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Negotiating Transcultural Relations in the Early Modern Mediterranean: Ottoman-Venetian Encounters (Transculturalisms, 1400-1700)
by Stephen OrtegaNegotiating Transcultural Relations in the Early Modern Mediterranean is a study of transcultural relations between Ottoman Muslims, Christian subjects of the Venetian Republic, and other social groups in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Focusing principally on Ottoman Muslims who came to Venice and its outlying territories, and using sources in Italian, Turkish and Spanish, this study examines the different types of power relations and the social geographies that framed the encounters of Muslim travelers. While Stephen Ortega does not dismiss the idea that Venetians and Ottoman Muslims represented two distinct communities, he does argue that Christian and Muslim exchange in the pre-modern period involved integrated cultural, economic, political and social practices. Ortega's investigation brings to light how merchants, trade brokers, diplomats, informants, converts, wayward souls and government officials from different communities engaged in similar practices and used comparable negotiation tactics in matters ranging from trade disputes, to the rights of male family members, to guarantees of protection. In relying on sources from archives in Venice, Istanbul and Simancas, the book demonstrates the importance of viewing Mediterranean history from a variety of perspectives, and it emphasizes the importance of understanding cross-cultural history as a negotiation between different social, cultural and institutional actors.
Negotiating a Good Death: Euthanasia in the Netherlands
by Carlton Munson Joan K ParrySocial Work Theory and Practice with the Terminally Ill, second edition, takes a compassionate look at ways that social workers can help dying people and their families. The social workers who work most effectively with terminally ill patients and their families are the ones who best understand the multifaceted nature of the dying process and its impact on the the patient, the family, and even on the health care professionals who work with patients at the end of life. Dr. Parry--who specializes in dying and bereavement--offers astute observations on the stages of dealing with the diagnosis of a terminal illness and the impending death that patients and their families confront. This updated second edition provides valuable new information on ways that social workers can help those with AIDS and their families, on traumatic death from any cause, and on the grieving processes of parents.Social Work Theory and Practice with the Terminally Ill, second edition, also includes stimulating discussions on: the interdisciplinary health team the grieving process professional burnout how social workers adapt to working with dying patients euthanasia and physician-assisted dying living wills and patients’rightsIn touching case studies, this volume illustrates the particular needs and concerns of the terminally ill and their families--impending losses, financial worries, job concerns, pain, unfinished business, and spiritual needs--and reviews successful interventions used by social workers to help patients and their families work through the dying process.
Negotiating the Christian Past in China: Memory and Missions in Contemporary Xiamen (World Christianity)
by Jifeng LiuAt the turn of the twenty-first century, Xiamen’s pursuit of World Heritage Site designation from UNESCO stimulated considerable interest in the city’s Christian past. History enthusiasts, both Christian and non-Christian, devoted themselves to reinterpreting the legacy of missionaries and challenged official narratives of Christianity’s troubled associations with Western imperialism. In this book, Jifeng Liu documents the tension that has inevitably emerged between the established official history and these popular efforts.This volume elucidates the ways in which Christianity has become an integral part of Xiamen, a Chinese city profoundly influenced by Western missionaries. Drawing on extensive interviews, locally produced histories, and observations of historical celebrations, Liu provides an intimate portrait of the people who navigate ideological issues to reconstruct a Christian past, reproduce religious histories, and redefine local power structures in the shadow of the state. Liu makes a compelling argument that a Christian past is being constructed that combines official frameworks, unofficial practices, and nostalgia into social memory, a realm of dynamic negotiation that is neither dominated by the authoritarian state nor characterized by popular resistance. In this way, Negotiating the Christian Past in China illustrates the complexities of memory and missions in shaping the city’s cultural landscape, church-state dynamics, and global aspirations.This groundbreaking study assumes a perspective of globalization and localization, in both the past and the present, to better understand Chinese Christianity in a local, national, and global context. It will be welcomed by scholars of religious studies and world Christianity, and by those interested in the church-state relationship in China.
