Life And Political Reality

Life And Political Reality

Author: Shahidul Zahir

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2022-01-21

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 935489237X

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Haunting and apocalyptic ... a literature of the future - SIDDHARTHA DEB Arresting ... they amplify our sense of what fiction can do - AMIT CHAUDHURI In these novellas the political is the personal is the intimate is the lyrical is the ironic is the universal ... Unforgettable - JERRY PINTO Born in 1953 in Old Dhaka, Shahidul Zahir published only six works in his short life - but these are some of the most unique and powerful works of fiction to have come out of the subcontinent. With his own particular blend of surrealism, folklore, oral storytelling traditions, magic realism, a searing understanding of social and political reality, and rare clarity of vision, he created a truly extraordinary oeuvre. Life and Political Reality is the work that established his reputation and granted him cult status in Bangladesh. It examines the 1971 war and its aftermath; a treatise on liberation, and the destruction of the idealism and spirit of post-war Bangladesh, told in a single, corrosive, stream-of-consciousness paragraph. Abu Ibrahim's Death is a quieter companion novella, but one that is equally concerned with idealism and compromise, as it studies with deep empathy and nuance the fall of its titular protagonist. Together, these two novellas make for a superb introduction to a truly brilliant shooting star in the literary firmament of Bangladesh and the world.


Book Synopsis Life And Political Reality by : Shahidul Zahir

Download or read book Life And Political Reality written by Shahidul Zahir and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Haunting and apocalyptic ... a literature of the future - SIDDHARTHA DEB Arresting ... they amplify our sense of what fiction can do - AMIT CHAUDHURI In these novellas the political is the personal is the intimate is the lyrical is the ironic is the universal ... Unforgettable - JERRY PINTO Born in 1953 in Old Dhaka, Shahidul Zahir published only six works in his short life - but these are some of the most unique and powerful works of fiction to have come out of the subcontinent. With his own particular blend of surrealism, folklore, oral storytelling traditions, magic realism, a searing understanding of social and political reality, and rare clarity of vision, he created a truly extraordinary oeuvre. Life and Political Reality is the work that established his reputation and granted him cult status in Bangladesh. It examines the 1971 war and its aftermath; a treatise on liberation, and the destruction of the idealism and spirit of post-war Bangladesh, told in a single, corrosive, stream-of-consciousness paragraph. Abu Ibrahim's Death is a quieter companion novella, but one that is equally concerned with idealism and compromise, as it studies with deep empathy and nuance the fall of its titular protagonist. Together, these two novellas make for a superb introduction to a truly brilliant shooting star in the literary firmament of Bangladesh and the world.

Political Illusion and Reality

Political Illusion and Reality

Author: David W. Gill

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2018-09-27

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 1532649061

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Are all governments—east and west, Muslim and secular, authoritarian and constitutional, Republican and Democratic—fundamentally the same, all of them under the extraordinary, growing power of “technique” and bureaucracy? Is all politics, then, just an illusory affair of lies, deception, propaganda, partisan passions, and chaos on the surface of government and party? In his vast and penetrating writings, Bordeaux sociologist Jacques Ellul (1912–1994) points in those directions. Political Illusion and Reality is a collection of twenty-three essays on Ellul’s political thought. Veteran as well as younger Ellul scholars, political leaders, activists, and pastors, discuss aspects of Ellul’s thought as they relate to their own fields of study and political experience. Beginning with his 1936 essay “Fascism, Son of Liberalism,” translated and published here in English for the first time, Ellul and these authors will provoke readers to think some new thoughts about politics and government, and think more deeply about the main issues we face in our politically divided and troubled times.


Book Synopsis Political Illusion and Reality by : David W. Gill

Download or read book Political Illusion and Reality written by David W. Gill and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2018-09-27 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are all governments—east and west, Muslim and secular, authoritarian and constitutional, Republican and Democratic—fundamentally the same, all of them under the extraordinary, growing power of “technique” and bureaucracy? Is all politics, then, just an illusory affair of lies, deception, propaganda, partisan passions, and chaos on the surface of government and party? In his vast and penetrating writings, Bordeaux sociologist Jacques Ellul (1912–1994) points in those directions. Political Illusion and Reality is a collection of twenty-three essays on Ellul’s political thought. Veteran as well as younger Ellul scholars, political leaders, activists, and pastors, discuss aspects of Ellul’s thought as they relate to their own fields of study and political experience. Beginning with his 1936 essay “Fascism, Son of Liberalism,” translated and published here in English for the first time, Ellul and these authors will provoke readers to think some new thoughts about politics and government, and think more deeply about the main issues we face in our politically divided and troubled times.

