John Carter Wood Livres

This book examines responses of a Christian intellectual group in 1930s and 1940s Britain to totalitarianism and war. Seeking 'middle ways' through what has been called the 'age of extremes', the group sought to apply faith to the social order, influence public opinion and inspire a social renewal in the years surrounding the Second World War. -- .

The book delves into the sensational 1928 trial of Beatrice Pace, accused of murdering her husband with arsenic. It explores the trial's significance within the context of 1920s Britain, highlighting themes of justice, the rise of celebrity culture, and the implications for civil liberties. Through this analysis, it reveals the societal attitudes and legal challenges of the inter-war years, providing a captivating glimpse into a pivotal moment in English legal history.

This collection explores how Christian individuals and institutions – whether Churches, church-related organisations, clergy, or lay thinkers – combined the topics of faith and national identity in twentieth-century Europe. “National identity” is understood in a broad sense that includes discourses of citizenship, narratives of cultural or linguistic belonging, or attributions of distinct, “national” characteristics. The collection addresses Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox perspectives, considers various geographical contexts, and takes into account processes of cross-national exchange and transfer. It shows how national and denominational identities were often mutually constitutive, at times leading to a strongly exclusionary stance against “other” national or religious groups. In different circumstances, religiously minded thinkers critiqued nationalism, emphasising the universalist strains of their faith, with varying degrees of success. Moreover, throughout the century, and especially since 1945, both church officials and lay Christians have had to come to terms with the relationship between their national and “European” identities and have sought to position themselves within the processes of Europeanisation. Various contexts for the negotiation of faith and nation are addressed: media debates, domestic and international political arenas, inner-denominational and ecumenical movements, church organisations, cosmopolitan intellectual networks and the ideas of individual thinkers.