Negotiating the Landscape: Environment and Monastic Identity in the Medieval Ardennes (The Middle Ages Series)
by Ellen F. ArnoldNegotiating the Landscape explores the question of how medieval religious identities were shaped and modified by interaction with the natural environment. Focusing on the Benedictine monastic community of Stavelot-Malmedy in the Ardennes, Ellen F. Arnold draws upon a rich archive of charters, property and tax records, correspondence, miracle collections, and saints' lives from the seventh to the mid-twelfth century to explore the contexts in which the monks' intense engagement with the natural world was generated and refined.Arnold argues for a broad cultural approach to medieval environmental history and a consideration of a medieval environmental imagination through which people perceived the nonhuman world and their own relation to it. Concerned to reassert medieval Christianity's vitality and variety, Arnold also seeks to oppose the historically influential view that the natural world was regarded in the premodern period as provided by God solely for human use and exploitation. The book argues that, rather than possessing a single unifying vision of nature, the monks drew on their ideas and experience to create and then manipulate a complex understanding of their environment. Viewing nature as both wild and domestic, they simultaneously acted out several roles, as stewards of the land and as economic agents exploiting natural resources. They saw the natural world of the Ardennes as a type of wilderness, a pastoral haven, and a source of human salvation, and actively incorporated these differing views of nature into their own attempts to build their community, understand and establish their religious identity, and relate to others who shared their landscape.
Negotiating the Secular and the Religious in the German Empire: Transnational Approaches (New German Historical Perspectives #10)
by Rebekka HabermasWith its rapid industrialization, modernization, and gradual democratization, Imperial Germany has typically been understood in secular terms. However, religion and religious actors actually played crucial roles in the history of the Kaiserreich, a fact that becomes particularly evident when viewed through a transnational lens. In this volume, leading scholars of sociology, religious studies, and history study the interplay of secular and religious worldviews beyond the simple interrelation of practices and ideas. By exploring secular perspectives, belief systems, and rituals in a transnational context, they provide new ways of understanding how the borders between Imperial Germany’s secular and religious spheres were continually made and remade.
Negotiating the Secular and the Religious in the German Empire: Transnational Approaches (New German Historical Perspectives)
by Rebekka HabermasWith its rapid industrialization, modernization, and gradual democratization, Imperial Germany has typically been understood in secular terms. However, religion and religious actors actually played crucial roles in the history of the Kaiserreich, a fact that becomes particularly evident when viewed through a transnational lens. In this volume, leading scholars of sociology, religious studies, and history study the interplay of secular and religious worldviews beyond the simple interrelation of practices and ideas. By exploring secular perspectives, belief systems, and rituals in a transnational context, they provide new ways of understanding how the borders between Imperial Germany’s secular and religious spheres were continually made and remade.
Nehemiah (MacArthur Bible Studies)
by John MacarthurThese study guides, part of a 16-volume set from noted Bible scholar John MacArthur, take readers on a journey through biblical texts to discover what lies beneath the surface, focusing on meaning and context, and then reflecting on the explored passage or concept. With probing questions that guide the reader toward application, as well as ample space for journaling, The MacArthur Bible Studies are invaluable tools for Bible students of all ages.
Nehemiah: Builder for God (A Bible Times Book)
by Neil M. RossThis is the story of Nehemiah, a man who loved God. Nehemiah worked for God even when mean people tried to make him stop. Not only was Nehemiah brave, but he did what was right. The books in this series have been praised for their accurate telling of Bible stories, making them come alive for today's children.
Nehemiah: Building out of the Rubble
by Don H. PolstonNehemiah: Building out of the Rubble is a book about restoration. No matter how hopeless or helpless your situation may seem, God is always in the business of complete repair! The power of the Cross is that it is a complete work, so there is nothing more to be done in order to experience absolute fullness in every area of our lives. Colossians 2:9-10, 13-14 says, For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power . . . And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. As you read Nehemiah, remember that no situation--no relationship--nodisease--no prisoner--is too far gone or binding for God to rebuild, heal, or set free.
Nehemiah: Overcoming Challenges
by Bill Hybels Kevin HarneyFace the Tough Times with Confidence The question is not, “Will I face challenges?” The issue is, “How will I deal with the tough times that come my way?” No one travels far down the road without confronting the sobering reality that life can be hard. The book of Nehemiah is a case study in overcoming life’s challenges. Wave after wave of pain pounded on the shores of Nehemiah’s life, but he kept standing strong. A tsunami of relational, financial, and spiritual attacks came, but he withstood it all in the power of God. As we meditate on Nehemiah’s story, we discover the hope and victory that come when we walk in God’s wisdom through the challenges of life.
