This book is a study of the interaction of the Western societies of Europe and America with others around the world in the past two centuries - the age of European empire. It deals with the European threat and the non-Western response, but the focus is on the ways in which people in Asia, Africa, and Indian America have tried to adapt their ways of life to the overwhelming European power that existed in this period. The challenge and the response are presented through a series of selected and...

War has always been close to the centre of British culture, but never more so than in the period since 1850. "Warrior Nation" explores the way in which images of battle, both literary and visual, have been constructed in British fiction and popular culture since this time. The rise of war reporting has helped to shape a society fascinated by conflict, and the development of mass communications has aided in the creation of mass-produced martial heroes and the relation of epic adventures for po...

Levensbeaming is de eerste aanduiding van het leerproces dat in dit boek filosofisch wordt omschreven. Minachting of verwaarlozing van delen van de werkelijkheid (zoals materie, lichaam, gevoel, verstand) is evenzeer een karikatuur van spiritualiteit als exclusivistische verabsolutering van enig deel van de werkelijkheid (eigen volk of klasse; een heilig boek of instituut; markt, mode, media). Levensbeaming, niet in de zin van berusting of van alles toejuichen wat er gebeurt. Maar eerder zoal...

De Islam kent een aantal regels waaraan moslims zich moeten houden. Zo moet een moslim vijf keer per dag bidden met gezicht naar Mekka. Hoe bepaal je die richting? Een andere regel is dat moslims zich in de vastenperiode, de Ramadan, moeten houden. Het begin van deze vastenperiode wordt bepaald door de Islamitische kalender die samenhangt met de gang van de Maan langs de hemelbol. Met deze Zebra kun je leren hoe vroeger (en nu) deze problemen door moslims werden opgelost. De tekst is het resu...

Ever since the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton introduced quaternions in the nineteenth century--a feat he celebrated by carving the founding equations into a stone bridge--mathematicians and engineers have been fascinated by these mathematical objects. Today, they are used in applications as various as describing the geometry of spacetime, guiding the Space Shuttle, and developing computer applications in virtual reality. In this book, J. B. Kuipers introduces quaternions for scie...

Exploring Culture brings Geert Hofstede's five dimensions of national culture to life. Suitable for students, trainers, coaches and educators, it can be used for individual study or as a set text, and serves as an excellent partner to Geert Hofstede's popular Cultures and Organizations.

This is the definitive survey of the English language - in all its forms. Crystal writes accessibly about the structure of the language, the uses of English throughout the world and finally he gives a brief history of English. The book has been fully revised and there is a fascinating new chapter on 'The effect of technology' on the English language.

'Illuminating guided tour of our common treasure by one of its most lucid and sensible professionals' The Times 'A splendid blend of erudition a...

This highly original and sophisticated look at architecture helps us to understand the cultural significance of the buildings that surround us. It avoids the traditional style-spotting approach in favour of giving an idea of what it is about buildings that moves us, and what it is that makes them important artistically and culturally. The book begins by looking at how architecture acquires meaning through tradition, and concludes with the exoticism of the recentavant garde.

Illustrations of p...

A selection of source readings on history, society, politics, education, philosophy, and religion in the Land of the Rising Sun. This work includes: readings on early and medieval Shinto and on the tea ceremony, readings on state Buddhism and Chinese political thought influential in Japan, and sections on women's education.