New Academia Publishing – förlag

Eclectic criticism and insightful observations from "one of the most respected cultural historians working today" (Ronald A. Wells, Professor of History Emeritus, Calvin College)."From cowboy philosopher Will Rogers to popular perceptions of two world wars and Vietnam, from the history of language to the language of film and television, Peter Rollins has devoted his career to exploring the intriguing ways in which the creative impulse both shapes and reflects American culture. His observations are fresh, illuminating and of enduring value." —John E. O''Connor, co-founder/editor of Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies"Examines the roles of language, satire, and film in reflecting the American consciousness through such diverse sources as Orestes Brownson, Benjamin Lee Whorf, Will Rogers, and Hollywood. Readers of America Reflected are in for a delightful voyage as they travel through American history and culture with Peter Rollins as their guide providing personal and scholarly insights into the shaping of the American mind." —Ron Briley, editor of The Politics of Baseball: Essays on the Pastime and Power at Home and Abroad"Even those who have known and admired Peter Rollins''s acclaimed works will here find enlightening surprises. Epistemology, language theory, war''s polemics, filmed history, and an array of significant creators of American culture are all elegantly displayed. This book will make you a wiser person and charm you while it does it." —John Shelton Lawrence, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Morningside College"Two decades ago I was privileged to work on a book, America Observed, with Alistair Cooke. Now we have America Reflected by Peter Rollins . . . Not only does Rollins make good observations about our lives and times, his reflections on a diverse set of subjects helps us to see the meanings of our observations." —Ronald A. Wells, Professor of History Emeritus, Calvin College"Rollins gathers together glimpses of our shared worlds, so that we may observe their interconnections across media, genres, and time. From down-home values and front-porch philosophy, to tales of wars and chronicles of lives, the subjects considered here are all part of the stories we tell about ourselves and our social worlds." —Cynthia J. Miller, President, Literature/Film Association

This memoir of an American woman''s life in Moscow traces the social and cultural evolution of Russia from the era of Krushchev to the era of Putin.In the mid-1960s, Naomi Collins was a graduate student at Moscow State University. As the 21st century began, she was the wife of the American Ambassador to Russia. In this insightful memoir, she shares her reflections and impressions of life as an American woman living in the Russian capital over the course of four decades.Rather than retracing the economic and political events of the period, Collins focuses her narrative on daily as it changed over the years. She offers fascinating anecdotal snapshots that reveal rare insight into the evolving state of the nation."This book is like a script for a documentary spanning four decades when an especially astute and literate observer watched Russia emerge from stagnation and enter a period of dramatic economic, social, and political change and, on many fronts, upheaval." —Strobe Talbott, President of the Brookings Institution

An international film festival sparks a cross-cultural romance sparks in this novel of cultural history, ethnic tensions, and the power of love.Aisha and Benjamin meet at a film festival in Spain, and the instant attraction hits them both like a lightning bolt. She is a documentary filmmaker, and he is a historian. She is a Muslim, and he is a Jew. And as they get closer, the misunderstanding between them, and the tensions between their two worlds, escalates to dizzying extremes.Red Star, Crescent Moon mixes contemporary and the historical worlds in a bold tale of clashing cultures. It is a tale of new romance and ancient conflicts, where pop culture and political violence exist side by side. The romance of Aisha and Benjamin is set against the backdrop of a Hollywood epic in production, a movie megastar with seductive intentions, and terrorists who wish to reclaim Spain for Islam.

"[Tejani] shares her stories of succeeding as a doctor in Uganda during the 1960s . . . a must for those seeking a medical memoir collection." —Midwest Book ReviewSet in Uganda of the sixties with bookends in India and New York, this doctor''s story tells of a turbulent political time when colonial Uganda graduated to self-rule. It is also the personal story of an Indian woman living in an independent African country wanting and needing assimilation but regretfully recognizing rejection. It is the story of the exhilaration of living in a country more beautiful than Eden, if sometimes a threatened Eden. But most of all it tells doctoring tales made delicate by seeing them through the heart. It was a time in medicine before evidential imperatives removed the romance."Dr. Tejani''s unique meld of skill and compassion radiates throughout this text which will touch both physician and lay readers alike." —Frank A. Chervenak, MD, New York Weill Cornell Medical Center"With clarity, drama, and humor, this book creates a family story, a picture of an African nation in the throes of political upheaval, and an original and illuminating view of medical needs and practices in circumstances that exist today in many parts of the world. The complex harmonies of the song in Dr. Tejani''s head will resonate for a wide variety of readers." —Carol Sicherman, author of Rude Awakenings"Nergesh Tejani is a terrific writer . . . Her subject is often exotic, often with international themes and full of pithy observations and wisdom." —Abraham Verghese, MD, Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center

