Clayton - Böcker

Jay Clayton's new book offers a lucid cutting-edge explication of the often stormy relationship between contemporary literature and criticism. Repudiating the jargon of theory, Clayton systematically makes sense of the movements of the last two decades: deconstruction, feminism. In a wholly original fashion Clayton succeeds in fusing a layman's guide to recent criticism with a scholarly work that directly engages theories of narrative by applying them to some of the most prominent American writers of our time.

Time in Indian Music is the first major study of rhythm, metre, and form in North Indian rag, or classical, music. Martin Clayton presents a theoretical model for the organization of time in this repertory, a model which is related explicitly to other spheres of Indian thought and culture as well as to current ideas on musical time in alternative repertories–including that of Western music. This theoretical model is elucidated and illustrated with reference to many musical examples drawn from authentic recorded performances. These examples clarify key Indian musicological concepts such as tal (metre), lay (tempo or rhythm), and laykari (rhythmic variation). More generally, the volume addresses the implications of performance practice for the organization of rhythm and metre. Written in a clear and accessible style and illustrated with 102 music examples and diagrams, it will appeal to anyone interested in Indian aesthetic forms and the study of musical time. The book contains a free CD of authentic recorded performances closely referred to in the text.

Current interest in host-parasite interactions is spread across many disciplines-immunology, evolution, ecology, endocrinology, sexual selection, behaviour, and organismal parasitology. Host-parasite evolution is a comprehensive review that bridges the gap between evolutionary biologists and parasitologists. Some chapters deal with conceptual issues, such as demography or sexual selection; others present nuts-and-bolts information about parasites themselves and methods used to study them. Because birds have figured prominently in much evolutionary work on host-parasite interactions, the emphasis is on avian systems, but other systems are included where relevant. It will be an invaluable reference for students and researchers from a wide range of disciplines interested in understanding host-parasite interactions.

Strong claims have been made for emergence as a new paradigm for understanding science, consciousness, and religion. Tracing the past history and current definitions of the concept, Clayton assesses the case for emergent phenomena in the natural world and their significance for philosophy and theology. Complex emergent phenomena require irreducible levels of explanation in physics, chemistry and biology. This pattern of emergence suggests a new approach to the problem of consciousness, which is neither reducible to brain states nor proof of a mental substance or soul. Although emergence does not entail classical theism, it is compatible with a variety of religious positions. Clayton concludes with a defence of emergentist panentheism and a Christian constructive theology consistent with the new sciences of emergence.

Environmental psychology, which studies the ways in which people perceive and respond to the physical environment, is an established area of study. Conservation psychology has a much more recent history, prompted by the desire to focus psychological research on the need to protect the natural environment. What is conservation psychology, and what is its relationship to environmental psychology? The Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Conservation Psychology includes basic research on environmental perceptions, attitudes, and values; research on specific environments, such as therapeutic settings, schools, and prisons; environmental impacts on human well-being; and ways to promote a more sustainable relationship between people and the natural environment. By presenting an extensive review of current research, the handbook serves as a thorough guide to the state of knowledge about a wide range of topics at the intersection of psychology and the physical environment. Beyond this, it provides a better understanding of the relationship between environmental and conservation psychology, and some sense of the directions in which these interdependent areas of study are heading. Research on the human-environment relationship is increasingly relevant to understanding and addressing the environmental challenges society is facing. This handbook should serve as a resource for professionals both within and outside of psychology who are trying to comprehend the human implications of environments, and to design programs, policies, and environments that are cognizant of human psychology.

How does the immediate experience of musical sound relate to processes of meaning construction and discursive mediation? This question lies at the heart of the studies presented in Experience and Meaning in Music Performance, a unique multi-authored work that both draws on and contributes to current debates in a wide range of disciplines, including ethnomusicology, musicology, psychology, and cognitive science. Addressing a wide range of musical practices from Indian raga and Afro-Brazilian Congado rituals to jazz, rock, and Canadian aboriginal fiddling, the coherence of this study is underpinned by its three main themes: experience, meaning, and performance. Central to all of the studies are moments of performance: those junctures when sound and meaning are actually produced. Experience-what people do, and what they feel, while engaging in music-is equally important. And considered alongside these is meaning: what people put into a performance, what they (and others) get out of it, and, more broadly, how discourses shape performances and experiences of music. In tracing trajectories from moments of musical execution, this volume a novel and productive view of how cultural practice relates to the experience and meaning of musical performance.A model of interdisciplinary study, and including access to an array of audio-visual materials available on an extensive companion website, Experience and Meaning in Music Performance is essential reading for scholars and students of ethnomusicology and music psychology.

This reader brings together classic and contemporary contributions to debates about social justice. A collection of classic and contemporary contributions to debates about social justice. Includes classic discussions of justice by Locke and Hume. Provides broad coverage of contemporary discussions, including theoretical pieces by John Rawls, Robert Nozick and Ronald Dworkin. Contains papers that apply theories of justice to concrete issues, such as gender and the family, the market, world poverty, cultural rights, and future generations. Philosophically challenging yet accessible to students.

This is a short history of the age of exploration and the conquest of the Americas told through the experience of Bartolomé de las Casas, a Dominican friar who fervently defended the American Indians, and the single most important figure of the period after Columbus. Explores the period known as the Encounter, which was characterized by intensive conflict between Europeans and the people of the Americas following Columbus’s voyagesArgues that Las Casas, ‘protector of Indians,' was primarily motivated by Scripture in his crusade for justice and equality for American IndiansDraws on the 14 volume Complete Works of Las Casas as a window into his mind and actionsEncourages students to understand history through the viewpoint of individuals living it