Nehemiah: The Courage to Face Opposition (LifeGuide Bible Studies)
by Don A. FieldsNehemiah was a leader of Israel. He faced opposition and difficulty from every side���even from his own people. Yet he stood against all his enemies, trusting only in God. As Don Fields leads you through twelve sessions LifeGuide Bible Study to dig into the Old Testament story of Nehemiah, you will discover how this leader's courage and faith can inspire you as you struggle to live a life pleasing to God. This revised LifeGuide Bible Study features additional questions for starting group discussions and meeting God in personal reflection, together with expanded leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each study. PDF download with a single-user license; available from InterVarsity Press and other resellers. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions���making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.
Neighbor, Love Yourself: Discover Your Value, Live Your Worth
by Bryan CrumGod loves us, but do we love ourselves? Having listened to hundreds of life stories, Bryan Crum realized too many people carry regret. With a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Bob Goff, Neighbor, Love Yourself reminds us all that we are worthy.&“This book, a guide to self-love, is filled with wisdom, humor, and invaluable insights that will empower you to live life with newfound confidence and authenticity.&”—Mark Batterson, author of The Circle MakerGod gave us divinely sophisticated tools, so we could live the powerful life he intended. The problem is most of us don&’t know they exist . . . or how to use them. The result is an inner worth we aren&’t aware of and a life unknowingly lived at half capacity.Neighbor, Love Yourself launches an internal expedition to uncover the hidden features installed within us bearing our Maker&’s fingerprints. Though we&’ve forgotten how to use these custom parts, they still work. They&’re not rusty, just dusty.Bryan Crum spent a decade as a hospice chaplain. His time at the bedside of dying people gave him a front-row view into how God designed us. He discovered that most people felt they never reached their full potential. Their longings and regrets led to incredible insights about what&’s most often missed—the power of love.Filled with memorable stories and timeless takeaways, Neighbor, Love Yourself reveals how understanding our inner value changes the way we live on the outside. Before we can truly love our neighbors—or anyone else—we must learn to love ourselves as God intended.If you&’ve doubted your design, felt unfulfilled, or are unaware of the divine features inside you, this book is like finding a lost owner&’s manual to your inner workings—one that invites you to take joy in your pricelessness instead of wondering about your worth.
Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation Into A Powerhouse For Mission
by Rob Mueller Krin TatenhoveHow can we embody the values of love, grace, and justice? As faith communities, how can our collective embodiment of these values shine even brighter? The answers to these questions must always unfold right here, right now, exactly where God has planted us. Neighborhood Churchacts as a resource to inspire churches to become a vibrant and engaging community partner with the families and neighborhoods living around them. The need for transformation is acute. Congregational decline continues across all mainline denominations. The abandonment of the church by the millennial generation is ubiquitous; no denomination is escaping it. This is, in part, a consequence of disconnection from our communities. Van Tatenhove and Mueller believe that, parish by parish, we can reverse this trend. They dare to have an audacious hope for local congregations not only as signs of God’s kingdom but as life-giving institutions that anchor their neighborhoods. Drawing on their combined sixty years of parish experience, wisdom from Asset-Based Community Development, and compelling case stories, Van Tatenhove and Mueller do more than just call us to incarnational ministry. They give practical, essential tools that lead to communal conversion, develop the DNA of listening, spur fruitful partnerships, promote integrated space, and sustain long-term visions. They believe these tools will spark true revival and unleash the power of incarnational ministry.
