Peter J. Smith – författare

'Social Shakespeare is a thoughtful and frequently incisive book wabout an important and complex topic.' - Terence Hawkes, Cahiers Elisabethains;Shakespeare studies have become increasingly politicised and clashes of opinion amongst scholars are not uncommon. Social Shakespeare, in its enthusiasm for the plays themselves, attempts to bridge the gap between rival approaches, aiming as a distinct refocusing of political criticism upon the Shakespearean text as realised in performance. Modern Shakespeare productions have the potential to make far more political impact than academic studies and yet, until now, critics have been reluctant to recognise this potential. With reference to particular productions, backed up by illustrations, Peter J. Smith integrates critical understanding of the plays with evidence of their political impact on stage.

Struggles for global justice are being fought by civil society groups across the globe, addressing global inequalities, challenging neoliberal market driven globalization and demanding to remedy its negative implications. This book examines the roles religious communities and organizations in particular play in the struggles for global justice, roles too often ignored by scholars of the Global Justice Movement (GJM). It has two central themes:- the role religion and religious actors play in global justice struggles, and - the idea that justice is a contested concept among both religious and secular actors which requires some sort of ‘faith’ from its proponents. These chapters transcend simplistic either/or binaries highlighting the difficulties of clearly distinguishing between religious and secular, progressive and conservative, or rational and irrational motives and norms in struggles for justice. Challenging the secularization paradigm that marginalizes the role religious actors play in public life these chapters show how these actors engage with a broad range of justice issues, how deeply contested justice is, and how its meaning may vary and change among religious actors as a result of the social or political context within which an injustice is encountered.The chapters originally published as a special issue in Globalizations.

Taking a fresh and innovative approach to the complexities and challenges inherent in organizational learning diversity, the authors show that there are no generic solutions. They argue there is no 'best way' of planning, organizing and implementing learning in relation to the workplace and instead provide context-specific solutions to the dilemmas and issues that diversities present.With an international approach, grounded in theory and incorporating strong practical examples, this book is essential reading for all those studying, teaching or practising human resource development, human resource management or professional education.

Taking a fresh and innovative approach to the complexities and challenges inherent in organizational learning diversity, the authors show that there are no generic solutions. They argue there is no 'best way' of planning, organizing and implementing learning in relation to the workplace and instead provide context-specific solutions to the dilemmas and issues that diversities present.With an international approach, grounded in theory and incorporating strong practical examples, this book is essential reading for all those studying, teaching or practising human resource development, human resource management or professional education.

Between two stools investigates the representation of scatology – humorous, carnivalesque, satirical, damning and otherwise – in English literature from the middle ages to the eighteenth century. Smith contends that the ‘two stools’ stand for two broadly distinctive attitudes towards scatology. The first is a carnivalesque, merry, even hearty disposition, typified by the writings of Chaucer and Shakespeare. The second is self-disgust, an attitude characterised by withering misanthropy and hypochondria. Smith demonstrates how the combination of high and low cultures manifests the capacity to run canonical and carnivalesque together so that sanctioned and civilised artefacts and scatological humour frequently co-exist in the works under discussion, evidence of an earlier culture’s aptitude (now lost) to occupy a position between two stools. Of interest to cultural and literary historians, this ground-breaking study testifies to the arrival of scatology as an academic subject, at the same time recognising that it remains if not outside, then at least at the margins of conventional scholarship.

Now available in paperback, Between two stools investigates the representation of scatology – humorous, carnivalesque, satirical, damning and otherwise – in English literature from the middle ages to the eighteenth century. Smith contends that the ‘two stools’ stand for two broadly distinctive attitudes towards scatology. The first is a carnivalesque, merry, even hearty disposition, typified by the writings of Chaucer and Shakespeare. The second is self-disgust, an attitude characterised by withering misanthropy and hypochondria. Smith demonstrates how the combination of high and low cultures manifests the capacity to run canonical and carnivalesque together so that sanctioned and civilised artefacts and scatological humour frequently co-exist in the works under discussion, evidence of an earlier culture’s aptitude (now lost) to occupy a position between two stools. Of interest to cultural and literary historians, this ground-breaking study testifies to the arrival of scatology as an academic subject, at the same time recognising that it remains if not outside, then at least at the margins of conventional scholarship.

Struggles for global justice are being fought by civil society groups across the globe, addressing global inequalities, challenging neoliberal market driven globalization and demanding to remedy its negative implications. This book examines the roles religious communities and organizations in particular play in the struggles for global justice, roles too often ignored by scholars of the Global Justice Movement (GJM). It has two central themes:- the role religion and religious actors play in global justice struggles, and - the idea that justice is a contested concept among both religious and secular actors which requires some sort of ‘faith’ from its proponents. These chapters transcend simplistic either/or binaries highlighting the difficulties of clearly distinguishing between religious and secular, progressive and conservative, or rational and irrational motives and norms in struggles for justice. Challenging the secularization paradigm that marginalizes the role religious actors play in public life these chapters show how these actors engage with a broad range of justice issues, how deeply contested justice is, and how its meaning may vary and change among religious actors as a result of the social or political context within which an injustice is encountered.The chapters originally published as a special issue in Globalizations.