Rendered Infamous

Rendered Infamous

Author: Stephen Gaskin

Publisher: Bergin & Garvey

Published: 1985-10

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9780897890991

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Recollections of the author's experiences as a marine, a convict, and head of an international relief organization are combined with essays on American politics and society.


Book Synopsis Rendered Infamous by : Stephen Gaskin

Download or read book Rendered Infamous written by Stephen Gaskin and published by Bergin & Garvey. This book was released on 1985-10 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recollections of the author's experiences as a marine, a convict, and head of an international relief organization are combined with essays on American politics and society.

Reality Television and Arab Politics

Reality Television and Arab Politics

Author: Marwan M. Kraidy

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 0521769191

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This book analyzes how reality television fuelled heated polemics over cultural authenticity, gender relations, and political participation in the Middle East.


Book Synopsis Reality Television and Arab Politics by : Marwan M. Kraidy

Download or read book Reality Television and Arab Politics written by Marwan M. Kraidy and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyzes how reality television fuelled heated polemics over cultural authenticity, gender relations, and political participation in the Middle East.

Losing Reality

Losing Reality

Author: Robert Jay Lifton

Publisher: The New Press

Published: 2019-10-15

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 1620975122

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A definitive account of the psychology of zealotry, from a National Book Award winner and a leading authority on the nature of cults, political absolutism, and mind control In this unique and timely volume Robert Jay Lifton, the National Book Award–winning psychiatrist, historian, and public intellectual proposes a radical idea: that the psychological relationship between extremist political movements and fanatical religious cults may be much closer than anyone thought. Exploring the most extreme manifestations of human zealotry, Lifton highlights an array of leaders—from Mao to Hitler to the Japanese apocalyptic cult leader Shōkō Asahara to Donald Trump—who have sought the control of human minds and the ownership of reality. Lifton has spent decades exploring psychological extremism. His pioneering concept of the "Eight Deadly Sins" of ideological totalism—originally devised to identify "brainwashing" (or "thought reform") in political movements—has been widely quoted in writings about cults, and embraced by members and former members of religious cults seeking to understand their experiences. In Losing Reality Lifton makes clear that the apocalyptic impulse—that of destroying the world in order to remake it in purified form—is not limited to religious groups but is prominent in extremist political movements such as Nazism and Chinese Communism, and also in groups surrounding Donald Trump. Lifton applies his concept of "malignant normality" to Trump's efforts to render his destructive falsehoods a routine part of American life. But Lifton sees the human species as capable of "regaining reality" by means of our "protean" psychological capacities and our ethical and political commitments as "witnessing professionals." Lifton weaves together some of his finest work with extensive new commentary to provide vital understanding of our struggle with mental predators. Losing Reality is a book not only of stunning scholarship, but also of huge relevance for these troubled times.


Book Synopsis Losing Reality by : Robert Jay Lifton

Download or read book Losing Reality written by Robert Jay Lifton and published by The New Press. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A definitive account of the psychology of zealotry, from a National Book Award winner and a leading authority on the nature of cults, political absolutism, and mind control In this unique and timely volume Robert Jay Lifton, the National Book Award–winning psychiatrist, historian, and public intellectual proposes a radical idea: that the psychological relationship between extremist political movements and fanatical religious cults may be much closer than anyone thought. Exploring the most extreme manifestations of human zealotry, Lifton highlights an array of leaders—from Mao to Hitler to the Japanese apocalyptic cult leader Shōkō Asahara to Donald Trump—who have sought the control of human minds and the ownership of reality. Lifton has spent decades exploring psychological extremism. His pioneering concept of the "Eight Deadly Sins" of ideological totalism—originally devised to identify "brainwashing" (or "thought reform") in political movements—has been widely quoted in writings about cults, and embraced by members and former members of religious cults seeking to understand their experiences. In Losing Reality Lifton makes clear that the apocalyptic impulse—that of destroying the world in order to remake it in purified form—is not limited to religious groups but is prominent in extremist political movements such as Nazism and Chinese Communism, and also in groups surrounding Donald Trump. Lifton applies his concept of "malignant normality" to Trump's efforts to render his destructive falsehoods a routine part of American life. But Lifton sees the human species as capable of "regaining reality" by means of our "protean" psychological capacities and our ethical and political commitments as "witnessing professionals." Lifton weaves together some of his finest work with extensive new commentary to provide vital understanding of our struggle with mental predators. Losing Reality is a book not only of stunning scholarship, but also of huge relevance for these troubled times.

