Cultural Collisions

In Cultural Collisions Raphael Sassower brings postmodernism face to face with technoscience and considers the viability of public works, such as the Superconducting Supercollider, in a postmodern age. Contending that technoscientific projects are contingent upon economic and political support, and not simply upon their scientific feasibility, Sassower illuminates the cultural context of postmodern technoscience vis-a-vis an examination of postmodernism and the philosophy of late 20th century science.

Liberal democracies are based on principles of inclusion and tolerance. But how does the principle of tolerance work in practice in countries such as Germany, France, India, South Africa, and the United States, where an increasingly wide range of cultural groups holds often contradictory beliefs about appropriate social and family life practices? As these democracies expand to include peoples of vastly different cultural backgrounds, the limits of tolerance are being tested as never before. Engaging Cultural Differences explores how liberal democracies respond socially and legally to differences in the cultural and religious practices of their minority groups. Building on such examples, the contributors examine the role of tolerance in practical encounters between state officials and immigrants, and between members of longstanding majority groups and increasing numbers of minority groups. The volume also considers the theoretical implications of expanding the realm of tolerance. Some contributors are reluctant to broaden the scope of tolerance, while others insist that the notion of "tolerance" is itself potentially confining and demeaning and that modern nations should aspire to celebrate cultural differences. Coming to terms with ethnic diversity and cultural differences has become a major public policy concern in contemporary liberal democracies, as they struggle to adjust to burgeoning immigrant populations. Engaging Cultural Differences provides a compelling examination of the challenges of multiculturalism and reveals a deep understanding of the challenges democracies face as they seek to accommodate their citizens' diverse beliefs and practices.

In 1985 Kim Abernethy, along with her husband, Jeff, followed a call from God to minister in the small West African country of Liberia. She writes of the fall of one of her daughters from a two-story building, shares candid emotions from when her husband had a close call with Lassa Fever, and delightfully chronicles many of her husband's adventures of being a bush pilot in the jungle of Liberia. Whether you are intrigued by the stories of foreign missionaries and how they adapt to a new culture or are heading towards the mission ï¬ueld yourself, you will ï¬und this book enlightening and inspiring. Inside you will ï¬und disbelief, tragedy, fear, anxiety, discontentment, and confusion, but there is also humor, delight, amazement, wonder, surrender, and a deep-seated joy as you watch how God - Little by little - Chipped away at the walls of pride, disbelief, stubbornness, and independence that had held Kim captive. It is an irresistible story of an infallible God proving Himself more than enough in every fathomable circumstance. IN THIS PLACE is the ï¬urst of two books that record the ï¬urst eighteen years of the Abernethy's unsettled, but yet fulï¬ulling missionary career. Gleaning stories and adventures from journals that she kept since December, 1985, IN THIS PLACE is autobiographical and concentrates mainly on their ï¬urst four years in Liberia. She is working on completing her second book, IN EVERY PLACE, which continues the Abernethy's missionary adventures from 1990 - 2002. IN EVERY PLACE is expected to be published by in late fall of 2011.

Explains the relationship between national culture and national differences in crucially important phenomena, such as speed of economic growth, murder rates, and educational achievement. This book also explains differences in suicide rates, road death tolls, female inequality, happiness, and a number of other phenomena.

The central premise of Collision Culture is that Ireland's experience of economic boom has resulted in the collision of incompatible ways of life. These cultural collisions in Irish life today occur between the local and global, between traditional and modern, between Catholic and secular, and between rural and urban. They have become apparent in a variety of changes - changes in patterns of rates of suicide, in patterns of consumption, in representations of Irish celebrities, in patterns of home ownership, in the rise of tribunals, and in a variety of other points of public discourse and Irish culture. The authors argue that the above categories clearly are not starkly divided, but rather are analytic reference points that are useful in trying to understand the conflicts behind various social problems in Ireland. By investigating cultures of everyday life - driving, housing, music, religion, consumerism, fashion, and sexuality, among others - the book shows how recent social transformations are manifest at the everyday level.

In Cultural Collisions Raphael Sassower brings postmodernism face to face with technoscience and considers the viability of public works, such as the Superconducting Supercollider, in a postmodern age. Contending that technoscientific projects are contingent upon economic and political support, and not simply upon their scientific feasibility, Sassower illuminates the cultural context of postmodern technoscience vis-a-vis an examination of postmodernism and the philosophy of late 20th century science.

A study of the relations between Britain and Chile during the Spanish American independence era (1806-1831). It focuses on the dynamic, unpredictable and changing nature of cultural encounters to cast doubt on the assumption that imperialism was their obvious outcome and to understand further nation-building processes.

"The Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate provides an overview of current research, theory and practice in this expanding field. The editorial team and the authors come from diverse professional and geographical backgrounds, and provide an unprecedented coverage of topics relating to both culture and climate of modern organizations.... Well-known editors Neal Ashkanasy, Celeste P. M. Wilderom, and Mark F. Peterson lend a truly international perspective to what is the single most comprehensive and up-to-date source on the growing field of organizational culture and climate. In addition, the Handbook opens with a foreword by Andrew Pettigrew and two provocative commentaries by Ben Schneider and Edgar Schein, and concludes with an invaluable set of combined references." --Publisher.