Neighborhood Mapping: How to Make Your Church Invaluable to the Community
by John E. FuderIf your church relocated, would your neighbors notice? Would there be an outcry for you to stay?Whether you are a church planter, pastor, community activist, missionary, college ministry leader, or simply a Christ-follower looking to impact your community, this resource is for you. Neighborhood Mapping by Dr. John Fuder is an engaging, practical tool available to assist workers in the field to better understand the communities they are involved with. It awakens the neighborhood explorer with effective methodology for "exegeting" their neighborhood, offering surveys and samples to lead them in that process. Dr. Fuder calls believers to shift the focus from inside the church building to those who live in the community. He offers here an easy-to-use resource for those who care about ministry to &“the least of these.&”
Neighborhood Mapping: How to Make Your Church Invaluable to the Community
by John E. FuderIf your church relocated, would your neighbors notice? Would there be an outcry for you to stay?Whether you are a church planter, pastor, community activist, missionary, college ministry leader, or simply a Christ-follower looking to impact your community, this resource is for you. Neighborhood Mapping by Dr. John Fuder is an engaging, practical tool available to assist workers in the field to better understand the communities they are involved with. It awakens the neighborhood explorer with effective methodology for "exegeting" their neighborhood, offering surveys and samples to lead them in that process. Dr. Fuder calls believers to shift the focus from inside the church building to those who live in the community. He offers here an easy-to-use resource for those who care about ministry to &“the least of these.&”
Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction To World Religions
by Winfried CorduanFor all who want to understand the religious faiths of their neighbors and coworkers, Winfried Corduan offers an introduction to the religions of the world. His survey covers major and minor religions including Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, African traditional religions, Native American religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Baha'i, Chinese popular religion, and Shinto and Japanese religions. Neighboring Faiths emphasizes not just formal religious teachings but also how each religion is practiced in daily life. Dozens of photographs, charts and maps help illustrate how the faiths are lived out in contemporary culture. Moving beyond mere description, Corduan offers specific suggestions for how Christians can avoid giving unnecessary offense to followers of these faiths while engaging them in constructive dialogue. This edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded, with a new chapter on Islam after 9/11 and additional material throughout.
Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions
by Winfried CorduanFor all who want to understand the religious faiths of their neighbors and coworkers, Winfried Corduan offers an introduction to the religions of the world. His survey covers major and minor religions including Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, African traditional religions, Native American religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Baha'i, Chinese popular religion, and Shinto and Japanese religions.Neighboring Faiths emphasizes not just formal religious teachings but also how each religion is practiced in daily life. Dozens of photographs, charts and maps help illustrate how the faiths are lived out in contemporary culture. Moving beyond mere description, Corduan offers specific suggestions for how Christians can avoid giving unnecessary offense to followers of these faiths while engaging them in constructive dialogue.This edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded, with a new chapter on Islam after 9/11 and additional material throughout.
Neighboring Faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in the Middle Ages and Today
by David NirenbergChristianity, Judaism, and Islam are usually treated as autonomous religions, but in fact across the long course of their histories the three religions have developed in interaction with one another. In Neighboring Faiths, David Nirenberg examines how Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived with and thought about each other during the Middle Ages and what the medieval past can tell us about how they do so today. There have been countless scripture-based studies of the three "religions of the book,” but Nirenberg goes beyond those to pay close attention to how the three religious neighbors loved, tolerated, massacred, and expelled each other--all in the name of God--in periods and places both long ago and far away. Nirenberg argues that the three religions need to be studied in terms of how each affected the development of the others over time, their proximity of religious and philosophical thought as well as their overlapping geographies, and how the three "neighbors” define--and continue to define--themselves and their place in terms of one another. From dangerous attractions leading to interfaith marria≥ to interreligious conflicts leading to segregation, violence, and sometimes extermination; to strategies for bridging the interfaith gap through language, vocabulary, and poetry, Nirenberg aims to understand the intertwined past of the three faiths as a way for their heirs to produce the future--together.
Neighboring Faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in the Middle Ages and Today
by David NirenbergEssays on how Jews, Muslims, and Christians have coexisted—or not—over the centuries, from “a particularly incisive and trustworthy historian of religion” (Commonweal).Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are usually treated as autonomous religions, but in fact across the long course of their histories the three religions have developed in interaction with one another. In Neighboring Faiths, David Nirenberg examines how Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived with and thought about each other during the Middle Ages and what the medieval past can tell us about how they do so today.There have been countless scripture-based studies of the three “religions of the book,” but Nirenberg goes beyond those to pay close attention to how the three religious neighbors loved, tolerated, massacred, and expelled each other—all in the name of God—in periods and places both long ago and far away. Nirenberg argues that the three religions need to be studied in terms of how each affected the development of the others over time, their proximity of religious and philosophical thought as well as their overlapping geographies, and how the three “neighbors” define—and continue to define—themselves and their place in terms of one another. From dangerous attractions leading to interfaith marriage; to interreligious conflicts leading to segregation, violence, and sometimes extermination; to strategies for bridging the interfaith gap through language, vocabulary, and poetry, Nirenberg aims to understand the intertwined past of the three faiths as a way for their heirs to produce the future—together.“Will be of extraordinary importance not only for specialists in the field but also for general readers and anyone interested in the relations among the three religions.” —Teofilo F. Ruiz, University of California, Los Angeles
Neighborliness: Love Like Jesus. Cross Dividing Lines. Transform Your Community.