Analysis of Failure and Survival Data is an essential textbook for graduate-level students of survival analysis and reliability and a valuable reference for practitioners. It focuses on the many techniques that appear in popular software packages, including plotting product-limit survival curves, hazard plots, and probability plots in the context of censored data. The author integrates S-Plus and Minitab output throughout the text, along with a variety of real data sets so readers can see how the theory and methods are applied. He also incorporates exercises in each chapter that provide valuable problem-solving experience. In addition to all of this, the book also brings to light the most recent linear regression techniques. Most importantly, it includes a definitive account of the Buckley-James method for censored linear regression, found to be the best performing method when a Cox proportional hazards method is not appropriate.Applying the theories of survival analysis and reliability requires more background and experience than students typically receive at the undergraduate level. Mastering the contents of this book will help prepare students to begin performing research in survival analysis and reliability and provide seasoned practitioners with a deeper understanding of the field.

This volume offers an accessible and thought-provoking guide to this major Shakespearean comedy, surveying its key themes and evolving critical preoccupations. It also provides a detailed and up-to-date history of the play’s rich stage and screen performance, looking closely at major contemporary performances, including Josie Rourke’s film starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate, Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones at the Old Vic, and the RSC’s recent rebranding of it as a sequel.Moving through to four new critical essays, the guide opens up fresh perspectives, including contemporary directors’ deployment of older actors within the lead roles, the play’s relationship to Love’s Labour’s Lost, its presence on Youtube and the ways in which tales and ruses in the play belong to a wider concern with varieties of crime.The volume finishes with a guide to critical, web-based and production-related resources and an annotated bibliography provide a basis for further research.

This volume offers an accessible and thought-provoking guide to this major Shakespearean comedy, surveying its key themes and evolving critical preoccupations. It also provides a detailed and up-to-date history of the play’s rich stage and screen performance, looking closely at major contemporary performances, including Josie Rourke’s film starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate, Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones at the Old Vic, and the RSC’s recent rebranding of it as a sequel.Moving through to four new critical essays, the guide opens up fresh perspectives, including contemporary directors’ deployment of older actors within the lead roles, the play’s relationship to Love’s Labour’s Lost, its presence on Youtube and the ways in which tales and ruses in the play belong to a wider concern with varieties of crime.The volume finishes with a guide to critical, web-based and production-related resources and an annotated bibliography provide a basis for further research.

Analysis of Failure and Survival Data is an essential textbook for graduate-level students of survival analysis and reliability and a valuable reference for practitioners. It focuses on the many techniques that appear in popular software packages, including plotting product-limit survival curves, hazard plots, and probability plots in the context of censored data. The author integrates S-Plus and Minitab output throughout the text, along with a variety of real data sets so readers can see how the theory and methods are applied. He also incorporates exercises in each chapter that provide valuable problem-solving experience. In addition to all of this, the book also brings to light the most recent linear regression techniques. Most importantly, it includes a definitive account of the Buckley-James method for censored linear regression, found to be the best performing method when a Cox proportional hazards method is not appropriate.Applying the theories of survival analysis and reliability requires more background and experience than students typically receive at the undergraduate level. Mastering the contents of this book will help prepare students to begin performing research in survival analysis and reliability and provide seasoned practitioners with a deeper understanding of the field.

Protests of neoliberal globalization have proliferated in recent years, not least in response to the financial crisis, austerity and increasing inequality. But how do religious groups organize themselves in response to these issues?This book systematically studies the relationship of religious activism towards neoliberal globalization. It considers how religious organizations often play a central role in the resistance against global capitalism, endeavouring to offer alternatives and developments for reform. But it also examines the other side of the coin, showing how many religious groups help to diffuse neoliberal values, promote and reinforce practices of capitalism. Drawing on a unique set of case studies from around the world, the chapters examine a range of groups and their practices in order to provide a thorough examination of the relationship between religion and the global political economy.

Protests of neoliberal globalization have proliferated in recent years, not least in response to the financial crisis, austerity and increasing inequality. But how do religious groups organize themselves in response to these issues?This book systematically studies the relationship of religious activism towards neoliberal globalization. It considers how religious organizations often play a central role in the resistance against global capitalism, endeavouring to offer alternatives and developments for reform. But it also examines the other side of the coin, showing how many religious groups help to diffuse neoliberal values, promote and reinforce practices of capitalism. Drawing on a unique set of case studies from around the world, the chapters examine a range of groups and their practices in order to provide a thorough examination of the relationship between religion and the global political economy.