Cambridge U. Pr.

Cambridge handbook of sociocultural psychology.

Valsiner, a cultural psychologist at Clark U., and Rosa (psychology, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain) present a handbook that is an overview of current knowledge in sociocultural psychology. Thirty- four contributions by sociocultural specialists from around the world are connected by a focus on the role of sign systems in human relations with the environment. The research fields of psychology, sociology, education, philosophy, political science, and anthropology are linked in the handbook, which covers such topics as the effects of cross-disciplinary collaboration, methodological and theoretical issues, and issues in the natural basis of action, social behavior, communication, and the creation and transmission of culture from a comparative evolutionist approach. Following sections cover the study of meaning; the relationship between institutional life, the development of self and identity, and their connection with social norms and ethics; settings for sociocultural activities; social and personal culture; and memory and self-reflection. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The drawings of Michelangelo and his followers in the Ashmolean Museum.

Joannides (art history, U. of Cambridge, the UK) has performed the notable and monumental task of compiling a catalogue raisonnée of all the Michelangelo drawings in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, as well as the drawings of his followers, all of them collected by Sir Thomas Lawrence and acquired by Oxford in the 1840s. Two lengthy chapters describe in detail the formation and dispersal of Lawrence's collection and the study and categorization of Michelangelo's drawings. The catalogue is a feat of serious scholarship, with each entry containing discussion of the drawing's condition, a discussion of its content, its original purpose, its provenance, a list of references and a reproduction of the drawing. Appendices contain lists of drawings attributed to Michelangelo in William Young Ottley's sales, a list of the Michelangelo and related drawings in the Lawrence Collection, a list of former owners, a concordance to major catalogues, and an exhaustive bibliography. The volume is oversized: 8.75x11.25 inches. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Housing, land, and property restitution rights of refugees and displaced persons; laws, cases, and materials.

Providing a fully international overview of the laws, this volume contains a variety of legal standards, nonlegal materials, and case law. The selected materials are each presented with a short descriptive introduction but without further analysis. Among the documents included are international standards concerning human rights, criminal law, refugee laws, law of state responsibility, and restitution; pertinent excerpts from various peace agreements; voluntary repatriation agreements concluded between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and various governments; 39 UN Security Council resolutions; regional standards; and 40 national laws from 16 countries. Case law is presented from the Permanent Court of International Justice, the International Court of Justice, the UN Human Rights Committee, and the European Court on Human Rights. A final section provides a selected bibliography organized by geographical area and a list of web sites. Leckie is the executive director of the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, based in Geneva, Switzerland. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)