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Dividing Paradise: Rural Inequality and the Diminishing American Dream
by Jennifer ShermanHow rural areas have become uneven proving grounds for the American Dream Late-stage capitalism is trying to remake rural America in its own image, and the resistance is telling. Small-town economies that have traditionally been based on logging, mining, farming, and ranching now increasingly rely on tourism, second-home ownership, and retirement migration. In Dividing Paradise, Jennifer Sherman tells the story of Paradise Valley, Washington, a rural community where amenity-driven economic growth has resulted in a new social landscape of inequality and privilege, with deep fault lines between old-timers and newcomers. In this complicated cultural reality, "class blindness" allows privileged newcomers to ignore or justify their impact on these towns, papering over the sentiments of anger, loss, and disempowerment of longtime locals. Based on in-depth interviews with individuals on both sides of the divide, this book explores the causes and repercussions of the stark inequity that has become commonplace across the United States. It exposes the mechanisms by which inequality flourishes and by which Americans have come to believe that disparity is acceptable and deserved. Sherman, who is known for her work on rural America, presents here a powerful case study of the ever-growing tensions between those who can and those who cannot achieve their visions of the American dream.
Dividing the Domestic
by Sonja Drobnic Judith TreasIn Dividing the Domestic, leading international scholars roll up their sleeves to investigate how culture and country characteristics permeate our households and our private lives. The book introduces novel frameworks for understanding why the household remains a bastion of traditional gender relations--even when employed full-time, women everywhere still do most of the work around the house, and poor women spend more time on housework than affluent women. Education systems, tax codes, labor laws, public polices, and cultural beliefs about motherhood and marriage all make a difference. Any accounting of "who does what" needs to consider the complicity of trade unions, state arrangements for children's schooling, and new cultural prescriptions for a happy marriage. With its cross-national perspective, this pioneering volume speaks not only to sociologists concerned with gender and family, but also to those interested in scholarship on states, public policy, culture, and social inequality.
Divination, Prediction and the End of the Roman Republic
by Federico SantangeloThis book offers a comprehensive assessment of the intersection between Roman politics, culture and divination in the late Republic. It discusses how the practice of divination changed at a time of great political and social change and explores the evidence for a critical reflection and debate on the limits of divination and prediction in the second and first centuries BC. Divination was a central feature in the workings of the Roman government and this book explores the ways in which it changed under the pressure of factors of socio-political complexity and disruption. It discusses the ways in which the problem of the prediction of the future is constructed in the literature of the period. Finally, it explores the impact that the emergence of the Augustan regime had on the place of divination in Rome and the role that divinatory themes had in shaping the ideology of the new regime.
Divine Hierarchies
by Sean MccloudPlacing the neglected issue of class back into the study and understanding of religion, Sean McCloud reconsiders the meaning of class in today's world. More than a status grounded in material conditions, says McCloud, class is also an identity rhetorically and symbolically made and unmade through representations. It entails relationships, identifications, boundaries, meanings, power, and our most ingrained habits of mind and body. He demonstrates that employing class as an analytical tool that cuts across variables such as creed, race, ethnicity, and gender can illuminate American religious life in unprecedented ways.Through social theory, historical analysis, and ethnography, McCloud makes an interdisciplinary argument for reinserting class into the study of religion. First, he offers a new three-part conception of class for use in studying religion. He then presents a focused cultural history of religious studies by examining how social class surfaced in twentieth-century theories of religious affiliation. He concludes with historical and ethnographic case studies of religion and class. Divine Hierarchies makes a convincing case for the past and present importance of class in American religious thought, practice, and scholarship.
Divinization and Technology: The Political Anthropology of Subversion (Contemporary Liminality)
by Agnes Horvath Camil Francisc Roman Gilbert GermainThis book offers a political anthropological discussion of subversion, exploring its imbrication with technological and divinization practices, and uncovering some of its particular effects on human existence, from prehistory until the contemporary age. Subversion is often romanticized as a means of opposing or undermining power in the name of supposedly universal values, yet techniques of subversion are actually deployed by people of all modern political and philosophical persuasions. With subversion having become a tool of mainstream ‘power’ that threatens to dominate social and political reality and so render the populace servile and subject to a generalized culture industry, Divinization and Technology examines the ways in which technology and divinization, with their efforts to unite with divine powers, can be brought together as modalities of subversion.