The story of a man navigating an era of upheaval, persecution, and suspicion: "A must read for students of 20th-century political and intellectual history." —Robert Cohen, Professor of History and Social Studies Education, New York UniversityDrawing on family papers, wide-ranging interviews, FBI files, American and German newspapers, a wide array of published sources, and her own memories, Carol Sicherman traces Harry Marks''s German American heritage, his education both formal and informal, his marriage to a fellow Communist from a poor Russian family, his rocky start as an academic, his anguish when confronted by his Communist past, and his ultimate creation of a satisfying career.Her sleuthing encompasses as well the paths to safety taken by his German friends as they found sanctuary around the world—in Russia, England, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Palestine, Brazil, the United States, and Canada."Of particular interest is Carol Sicherman''s carefully researched description of the anti-Semitic atmosphere that Jewish students encountered at Harvard in the twenties and thirties, as well as the experience of a young American thrown into the turmoil accompanying the collapse of Germany''s democracy and the appeal of Communism as an alternative to Nazism." —Curt F. Beck, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Connecticut

Personal and professional reflections from a former US Foreign Service officer.This book is a series of reflections at the point of retirement from the U.S. Foreign Service after a career spent in locations around the globe. The collection of public blog postings, all colored by the author''s experience, include short essays on the following themes: personal anecdote, people/profiles, foreign policy as seen by a mid-level official, human nature, government functions, and "other"—ranging from music to immigration to condominium rules on dog comportment.Marked by a tone of light humor and social and institutional criticism, Blaming No One is an easy, entertaining read that also questions and challenges facile suppositions and notes many historic moments of interest.

This definitive study of the U.S. Consular Service examines its history from the Revolutionary War until its integration with the Foreign Service in 1924.As a British colony, Americans relied on the British consular system to take care of their sailors and merchants. But after the Revolution they scrambled to create an American service. While the American diplomatic establishment was confined to the world''s major capitals, U.S. consular posts proliferated to most of the major ports where the expanding American merchant marine called.Mostly untrained political appointees, each consul was a lonely individual relying on his native wits to provide help to distressed Americans. Appointments were often given to accomplished authors, with notable members including Nathaniel Hawthorne, James Fennimore Cooper, William Dean Howells, Bret Harte, and the cartoonist Thomas Nast.Briefly traces the history of consuls from their creation in Ancient Egypt, this volume sheds light on the significant roles American consuls played throughout history, including in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. This second edition continues the narrative to cover World War I, the Greek disaster in Turkey, and the early years of the Weimar Republic.

An anthology of ten plays embodying the Russian literary movement that began in the late twentieth century.The plays selected for this anthology reflect the issues and styles typical of the new wave of dramatic writing in Russia. New drama flourished (almost) exclusively in small spaces, often in dingy basements that employed and accommodated small numbers of people. The big theaters largely turned a blind eye to what was happening on small stages and in backrooms in playhouses, libraries, and community centers in a few chosen hot spots around Russia: primarily Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Togliatti. In many cases, they took actively hostile stances toward it. This would change, however. And by the beginning of the century''s second decade, new drama was threatening to become a mainstream phenomenon. Not every theater staged plays associated with new drama, but almost every one began staging plays influenced by the themes, methods, and language of the new drama movement.Featuring work from Yury Klavdiev, Olga Mukhina, Pavel Pryazhko, Vasily Sigarev, Maksym Kurochkin, Mikhail Durnenkov, Vyacheslav Durnenkov, Yaroslava Pulinovich, Yelena Gremina, and Maxim Osipov."Few people know more about what is happening on the Moscow scene than John Freedman (including few Russians). As Moscow Times theater critic throughout the post-Soviet period John could well have seen more theatrical productions in Russia than anyone else. I can''t imagine anyone who would do a better job." —Blair A. Ruble, Director, Program on Global Sustainability & Resilience, Woodrow Wilson Center"While other existing volumes focus on 18th, 19th, and early 20th century Russian drama, Freedman''s edition would present the unique and important contributions of the new generation of Russian writers portraying the realities and experiences of a post-Soviet generation. John has carefully selected a representative cohort of ten of the most visible, productive, and influential of these writers for the volume." —Thomas J. Garza, University Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin

