Open Access Books

This book examines the role of Persian literature in politics in the tumultuous period of Iranian history from 1950 to 2000, illustrating how intellectuals used poetry, plays, novels and short stories to comment on socio-political developments. The unique aspect of the book is its strong empirical perspective as it analyses how Persian intellectuals dealt with sensor, suppression, imprisonment, exile and even execution for the sake of expression of free speech. Karimi-Hakkak’s methodology is also unique as he applies theoretical perspectives of various disciplines to produce a multi-faceted work, which provide the reader with a concise socio-political history based on the interaction between literature and politics. ‘A Fire of Lilies’ will therefore make a significant contribution to the research on modern Persian literature as well as literary historiography.

What power does civil society (still) have? The contributions in this anthology deal with questions about the power of civil society and its transformation from an interdisciplinary perspective. They focus on socio-political areas in which the tensions between authoritarian attacks on democratic gender relations, neoliberal diversity policies and emancipatory movements are particularly evident and are constantly being renegotiated.

Islam is often seen as a religious tradition in which hell does not play a particularly prominent role. This volume challenges this hackneyed view. Locating Hell in Islamic Traditions is the first book-length analytic study of the Muslim hell. It maps out a broad spectrum of Islamic attitudes toward hell, from the Quranic vision(s) of hell to the pious cultivation of the fear of the afterlife, theological speculations, metaphorical and psychological understandings, and the modern transformations of hell. Contributors: Frederick Colby, Daniel de Smet, Christiane Gruber, Jon Hoover, Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Christian Lange, Christopher Melchert, Simon O’Meara, Samuela Pagani, Tommaso Tesei, Roberto Tottoli, Wim Raven, and Richard van Leeuwen.

Diseases & disorders

This open access book presents a variety of perspectives on the concept of freedom of religion in different European countries against the background of the European Convention on Human Rights, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and other international treaties. In most European societies today, religion and questions about religion are increasing in relevance and importance. This development can be explained in several ways, for example by continuous demographic changes and new societal standards and values. As a consequence, the debate on the interpretation and scope of the right to freedom of religion has intensified in politics, media and, of course, law. The right to freedom of religion is complex and varies within different legal contexts at the international, European and national levels. This has resulted in a right that is ambiguous and sometimes difficult for individuals to claim and for states to assert. This book contains contributions from leading legal scholars working in these fields in Sweden, the Nordic countries and wider Europe. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Swedish Studies Network.

In South Africa, work-integrated learning (WIL) excursions are crucial in preparing university students for the world of work. As higher education institutions (HEIs) evolve to promote equity and inclusivity, these excursions are continuously refined to enhance student learning outcomes. This scholarly book explores how WIL excursions support self-directed learning (SDL) and foster skills essential for the 21st century, such as active learning, intercultural sensitivity, and epistemological access. A key focus is on the 2023 WIL excursions at North-West University (NWU), which align with South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030 and the University Capacity Development Grant’s (UCDG) goal of equipping graduates to address contemporary societal challenges. The book examines first-year excursions across three faculties – Education, Health Sciences, and Law – using both virtual and in-person experiences to develop intercultural citizenship, communication, and a sense of belonging. Through research-based insights, the chapters highlight how these excursions were designed and implemented to help students recognise personal biases, deepen cultural awareness, and take responsibility for their own learning. Additionally, the book underscores how students were encouraged to identify their learning needs and access resources that promote ongoing self-directed growth. By linking WIL to SDL, the book provides novel perspectives on fostering inclusivity and preparing students for their academic journeys, professional careers, and contributions to a more socially just world.

Résumé du livre - Trajectoires et transitions Par leurs caractéristiques diverses, les maladies chroniques ont une résonance sociale, économique, biomédicale et politique. En comparant l’expérience quotidienne de malades atteints de rhumatismes inflammatoires et de malades atteints d’insuffisance rénale chronique, cet ouvrage – issu d’une thèse de doctorat – analyse les conséquences de ces pathologies sur la vie quotidienne des personnes affectées, les facteurs qui contribuent à leur émergence et les stratégies de gestion développées par les malades. À travers un regard éclectique du vécu des patients, il permet de comprendre comment les malades vivent et perçoivent leur maladie. La compréhension de l’expérience subjective de la maladie chronique contribue à mieux cibler la réflexion concernant les réels besoins des malades, permettant aux professionnels de la santé d’adapter leurs pratiques professionnelles et au milieu politique de mieux ajuster les politiques sociosanitaires.