Divorce in Europe: New Insights in Trends, Causes and Consequences of Relation Break-ups (European Studies of Population #21)
by Dimitri MortelmansThis open access book collects the major discussions in divorce research in Europe. It starts with an understanding of divorce trends. Why was divorce increasing so rapidly throughout the US and Europe and do we see signs of a turn? Do cohabitation breakups influence divorce trends or is there a renewed stability on the partner market?In terms of divorce risks, the book contains new insights on Eastern European countries. These post socialist countries have evolved dramatically since the fall of the Wall and at present they show the highest divorce figures in Europe. Also the influence of gender, and more specifically women’s education as a risk in divorce is examined cross nationally. The book also provides explanations for the negative gradient in female education effects on divorce. It devotes three separate parts to new insights in the post-divorce effects of the life course event by among others looking at consequences for adults and children but also taking the larger family network into account. As such the book is of interest to demographers, sociologists, psychologists, family therapists, NGOs, and politicians.“This wide-ranging volume details important trends in divorce in Europe that hold implications for understanding family dissolution causes and consequences throughout the world. Highly recommended for researchers and students everywhere.”
Divorce in Psychosocial Perspective: Theory and Research
by Joseph GuttmannMany books deal with divorce and its aftermath -- some deal with the impact of divorce on children and families, others with the legal or sociological aspects of divorce, and a few focus on divorced mothers and fathers. Most of these books are characterized by their practical orientation toward the issues and problems posed by divorce. None of these, however, have attempted to offer an integrated view of the massive amount of theoretical and research literature on divorced adults and their children. In addition, none present a comprehensive view of divorce as a psychological process within its larger social context. Filling that void, this book: * offers a comprehensive view of divorce as a social, interpersonal and psychological phenomenon, * reviews the theory and research on divorce focusing on the major protagonists of the divorce drama: the mother, the father and the children, and * introduces a social-psychological theory of divorce process.
Diálogos: Placemaking in Latino Communities
by Michael Rios Leonardo Vazquez Lucrezia MirandaLatinos are one of the largest and fastest growing social groups in the United States, and their increased presence is profoundly shaping the character of urban, suburban, and rural places. This is a response to these developments and is the first book written for readers seeking to learn about, engage and plan with Latino communities. It considers how placemaking in marginalized communities sheds light on, and can inform, community-building practices of professionals and place dwellers alike. Diálogos: Placemaking in Latino Communities will help readers better understand the conflicts and challenges inherent in placemaking, and to make effective and sustainable choices for practice in an increasingly multi-ethnic world. The essays explore three aspects of place: the appropriation and territorialization of the built environment, the claiming of rights through collective action, and a sense of belonging through civic participation. The authors illustrate their ideas through case studies and explain the implications of their work for placemaking practice. A consistent theme about planning and design practice in Latino communities emerges throughout the book: placemaking happens with or without professional planners and designers. All of the essays in Diálogos demonstrate the need to not only imagine, build, and make places with local communities, but also to re-imagine how we practice democracy inclusive of cross-cultural exchange, understanding, and respect. This will require educators, students, and working professionals to incorporate the knowledge and skills of cultural competency into their everyday practices.
Do Economists Make Markets?: On the Performativity of Economics
by Donald MacKenzie Fabian Muniesa Lucia SiuAround the globe, economists affect markets by saying what markets are doing, what they should do, and what they will do. Increasingly, experimental economists are even designing real-world markets. But, despite these facts, economists are still largely thought of as scientists who merely observe markets from the outside, like astronomers look at the stars. Do Economists Make Markets? boldly challenges this view. It is the first book dedicated to the controversial question of whether economics is performative--of whether, in some cases, economics actually produces the phenomena it analyzes. The book's case studies--including financial derivatives markets, telecommunications-frequency auctions, and individual transferable quotas in fisheries--give substance to the notion of the performativity of economics in an accessible, nontechnical way. Some chapters defend the notion; others attack it vigorously. The book ends with an extended chapter in which Michel Callon, the idea's main formulator, reflects upon the debate and asks what it means to say economics is performative. The book's insights and strong claims about the ways economics is entangled with the markets it studies should interest--and provoke--economic sociologists, economists, and other social scientists. In addition to the editors and Callon, the contributors include Marie-France Garcia-Parpet, Francesco Guala, Emmanuel Didier, Philip Mirowski, Edward Nik-Khah, Petter Holm, Vincent-Antonin Lépinay, and Timothy Mitchell.
