Category: Book of the Week

April 10, 2012

An excerpt from Theos Bernard, the White Lama: Tibet, Yoga, and American Religious Life, by Paul G. Hackett

The following is an excerpt from the preface to Theos Bernard, the White Lama: Tibet, Yoga, and American Religious Life, by Paul G. Hackett. “How few ever think that there will be one around to check up on them.”— Theos...

March 28, 2012

Inderjeet Parmar on Foundations and the American Century, Part 2

In the second part of his essay, Inderjeet Parmar, author of Foundations of the American Century: The Ford, Carnegie, and Rockefeller Foundations in the Rise of American Power, examines the role of U.S. foundations in the post-Cold War era. (To...

March 27, 2012

Inderjeet Parmar on Foundations and the Creation of the American Empire

The following is an essay by Inderjeet Parmar, author of Foundations of the American Century: The Ford, Carnegie, and Rockefeller Foundations in the Rise of American Power. This is part 1 of the essay and we will run part 2...

March 23, 2012

Mark C. Taylor on Andy Goldsworthy

We conclude our week-long feature on Refiguring the Spiritual: Beuys, Barney, Turrell and Goldsworthy, with an excerpt from Mark C. Taylor’s chapter on Andy Goldsworthy: Goldsworthy’s preoccupation with place is often misunderstood. Some critics summarily dismiss him as a druidic...

March 22, 2012

Mark C. Taylor on James Turrell and Roden Crater

“Roden Crater is the most ambitious work and might well turn out to be the most important artwork of our time. For pilgrims fortunate enough to journey into Turrell’s work, the world is, indeed, transformed.”—Mark C. Taylor In his chapter...

March 16, 2012

Nicoli Nattrass on Pro-Science Advocacy and Challenging AIDS Denialists

We conclude our week-long feature on The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back, by Nicoli Nattrass with an excerpt from her conclusion in which she considers the challenges in confronting AIDS denialists particularly in the Internet Age: Will This Popular Enlightenment...

March 13, 2012

Nicoli Nattrass discusses AIDS Denialism and AIDS in South Africa

In the following interview, Nicoli Nattrass, author of The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back, discusses the issue of AIDS denialism as well as her work on AIDS in South Africa:

March 12, 2012

Book Giveaway!: The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back, by Nicoli Nattrass

This week our featured book is The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back, by Nicoli Nattrass. (To browse the book.) Throughout the week we will highlight aspects of the book and we are also offering a FREE copy of the book...

March 9, 2012

Chage & Aska "Say Yes" — More from Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon

In “Bubblegum Music in a Postbubble Economy,” the concluding chapter to Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon: A Geopolitical History of J-Pop, Michael Bourdaghs discusses the very popular Chage & Aska (C&A), whose 1991 single “Say Yes,” became a breakout hit. Bourdaghs’s...

March 8, 2012

Happy End — More from Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon

In the early 1970s, more Japanese rock bands started to sing in Japanese rather than English. One of the first groups to do this was the folk-rock group Happy End. Some might be familiar with the band from their song...

March 7, 2012

"We’re The Spiders!” — More from "Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon"

“Made-in-Japan Beatles? I hate it when they call us that. We’re the Spiders!”—Tanabe Shochi on why The Spiders passed on opening for The Beatles Michael Bourdaghs has a very informative and fun companion blog to his new book Sayonara Amerika,...

March 6, 2012

Sakamoto Kyu's "Sukiyaki"

In Sayonara Amerika, Sayonara Nippon: A Geopolitical Prehistory of J-Pop, Michael Bourdaghs discusses the aesthetic, cultural, and geopolitical implications of a range of musical styles that were popular in post-war Japan. Rockabilly first gained a wide audience in Japan in...