A Guide to Understanding Eric Voegelin's Political Reality

A Guide to Understanding Eric Voegelin's Political Reality

Author: Montgomery Erfourth

Publisher:

Published: 2018-07-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781587313479

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This guide is an exploration of political reality as understood by Eric Voegelin. Voegelin employed the revolutionary concepts found in ancient Greek noetic and Christian pneumatic philosophy that describe political reality and the means to know it. This guide begins with a biographical sketch of Voegelin, the historical milieu that inspired his resistance to "unreality" and terms and symbols he uses to identify the spiritual sickness he believes is destroying Western civilization's traditional basis of order, it then examines Voegelin's theories of consciousness, philosophy and science fundamental to understanding reality. Given the extensive nature and volume of his work, a consolidation and explanation of it is offered, and an example on how to apply it is outlined. Critiques of Voegelin's work are detailed to outline weaknesses in his theories and methods. This guide concludes by defining political reality, how to use Voegelinian techniques to analyze reality, and how to live a life that cultivates the pursuit of human knowledge in keeping with Western philosophic traditions. Book jacket.


Book Synopsis A Guide to Understanding Eric Voegelin's Political Reality by : Montgomery Erfourth

Download or read book A Guide to Understanding Eric Voegelin's Political Reality written by Montgomery Erfourth and published by . This book was released on 2018-07-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This guide is an exploration of political reality as understood by Eric Voegelin. Voegelin employed the revolutionary concepts found in ancient Greek noetic and Christian pneumatic philosophy that describe political reality and the means to know it. This guide begins with a biographical sketch of Voegelin, the historical milieu that inspired his resistance to "unreality" and terms and symbols he uses to identify the spiritual sickness he believes is destroying Western civilization's traditional basis of order, it then examines Voegelin's theories of consciousness, philosophy and science fundamental to understanding reality. Given the extensive nature and volume of his work, a consolidation and explanation of it is offered, and an example on how to apply it is outlined. Critiques of Voegelin's work are detailed to outline weaknesses in his theories and methods. This guide concludes by defining political reality, how to use Voegelinian techniques to analyze reality, and how to live a life that cultivates the pursuit of human knowledge in keeping with Western philosophic traditions. Book jacket.

Fighting Political Gridlock

Fighting Political Gridlock

Author: David J. Toscano

Publisher: University of Virginia Press

Published: 2021-09-07

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 0813946476

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In this profoundly polarized era, the nation has been transfixed on the politics of Washington and its seemingly impenetrable gridlock. Many of the decisions that truly affect people’s lives, however, are being made not on the federal level but in the states. Faced with Washington’s political standoff, state governments are taking action on numerous vital issues, often impacting citizens and their communities far more than the decision makers in D.C. Despite this, few Americans really understand their state governments or the issues they address. In Fighting Political Gridlock, David Toscano reveals how the states are working around the impasse in Washington and how their work is increasingly shaping society. Long a central figure in one of the most important legislative bodies in the nation, the Virginia House of Delegates, Toscano brings a unique expertise to this urgent and timely discussion. Beginning with an analysis of state responses to COVID-19, including the processes and consequences of declaring states of emergency, he goes on to detail how various states are attacking issues in different ways–from education and voting to criminal justice and climate change–and provides a broad overview of how state actions affect our system of federalism. Toscano concludes with a call to action and civic engagement, including suggestions for how citizens and public officials can revitalize American democracy.


