of Islam, Tim Mackintosh-Smith begins his narrative more than a thousand years before Muhammad and focuses on how Arabic, both spoken and written, has functioned as a vital source of shared cultural identity over the millennia. Mackintosh-Smith reveals how linguistic developments—from pre-Islamic poetry to the growth of script, Muhammad's use of writing, and the later problems of printing Arabic—have helped and hindered the progress of Arab history, and investigates how, even in today's politically fractured post–Arab Spring environment, Arabic itself is still a source of unity and disunity.

"For most people, fashion can daze and confuse. It is, however, a fascinating phenomenon that is key to how we define our identities, and it plays a central role in our lives. Proposing a comprehensive and accessible account of the global fashion industry, this book aims to present fashion in all its diversity and richness, to 'unveil' its mysterious mechanisms. Drawing on six core principles from the industry, Frédéric Godart guides the reader through the economic, cultural and social arena of the world's most glamorous industry. First, in the everyday-life game of identity-building, where fashion is deployed, between the individual and society. Secondly, the convergence of trends reveals how social influence is played out; likewise, fashion as an art, and how this is characterized by a creative and aesthetic autonomy. Finally, to all these dimensions, contemporary fashion adds the figure of the 'creative genius,' and gives a prominent importance to brands" - Publisher website

The problem of a large number of abortions in our country was first pointed
out as far back as 1935 at the 17th Congress of Yugoslav Physicians. The
abortion problem in Serbia is still present today, even though modern science
has provided new methods and means which are a logical solution to the
dilemma on birth control methods from the health and social aspect. Namely,
total abortion rate in Serbia was estimated at 2.76 in the year 2007. It is
very high; double the number of the total fertility rate and among the
highest in Europe and the world. The term abortion culture was first used, as
far as we know, by Henry David in the introduction of the book From Abortion
to Contraception - A Resource to Public Policies and Reproductive Behavior in
Central and Eastern Europe from 1917 to the Present in 1999, without
specifically determining it. The aim of this paper is to identify the most
important factors of the deterministic basis of endemic induced abortions in
Serbia together with indirectly estimating their connection with the
existence, namely nonexistence, of the abortion culture in our country. In
that sense, potential factors of abortion incidence in Serbia which emerge
from the social system and those connected to the individual level have been
considered. In other words, a series of laws and other legal and political
documents have been analyzed which are significant for perceiving the
abortion matter, as well as institutional frameworks for family planning,
health services, educating the youth regarding reproductive health, including
findings of numerous researches carried out among women of various age and
doctors from 1990 till present day in Serbia. The following most significant
factors for the long duration of the abortion problem have been singled out:
insufficient knowledge of modern contraception, a belief that modern
contraceptive methods are harmful to health and a number of psychological
barriers as well as those arising from relationships with partners.
Gynecological attitudes about modern contraception and behavior do not differ
significantly from the rest of the population. Additionally, there are few
organized efforts to promote sex education, as well as limitations in the
family planning programme. Distinguished macro and micro factors of
traditional birth control in Serbia confirm the existence of the abortion
culture. The nature of these factors though, indicate to the presence of the
abortion culture in our country on the political, educational, health and
individual level. The abortion culture obstructs the adoption of a modern
concept of family planning and points out to the persistence of the abortion
problem in our country in the years to come.

In Disturbing Pleasures Henry Giroux demonstrates how his well-known theories of education, critical pedagogy and popular culture can be put to use in the classroom and in other cultural settings. Adding an entirely new dimension to his thinking about the cultural sites at which pedagogical practice takes place, Giroux illustrates how professors, school teachers and other cultural workers can appropriate what he refers to as a "pedagogy of cultural studies