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The origins of visual culture in the Islamic world : aesthetics, art and architecture in early Islam /
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"In tenth-century Iraq, a group of Arab intellectuals and scholars known as the Ikhwan al-Safa began to make their intellectual mark on the society around them. A mysterious organisation, the identities of its members have never been clear. But its contribution to the intellectual thought, philosophy, art and culture of the era - and indeed subsequent ones - is evident. In the visual arts, for example, Hamdouni Alami argues that the theory of human proportions which the Ikwan al-Safa propounded (something very similar to those of da Vinci), helped shape the evolution of the philosophy of aesthetics, art and architecture in the tenth and eleventh centuries CE, in particular in Egypt under the Fatimid rulers. With its roots in Pythagorean and Neoplatonic views on the role of art and architecture, the impact of this theory of specific and precise proportion was widespread. One of the results of this extensive influence is a historic shift in the appreciation of art and architecture and their perceived role in the cultural sphere. The development of the understanding of the interplay between ethics and aesthetics resulted in a movement which emphasised more abstract and pious contemplation of art, as opposed to previous views which concentrated on the enjoyment of artistic works (such as music, song and poetry). And it is with this shift that we see the change in art forms from those devoted to supporting the Umayyad caliphs and the opulence of the Abbasids, to an art which places more emphasis on the internal concepts of 'reason' and 'spirituality'. Using the example of Fatimid art and views of architecture (including the first Fatimid mosque in al-Mahdiyya, Tunisia), Hamdouni Alami offers analysis of the debates surrounding the ethics and aesthetics of the appreciation of Islamic art and architecture from a vital time in medieval Middle Eastern history, and shows their similarity with aesthetic debates of Italian Renaissance." -- Publisher's website.
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xiii, 184 pages : illustrations, plans ; 23 cm. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
1784530409
9781784530402
Art, Philosophy, and Ideology : Writings on Aesthetics and Visual Culture from the Avantgarde to Postsocialism /
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This volume presents a selection of aesthetic and art theoretical writings by the internationally renowned philosopher Aleš Erjavec from the 1990s to the present. Erjavec was an active participant in the artistic revolt in Slovenia throughout the 1980 and became one of the most notable international theorists of late- and post-socialist developments in art. His work also extended to new, emergent forms of contemporary art and visual culture in global art and culture networks. The diverse contexts and artists with which he has engaged gives him a unique critical perspective on major debates in philosophical aesthetics and art theory.
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1 online resource (408 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004697515
Moving in the Margins: Desert Travel and Power in Medieval Central Asia /
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Central Asia has been perceived as a landscape of connections, of Silk Roads; an endless plain across which waves of conquerors swiftly rode on horseback. In reality the region is highly fragmented and difficult to traverse, and overcoming these obstacles led to routes becoming associated with epic travel and high-value trade. Put simply, the inhabitants of these lands became experts in the art of travelling the margins. This volume seeks to unravel some of the myths of long-distance roads in Central Asia, using a desert case-study to put forward a new hypothesis for how medieval landscapes were controlled and manipulated.
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1 online resource (300 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004710283
Korean Art since 1945: Challenges and Changes /
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Over the past decades, Korea has gradually risen to become one of the global representatives of Asian culture. Korean artists have been increasingly active at an international level, with many being invited for residencies and exhibitions all over the world. Nonetheless, for various reasons, the general understanding of Korean contemporary art remains insufficient. Although a few overviews of Korean contemporary art do exist, they typically focus on the history of art groups and movements. In addition, several anthologies have been published with articles on a range of topics, offering multiple perspectives. However, there have been few attempts to provide a unified synopsis of Korean contemporary art. Presenting a comprehensive, engaging survey that covers the full spectrum of Korean contemporary art, Korean Art since 1945: Challenges and Changes seeks to fill this lacuna. Drawing on primary sources, it discusses the main issues, including the ideological stakes that affected the art world, modernist art vs. political art, and the fluidity of concepts such as tradition and national identity. Moreover, the book also has a chapter on the art of North Korea. Korean Art since 1945: Challenges and Changes is an invaluable tool for those intent on grasping the entire scope of modern art in Asia.
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Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004678729
New Approaches to Ancient Material Culture in the Greek & Roman World : 21st-Century Methods and Classical Antiquity /
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New Approaches to Ancient Material Culture in the Greek & Roman World is about Classical Archaeology at its broadest and is important reading to all Classicists. As part of a recent movement to highlight the rich diversity of the subject it overcomes traditional disciplinary boundaries to show the variety of current approaches to the study of Classical Antiquity from the Late Bronze Age to the Late Antique period. The multi-disciplinary papers deal with archaeology and art history, museum objects and fieldwork data, ancient texts and material culture, archaeological theory and historiography, and technical and literary analysis. The international contributors discuss a selection of methodologies currently used to study ancient material, and illustrate their relevance through case studies which span the Greek and Roman world.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004440753
9789004440692
Looking beyond? : shifting views of transcendence in philosophy, theology, art, and politics /
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Religion is undergoing a transformation in current Western society. In addition to organized religions, there is a notable movement towards spirituality that is not associated with any institutions but in which experiences and notions of transcendence are still important. Transcendence can be described as God, the absolute, Mystery, the Other, the other as alterity, depending on one's worldview. In this book, these shifts in the views of transcendence in various areas of culture such as philosophy, theology, art, and politics are explored on the basis of a fourfold heuristic model (proposed by Wessel Stoker). In conversation with this model, various authors, established scholars in their fields, explain the meaning and role, or the critique, of transcendence in the thought of contemporary thinkers, fields of discourse, or cultural domains. Looking Beyond? will stimulate further research on the theme of transcendence in contemporary culture, but can also serve as a textbook for courses in various disciplines, ranging from philosophy to theology, cultural studies, literature, art, and politics.
