HOLT - Böcker

2009 brought the end of the protracted civil war in Sri Lanka, and observers hoped to see the re-establishment of harmonious religious and ethnic relations among the various communities in the country. Immediately following the war's end, however, almost 300,000 Tamil people in the Northern Province were detained for up to a year's time in hurriedly constructed camps where they were closely scrutinized by military investigators to determine whether they might pose a threat to the country. While almost all had been released and resettled by 2011, the current government has not introduced, nor even seriously entertained, any significant measures of power devolution that might create meaningful degrees of autonomy in the regions that remain dominated by Tamil peoples. The Sri Lankan government has grown increasingly autocratic, attempting to assert its control over the local media and non-governmental organizations while at the same time reorienting its foreign policy away from the US, UK, EU, and Japan, to an orbit that now includes China, Burma, Russia and Iran. At the same time, hardline right-wing groups of Sinhala Buddhists have propagated-arguably with the government's tacit approval-the idea of an international conspiracy designed to destabilize Sri Lanka. The local targets of these extremist groups, the so-called fronts of this alleged conspiracy, have been identified as Christians and Muslims. Many Christian churches have suffered numerous attacks at the hands of Buddhist extremists, but the Muslim community has borne the brunt of the suffering. Buddhist Extremists and Muslim Minorities presents a collection of essays that investigate the history and current conditions of Buddhist-Muslim relations in Sri Lanka in an attempt to ascertain the causes of the present conflict. Readers unfamiliar with this story will be surprised to learn that it inverts common stereotypes of the two religious groups. In this context, certain groups of Buddhists, generally regarded as peace-oriented , are engaged in victimizing Muslims, who are increasingly regarded as militant , in unwarranted and irreligious ways. The essays reveal that the motivations for these attacks often stem from deep-seated economic disparity, but the contributors also argue that elements of religious culture have served as catalysts for the explosive violence. This is a much-needed, timely commentary that can potentially shift the standard narrative on Muslims and religious violence.

Molecular genetics has revolutionised our understanding of human disease and nowhere is this more apparent than the group of diseases caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. The concept of mitochondrial diseases dates back only as far as the 1960s, and they were given little credence until mutations in mitochondrial DNA were found in the late 1980s. This international edited book summarises the advances in human mitochondrial genetics made over the past decade and a half. During that time, numerous mutations of mitochondrial DNA have been discovered and more recently mitochondrial diseases have been linked to a number of nuclear gene mutations. Although individually rare, mitochondrial diseases collectively represent a common cause of genetic disease. They have myriad effects and often manifest as common disorders such as diabetes, cardiac dysfunction and neurodegenerative disease. Effective treatments are unlikely to be found for some time for the vast majority of mitochondrial disorders and so pre-natal diagnosis and genetic counselling are of primary importance in the management of mitochondrial disease.In order to make sense of the diversity of mitochondrial disease the reader is first treated to a review of mitochondrial DNA metabolism and normal mitochondrial function. The core of the book details specific mitochondrial and nuclear mutations and the diseases they cause, whilst at the same time providing further insight into mitochondrial function. Later sections assess the role of cellular and animal models in advancing our understanding of mitochondrial diseases and the prospects for novel therapeutic strategies to combat these enigmatic disorders.Mitochondrial diseases are an increasingly recognised cause of inherited disease. Most clinicians are now aware of this group of diseases and those involved in genetic counselling will recognise the need for a greater understanding of this group of disorders. This book will also appeal to scientific and medical geneticists, and to registrars who encounter this group of diseases in the clinic.

Media Industries: History, Theory and Method is among the first texts to explore the evolving field of media industry studies and offer an innovative blueprint for future study and analysis. capitalizes on the current social and cultural environment of unprecedented technical change, convergence, and globalization across a range of textual, institutional and theoretical perspectivesbrings together newly commissioned essays by leading scholars in film, media, communications and cultural studiesincludes case studies of film, television and digital media to vividly illustrate the dynamic transformations taking place across national, regional and international contexts