Enduring Identities

Enduring Identities PDF Author: John K. Nelson
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 9780824822590
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 340

Get Book Here

Book Description
Enduring Identities is an attempt to understand the continuing relevance of Shinto to the cultural identity of contemporary Japanese. The enduring significance of this ancient yet innovative religion is evidenced each year by the millions of Japanese who visit its shrines. They might come merely seeking a park-like setting or to make a request of the shrine's deities, asking for a marriage partner, a baby, or success at school or work; or they might come to give thanks for benefits received through the intercession of deities or to legitimate and sacralize civic and political activities. Through an investigation of one of Japan's most important and venerated Shinto shrines, Kamo Wake Ikazuchi Jinja (more commonly Kamigamo Jinja), the book addresses what appears through Western and some Asian eyes to be an exotic and incongruous blend of superstition and reason as well as a photogenic juxtaposition of present and past. Combining theoretical sophistication with extensive fieldwork and a deep knowledge of Japan, John Nelson documents and interprets the ancient Kyoto shrine's yearly cycle of rituals and festivals, its sanctified landscapes, and the people who make it viable. At local and regional levels, Kamigamo Shrine's ritual traditions (such as the famous Hollyhock Festival) and the strategies for their perpetuation and implementation provide points of departure for issues that anthropologists, historians, and scholars of religion will recognize as central to their disciplines. These include the formation of social memory, the role of individual agency within institutional politics, religious practice and performance, the shaping of sacred space and place, ethnic versus cultural identity, and the politics of historical representation and cultural nationalism. Nelson links these themes through a detailed ethnography about a significant place and institution, which until now has been largely closed to both Japanese and foreign scholars. In contrast to conventional notions of ideology and institutions, he shows how a religious tradition's lack of centralized dogma, charismatic leaders, and sacred texts promotes rather than hinders a broad-based public participation with a variety of institutional agendas, most of which have very little to do with belief. He concludes that it is this structural flexibility, coupled with ample economic, human, and cultural resources, that nurtures a reworking of multiple identities--all of which resonate with the past, fully engage the present, and, with care, will endure well into the future.

Enduring Identities

Enduring Identities PDF Author: John K. Nelson
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824862384
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Get Book Here

Book Description
Enduring Identities is an attempt to understand the continuing relevance of Shinto to the cultural identity of contemporary Japanese. The enduring significance of this ancient yet innovative religion is evidenced each year by the millions of Japanese who visit its shrines. They might come merely seeking a park-like setting or to make a request of the shrine's deities, asking for a marriage partner, a baby, or success at school or work; or they might come to give thanks for benefits received through the intercession of deities or to legitimate and sacralize civic and political activities. Through an investigation of one of Japan's most important and venerated Shinto shrines, Kamo Wake Ikazuchi Jinja (more commonly Kamigamo Jinja), the book addresses what appears through Western and some Asian eyes to be an exotic and incongruous blend of superstition and reason as well as a photogenic juxtaposition of present and past. Combining theoretical sophistication with extensive fieldwork and a deep knowledge of Japan, John Nelson documents and interprets the ancient Kyoto shrine's yearly cycle of rituals and festivals, its sanctified landscapes, and the people who make it viable. At local and regional levels, Kamigamo Shrine's ritual traditions (such as the famous Hollyhock Festival) and the strategies for their perpetuation and implementation provide points of departure for issues that anthropologists, historians, and scholars of religion will recognize as central to their disciplines. These include the formation of social memory, the role of individual agency within institutional politics, religious practice and performance, the shaping of sacred space and place, ethnic versus cultural identity, and the politics of historical representation and cultural nationalism. Nelson links these themes through a detailed ethnography about a significant place and institution, which until now has been largely closed to both Japanese and foreign scholars. In contrast to conventional notions of ideology and institutions, he shows how a religious tradition's lack of centralized dogma, charismatic leaders, and sacred texts promotes rather than hinders a broad-based public participation with a variety of institutional agendas, most of which have very little to do with belief. He concludes that it is this structural flexibility, coupled with ample economic, human, and cultural resources, that nurtures a reworking of multiple identities--all of which resonate with the past, fully engage the present, and, with care, will endure well into the future.

