Palgrave Macmillan
Beyond the language classroom.
Editors Phil Benson (Hong Kong Institute of Education) and Hayo Reinders (Middlesex U., London) put out a call for papers on the subject of language learning outside the classroom and were gratified by the enthusiastic response. This collection comprises 13 contributions on such topics as what, why and how teenagers learn languages out of school; older language learners, social learning spaces, and community; technology-mediated language learning; social networks and social capital; materials development; the nature of tutor-learner relationships; and supporting non-formal and informal learning in adults. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Mary Kelly; projects, 1973-2010.
American-born conceptual artist Kelly (b.1941) is affiliated with the art department at UCLA and is known internationally for large-scale narrative installations pertaining to feminist and postmodern issues. Published in conjunction with an eponymous exhibition held in 2011 at the Whitworth Art Gallery, U. of Manchester, UK, this catalogue incorporates a foreword and introduction offering context, three essays exploring Kelly' work and aesthetics, the artist's own words in two interviews, her notebooks, a chronology, and a bibliography. The plates depict works such as "Post-Partum Document," "Interim," "Vox Manet," and "Habitus," among others. The book is distributed in the US by Palgrave Macmillan. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Paedophiles in society; reflecting on sexuality, abuse and hope.
The author builds on a previous book (Understanding and Addressing Adult Sexual Attraction to Children: A Study of Paedophiles in Contemporary Society (2009) and on and internet survey conducted 2006-2008, the Minor-Attracted Adults Daily Lives Project. This is a challenging and thought-provoking work that diverges from other studies on the "...medical, forensic, psychological, psychiatric, legal, or criminological aspects...." It strives for clarification of a complex phenomenon and draws on the Kinsey Report and other sources that "advocate a tolerant or positive view of adult sexual contact with children." Goode is affiliated with The Research and Policy Centre for the Study of Wellbeing in Communities, U. of Winchester, UK). (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
(Re:) working the ground; essays on the late writings of Robert Duncan.
After publishing several volumes in the 1960s, poet Robert Duncan, seemingly at the height of his career, publicly declared he would not publish another collection until 1983. Duncan continued to write, and Groundwork was published in 1984. His health began to fail and he died in February 1988, the same month that Groundwork II was published. This collection of essays examines themes which are important in Duncan's later writings including pastoral and homosexual imagery, his approach toward war, his use of myth, his celestial hierarchy, his radical humanism, and his interest in the writing technique of Gertrude Stein. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Symbols of nations and nationalism; celebrating nationhood.
Elgenius (sociology, U. of Oxford, UK) points out in her preface that this study tackles a neglected area of how national symbols and their formation — symbolic regimes — both reflect and shape the activities of nation building. Among her topics are symbols and ceremonies and the construction and authentication of boundaries; flag origins in relation to religion, revolution, and rivalry; flags in reference to the politicization and sanctification of nations; and similarities and differences in national days, and a typology of successful ones. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Think strategically.
Gimbert (business policy, ESADE, Spain) points out in his introduction that "[a] powerful car with a bad driver will be overtaken by a less powerful one with a great driver, even if the first has a big lead." His aim with this book is to clarify the elements, concepts, and interrelationships of strategic thinking so that readers can enhance their effectiveness and "drive" with confidence. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Visual culture in Spain and Mexico. (reprint, 2007)
This book was inspired by two art exhibitions in Madrid: Arco 2004 and Arco 2005. The first took place in the weeks preceding the Madrid bombings, and the second, Arco 2005, was itself the target of an attack. Jones (Spanish, U. of Sheffield) combines concepts from visual studies and Hispanic studies to examine photos, films, paintings, museum exhibits, and architecture in Hispanic culture and to explore the role of visual culture in an era of globalization and risk. She analyzes how producers and users of visual culture, such as photographers, filmmakers, historians, politicians, and cultural anthropologists, work to dramatize or displace risk, how they invest risk with meaning, and how they make risk more psychically manageable. Three chapters focus on Mexico City and three focus on Spain, especially the cultural politics of the Basque Country. B&w photos are included. The book was first published in 2007. It is distributed in the US by Palgrave Macmillan. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