This open access book discusses how cultural literacy can be taught and learned through creative practices. It approaches cultural literacy as a dialogic social process based on learning and gaining knowledge through emphatic, tolerant, and inclusive interaction. The book focuses on meaning-making in children and young people’s visual and multimodal artefacts created by students aged 5–15 as an outcome of the Cultural Literacy Learning Programme implemented in schools in Cyprus, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, and the UK. The lessons in the program address different social and cultural themes, ranging from one’s cultural attachments to being part of a community and engaging more broadly in society. The artefacts are explored through data-driven content analysis and self-reflexive and collaborative interpretation and discussed through multimodality and a sociocultural approach to children’s visual expression. This interdisciplinary volume draws on cultural studies, communication studies, art education, and educational sciences.

The paper aims to outline some of the strategies of aristocratic patronage in sacred spaces in the Italian peninsula. The commissioning of elaborate marble funerary monuments, the choice of location for chaplaincies or entire churches, convents and monasteries, and the choice of the religious order to which to entrust them are indicated here as keys to understanding the internal distinctions within the Italian aristocracies. In particular, a new examination of aristocratic patronage between the 14th and 16th centuries is considered a means to address a general revision of the Italian cultural hierarchies and geographies of Vasari's legacy.

Historically, Latin American political entities were structured by different forms of slave-labor that until the 19th century depended on transatlantic slave trade from Africa to the Americas. In this volume, scholars from Brazil, Germany, and Africa characterize different forms of serfdom in colonial times, picture slavery-based societies and explore aspects of dependency relations that emerged in the aftermath of abolition in Brazil and Africa.

Questa ricerca si svolge su un crinale: su un versante si focalizza su come è la realtà, sull’altro su come dovrebbe essere; da un lato la ricerca sulla situazione europea e dall’altro su quella italiana; su un versante la riflessione su cosa significa «sapere una lingua» e sull’altro come mettere in moto un meccanismo che avvicini la realtà delle università italiane a quanto indicato dalla riflessione da un lato i risultati della ricerca internazionale, dall’altro la constatazione di come stanno le cose in Italia.

This book arose from an inaugural conference on Migration Law and Policy at the ANU College of Law. The conference brought together academics and practitioners from a diverse range of disciplines and practice. The book is based on a selection of the papers and presentations given during that conference. Each explores the unexpected, unwanted and sometimes tragic outcomes of migration law and policy, identifying ambiguities, uncertainties, and omissions affecting both temporary and permanent migrants. Together, the papers present a myriad of perspectives, providing a sense of urgency that focuses on the immediate and political consequences of an Australian migration milieu created without due consideration and exposing the daily reality under the migration program for individuals and for society as a whole.

Large quantities of oil were discovered in the Albertine Rift Valley in Western Uganda in 2006. The sound management of these oil resources and revenues is undoubtedly one of the key public policy challenges for Uganda as it is for other African countries with large oil and/or gas endowments. With oil expected to start flowing in 2021, the current book analyses how this East African country is preparing for the challenge of effectively, efficiently, and transparently managing its oil sector and resources. Adopting a multidisciplinary, comprehensive, and comparative approach, the book identifies a broad scope of issues that need to be addressed in order for Uganda to realise the full potential of its oil wealth for national economic transformation. Predominantly grounded in local scholarship and including chapters drawing on the experiences of Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, the book blazes a trail on governance of African oil in an era of emerging producers. Oil Wealth and Development in Uganda and Beyond will be of great interest to social scientists and economic and social policy makers in oil-producing countries. It is suitable for course adoption across such disciplines as International/Global Affairs, Political Economy, Geography, Environmental Studies, Economics, Energy Studies, Development, Politics, Peace, Security and African Studies.

This study identifies the underlying patterns of persistent biblical allusion in the work of renowned playwright Bertolt Brecht. Rather than reducing Brecht's use of the Bible to the purely satirical, the author interprets the full dramatic function of Brecht's complex use of scripture. Using examples from plays written throughout the span of Brecht's career, Murphy shows how Brecht invokes the stories of Old Testament figures such as Job and Isaiah as well as the crucifixion accounts of the New Testament in order to build sympathetic characters and explore his more political themes.

The story of Tūhoe reveals how land and sovereignty shape Aotearoa's history.