Enduring Identities

Enduring Identities PDF Author: John K. Nelson
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 9780824822590
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 340

Get Book Here

Book Description
Enduring Identities is an attempt to understand the continuing relevance of Shinto to the cultural identity of contemporary Japanese. The enduring significance of this ancient yet innovative religion is evidenced each year by the millions of Japanese who visit its shrines. They might come merely seeking a park-like setting or to make a request of the shrine's deities, asking for a marriage partner, a baby, or success at school or work; or they might come to give thanks for benefits received through the intercession of deities or to legitimate and sacralize civic and political activities. Through an investigation of one of Japan's most important and venerated Shinto shrines, Kamo Wake Ikazuchi Jinja (more commonly Kamigamo Jinja), the book addresses what appears through Western and some Asian eyes to be an exotic and incongruous blend of superstition and reason as well as a photogenic juxtaposition of present and past. Combining theoretical sophistication with extensive fieldwork and a deep knowledge of Japan, John Nelson documents and interprets the ancient Kyoto shrine's yearly cycle of rituals and festivals, its sanctified landscapes, and the people who make it viable. At local and regional levels, Kamigamo Shrine's ritual traditions (such as the famous Hollyhock Festival) and the strategies for their perpetuation and implementation provide points of departure for issues that anthropologists, historians, and scholars of religion will recognize as central to their disciplines. These include the formation of social memory, the role of individual agency within institutional politics, religious practice and performance, the shaping of sacred space and place, ethnic versus cultural identity, and the politics of historical representation and cultural nationalism. Nelson links these themes through a detailed ethnography about a significant place and institution, which until now has been largely closed to both Japanese and foreign scholars. In contrast to conventional notions of ideology and institutions, he shows how a religious tradition's lack of centralized dogma, charismatic leaders, and sacred texts promotes rather than hinders a broad-based public participation with a variety of institutional agendas, most of which have very little to do with belief. He concludes that it is this structural flexibility, coupled with ample economic, human, and cultural resources, that nurtures a reworking of multiple identities--all of which resonate with the past, fully engage the present, and, with care, will endure well into the future.

Leadership as an Identity

Leadership as an Identity PDF Author: Crawford Loritts
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 157567307X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Get Book Here

Book Description
Ask yourself this question: What type of character qualifies the people God chooses to use? The question itself assumes an atypical answer, simply because it leaves out so much. To ask only about one's character seems inadequate when defining a leader. We surely need to ask about character, but also about personality, communication skills, IQ, education, previous experience, and more... don't we? Crawford Loritts disagrees. He answers the question with four simple words: Brokenness, communion, servanthood, and obedience. These four traits form the framework for Leadership as an Identity. By examining each trait, Loritts undermines many pervasive assumptions about leadership that are unbiblical. According to Loritts, God doesn't look for leaders like the world does. He looks for disciples, and ironically, as these disciples follow Him, they will lead.

History in Person

History in Person PDF Author: Dorothy C. Holland
Publisher: James Currey
ISBN: 9780852559246
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 389

Get Book Here

Book Description
Nine ethnographers address such topics as the politically sexualized transformation of identities of women political prisoners in Northern Ireland, the changing character of political activism across generations in a Guatemala Mayan family, and cultural forms and struggles in New York.

Identity and Power in the Ancient Andes

Identity and Power in the Ancient Andes PDF Author: John Wayne Janusek
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135940894
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 342

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Tiwanaku state was the political and cultural center of ancient Andean civilization for almost 700 years. Identity and Power is the result of ten years of research that has revealed significant new data. Janusek explores the origins, development, and collapse of this ancient state through the lenses of social identities--gender, ethnicity, occupation, for example--and power relations. He combines recent developments in social theory with the archaeological record to create a fascinating and theoretically informed exploration of the history of this important civilization.

The Social Psychology of Ethnic Identity

The Social Psychology of Ethnic Identity PDF Author: Maykel Verkuyten
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1135422125
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 309

Get Book Here

Book Description
In contrast to other disciplines, social psychology has been slow in responding to the questions posed by the issue of ethnicity. The Social Psychology of Ethnic Identity demonstrates the important contribution that psychology can make. The central aim of this book is to show, on the one hand, that social psychology can be used to develop a better understanding of ethnicity and, on the other hand, that increased attention to ethnicity can benefit social psychology, filling in theoretical and empirical gaps. Based on recent research, The Social Psychology of Ethnic Identity brings an original approach to subjects such as: * ethnic minority identity: place, space and time * hyphenated identities and hybridity * self-descriptions and the ethnic self. The combination of diverse approaches to this burgeoning field will be of interest to social psychologists as well as those interested in issues of identity, ethnicity and migration.

