Rites Of Way

Politics of locating Boston's Inner Belt freeway, with review of urban transportation planning and decisionmaking in U.S. cities.

There are many ways to approach the subject of public space: the threats posed to it by surveillance and visual pollution; the joys it offers of stimulation and excitement, of anonymity and transformation; its importance to urban variety or democratic politics. But public space remains an evanescent and multidimensional concept that too often escapes scrutiny. The essays in Rites of Way: The Politics and Poetics of Public Space open up multiple dimensions of the concept from architectural, political, philosophical, and technological points of view. There is some historical analysis here, but the contributors are more focused on the future of public space under conditions of growing urbanization and democratic confusion. The added interest offered by non-academic work—visual art, fiction, poetry, and drama—is in part an admission that this is a topic too important to be left only to theorists. It also makes an implicit argument for the crucial role that art, not just public art, plays in a thriving public realm. Throughout this work contributors are guided by the conviction, not pious but steely, that healthy public space is one of the best, living parts of a just society. The paths of desire we follow in public trace and speak our convictions and needs, our interests and foibles. They are the vectors and walkways of the social, the public dimension of life lying at the heart of all politics.

"A unique blend of scholarship and practice makes this book a compelling read detailing how rites of passage are used to link all education and youth development approaches. Eloquently crafted narratives integrating fifty years of practice provide the reader with a new paradigm for youth and community development that will stimulate their imagination and impact their own practice"--

Traditional Chinese Rites and Rituals provides a comprehensive overview of the social practices of Chinese people on various occasions of cultural importance. While explaining how these rites and rituals are performed, it also introduces the reasons why certain norms are followed by individuals, families and the state as a whole. As such, the book offers a kaleidoscopic perspective on the plurality evident in all facets of Chinese culture.

Providing a personal, informed and cultural perspective on rites of passage for general readers, this text illustrates the power of rites to help us navigate life's troublesome transitions.

Covers rituals for women who are interested in a feminist spiritual path, following the woman's life cycle from puberty to death.

Over 10 million copies sold in 20 languages