Michigan State U. Press
After the czars and commissars; journalism in authoritarian post-Soviet Central Asia.
This collection of 15 papers, edited by Freedman (journalism, Michigan State U.) and Shafer (journalism, U. of North Dakota), contributes to mass media research by focusing on the neglected former Soviet republics of Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. After addressing the theoretical approaches to the subject and the Soviet foundations of the Central Asian press, papers discuss specific national issues, including the role of financial-industrial groups in controlling the media in Kazakhstan, representations of the Islamist Hizb ut-Tahrir in Kyrgyzstan's Vicherniy Bishkek, monitoring of Internet media in Uzbekistan, and journalistic self-censorship in the Tajik press; regional issues such as journalistic rights and duties under authoritarianism, ethnic minorities and the regional media, and the impact of international broadcasting into Uzbekistan; issues of journalism education and professionalism; and the impact of Internet media. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Latinos in the Midwest.
The 11 essays of this collection provide an up-to-date overview of the lives of Latinos in the American Midwest, with attention to the impact they experience from various official agencies such as immigration, healthcare, and law enforcement. Using nationwide and local studies, the chapters interpret and analyze statistics and findings concerning demographics throughout the region to demonstrate key issues such as employment, financial and physical well-being, and useful and accessible education. Individual case studies are described at length in some of the essays, giving the reader an insight into the realities of daily life. Martinez is director of the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State U. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Remembering the AIDS quilt.
This book is based on a project that began as a special issue of Rhetoric and Public Affairs, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Cleve Jones, the founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, opens the collection of essays with a memoir. An introduction gives a history of the quilt and its initial reception, looks at its current impact, and describes future plans and projects related to the quilt. Scholars and educators in communication studies and media studies explore the contexts and traditions out of which the quilt was conceived, resisted, and expanded during its formative years. They describe moral, emotional, and political awakenings inspired by the quilt and contemplate the quilt's legacy. Some specific subjects examined are the contemporary culture of public commemoration, reading the quilt as a postmodern text, and the quilt's search for a homeland. The book is illustrated with b&w photos. Morris teaches communication at Boston College. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Sacrifice.
French philosopher Girard (emeritus, Stanford U.) investigates religious violence and sacrifice through mimetic theory. He compares Brahmanas Vedic sacrifice in ancient India and the sacrifice of Christ in the Gospels of the Bible and asserts that both cases of symbolic sacrifice serve as devices to prevent actual violence in society, illustrating how vital mimetic sacrifice is to the shaping of human culture. First published in French in 2003, this pocket sized (6.4x4.7 inches) edition has been translated by Matthew Pattillo and David Dawson. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