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1 online resource (527 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789401207522 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Embodied aesthetics : proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Aesthetics and the Embodied Mind, 26th-28th August 2013 /
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This volume discusses the role of embodiment in the reevaluation of aesthetics as a process of bodily mediated meaning-making. It focuses on the bodily basis of aesthetic appreciation from an evolutionary point of view, on the bodily physical structures such as the brain involved in perception, on aesthetic experience and appreciation, on the role of physiological responses in experiencing the objects of the environment aesthetically, on the role of one's own body in motion in the engagement with the environment, on somatic responses and the experience of meaning, on the pre-reflective experience of the body, on the role of the interplay of different types of physical and sensory activities in the process of education to art appreciation.
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Includes index. :
1 online resource (vii, 150 pages) : illustrations (some color) :
9789004281516 :
0922-6001 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Jewish thought, utopia, and revolution /
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In response to the grim realities of the present world Jewish thought has not tended to retreat into eschatological fantasy, but rather to project utopian visions precisely on to the present moment, envisioning redemptions that are concrete, immanent, and necessarily political in nature. In difficult times and through shifting historical contexts, the messianic hope in the Jewish tradition has functioned as a political vision: the dream of a peaceful kingdom, of a country to return to, or of a leader who will administer justice among the nations. Against this background, it is unsurprising that Jewish messianism in modern times has been transposed, and lives on in secular political movements and ideologies. The purpose of this book is to contribute to the deeper understanding of the relationship between Jewish thought, utopia, and revolution, by taking a fresh look at its historical and religious roots. We approach the issue from several perspectives, with differences of opinion presented both in regard to what Jewish tradition is, and how to regard utopia and revolution. These notions are multifaceted, comprising aspects such as political messianism, religious renewal, Zionism, and different forms of Marxist and Anarchistic movements.
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"The selected articles are based on conversations and debates from a colloquium held in Vilnius (Vilna) in June 2012"--Page 2. :
1 online resource (viii, 211 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-199) and index. :
9789401210782 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Handbook of Nordic new religions /
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When James R. Lewis, one of the editors of the current collection, first moved to Norway in late 2009, he was unprepared to discover that so many researchers in Nordic countries were producing innovative scholarship on new religions and on the new age subculture. In fact, over the past dozen years or so, an increasingly disproportionate percentage of new religions scholars have arisen in Nordic countries and teach at universities in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Baltic countries. Nordic New Religions, co-edited with Inga B. Tøllefsen, surveys this rich field of study in this area of the world, focusing on the scholarship being produced by scholars in this region of northern Europe.
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1 online resource (xviii, 502 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004292468 :
1874-6691 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Handbook of new religions and cultural production /
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The cultural products of new religions and spiritualities are frequently ignored or dismissed within academia, often stemming from a hesitation to acknowledge these movements as genuine. This volume explores the impact of new religions upon cultural production, exemplifying the theological and spiritual principles of particular movements and demonstrating their substantial impact on wider society. Contributions explore the realms of music, architecture, food, art, books, films, video games, and more. This scholarship will be of interest to those who wish to explore the gamut of modern religious expression, and those who wish to broaden their knowledge of the spiritual origins of human culture.
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Includes index. :
1 online resource (xxix, 789 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004226487 :
1874-6691 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Handbook of Freemasonry /
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Freemasonry is the largest, oldest, and most influential secret society in the world. The Brill Handbook of Freemasonry is a pioneering work that brings together, for the first time, leading scholars on Freemasonry. The first section covers historical perspectives, such as the origins and early history of Freemasonry. The second deals with the relationship between Freemasonry and specific religious traditions such as the Catholic Church, Judaism, and Islam. In the third section, organisational themes, such as the use of rituals, are explored, while the fourth section deals with issues related to society and politics - women, blacks, colonialism, nationalism, and war. The fifth and final section is devoted to Freemasonry and culture, including music, literature, modern art, architecture and material culture.
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1 online resource (pages) :
9789004273122 :
1874-6691 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Handbook of the theosophical current /
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Few religious currents have been as influential as the Theosophical. Yet few currents have been so under-researched, and the Brill Handbook of the Theosophical Current thus represents pioneering research. A first section surveys the main people and events involved in the Theosophical Society from its inception to today, and outlines the Theosophical worldview. A second, substantial section covers most significant religions to emerge in the wake of the Theosophical Society - Anthroposophy, the Point Loma community, the I AM religious activity, the Summit Lighthouse Movement, the New Age, theosophical UFO religions, and numerous others. Finally, the interaction of the Theosophical current with contemporary culture - including gender relations, art, popular fiction, historiography, and science - are discussed at length.