by David DocusenDo you want to love your neighbor as yourself but don&’t know where to start? This practical, accessible guide to bridging the dividing lines of politics, race, and economics, both individually and as the church, will help you amplify Jesus in your community and build God&’s kingdom. When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus gave a two-part answer: &“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength&” and also &“Love your neighbor as yourself.&” Love God. Love others. Jesus&’ simple command to love your neighbor can feel overwhelming when your neighbor looks, lives, and votes differently than you do. Racial and economic tensions across the country have resulted in deep dividing lines that seem really intimidating to cross. Docusen breaks down these lines in approachable chapters, including topics like these: how to actively seek out people you can benefit and encourage,what it means to find a diverse and supportive community that fulfills needs, examples of real-life experiences, including highlights and missteps of Docusen&’s ongoing journey, andhow churches can teach on difficult topics with grace and truth.Neighborliness is a practical guide to bridging those dividing lines and learning to recognize and amplify the beauty of God in our communities. Backed by David&’s speaking and training through the Neighborliness Center, this book will help individuals and churches reach out to their neighbors, love them through Christ, and build God&’s kingdom.
Neighbors and Missionaries: A History of the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine
by Margaret M. McGuinnessThe Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine community was founded in 1910 by marion gurney, who adopted the religious name Mother Marianne of Jesus. A graduate of Wellesley College and a convert to Catholicism,Gurney had served as head resident at St. Rose’s Settlement, the first Catholic settlement house in New York City. She founded the Sisters of Christian Doctrine when other communities of women religious appeared uninterested in a ministry of settlement work combined with religious education programs for childrenattending public schools. The community established two settlement houses in New York City—Madonna House on the Lower East Side in 1910, followed by Ave Maria House in the Bronx in 1930. Alongside their classes in religious education and preparing children and adults to receive the sacraments, the Sisters distributed food and clothing, operated a bread line, and helped their neighbors in emergencies. In1940 Mother Marianne and the Sisters began their first major mission outside New York when they adapted the model of the urban Catholic social settlement to rural South Carolina. They also served at a number of parishes, including several in South Carolina and Florida, where they ministered to both black and white Catholics.In Neighbors and Missionaries, Margaret M. McGuinness, who was given full access to the archives of the Sisters of Christian Doctrine, traces in fascinating detail the history of the congregation, from the inspiring story of its founder and the community’s mission to provide material and spiritual support to their Catholic neighbors, to the changes and challenges of the latter half of the twentieth century. By 1960, settlement houses had been replaced by other forms of social welfare, and the lives and work of American women religious were undergoing a dramatic change. McGuinness explores how the Sisters of Christian Doctrine were affected and how they adapted their own lives and work to reflect the transformations taking place in the Church and society.Neighbors and Missionaries examines a distinctive community of women religious whose primary focus was neither teaching nor nursing/hospital administration. The choice of the Sisters of Christian Doctrine to live among the poor and to serve where other communities were either unwilling or unable demonstratesthat women religious in the United States served in many different capacities as they contributed to the life and work of the American Catholic Church.
Neighbors and Wise Men: Sacred Encounters in a Portland Pub and Other Unexpected Places
by Tony KrizHearing from God is extraordinary. But the circumstances He uses to reveal Himself may be more ordinary than we think.Neighbors and Wise Men introduces captivating dialogues and unexpected moments with God that go beyond the confines of a conventional religious system and offer the chance for powerful life transformation.Get to know Tony Kriz (known by many as "Tony the Beat Poet" in Donald Miller's best-selling book Blue Like Jazz) through his real-life conversations and experiences that prove that God can and will use anyone and anything-- from Muslim lands to antireligious academics to post-Christian cultures--to make Himself known.Through his own prodigal-son backstory and return to faith, Tony presents biblical truth in a conversational, but bold light that offers readers the courage to open their eyes to the unlikely encounters that are all around us every day; chance run-ins that turn out to be anything but chance.Have we limited God's ability to speak in our world today? Have we relegated God's creative voice to the select persons who share our particular religious system? Kriz himself felt like he was falling out of faith until non-Christians encouraged him to "fall toward Christ."