Do Good: Embracing Brand Citizenship to Fuel Both Purpose and Profit
by Anne Bahr ThompsonGood works are no longer optional.For many businesses, success comes in unexpected ways. Toms grew into a $600 million company by giving away 35 million pair of shoes. Patagonia’s profits have climbed year after year even as it funnels heavy investments into sustainability.And it’s not just millennials rewarding companies with causes. In every age group, people commit to brands that show good citizenship. From CVS’s destocking cigarettes to Chipotle’s ethical sourcing, people want to see fair employment practices, social responsibility, and charitable giving — and they quickly call out negligence.Based on extensive research with thousands of consumers, Do Good documents this sea change and explains how to embed social consciousness into a company’s DNA. Packed with examples and original data, the five-step model highlights the new rules of business:TRUST: Deliver on promisesENRICHMENT: Make daily life easier or more inspiringRESPONSIBILITY: Treat people and the environment with respectCOMMUNITY: Mirror values shared by customers, employees, and partnersCONTRIBUTION: Make a difference in the world.Buyers today demand more than half-hearted pledges. By actively linking great brands with higher purposes, companies capture both markets and hearts.
Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness
by Steve MagnessNational Bestseller"In Do Hard Things, Steve Magness beautifully and persuasively reimagines our understanding of toughness. This is a must-read for parents and coaches and anyone else looking to prepare for life's biggest challenges." -- Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and Talking to Strangers and host of the Revisionist History podcastFrom beloved performance expert, executive coach, and coauthor of Peak Performance Steve Magness comes a radical rethinking of how we perceive toughness and what it means to achieve our high ambitions in the face of hard things.Toughness has long been held as the key to overcoming a challenge and achieving greatness, whether it is on the sports field, at a boardroom, or at the dining room table. Yet, the prevailing model has promoted a mentality based on fear, false bravado, and hiding any sign of weakness. In other words, the old model of toughness has failed us.Steve Magness, a performance scientist who coaches Olympic athletes, rebuilds our broken model of resilience with one grounded in the latest science and psychology. In Do Hard Things, Magness teaches us how we can work with our body – how experiencing discomfort, leaning in, paying attention, and creating space to take thoughtful action can be the true indications of cultivating inner strength. He offers four core pillars to cultivate such resilience: Pillar 1- Ditch the Façade, Embrace RealityPillar 2- Listen to Your BodyPillar 3- Respond, Instead of React Pillar 4- Transcend Discomfort Smart and wise all at once, Magness flips the script on what it means to be resilient. Drawing from mindfulness, military case studies, sports psychology, neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, he provides a roadmap for navigating life’s challenges and achieving high performance that makes us happier, more successful, and, ultimately, better people.
Do It Yourself Social Research: The bestselling practical guide to doing social research projects
by Yoland WadsworthOver three decades this bestselling user-friendly introduction has been used by thousands of students, professionals and community groups to kick start their social research projects.Always emphasising the importance of a spirit of inquiry, it demystifies the research process, covering all the basics of: where to start; how to manage a research project; methods, techniques and resources; digital tools; interpretation, analysis and reporting. This third edition has been thoroughly revised. It covers the use of narrative and dialogue in research, rich research design, and what digital technology can (and can't) contribute to the research process. With its hands-on, no-nonsense approach, Do It Yourself Social Research is an essential resource for anyone doing social research in sociology, social work, education, health, welfare, not-for profit and many other fields.'Practical in its content, sophisticated in its ideas, the book shows a passion for making social science a tool of democracy. I know of nothing else that is half as good.' - Raewyn Connell, University Professor, University of Sydney, Australia'This is a first-rate text. Students had one problem with it; because it was not turgid like other texts they felt it lacked sufficient depth. It was only when they were into their research that they understood what a great reference it is.' - Richard A. Couto PhD, Union Institute and University, USA
Do It Yourself Social Research: The bestselling practical guide to doing social research projects
by Yoland WadsworthOver three decades this bestselling user-friendly introduction has been used by thousands of students, professionals and community groups to kick start their social research projects.Always emphasising the importance of a spirit of inquiry, it demystifies the research process, covering all the basics of: where to start; how to manage a research project; methods, techniques and resources; digital tools; interpretation, analysis and reporting. This third edition has been thoroughly revised. It covers the use of narrative and dialogue in research, rich research design, and what digital technology can (and can't) contribute to the research process. With its hands-on, no-nonsense approach, Do It Yourself Social Research is an essential resource for anyone doing social research in sociology, social work, education, health, welfare, not-for profit and many other fields.'Practical in its content, sophisticated in its ideas, the book shows a passion for making social science a tool of democracy. I know of nothing else that is half as good.' - Raewyn Connell, University Professor, University of Sydney, Australia'This is a first-rate text. Students had one problem with it; because it was not turgid like other texts they felt it lacked sufficient depth. It was only when they were into their research that they understood what a great reference it is.' - Richard A. Couto PhD, Union Institute and University, USA
Do Less Better
by John R. BellDo Less Better teaches leaders how to recognize the complexity and inefficiencies within their businesses and reveals how they can simplify and streamline through specialization and sacrifice. According to Bell, a company's willingness to focus on a particular vision or identity ensures viability and strengthens its competitive edge.
