Strange And Gaudy Fruit

The history of Christianity includes many doctrines adopted (and actions taken) to meet immediate problems but which had unintended consequences; they are bad fruit (Matt 7:15-20). The oldest is antisemitism, which arose from the competition of the early church with early Judaism. It was built into the New Testament and was developed by the church fathers. Having learned to dehumanize, it was easy to apply the same techniques to other groups; the church became complicit with enslavement, misogyny, and other forms of oppression. One response to the bad fruit is to reject religion, in the manner of Christopher Hitchens. However, the dogmas are part of our culture even if in secular form. If the roots of marginalization are not understood, they cannot be eliminated. This work uses a range of critics and defenders of traditional Western Christianity to identify poisonous fruits and detoxify them. The critical voices do not create a consensus. Nevertheless, a core can be perceived, what Erasmus called the "few truths." Grounded in the religious tradition, they can be shared with secular people as a basis for an ethical, merciful, and respectful society. Although the history of Christianity is bloody, there are ways to go forward.

The history of Christianity includes many doctrines adopted (and actions taken) to meet immediate problems but which had unintended consequences; they are bad fruit (Matt 7:15–20). The oldest is antisemitism, which arose from the competition of the early church with early Judaism. It was built into the New Testament and was developed by the church fathers. Having learned to dehumanize, it was easy to apply the same techniques to other groups; the church became complicit with enslavement, misogyny, and other forms of oppression. One response to the bad fruit is to reject religion, in the manner of Christopher Hitchens. However, the dogmas are part of our culture even if in secular form. If the roots of marginalization are not understood, they cannot be eliminated. This work uses a range of critics and defenders of traditional Western Christianity to identify poisonous fruits and detoxify them. The critical voices do not create a consensus. Nevertheless, a core can be perceived, what Erasmus called the “few truths.” Grounded in the religious tradition, they can be shared with secular people as a basis for an ethical, merciful, and respectful society. Although the history of Christianity is bloody, there are ways to go forward.

Lesbian and gay--or queer--fiction (known in Mandarin as tongzhi wenxue) constitutes a major contribution to Taiwanese literature, as evidenced by the remarkable number of prestigious literary awards won by many of the authors of the short stories presented here. Indeed, the meteoric rise of this new genre was a defining feature of Taiwan's literary scene in the 1990s. Queer fiction was also instrumental in forming self-identifying subcultural gay readerships, thus serving a significant political function. But most strikingly, this fiction has been immensely popular with general readers in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, as well as in diasporic Chinese communities worldwide. The startlingly fresh, brave voices that speak through these stories attest to the powerful social ferment of the past ten years in Taiwan, which have witnessed a revolution in discourses on sex and sexuality in the public sphere. Contributors: Chu T'ien-Wen, Qiu Miaojin, Chu T'ien-Hsin, Hsu Yoshen, Lin Yuyi, Lin Chun Ying, Chen Xue, Hong Ling, Chi Tawei, Wu Jiwen.

'Tropic Days' is a vivid collection of essays that brings to life the people and places of tropical islands. E. J. Banfield transports readers to a world of pristine landscapes and intriguing inhabitants, depicting their daily routines and quirks with a mix of precision and imagination. Through these essays, Banfield provides an intimate look at the lives of the people he encounters, painting a picture of a world that is both beautiful and complex. A couple of titles included in this collection are: 'The Lost Isle', 'Blue Shirt', 'Eternal Sunshine', and 'Beach Plants'.

What does heredity mean for identity? What role does the individual have in shaping a personal or a human history? What is the ethical status of seemingly biologically determined behaviours? What does individual death mean in the light of species extinction? Autobiologies explores the importance of such questions in Victorian life writing. Analysing memoirs, diaries, letters, and natural histories Alexis Harley demonstrates how theories of natural selection shaped nineteenth-century autobiographical practices and refashioned the human subject—and also how the lived experience of the individual theorist simultaneously impacted their biological formulations.

This major book offers a comprehensive overview of key debates on subjectivity and the subject in psychological theory and practice. In addition to social construction's long engagement with social relations, this volume addresses questions of the body, technology, intersubjectivity, writing and investigative practices. The internationally renowned contributors explore the tensions and opposing viewpoints raised by these issues, and show how analyzing the psychological subject interrelates with reforming the practices of psychology. Drawing on perspectives that include feminism, dialogics, poststructuralism, hermeneutics, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and cultural or social studies of science, readers are guided through pivotal