Book Synopsis Fighting Political Gridlock by : David J. Toscano

Download or read book Fighting Political Gridlock written by David J. Toscano and published by University of Virginia Press. This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this profoundly polarized era, the nation has been transfixed on the politics of Washington and its seemingly impenetrable gridlock. Many of the decisions that truly affect people’s lives, however, are being made not on the federal level but in the states. Faced with Washington’s political standoff, state governments are taking action on numerous vital issues, often impacting citizens and their communities far more than the decision makers in D.C. Despite this, few Americans really understand their state governments or the issues they address. In Fighting Political Gridlock, David Toscano reveals how the states are working around the impasse in Washington and how their work is increasingly shaping society. Long a central figure in one of the most important legislative bodies in the nation, the Virginia House of Delegates, Toscano brings a unique expertise to this urgent and timely discussion. Beginning with an analysis of state responses to COVID-19, including the processes and consequences of declaring states of emergency, he goes on to detail how various states are attacking issues in different ways–from education and voting to criminal justice and climate change–and provides a broad overview of how state actions affect our system of federalism. Toscano concludes with a call to action and civic engagement, including suggestions for how citizens and public officials can revitalize American democracy.

The Politics of Reality Television

The Politics of Reality Television

Author: Marwan M. Kraidy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-10-22

Total Pages: 483

ISBN-13: 1136913882

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The Politics of Reality Television encompasses an international selection of expert contributions who consider the specific ways media migrations test our understanding of, and means of investigating, reality television across the globe. The book addresses a wide range of topics, including: the global circulation and local adaptation of reality television formats and franchises the production of fame and celebrity around hitherto "ordinary" people the transformation of self under the public eye the tensions between fierce loyalties to local representatives and imagined communities bonding across regional and ethnic divides the struggle over the meanings and values of reality television across a range of national, regional, gender, class and religious contexts. This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students on a range of Media and Television Studies courses, particularly those on the globalisation of television and media, and reality television.


Book Synopsis The Politics of Reality Television by : Marwan M. Kraidy

Download or read book The Politics of Reality Television written by Marwan M. Kraidy and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-10-22 with total page 483 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Politics of Reality Television encompasses an international selection of expert contributions who consider the specific ways media migrations test our understanding of, and means of investigating, reality television across the globe. The book addresses a wide range of topics, including: the global circulation and local adaptation of reality television formats and franchises the production of fame and celebrity around hitherto "ordinary" people the transformation of self under the public eye the tensions between fierce loyalties to local representatives and imagined communities bonding across regional and ethnic divides the struggle over the meanings and values of reality television across a range of national, regional, gender, class and religious contexts. This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students on a range of Media and Television Studies courses, particularly those on the globalisation of television and media, and reality television.

Politics for People Who Hate Politics

Politics for People Who Hate Politics

Author: Denise Grace Gitsham

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2023-11-14

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 149344381X

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Politics that Unite Rather than Divide Politics can be infuriating. From unjust policies to unholy politicians, there are justifiable reasons to be upset or walk away altogether. Yet we must stay involved if we are to protect and sustain our fragile nation from the divisions that threaten it. With more than two decades of experience working in the highest levels of government, insider Denise Grace Gitsham offers a remedy to America's dark political reality: Christians filled with light, love, and Christ's heart for unity. With spiritual insights, hard-earned political lessons, and practical advice, she helps you engage with wisdom and discernment, loving those you disagree with while standing firm on God's truth. As citizens of heaven, we can engage in politics God's way: with the countercultural love, integrity, and unity that will heal our land. "Denise Grace Gitsham reminds us that our convictions should never come before the divine call to love and unify. This is a book that every Christian must read."--ARTHUR C. BROOKS, professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Denise has written a refreshing and self-critical reflection on her own life in politics and why it is so important for people of faith to be willing to put their calling to heal our nation above their partisan loyalties."--SENATOR CHRIS COONS