Do Machines Dream of Electric Workers?: Understanding the Impact of Digital Technologies on Organizations and Innovation (Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation #49)
by Alessandra Lazazzara Marcello Martinez Alessio Maria Braccini Luca SolariIn our rapidly changing world, digitalization is often either the key to survival or the driving force behind organizations' success. This book examines the impact of digitalization on organizations and the challenges it poses. It explores ways of redesigning work, improving organizational performance, developing employee skills, and creating new forms of competition in the market. In this context, not only the challenges for organizations but also those for the field of organizational studies are considered.This compilation is based on a selection of the best papers presented at the annual workshop (WOA2020) of the Association of Italian Organization Studies Academics (ASSIOA), held at the University of Milan, Italy in February 2020. The diverse road range of perspectives offered makes the book relevant for scholars and practitioners alike.
Do Men Mother?
by Andrea DoucetMore and more, fathers are deciding to stay at home and care for their children rather than work full-time outside of the home. More and more, Canadian families are lead by single fathers. Shining a spotlight on the lives of stay at home dads and single fathers, Do Men Mother? provides groundbreaking evidence of dramatic changes in mothering and fathering in Canada. Using evidence gathered in a four-year in-depth qualitative study, including interviews with over 100 fathers - from truck drivers to insurance salesmen, physicians to artists - Andrea Doucet illustrates how men are breaking the mold of traditional parenting models. Doucet's research examines key questions such as: What leads fathers to trade earning for caring? How do fathers navigate through the 'maternal worlds' of mothers and infants? Are men mothering or are they redefining fatherhood?Do Men Mother? illuminates fathers' candid reflections on caring and the intricate social worlds that men and women inhabit as they 'love and let go' of their children. In asking and unravelling the question 'do men mother,' this study tells a compelling story about Canadian parents radically re-visioning child care and domestic responsibilities at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Do Men Mother?: Second Edition
by Andrea DoucetThe second edition of Andrea Doucet’s Do Men Mother? builds upon the award winning first edition to further illuminate fathers' candid reflections on caring and the intricate social worlds that men and women inhabit as they ‘love and let go’ of their children. Including interviews with over one hundred fathers – from truck drivers to insurance salesmen, physicians to artists – Doucet illustrates how men are breaking the mould of traditional parenting models. This edition expands her argument wider and deeper, building on changes to the theoretical work that informs the field, her own intellectual trajectory, and the fieldwork of revisiting six fathers and their partners a decade after her initial interviews. She continues to examine key questions such as: What leads fathers to trade earning for caring? How do fathers navigate through the 'maternal worlds' of mothers and infants? Are men mothering or are they redefining fatherhood? In asking and unravelling the question ‘Do men mother?’ this study tells a compelling story about Canadian parents radically re-envisioning child care and domestic responsibilities in the twenty-first century.
