The Devil: A Very Short Introduction

The Devil: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Darren Oldridge
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199580995
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 145

Book Description
The Devil has fascinated writers and theologians since the time of the New Testament, and inspired many dramatic and haunting works of art. Today he remains a potent image in popular culture. The Devil: A Very Short Introduction presents an introduction to the Christian Devil through the history of ideas and the lives of real people.

Critical Theory

Critical Theory PDF Author: Stephen Eric Bronner
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190692677
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
Preface -- Introduction: what is critical theory? -- The frankfurt school -- A matter of method -- Critical theory and modernism -- Alienation and reification -- Enlightened illusions -- The utopian laboratory -- The happy consciousness -- The great refusal -- From resignation to renewal -- Unfinished tasks -- Further reading -- Index

Witchcraft: A Very Short Introduction

Witchcraft: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Malcolm Gaskill
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019923695X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 163

Book Description
Examines the history and origins of witchcraft, from pre-history to the present day, considering why it still features so heavily in our culture

Mao: A Very Short Introduction

Mao: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Delia Davin
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191654035
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 176

Book Description
As a giant of 20th century history, Mao Zedong played many roles: peasant revolutionary, patriotic leader against the Japanese occupation, Marxist theoretician, modernizer, and visionary despot. This Very Short Introduction chronicles Mao's journey from peasant child to ruler of the most populous nation on Earth. He was a founder of both the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Army, and for many years he fought on two fronts, for control of the Party and in an armed struggle for the Party's control of the country. His revolution unified China and began its rise to world power status. He was the architect of the Great Leap Forward that he hoped would make China both prosperous and egalitarian, but instead ended in economic disaster resulting in millions of deaths. It was Mao's growing suspicion of his fellow leaders that led him to launch the Cultural Revolution, and his last years were dogged by ill-health and his despairing attempts to find a successor whom he trusted. Delia Davin provides an invaluable introduction to Mao, showing him in all his complexity; ruthless, brutal, and ambitious, a man of enormous talent and perception, yet a leader who is still detested by some and venerated by others. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Speak of the Devil

Speak of the Devil PDF Author: Joseph P. Laycock
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190948493
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 273

Book Description
In this book-length study of The Satanic Temple, Joseph Laycock, a scholar of new religious movements, contends that the emergence of "political Satanism" marks a significant moment in American religious history that will have a lasting impact on how Americans frame debates about religious freedom. Though the group gained attention for its strategic deployment of outrage, it claims to have developed beyond politics into a religious movement. Equal parts history and ethnography, Speak of the Devil demonstrates why religious Satanism is significant to larger conversations about the definition of religion, religious freedom, and religious tolerance.

The American South

The American South PDF Author: Charles Reagan Wilson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199943516
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
"The American South has a dramatic history that has made it a distinctive place on the world stage, one with continuing significance into the twenty-first century. Its early history illuminates the expansion of Europe into the New World, creating a colonial, plantation, slave society that made it different from other parts of the United States but fostered commonalities with other southern places that had similar colonial experiences. The Civil War and civil rights movement are historical events that transformed the South in differing ways and remain part of a vibrant public memory, one that the region's people and outsiders to the region often contest. In the twentieth century, the South's pronounced traditionalism in customs and values was in tension with the forces of modernization that only slowly forced change"--

Angels: A Very Short Introduction

Angels: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: David Albert Jones
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199547300
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
What are angels? Where were they first encountered? Can we distinguish angels from gods, fairies, ghosts, and aliens? And why do they remain so popular? This Very Short Introduction investigates stories and speculations about angels in religions old and new, in art, literature, film, and the popular imagination.

Miracles: A Very Short Introduction

Miracles: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Yujin Nagasawa
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0191064335
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Book Description
Jesus turned water into wine, Mohammad split the moon into two, and Buddha walked and spoke immediately upon birth. According to recent statistics, even in the present age of advanced science and technology, most people believe in miracles. In fact, newspapers and television regularly report alleged miracles, such as recoveries from incurable diseases, extremely unlikely coincidences, and religious signs and messages on unexpected objects. In this book the award-winning author and philosopher Yujin Nagasawa addresses some of our most fundamental questions concerning miracles. What exactly is a miracle? What types of miracles are believed in the world's great religions? What do recent scientific findings tell us about miracles? Can we rationally believe that miracles have really taken place? Can there be acts that are more religiously significant than miracles? Drawing on a vast variety of fascinating examples from across the major religions, Nagasawa discusses the lively debate on miracles that ranges from reported miracles in ancient scriptures in the East and West to cutting-edge scientific research on belief formation. Throughout, he drives us to ask ourselves if and how we can still believe in in miracles in the twenty-first century. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The Beats: A Very Short Introduction

The Beats: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: David Sterritt
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199796777
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 145

Book Description
This book offers a concise overview of the social, cultural, and aesthetic sensibilities of the Beat Generation, explaining how their drastic visions and radical styles challenged postwar America's dominant values in ways that can still be felt in literature, cinema, music, theatre, and the visual arts.

Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism PDF Author: Malise Ruthven
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191647225
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
Since the end of the Cold War fundamentalism has been seen as the major threat to world peace and prosperity, a concern that was exacerbated by the events of 9/11, and the 'War against Terrorism'. But what does 'fundamentalism' really mean? Since it was coined by American Protestant evangelicals in the 1920s, the word has expanded its meaning to include radical conservatives or ideological purists in many spheres of activity, not all of them religious. Modern applications of fundamentalism include Islamist radicals in the Muslim world, the militant Israeli settlers who oppose them as well as Sikh, Hindu and even Buddhist nationalists who seek to justify their political agendas by reference to divine edicts or religious tradition. This exciting new book tackles the polemic and stereotypes surrounding this fascinating subject.
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