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1 online resource (xii, 494 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004235977 :
1874-6691 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Philosophy of Culture as Theory, Method, and Way of Life : Contemporary Reflections and Applications /
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The "idea" of culture comprises almost all human activities, from science to art, from music to microscopy. Does anything important escape the limits of this idea? The authors of this collection argue that all philosophy is really the philosophy of culture, since in some way each and every discipline and subdiscipline is foremost a manifestation of our collective cultural effort. Further, they argue that by engaging with philosophy as a cultural activity and as a discipline to meaningful engage with all dimensions of (inter)cultural life, we can live more meaningful, flourishing, and wisely guided lives.
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The authors of this collection argue that all philosophy is really philosophy of culture and that through it we can live more meaningful, flourishing, and wisely guided lives. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004515796
9789004515789
The apostolic age in patristic thought /
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This volume deals with how Christians of the first centuries looked back on the period of the nascent Church. Thanks to the incomparable stature of its founder, Jesus Christ, who had descended from heaven and commissioned his Apostles, this period was authorative for all Christians in matters of doctrine, institutions, rites and morality, a new phenomenon in the Graeco-Roman world. Its implications are explored in sixteen essays dealing with various subjects such as liturgy, the canon of Scriptures, the role of miracles, art, monasticism, and ministry. All contributions, taking into account both the views of individual Church fathers and Gnostic and Manichaean texts, make a large amount of primary material available.
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1 online resource (xi, 257 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789047404293 :
0920-623X ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Yearbook of Chinese theology 2015 /
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The Yearbook of Chinese Theology is an international, ecumenical and fully peer-reviewed series on Chinese theology in English. Its main focus is on interdisciplinary, contextual, and cross-cultural studies in the areas of Biblical Studies, Church History, Systematic Theology, Practical Theology, and Comparative Religions. The Yearbook also features articles exploring wider issues in church and society. The Yearbook of Chinese Theology thus meets the growing demand for the study of the new academic discipline of Christianity in a Chinese context. In this first volume, harmony and Sinicization of Christianity in China are studied from a systematic theological viewpoint. Confucian Ruism and the Human-God relationship are investigated from a practical theological perspective. Articles on the rebellious Taiping tianguo movement and on a Fujian Catholic community shed light on the history of Christianity in China, and two articles draw attention to the Bible in relation to literature and general public. Furthermore, a review of the Protestant Church is offered from the viewpoint of Civil Society construction, and Chinese contemporary ideology and historical Nestorianism are researched using methodology derived from the field of Comparative Religions. This volume offers genuine Chinese theological research, which was previously unavailable in English, by top scholars in the study of Christianity in China.
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1 online resource (xi, 251 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004293649 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A history of Christianity in Indonesia /
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Indonesia is the home of the largest single Muslim community of the world. Its Christian community, about 10% of the population, has until now received no overall description in English. Through cooperation of 26 Indonesian and European scholars, Protestants and Catholics, a broad and balanced picture is given of its 24 million Christians. This book sketches the growth of Christianity during the Portuguese period (1511-1605), it presents a fair account of developments under the Dutch colonial administration (1605-1942) and is more elaborate for the period of the Indonesian Republic (since 1945). It emphasizes the regional differences in this huge country, because most Christians live outside the main island of Java. Muslim-Christian relations, as well as the tensions between foreign missionaries and local theology, receive special attention.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [977]-981) and index. :
9789047441830 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Individuals and materials in the Greco-Roman cults of Isis : agents, images, and practices /
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In Individuals and Materials in the Greco-Roman Cults of Isis Valentino Gasparini and Richard Veymiers present a collection of reflections on the individuals and groups which animated one of Antiquity's most dynamic, significant and popular religious phenomena: the reception of the cults of Isis and other Egyptian gods throughout the Hellenistic and Roman worlds. These communities, whose members seem to share the same religious identity, for a long time have been studied in a monolithic way through the prism of the Cumontian category of the "Oriental religions". The 26 contributions of this book, divided into three sections devoted to the "agents", their "images" and their "practices", shed new light on this religious movement that appears much more heterogeneous and colorful than previously recognized.
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Proceedings of the VIth International Conference of Isis Studies (Erfurt, May 6-8, 2013 - Liege, September 23-24, 2013). :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004381346 :
0927-7633 ;
Christian origins and Hellenistic Judaism : social and literary contexts for the New Testament /
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In Christian Origins and Hellenistic Judaism , Stanley E. Porter and Andrew W. Pitts assemble an international team of scholars whose work has focused on reconstructing the social matrix for earliest Christianity through reference to Hellenistic Judaism and its literary forms. Each essay moves forward the current understanding of how primitive Christianity situated itself in relation to evolving Greco-Roman Jewish culture. Some essays focus on configuring the social context for the origins of the Jesus movement and beyond, while others assess the literary relation between early Christian and Hellenistic Jewish texts.
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1 online resource ([xi], , 619 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004236394 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.