Research Project Sagalassos speaks to the imagination in more ways than one. The authentic and natural beauty of the site no doubt plays a role in that. The Sagalassos Project testifies to the fact that its core business, archaeology, also appeals to the imagination. Learning about the past is fascinating, for young and old alike. Curiosity unquestionably plays a role in this. Archaeologists, as any other scientist, are driven to really know about past human activities. As they leave no stone...

In 1999, a short video of a solitary boy kicking an empty bottle up a hill in Mexico City became the first instalment of Children’s Games, a series of works by artist Francis Alÿs (b. Antwerp, 1959). The ongoing project, which now numbers around thirty-five works, has gradually given shape to an extensive collection of videos of children at play. For almost twenty years, Alÿs and his collaborators Félix Blume, Julien Devaux, and Rafael Ortega have been travelling around the world to docu...

Radically subjective. Radically unapologetic. Radically demanding. These are the hallmarks of Dirk Lauwaert’s skill, attitude, and sensitivity, which are the result of radical attention.

Belgian writer and critic Dirk Lauwaert (1944–2013) wrote about images, be they moving or still, historical or contemporary, overfamiliar or unseen. He experienced them intensely, studied them attentively, and connected them to ethical, philosophical, or social issues in texts that invited readers to do t...

Markets and market halls have always been more than about trade and nourishment. A detailed look at the histories of marketplaces provides evidence of the public health concerns they faced, as well as the social commotion, mobilization and, at times, unrest they hosted. This edited volume reappraises the market hall, examining both its architectural and its social and political significance.

Focusing on how these buildings embodied transformations in architecture and urbanism from the mid-nin...

Silver empowerment is a valuable paradigm to improve care and support systems for older persons. It aims to counteract the dominant image of ageing, which is all too often one of decline, dependency and vulnerability, and rather sees ageing and the ageing population as a challenge that opens up new opportunities. By focusing on the strengths and connections of older persons, silver empowerment strives for an inclusive, age-friendly society that will allow everyone to grow old with dignity and...

The topic of social assistance for migrant newcomers often sparks heated public debate and remains a prominent concern on the policy agenda. Society – including the target groups of welfare institutions – has experienced a growing level of diversity. This reality gives rise to new demands and changing profiles of individuals who benefit from welfare services. Welfare institutions, which are responsible for providing social assistance, play a crucial role in granting access to social benef...

Unconventional Muslim marriages have been topics of heated public debate. Around the globe, religious scholars, policy makers, political actors, media personalities, and women’s activists discuss, promote, or reject unregistered, transnational, interreligious and other boundary-crossing marriages. Couples entering into such marriages, however, often have different concerns from those publicly discussed. Based on ethnographic research in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, the ch...

Les Pêcheurs de perles ofwel De parelvissers uit 1863 is een bijzonder jeugdwerk van de Franse componist Georges Bizet. Deze opera zit vol prachtige melodieën, pakkende scènes, emotionele confrontaties én het allermooiste duet voor tenor en bariton. Wat het werk extra interessant maakt, is de oriëntaalse en exotische situering, die zowel het verhaal als de muziek een bijzondere glans verlenen. De opera speelt zich af in Ceylon, het huidige Sri Lanka, waar de mooie Leïla, een priesteres ...

History of Japanese Art after 1945 is a compilation of essays that surveys the development of art in Japan since WWII. The original Japanese work, which has become essential reading for those with an interest in modern contemporary Japanese art and is a foundational resource for students and researchers, spans the 150 years from the 1850s to the 2010s. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific period and written by a specialist on the subject matter.

For this English edition, overseen by Art Pl...

In Anarchy of the Body, art historian KuroDalaiJee (a.k.a. Kuroda Raiji) sheds light on vital pieces of postwar Japanese avant-garde history by contextualizing the social, cultural, and political trajectories of artists across Japan in the 1960s. A culmination of years of research, Anarchy of the Body draws on an extensive breadth of source material to reveal how the practice of performance by individual artists and art groups during this period formed a legacy of resistance against instituti...