Neither Angel nor Beast: The Life and Work of Blaise Pascal (Routledge Library Editions: Philosophy of Religion)
by Francis X.J. ColemanBlaise Pascal began as a mathematical prodigy, developed into a physicist and inventor, and had become by the end of his life in 1662 a profound religious thinker. As a philosopher, he was most convinced by the long tradition of scepticism, and so refused – like Kierkegaard – to build a philosophical or theological system. Instead, he argued that the human heart required other forms of discourse to come to terms with the basic existential questions – our nature, purpose and relationship with God. This introduction to the life and philosophical thought of Pascal is intended for the general reader. Strikingly illustrated, it traces the antithetical tensions in Pascal’s life from his infancy, when he was said to have been placed under the spell of a sorceress, to his final years of extreme asceticism. Pascal stressed both the misery and greatness of humanity, our finitude and our comprehension of the infinite. The book shows how his life, philosophical thought and literary style can best be understood in the light of the paradoxical view of human nature. It covers the methods of argument and the central issues of the Provincial Letters and of the Pensées; the Introduction places Pascal’s thought in the religious and political climate of seventeenth-century France, and a ‘Chronology of the Life of Pascal’ is also included.
Neither Believer nor Infidel: Skepticism and Faith in Melville's Shorter Fiction and Poetry
by Jonathan A. CookShedding new light on both classic and lesser-known works in the Melville canon with particular attention to the author's literary use of the Bible, Neither Believer Nor Infidel examines the debate between religious skepticism and Christian faith that infused Herman Melville's writings following Moby-Dick. Jonathan A. Cook's study is the first to focus on the decisive role of faith and doubt in Melville's writings following his mid-career turn to shorter fiction, and still later to poetry, as a result of the commercial failures of Moby-Dick and Pierre. Nathaniel Hawthorne claimed that Melville "can neither believe nor be comfortable in his unbelief," a remark that encapsulates an essential truth about Melville's attitude to Christianity. Like many of his Victorian contemporaries, Melville spent his literary career poised between an intellectual rejection of Christian dogma and an emotional attachment to the consolations of non-dogmatic Christian faith. Accompanying this ambivalence was a lifelong devotion to the text of the King James Bible as both moral sourcebook and literary template. Following a biographical overview of skeptical influences and manifestations in Melville's early life and career, Cook examines the evidence of religious doubt and belief in "Bartleby, the Scrivener," "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!," "The Encantadas," Israel Potter, Battle-Pieces, Timoleon, and Billy Budd. Accessible for both the general reader and the scholar, Neither Believer Nor Infidel clarifies the ambiguities of Melville's pervasive use of religion in his fiction and poetry. In analyzing Melville's persistent oscillation between metaphysical rebellion and attenuated belief, Cook elucidates both well-known and under-appreciated works.
Neither Cargo Nor Cult
by Martha KaplanIn the 1880s an oracle priest, Navosavakadua, mobilized Fijians of the hinterlands against the encroachment of both Fijian chiefs and British colonizers. British officials called the movement the Tuka cult, imagining it as a contagious superstition that had to be stopped. Navosavakadua and many of his followers, deemed "dangerous and disaffected natives," were exiled. Scholars have since made Tuka the standard example of the Pacific cargo cult, describing it as a millenarian movement in which dispossessed islanders sought Western goods by magical means. In this study of colonial and postcolonial Fiji, Martha Kaplan examines the effects of narratives made real and traces a complex history that began neither as a search for cargo, nor as a cult. Engaging Fijian oral history and texts as well as colonial records, Kaplan resituates Tuka in the flow of indigenous Fijian history-making and rereads the archives for an ethnography of British colonizing power. Proposing neither unchanging indigenous culture nor the inevitable hegemony of colonial power, she describes the dialogic relationship between plural, contesting, and changing articulations of both Fijian and colonial culture. A remarkable enthnographic account of power and meaning, Neither Cargo nor Cult addresses compelling questions within anthropological theory. It will attract a wide audience among those interested in colonial and postcolonial societies, ritual and religious movements, hegemony and resistance, and the Pacific Islands.