Encountering Kali

Encountering Kali explores one of the most ramarkable divinities the world has seen. The Hindu goddess Kali is simultaneously understood as a blood thirsty warrior a deity of ritual possession a tantric sexual partner and an all loving compassionate mothe. Popular and scholarly interest in her has been on the rise in the west in recent years. Responding to this phenomenon McDermott and Kripal`s volume focuses on the complexities involved in interpreting Kali in both her indigenous south Asian settings and her more recent Western incarnation. Through the shifting lenses of scriptural history temple architecture political reflection and the goddess`s recent guises on the Internet the contributors pose questions that illuminate our understanding of Kali while addressing the problems and promises inherent in every act of cross cultural interpretation.

For over two hundred years, the Gothic has remained fixed in the European and American imaginations, steadily securing its position as a global cultural mode in recent decades. The globalization of Gothic studies has resulted in the proliferation of new critical concepts and a growing academic interest in the genre. Yet, despite its longevity, unprecedented expansion, and accusations of prescriptiveness, the Gothic remains elusive and without a straightforward definition. Gothic Peregrinations: The Unexplored and Re-explored Territories looks at Gothic productions largely marginalized in the studies of the genre, including the European absorption of and response to the Gothic. This collection of essays identifies landmarks and ley lines in the insufficiently probed territories of Gothic scholarship and sets out to explore its unmapped regions. This volume not only examines Gothic peregrinations from a geographical perspective but also investigates how the genre has been at odds with strict demarcation of generic boundaries. Analyzing texts which come from outside the Gothic canon, yet prove to be deeply indebted to it, like bereavement memoirs, stories produced by and about factory girls of Massachusetts, and the Mattel Monster High franchise, this volume illuminates the previously unexplored fields in Gothic studies. The chapters in this volume reveal the truly transnational expansion of the Gothic and the importance of exchange – exchange now seen not only as crucial to the genre’s gestation, or vital to the processes of globalization, but also to legitimizing Gothic studies in the global world.

Uncovering the past through the lens of sacred travel, this travel book includes both academic and popular religious perspectives, and is filled with photographs of both famous and lesser-known locales from every corner of the world. Each site-specific explanation of the significance of Goddess today and in centuries past deftly combines current trends, academic theories, and historical insights. From the Middle East, to Europe, Africa, and the Americas, the images of feminine divinity presented in this work are as uniform in their beauty as they are diverse in cultural tradition. For each location-be it the shrines in Kyoto and Kamakura or the sites worshipping the Virgin Mary in Bolivia, France, Trinidad, and the Saut D'Eau Waterfalls of Haiti-this book provides a history of each site in conjunction with the photography.

Even though terrorism poses an increasing threat to multinational companies, corporate leaders can thwart attacks by learning to navigate the complexities of foreign governments, social unrest, and cultural dissonance. Multinational corporations are on the front lines of terrorism and cyberattacks—two of the world's biggest threats to global security. How can corporate leaders mitigate their organizations' risks and develop an infrastructure that detects and deters a security menace before it happens? This timely reference lays out essential political context and historical background to help executives identify contemporary threats and understand the interconnections between threat dynamics in an increasingly dangerous international environment. This compelling work is organized into seven chapters. The beginning chapters profile the specific risks for multinational companies and detail which global—and regional—factors might propagate violence targeted at American-based businesses. Next, two historical case studies on terrorist assaults at Tigantourine and Mombasa illustrate how counterterrorism can successfully thwart potential attacks against business targets. The final part describes industrial espionage and criminal activity and then outlines a corporate counterterror blueprint to combat the prospect of terrorism, providing specific recommendations for preventative measures.

The Age of Kali is a panorama of the Indian subcontinent, poised between chaos, westernization and immemorial tradition& It is like Dalrymple s previous books, erudite, engaging and entertaining Martin Gayford, Spectator Books of the Year

In this seminal work on the clinical, archetypal and spiritual dimension of trauma, the author offers a compelling vision of the transformative potential of suffering and the dialectic of Dying and Becoming. Wirtz outlines a healing path from fragmentation to integration and illuminates the resilience of the human spirit in the face of severe trauma. Trauma and Beyond will be essential reading and a valuable resource for counsellors, therapists and Jungian analysts who are challenged in their practice with individual and collective traumata.

What is multicultural psychotherapy? How do we integrate issues of gender, class and sexual orientation in multicultural psychotherapy? Race, Culture and Psychotherapy provides a thorough critical examination of contemporary multiculturalism and culturalism, including discussion of the full range of issues, debates and controversies that are emerging in the field of multicultural psychotherapy. Beginning with a general critique of race, culture and ethnicity, the book explores issues such as the notion of interiority and exteriority in psychotherapy, racism in the clinical room, race and countertransference conflicts, spirituality and traditional healing issues. Contributors from the United States, Britain and Canada draw on their professional experience to provide comprehensive and balanced coverage of the following subjects: critical perspectives in race and culture in psychotherapy governing race in the transference racism, ethnicity and countertransference intersecting gender, race, class and sexual orientation spirituality, cultural healing and psychotherapy future directions Race, Culture and Psychotherapy will be of interest not only to practicing psychotherapists, but also to students and researchers in the field of mental health and anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of psychotherapy in a multicultural society.

Annually during the months of autumn, Bengal hosts three interlinked festivals to honor its most important goddesses: Durga, Kali, and Jagaddhatri. While each of these deities possesses a distinct iconography, myth, and character, they are all martial. Durga, Kali, and Jagaddhatri often demand blood sacrifice as part of their worship and offer material and spiritual benefits to their votaries. Richly represented in straw, clay, paint, and decoration, they are similarly displayed in elaborately festooned temples, thronged by thousands of admirers. The first book to recount the history of these festivals and their revelry, rivalry, and nostalgic power, this volume marks an unprecedented achievement in the mapping of a major public event. Rachel Fell McDermott describes the festivals' origins and growth under British rule. She identifies their iconographic conventions and carnivalesque qualities and their relationship to the fierce, Tantric sides of ritual practice. McDermott confronts controversies over the tradition of blood sacrifice and the status-seekers who compete for symbolic capital. Expanding her narrative, she takes readers beyond Bengal's borders to trace the transformation of the goddesses and their festivals across the world. McDermott's work underscores the role of holidays in cultural memory, specifically the Bengali evocation of an ideal, culturally rich past. Under the thrall of the goddess, the social, political, economic, and religious identity of Bengalis takes shape.