Book Synopsis Politics for People Who Hate Politics by : Denise Grace Gitsham

Download or read book Politics for People Who Hate Politics written by Denise Grace Gitsham and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2023-11-14 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Politics that Unite Rather than Divide Politics can be infuriating. From unjust policies to unholy politicians, there are justifiable reasons to be upset or walk away altogether. Yet we must stay involved if we are to protect and sustain our fragile nation from the divisions that threaten it. With more than two decades of experience working in the highest levels of government, insider Denise Grace Gitsham offers a remedy to America's dark political reality: Christians filled with light, love, and Christ's heart for unity. With spiritual insights, hard-earned political lessons, and practical advice, she helps you engage with wisdom and discernment, loving those you disagree with while standing firm on God's truth. As citizens of heaven, we can engage in politics God's way: with the countercultural love, integrity, and unity that will heal our land. "Denise Grace Gitsham reminds us that our convictions should never come before the divine call to love and unify. This is a book that every Christian must read."--ARTHUR C. BROOKS, professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Denise has written a refreshing and self-critical reflection on her own life in politics and why it is so important for people of faith to be willing to put their calling to heal our nation above their partisan loyalties."--SENATOR CHRIS COONS

Tell Me How It Ends

Tell Me How It Ends

Author: Valeria Luiselli

Publisher: Coffee House Press

Published: 2017-03-13

Total Pages: 71

ISBN-13: 1566894964

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"Part treatise, part memoir, part call to action, Tell Me How It Ends inspires not through a stiff stance of authority, but with the curiosity and humility Luiselli has long since established." —Annalia Luna, Brazos Bookstore "Valeria Luiselli's extended essay on her volunteer work translating for child immigrants confronts with compassion and honesty the problem of the North American refugee crisis. It's a rare thing: a book everyone should read." —Stephen Sparks, Point Reyes Books "Tell Me How It Ends evokes empathy as it educates. It is a vital contribution to the body of post-Trump work being published in early 2017." —Katharine Solheim, Unabridged Books "While this essay is brilliant for exactly what it depicts, it helps open larger questions, which we're ever more on the precipice of now, of where all of this will go, how all of this might end. Is this a story, or is this beyond a story? Valeria Luiselli is one of those brave and eloquent enough to help us see." —Rick Simonson, Elliott Bay Book Company "Appealing to the language of the United States' fraught immigration policy, Luiselli exposes the cracks in this foundation. Herself an immigrant, she highlights the human cost of its brokenness, as well as the hope that it (rather than walls) might be rebuilt." —Brad Johnson, Diesel Bookstore "The bureaucratic labyrinth of immigration, the dangers of searching for a better life, all of this and more is contained in this brief and profound work. Tell Me How It Ends is not just relevant, it's essential." —Mark Haber, Brazos Bookstore "Humane yet often horrifying, Tell Me How It Ends offers a compelling, intimate look at a continuing crisis—and its ongoing cost in an age of increasing urgency." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's Books


Book Synopsis Tell Me How It Ends by : Valeria Luiselli

Download or read book Tell Me How It Ends written by Valeria Luiselli and published by Coffee House Press. This book was released on 2017-03-13 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Part treatise, part memoir, part call to action, Tell Me How It Ends inspires not through a stiff stance of authority, but with the curiosity and humility Luiselli has long since established." —Annalia Luna, Brazos Bookstore "Valeria Luiselli's extended essay on her volunteer work translating for child immigrants confronts with compassion and honesty the problem of the North American refugee crisis. It's a rare thing: a book everyone should read." —Stephen Sparks, Point Reyes Books "Tell Me How It Ends evokes empathy as it educates. It is a vital contribution to the body of post-Trump work being published in early 2017." —Katharine Solheim, Unabridged Books "While this essay is brilliant for exactly what it depicts, it helps open larger questions, which we're ever more on the precipice of now, of where all of this will go, how all of this might end. Is this a story, or is this beyond a story? Valeria Luiselli is one of those brave and eloquent enough to help us see." —Rick Simonson, Elliott Bay Book Company "Appealing to the language of the United States' fraught immigration policy, Luiselli exposes the cracks in this foundation. Herself an immigrant, she highlights the human cost of its brokenness, as well as the hope that it (rather than walls) might be rebuilt." —Brad Johnson, Diesel Bookstore "The bureaucratic labyrinth of immigration, the dangers of searching for a better life, all of this and more is contained in this brief and profound work. Tell Me How It Ends is not just relevant, it's essential." —Mark Haber, Brazos Bookstore "Humane yet often horrifying, Tell Me How It Ends offers a compelling, intimate look at a continuing crisis—and its ongoing cost in an age of increasing urgency." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's Books