Identity and Strategy

Identity and Strategy PDF Author: Olaf G. Rughase
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1847200176
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 251

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book exemplifies one of the most complete and rigorous examples of scholarship relative to its subject matter that I have ever seen. Russell L. Ackoff, University of Pennsylvania, US This is a book written by someone who makes a living from helping organizations make strategy. It is also, though, written by a scholar someone who has thought hard about the topic and knows what other scholars think. This mix makes a book that is both thorough, well argued, and yet of great significance for consultants and managers. It unashamedly takes an inside-out view of strategy making, and this is what makes it so practical. It focuses on what those who manage want to do with their organization, rather than on some notion of what they should do. The book takes the field of strategic management forward by bringing theory and practice together more management writing needs to come from practitioner scholars. Colin Eden, University of Strathclyde Graduate School of Business, UK Olaf Rughase successfully unlocks important insights for creative market strategy development by linking it to central ideas about organizational identity. He provides a compelling theoretical rationale and useful practical process insights for how to induce creative market strategy formation through articulating current desired organizational identities. The book is clearly written, the claims well documented and well illustrated, providing a fresh and useful perspective on how to enable market strategies that work. Jane E. Dutton, University of Michigan, US In his well-researched book, Olaf Rughase introduces a new element into the concept of strategy which has so far been neglected to a surprising degree: the human factor. Strategy development certainly consists of data research, analysis and synthesis but after all, it is at least as much driven by fear and hope, will and might, the vision and the experience of the people involved. Only approaches that take this into account can claim any relevance for real-life strategy making. Viewed in this light, Olaf Rughase s book fills a gaping hole in the existing world of strategic thinking. Jörg Fengler, Management Consultancy, E.ON Ruhrgas AG, Germany Theorists and practitioners often underestimate the subtlety of each others thinking. Rughase s work engages seriously with both groups, and as a result is both deep and thoroughly practical. This is a genuinely original contribution. David Sims, Cass Business School, London, UK . . . this book is not just an academic treatise. Its insights grow out of facilitating strategy making, and one of these experiences is described in some detail. There are many practical observations to be found here. Political realities are acknowledged. Alternative paths anticipated. The ideas advanced here are, in combination, a genuine departure from past efforts. The theoretic development, which moves back and forth from experience to academic explanation, is convincing. From the foreword by Anne S. Huff This groundbreaking book explores the relationship between organizational identity and strategy and proposes a practical strategy making process that helps to avoid the typical pitfalls in strategic change processes. In doing so, the author bridges an important gap in management and strategy literature and explains how to practically link content and process when designing market strategies. A new conceptual framework is also presented which emphasizes the importance and dynamics of organizational identity and corresponding time discrepancies for strategy making. Whilst most strategists use the economically and analytically best strategy as a measure, Olaf Rughase introduces a new measure for strategy making that takes personal feelings, values and aspirations of organizational members into account. Claiming that individually desired organizational identities which can be seen as individual visions give direction, motivation and impetus for strategy action and developme

Citizenship and Social Movements

Citizenship and Social Movements PDF Author: Lisa Thompson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1848133901
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Get Book Here

Book Description
Debates over social movements have suffered from a predominate focus on North America and western Europe, often neglecting the significance of collective action in the global South. Citizenship and Social Movements seeks to partially redress this imbalance with case studies from Brazil, India, Bangladesh, Mexico, South Africa and Nigeria. This volume points to the complex relationships that influence mobilization and social movements in the South, suggesting that previous theories have underplayed the influence of state power and elite dominance in the government and in NGOs. As the contributors to this book clearly show, understanding the role of the state in relation to social movements is critical to determining when collective action can fulfil the promise of bringing the rights of the marginalized to the fore.

The Invention of the Passport

The Invention of the Passport PDF Author: John Torpey
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521634939
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 228

Get Book Here

Book Description
In order to distinguish between those who may and may not enter or leave, states everywhere have developed extensive systems of identification, central to which is the passport. This innovative book argues that documents such as passports, internal passports and related mechanisms have been crucial in making distinctions between citizens and non-citizens. It examines how the concept of citizenship has been used to delineate rights and penalties regarding property, liberty, taxes and welfare. It focuses on the US and Western Europe, moving from revolutionary France to the Napoleonic era, the American Civil War, the British industrial revolution, pre-World War I Italy, the reign of Germany's Third Reich and beyond. This innovative study combines theory and empirical data in questioning how and why states have established the exclusive right to authorize and regulate the movement of people.

The Amorites and the Bronze Age Near East

The Amorites and the Bronze Age Near East PDF Author: Aaron A. Burke
Publisher:
ISBN: 1108857000
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 458

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this book, Aaron A. Burke explores the evolution of Amorite identity in the Near East from ca. 2500-1500 BC. He sets the emergence of a collective identity for the Amorites, one of the most famous groups in Ancient Near Eastern history, against the backdrop of both Akkadian imperial intervention and declining environmental conditions during this period. Tracing the migration of Amorite refugees from agropastoral communities into nearby regions, he shows how mercenarism in both Mesopotamia and Egypt played a central role in the acquisition of economic and political power between 2100 and 1900 BC. Burke also examines how the establishment of Amorite kingdoms throughout the Near East relied on traditional means of legitimation, and how trade, warfare, and the exchange of personnel contributed to the establishment of an Amorite koiné. Offering a fresh approach to identity at different levels of social hierarchy over time and space, this volume contributes to broader questions related to identity for other ancient societies.