Caroline Humphrey Livres

Take a look at this enthralling glimpse into the word of architectural symbolism. This book is a vivid, richly illustrated exploration of the symbolism and significance of sacred architectural forms - from spires and minarets to pyramids and temples - and of how different cultures translate their complex beliefs into physical structures. In an authoritative and thoroughly accessible text, the authors explain the links between cosmologies and the construction of buildings, and describe the activities of worship, sacrifice and performance within sacred spaces. The focus ranges widely to show a representative selection of the world's most fascinating sacred buildings, from prehistoric stone circles and Buddhist temples to European cathedrals and New Guinea meeting-houses. The reference section at the back of the book explains the construction techniques behind sacred architecture and analyzes essential forms such as arches, vaults and domes.

Humphrey and Laidlaw present a new and radical general theory of ritual by drawing on an ethnographically rich account of the ritual worship of the Jains of western India. Ritual, they argue, is not a logically separate type of activity, but rather a quality that can be attributed to a wide range of everyday activities. In exploring the issue of what is distinctive about actions which are ritualized, this book makes an ambitious and controversial contribution to social and religious anthropology.

The journey of becoming a social worker is examined through the firsthand experiences of students, offering an authentic 'inside-out' perspective. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of personal, professional, and political elements, crucial for critical reflection and relationship-based practice. The content covers social work theory, therapeutic interventions, emotional and ethical dimensions, as well as the political and cultural contexts influencing practice, alongside discussions on supervision and assessment.

"Sinophobia is a timely and groundbreaking study of the anti-Chinese sentiments currently widespread in Mongolia. Graffiti calling for the removal of Chinese dot the urban landscape, songs about killing the Chinese are played in public spaces, and rumors concerning Chinese plans to take over the country and exterminate the Mongols are rife. Such violent anti-Chinese feelings are frequently explained as a consequence of China's meteoric economic development, a cause of much anxiety for her immediate neighbors and particularly for Mongolia, a large but sparsely populated country that is rich in mineral resources. Other analysts point to deeply entrenched antagonisms and to centuries of hostility between the two groups, implying unbridgeable cultural differences. Franck Billé challenges these reductive explanations. Drawing on extended fieldwork, interviews, and a wide range of sources in Mongolian, Chinese, and Russian, he argues that anti-Chinese sentiments are not a new phenomenon but go back to the late socialist period (1960-1990) when Mongolia's political and cultural life was deeply intertwined with Russia's. Through an in-depth analysis of media discourses, Billé shows how stereotypes of the Chinese emerged through an internalization of Russian ideas of Asia, and how they can easily extend to other Asian groups such as Koreans or Vietnamese. He argues that the anti-Chinese attitudes of Mongols reflect an essential desire to distance themselves from Asia overall and to reject their own Asianness. The spectral presence of China, imagined to be everywhere and potentially in everyone, thus produces a pervasive climate of mistrust, suspicion, and paranoia. Through its detailed ethnography and innovative approach, Sinophobia makes a critical intervention in racial and ethnic studies by foregrounding Sinophobic narratives and by integrating psychoanalytical insights into its analysis. In addition to making a useful contribution to the study of Mongolia, it will be essential reading for anthropologists, sociologists, and historians interested in ethnicity, nationalism, and xenophobia"--Publisher's website

The Russia-China border is a study in contrasts, with booming cities on the Chinese side and sleepy villages on the Russian. Both governments discourage cross-border interaction, yet exchange is constant. Anthropologists Franck Bille and Caroline Humphrey describe a vigorous and diverse transnational society facing profound political constraints.

A Monastery in Time is the first book to describe the life of a Mongolian Buddhist monastery—the Mergen Monastery in Inner Mongolia—from inside its walls. From the Qing occupation of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries through the Cultural Revolution, Caroline Humphrey and Hürelbaatar Ujeed tell a story of religious formation, suppression, and survival over a history that spans three centuries. Often overlooked in Buddhist studies, Mongolian Buddhism is an impressively self-sustaining tradition whose founding lama, the Third Mergen Gegen, transformed Tibetan Buddhism into an authentic counterpart using the Mongolian language. Drawing on fifteen years of fieldwork, Humphrey and Ujeed show how lamas have struggled to keep Mergen Gegen’s vision alive through tremendous political upheaval, and how such upheaval has inextricably fastened politics to religion for many of today’s practicing monks. Exploring the various ways Mongolian Buddhists have attempted to link the past, present, and future, Humphrey and Ujeed offer a compelling study of the interplay between the individual and the state, tradition and history.

Velkolepé chrámy, katedrály či mešity jsou odrazem vědomí sounáležitosti s bohy a staly se symboly duchovní kultury a lidské touhy po věčnosti.