Do Nothing: Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing and Underliving
by Celeste HeadleeWe work feverishly to make ourselves happy. So why are we so miserable? This manifesto helps us break free of our unhealthy devotion to efficiency and shows us how to reclaim our time and humanity with a little more leisure.'This book is so important and could truly save lives . . . With intelligence and compassion, Headlee presents realistic solutions for how we can reclaim our health and our humanity from a technological revolution that seems hell-bent on destroying both. I'm so grateful to have read this book. It delivers on its promise of a better life' - Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, LoveDespite our constant search for new ways to 'hack' our bodies and minds for peak performance, human beings are working more instead of less, living harder not smarter, and becoming more lonely and anxious. We strive for the absolute best in every aspect of our lives, ignoring what we do well naturally. Why do we measure our time in terms of efficiency instead of meaning? Why can't we just take a break?In Do Nothing, award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee illuminates a new path ahead, seeking to institute a global shift in our thinking so we can stop sabotaging our well-being, put work aside and start living instead of doing. The key lies in embracing what makes us human: our creativity, our social connections (Instagram doesn't count), our ability for reflective thought, and our capacity for joy. Celeste's strategies will allow you to regain control over your life and break your addiction to false efficiency, including:-Increase your time perception and determine how your hours are being spent. -Stop comparing yourself to others.-Invest in quality idle time. Take a hot bath and listen to music.-Spend face-to-face time with friends and familyIt's time to recover our leisure time and reverse the trend that's making us all sadder, sicker, and less productive.
Do Organizations Have Feelings?
by Martin AlbrowDo Organisations have Feelings? argues that any adequate explanation of the way organizations function for those engaged in business and those who study it must transcend the traditional divide between reason and emotion. The papers in this important collection by one of the leading world authorities in the studies of organizations were written over a period of thirty years. They are now presented together for the first time with an extended commentary and discussion by the author and two specially written chapters to bring the story right up-to-date. Together they provide a fascinating history of the way organizations have reflected changes in society at large as we move into the epoch of globalisation.
Do Prisons Make Us Safer?: The Benefits And Costs Of The Prison Boom
by Steven Raphael Michael A. StollThe number of people incarcerated in U. S. prisons and jails more than quadrupled between 1975 and 2005, reaching the unprecedented level of over two million inmates today. Annual corrections spending now exceeds 64 billion dollars, and many of the social and economic burdens resulting from mass incarceration fall disproportionately on minority communities. Yet crime rates across the country have also dropped considerably during this time period. In Do Prisons Make Us Safer? leading experts systematically examine the complex repercussions of the massive surge in our nation's prison system. Do Prisons Make Us Safer? asks whether it makes sense to maintain such a large and costly prison system. The contributors expand the scope of previous analyses to include a number of underexplored dimensions, such as the fiscal impact on states, effects on children, and employment prospects for former inmates. Steven Raphael and Michael Stoll assess the reasons behind the explosion in incarceration rates and find that criminal behavior itself accounts for only a small fraction of the prison boom. Eighty-five percent of the trend can be attributed to "get tough on crime" policies that have increased both the likelihood of a prison sentence and the length of time served. Shawn Bushway shows that while prison time effectively deters and incapacitates criminals in the short term, long-term benefits such as overall crime reduction or individual rehabilitation are less clear cut. Amy Lerman conducts a novel investigation into the effects of imprisonment on criminal psychology and uncovers striking evidence that placement in a high security penitentiary leads to increased rates of violence and anger--particularly in the case of first time or minor offenders. Rucker Johnson documents the spill-over effects of parental incarceration--children who have had a parent serve prison time exhibit more behavioral problems than their peers. Policies to enhance the well-being of these children are essential to breaking a devastating cycle of poverty, unemployment, and crime. John Donohue's economic calculations suggest that alternative social welfare policies such as education and employment programs for at-risk youth may lower crime just as effectively as prisons, but at a much lower human cost. The cost of hiring a new teacher is roughly equal to the cost of incarcerating an additional inmate. The United States currently imprisons a greater proportion of its citizens than any other nation in the world. Until now, however, we've lacked systematic and comprehensive data on how this prison boom has affected families, communities, and our nation as a whole. Do Prisons Make Us Safer? provides a highly nuanced and deeply engaging account of one of the most dramatic policy developments in recent U. S. history.