"Donald Gregg''s career . . . would make a great spy novel. This autobiography makes an even better book." —Tim Weiner, Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter and bestselling author of EnemiesPot Shards is a memoir, based on the author''s unforgettable experiences. He served as a CIA agent on the island of Saipan, during ten years in Japan, and a tour in Burma. He then spent four years tied up in the Vietnam War, two tours in Korea, the second time as ambassador, and spent ten years in the White House, where he worked for Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush."Don Gregg is that authentic and admirable thing: a great American. He spent most of his life serving his country: in the CIA, at the White House and as a US ambassador. He has stories to tell, many of them gripping, and they are beautifully and movingly recollected here in this memoir of a splendid life." —Christopher Buckley"A personal witness to decades of largely hidden intelligence and diplomatic history, Donald Gregg recounts his unlikely and amazing career as a CIA officer, national security advisor, and US diplomat. His adventures and insider knowledge of US relations with East Asian nations over many decades make for a lively narrative, entertaining for the general reader and useful for serious scholars alike. Through it all, Ambassador Gregg expresses a natural warmth and concern for humanity that makes his story a truly personal journey." —Nicholas Dujmovic, PhD, CIA Staff Historian, Center for the Study of Intelligence

An insider with practical experience in development work reveals how understanding market realities can more effectively reduce poverty.This book by a practitioner—not an academic, government official, or pundit—has been written for practitioners and offers fresh thinking on how to do international development work. It combines that thinking with practical guidance, in plain English, on what to do—and perhaps just as importantly, what not to do—on the ground. We Do Know How takes buzzwords commonly used in development circles—demand-driven, results-oriented, accountability, and others—and makes them real, spelling out a proven approach for expanding business sales and generating jobs for poor people.Although government has a role to play in development, in the end the actions of businesses drive economic growth and expand people''s incomes. We Do Know How shows how to build on the incentives that drive businesses and, in the process, create jobs for the poor. Specifically, it urges development practitioners to support only those business opportunities for which there is market demand, abiding by the maxim "produce what you can sell," not "sell what you produce." More than that, it cautions practitioners not to become solutions looking for problems but to search creatively for ways to solve the specific problems that stand most in the way of clients meeting buyers'' requirements.We Do Know How challenges much conventional wisdom on how to do development work. At the same time, and in contrast to other books on development, it shows how, by maintaining focus and discipline, development practitioners can deliver demonstrable increases in jobs for those who need them.

An eminent psychologist and engineer presents a provocative analysis of the concept of God through the lens of scientific inquiry.This is a study of the concept of God, not from the perspective of any religious tradition, but as a pervasive social phenomenon that has prevailed through the ages. An expert in engineering and applied psychology, author Thomas B. Sheridan offers unique perspective on the subject. In What Is God?, he asks whether the concept of God can be modeled in denotative language (much as modeling in science, medicine and modern professions) in contrast to connotative language (e.g., myth, metaphor, art and music).Sheridan adopts the assumption of model-based reality, as currently prevalent in physics and some branches of philosophy. That criterion means an entity can be called real for public discourse purposes only to the extent that a credible model can be made of what the entity is or how it works—as opposed to the private reality of thoughts, perceptions, or dreams. What follows is a truly provocative and enlightening through experiment with far-reaching implications."It is rare to see the ultimate question of God as prime mover examined as a problem open to rigorous scientific inquiry. Thomas Sheridan has now done it with admirable clarity." —Edward O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Meaning of Human Existence

An examination of the Western world''s contemporary fascination with psychological life, and the historical developments that fostered it.In this book, sociologist Katie Wright traces the ascendancy of therapeutic culture, from nineteenth-century concerns about nervousness, to the growth of psychology, the diffusion of an analytic attitude, and the spread of therapy and counseling, using Australia as a focal point.Wright''s analysis, which draws on social theory, cultural history, and interviews with therapists and people in therapy, calls into question the pessimism that pervades many accounts of the therapeutic turn and provides an alternative assessment of its ramifications for social, political, and personal life in the globalized West.Special Commendation, TASA Raewyn Connell Prize

An American historian, film specialist, and documentary filmmaker shares candid stories of his life in Russia during and after the Cold War.A captivating lifetime of personal and professional experiences by an American historian, film specialist, and documentary filmmaker in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. The author''s experiences as a radical in the turbulent 1960s, and his eventual disenchantment offer some precedents and perspectives to all those on the Left, Center, or Right interested in the fluctuations of American politics. The vivid log of hopes and disillusions is related in a candid, non-academic style, and set against a panorama of history and politics in the late twentieth century."A self-described scholar-activist, Menashe weaves together political, intellectual, and cultural currents of leftist life, and draws a vivid picture of people and places, life-changing adventures, the intellectual and political challenges of graduate school during the Cold War, encounters with key Russian literary and political figures, and much more. Then comes the crash, the Soviet Union''s end. As in all failed love affairs, Menashe retains some sweet memories. The reader will taste them long after reading the memoir." —Carole Turbin, Professor Emerita, History and Sociology, SUNY/Empire State College