In this magisterial volume of essays; Wendy Doniger enhances our understanding of the ancient and complex religion to which she has devoted herself for half a century. This series of interconnected essays and lectures surveys the most critically important and hotly contested issues in Hinduism over 3;500 years; from the ancient time of the Vedas to the present day.The essays contemplate the nature of Hinduism; Hindu concepts of divinity; attitudes concerning gender; control; and desire; the question of reality and illusion; and the impermanent and the eternal in the two great Sanskrit epics; the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Among the questions Doniger considers are: Are Hindus monotheists or polytheists? How can atheists be Hindu; and how can unrepentant Hindu sinners find salvation? Why have Hindus devoted so much attention to the psychology of addiction? What does the significance of dogs and cows tell us about Hinduism? How have Hindu concepts of death; rebirth; and karma changed over the course of history? How and why does a pluralistic faith; remarkable for its intellectual tolerance; foster religious intolerance?Doniger concludes with four concise autobiographical essays in which she reflects on her lifetime of scholarship; Hindu criticism of her work; and the influence of Hinduism on her own philosophy of life. On Hinduism is the culmination of over forty years of scholarship from a renowned expert on one of the world's great faiths.
#1005381 in Books Hunter Marcus Anthony 2015-04-15 2015-04-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x .90 x 8.90l; .0 #File Name: 0190249676306 pagesBlack Citymakers How the Philadelphia Negro Changed Urban America
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Black Citymakers...INDEEDBy Courtney PattersonGrowing up in Philly; I always took notice of the national landmark signs erected around the city. However; the history behind those landmarks; especially the small amount of information included on the plaque; always seemed fleeting and unfinished. As a black teenager; and now a black woman; I was particularly interested in the roles that black people played in the short histories displayed on those signs. Thanks to Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter; I no longer have to speculate. _Black Citymakers_ shows how black people were indeed agents in city making rather than uninformed bystanders at the mercy of white Philadelphia officials. Picking up where the prominent scholar W.E.B. Du Bois left off; Hunter demonstrates how blacks; be they politicians; journalists and/or working class peoples; worked alongside and often prompted the action of white policy makers; all in hopes of bettering the human condition for those living in the Black Seventh Ward. Through a series of in depth historical and sociological investigations and analyses; Hunter recreates life in the Black Seventh Ward and brings us all up to date with the ever-pressing socioeconomic issues facing housing; banking; and politics by discussing access to resources; black resistance and black agency. Simply put; everyone should read this book. However; those who grew up in Philadelphia as I did; NEED to read this book if they have any inquiry as to how and why Philly has emerged into its current state and condition. This is such a powerful work!!!!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Well writtenBy Yoav ChudnoffMarcus Hunter's writing style makes it an easy and methodologic reading. Explains with great accuracy the fascinating history of Philadelphia's 7th Ward and an excellent retrospect on W.E.B. DuBois' “The Philadelphia Negro.â€Philadelphia; although a "free" city for Afro-Americans; it was; and still is a segregated city. The 7th ward was (and still is) in many ways an integrated neighborhood. However once one goes outside of the Ward; segregation is prevelant. Today; unfortunately; major gentification has been occuring; costing out many of the long term residents of the Ward with only informational signs left: Frederick Douglas Memorial Hospital; Mercy Hospital; Engine Company 11 (Segregated in early 1900's and desegregated in 1952). Just a few examples as to how prevelant segregation was in Philadelphia.As was then and today; this book provides an excellent insight of 19th/20th century Philadelphia. It is still vital today not only a research tool; but also as a retrospect which is still valid in the 21st century.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Well written and insightfulBy M. RabinowitzDr. Marcus Hunter's well-written and comprehensively researched book makes an important contribution to a long history of sociological research that seeks to understand how cities work. Taking on the notion that disadvantaged communities are always the passive recipients of structural circumstances; Dr. Hunter uses the actions and experiences of African Americans in Philadelphia to show how disadvantaged communities are themselves Citymakers whose actions have a critical impact on the cities in which they live. In so doing; he not only sheds light on the history of the city of Philadelphia; but he forces us to rethink long-held assumptions about how social; economic; and political power operates in American cities.