Do Something!: A Handbook for Young Activists
by Nancy Lublin Vanessa Martir Julia SteersKids want to do it. Parents want their kids to do it. Schools often require kids to do it. So do it: Do something and change the world. And here’s how, in a fist-in-the-air book for every young activist. <P><P>DoSomething.org knows exactly how to reach kids. The largest Internet-based teen service organization, it supports 750,000 projects, receiving 15 million visitors a month, and, for the first time ever, broadcasting a Do Something Awards show on VH1. <P><P>Do Something! takes aim at the next generation of do-gooders. Written in a lively, in-your-face style, designed to be edgy and hip, it’s the kind of interactive, educational book every parent will feel good about giving because it shows kids how to get involved, in language they understand. <P><P>It’s an idea-to-execution guide. Quizzes help readers pinpoint their “thing”―a cause that fires them up. Then come the tools that show how to get something done, whether it’s making a poster, raising money, sending around a petition, or enlisting friends. <P><P>There are 33 action plans, touching on areas such as the environment, human rights, poverty, animal welfare, education, disaster relief―plus worksheets, facts, and outlines to help socially conscious kids create their own projects, and, for inspiration, profiles of DoSomething.org grant winners. Additionally, DoSomething.org is setting up a separate website for this book’s readers.
Do Teachers Care About Truth?: Epistemological Issues for Education (Routledge Library Editions: Philosophy of Education #2)
by E. P. BrandonThis book, first published in 1987, examines the notion of truth and then discusses knowledge and the way in which much of our knowledge revises or rejects the common-sense we start from. The author argues that our knowledge is not as secure as some would like to think and that there are important limits to the possibility for explanation. He shows how values permeate our ordinary thinking and argues against the objectivity of these values, showing the practical consequences of this argument for teaching in schools. This stimulating approach to a fundamental educational issue does not require previous experience of formal philosophy and will be useful to both education students and teachers in schools.
Do They Hear You When You Cry
by Fauziya Kassindja Layli Miller BashirFor Fauziya Kassindja, an idyllic childhood in Togo, West Africa, sheltered from the tribal practices of polygamy and genital mutilation, ended with her beloved father's sudden death Forced into an arranged marriage at age seventeen, Fauziya was told to prepare for kakia, the ritual also known as female genital mutilation It is a ritual no woman can refuse But Fauziya dared to try This is her story--told in her own words--of fleeing Africa just hours before the ritual kakia was to take place, of seeking asylum in America only to be locked up in U. S prisons, and of meeting Layli Miller Bashir, a law student who became Fauziya's friend and advocate during her horrifying sixteen months behind bars Layli enlisted help from Karen Musalo, an expert in refugee law and acting director of the American University International Human Rights Clinic In addition to devoting her own considerable efforts to the case, Musalo assembled a team to fight with her on Fauziya's behalf Ultimately, in a landmark decision in immigration history, Fauziya Kassindja was granted asylum on June 13, 1996 Do They Hear You When You Cry is her unforgettable chronicle of triumph.
Do This, Not That: What to Do (and NOT Do) in 75+ Difficult Workplace Situations (Do This Not That)
by Jenny FossA must-have step-by-step guide on what to do (and what NOT to do) in the workplace featuring clear instructions and helpful scripts so you can deal with any unexpected situation at work.How do you deal with a difficult boss who is always unavailable? How should you handle a coworker who never completes their portion of a project on schedule? How can you establish a strong work-life balance when starting a new job? The workplace can be full of challenging situations and no matter how passionate, frustrated, excited, or downright angry you feel, it&’s important to stay polite and professional. Whether you struggle with finding the right words or simply aren&’t sure how to approach a topic, Do This, Not That: Career is here to help! This book gives you the tools you need to move forward productively so you can learn when to let go and move on. You&’ll find more than 75 common workplace issues that cover everything from your first day on the job to your last. For each situation, discover what to do and what to avoid, then learn exactly how to make it happen. Find tips to reframe your thinking, simple scripts to help you figure out what to say, and even advice on your next steps depending on your initial response. Do This, Not That: Career is your one-stop-shop to handling any situation that work throws your way so you can prepare yourself for a successful career.
Do We Need Religion?: On the Experience of Self-transcendence
by Hans JoasThe old assumption that modernization leads to secularization is outdated. Yet the certainty that religion is an anthropological universal that can only be suppressed by governments is also dead. Thus it is now a favorable moment for a new perspective on religion. This book takes human experiences of self-transcendence as its point of departure. Religious faith is seen as an attempt to articulate and interpret such experiences. Faith then is neither useful nor a symptom of weakness or misery, but an opening up of ways of experience. This book develops this basic idea, contrasts it with the thinking of some leading religious thinkers of our time, and relates it to the current debates about human rights and universal human dignity.