This is the first detailed study of Sicilian life in the reign of Frederick III (1296-1337), a period that marked Sicily's transition from a bustling and prosperous Mediterranean emporium to a poor backwater torn apart by violence. This book, by focusing on Frederick III's crucial reign, argues that there were many more things "wrong" with Sicilian life than just the shape of its overseas trade relations. Placing itself between those who blame the foreigners and those who blame the Sicilians themselves, it shows that an entire nexus of factors and influences were at work in unravellingSicilian life. It also demonstrates that these forces can be seen best in the forty years that followed Sicily's liberation from foreign control in the bloody war of the "Sicilian Vespers."

This volume gathers together seventeen original essays that represent the new directions being taken by historians of the Florentine Renaissance. Florence has often been studied in the past for its distinctive urban culture and society, while insufficient attention has been paid to the important Tuscan territorial state that was created by Florence in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. These essays offer new and exemplary approaches toward state-building, political vocabulary, political economy, civic humanism, local history and social patronage.

This full-length study of the Portuguese court in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries shows how women and men, noblemen and clergy, artisans and minor servants at the court lived in close proximity and were connected to each other. It describes the constant displacement of this complex community within the geographical space of Portugal, and how everyday life at court was shaped by ceremonial duties and common activities.

This is a collection of essays about major aspects of the "English Revolution" of the mid-seventeenth century. It examines how it was fought (soldiers), how it was defended and argued over (writers), and how it was shaped and how it failed (statesmen). The essays are written by both established and younger scholars of the period in honor of Austyn Woolrych, founding Professor of History at the University of Lancaster and the author of many influential books and articles.

The barbarians of the fifth and sixth centuries were long thought to be races, tribes or ethnic groups who toppled the Roman Empire. This book proposes a new view, through a case study of the Goths of Italy between 489 and 554. The author suggests wholly new ways of understanding barbarian groups and the end of the Western Roman Empire. The book also proposes a complete reinterpretation of the evolution of Christian conceptions of community, and of so-called "Germanic" Arianism.

They envisioned a brave new world, and what they got was fascism. As vibrant as its counterparts in Paris, Munich, and Milan, the avant-garde of Florence rose on a wave of artistic, political, and social idealism that swept the world with the arrival of the twentieth century. How the movement flourished in its first heady years, only to flounder in the bloody wake of World War I, is a fascinating story, told here for the first time. It is the history of a whole generation's extraordinary promise--and equally extraordinary failure.

This book brings together essays by anthropologists, scholars of religion, and art historians on the subject of sacred place and sacred biography in Asia. The chapters span a broad geographical area that includes India, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, and China, and explore issues from the classical and medieval period to the present. They show how sacred places have a plurality of meanings for all religious communities and how in their construction, secular politics, private religious experience, and sectarian rivalry can all intersect.

The four years of the First World War, 1914 to 1918, mark an important turning-point in the history of the countries of Western Asia. They saw territories which theretofore had perhaps been visited only by an occasional foreign traveller turned into a battle ground for modern armies or brought under direct European administration.

This book pres an overview of different ethical views on animal experimentation. Special attention is given to the production and experimental use of genetically modified animals. It proposes a middle course between those positions that are very critical and those very positive. This middle course implies that animal experiments originating in vital human research interests are commonly justified, pred that animal welfare is taken seriously. Some animal experiments are not acceptable, since the expected human benefit is too low and the animal suffering too severe. This position is supported by an argument from species care according to which we have special obligations to our children and other humans due to special relations. The book tries to bridge the gap between animal ethics and animalwelfare science by discussing various conceptions of animal welfare : function-centered, feeling-based, and those focusing on natural living. The theoretical starting-point is "imaginative casuistry." This approach stresses the role of moral imagination and metaphor inethical deliberation, accepts a plurality of values, and recognizes the importance of case-by-case balancing. In the discussion of genetically modified animals, both intrinsic ethical concerns and animal welfare concerns are addressed.

South coast New Guinea has long been a focus of ethnographic attention, with its varied cultures, its reputation for flamboyant sexual practices, and its traditions of headhunting. Dr. Knauft examines previous ethnographic material to reanalyze the region's seven major language-culture areas, covering a range of topics including sexuality, social inequality, the status of women, religion, politics and violence. Ethnographically rich and theoretically sophisticated, this book will be essential reading for all those interested in Melanesia, and should be read by anyone concerned with the problems of cultural comparison.

This book conveys the breadth and interconnectedness of questions of justice--a rarity in contemporary moral and political philosophy. James P. Sterba argues that a minimal notion of rationality requires morality, and that a minimal libertarian morality requires the welfare and equal opportunity endorsed by welfare liberals and the equality endorsed by socialists, as well as a full feminist agenda. Feminist, racial, homosexual, and multiculturaljustice are also shown to be mutually supporting. The author further shows the compatibility between anthropocentric and biocentric environmental ethics, as between just war and pacifist theories. Finally, he spells out when normal politics, legal protest, civil disobedience, revolutionary action, and criminal disobedience are morally permitted byjustice for here and now. This highly original and potentially controversial book is ideal for courses in moral and political philosophy, applied ethics, women's studies, environmental studies, and peace studies.

Understanding Practice brings together many different perspectives that have been applied to examining social context. From Ole Dreier's work on the therapeutic relationship, to Hugh Mehan's work on learning disabled students, to Charles and Janet Keller's work on blacksmithing, the chapters form a diverse and fascinating look at situated learning. A distinctive feature of the book is the wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches to the problem of understanding cognition in everyday settings.

Chile Since Independence brings together four chapters from Volumes 3, 5, and 8 of The History of Latin America to pre in a single volume an economic, social, and political history of Chile since independence. Each chapter is accompanied by a bibliographical essay.

With the waning of the Cold War, the major political powers are no longer constrained to support African authoritarianism. All over Africa democratic experiments have sprung up. But can they survive, and are they compatible with renewed economic growth? Richard Sandbrook answers these questions and assesses the feasibility of the new political program in reinforcing Africa's economic recovery. He argues that the program has merit in the short term, but in the longer term, a more self-reliant, state-directed approach should be adopted to ensure prosperity and durable democracy.

This book considers the impact of slavery and Atlantic trade on British economic development during the beginning of British industrialization. Kenneth Morgan investigates five key areas within the topic that have been subject to historical debate: the profits of the slave trade; slavery, capital accumulation and British economic development; exports and transatlantic markets; the role of business institutions; and the contribution of Atlantic trade to the growth of British ports. This stimulating and accessible book pres essential reading for students of slavery and the slave trade, and British economic history.