Columbia University Press: 2355 books
Cut of the Real
Subjectivity in Poststructuralist Philosophy
Language: English
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Following François Laruelle's nonstandard philosophy and the work of Judith Butler, Drucilla Cornell, Luce Irigaray, and Rosi Braidotti, Katerina Kolozova reclaims the relevance of categories traditionally rendered "unthinkable" by postmodern feminist philosophies, such as "the real,"...
Relativism and Religion
Why Democratic Societies Do Not Need Moral Absolutes
Language: English
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Moral relativism is deeply troubling for those who believe that, without a set of moral absolutes, democratic societies will devolve into tyranny or totalitarianism. Engaging directly with this claim, Carlo Invernizzi Accetti traces the roots of contemporary anti-relativist fears to the antimodern...
Memory, Trauma, and History
Essays on Living with the Past
Language: English
Release Date: November 1, 2011
In these essays, Michael S. Roth uses psychoanalysis to build a richer understanding of history, and then takes a more expansive conception of history to decode the cultural construction of memory. He first examines the development in nineteenth-century France of medical criteria for diagnosing memory...
Something Happened
A Political and Cultural Overview of the Seventies
Language: English
Release Date: December 27, 2005
In both the literal and metaphorical senses, it seemed as if 1970s America was running out of gas. The decade not only witnessed long lines at gas stations but a citizenry that had grown weary and disillusioned. High unemployment, runaway inflation, and the energy crisis, caused in part by U.S. dependence...
The Reagan Era
A History of the 1980s
Language: English
Release Date: February 17, 2015
In this concise yet thorough history of America in the 1980s, Doug Rossinow takes the full measure of Ronald Reagan's presidency and the ideology of Reaganism. Believers in libertarian economics and a muscular foreign policy, Reaganite conservatives in the 1980s achieved impressive success in their...
Tough Liberal
Albert Shanker and the Battles Over Schools, Unions, Race, and Democracy
Language: English
Release Date: August 30, 2007
In Woody Allen's 1973 film, Sleeper, a character wakes up in the future to learn that civilization was destroyed when "a man by the name of Albert Shanker got hold of a nuclear warhead." Shanker was condemned by many when he shut down the New York City school system in the bitter strikes...
Law and Order
Street Crime, Civil Unrest, and the Crisis of Liberalism in the 1960s
Language: English
Release Date: June 14, 2005
Law and Order offers a valuable new study of the political and social history of the 1960s. It presents a sophisticated account of how the issues of street crime and civil unrest enhanced the popularity of conservatives, eroded the credibility of liberals, and transformed the landscape of American...
by Salvatore Lupo
Language: English
Release Date: July 1, 2009
Language: English
Release Date: July 1, 2009
When we think of the Italian Mafia, we think of Marlon Brando, Tony Soprano, and the Corleones-iconic actors and characters who give shady dealings a mythical pop presence. Yet these sensational depictions take us only so far. The true story of the Mafia reveals both an organization and mindset dedicated...
Muslim Identities
An Introduction to Islam
Language: English
Release Date: April 9, 2013
Rather than focus solely on theological concerns, this well-rounded introduction takes an expansive view of Islamic ideology, culture, and tradition, sourcing a range of historical, sociological, and literary perspectives. Neither overly critical nor apologetic, this book reflects the rich diversity...
Religion and State
The Muslim Approach to Politics
Language: English
Release Date: August 20, 2001
If Westerners know a single Islamic term, it is likely to be jihad, the Arabic word for "holy war." The image of Islam as an inherently aggressive and xenophobic religion has long prevailed in the West and can at times appear to be substantiated by current events. L. Carl Brown challenges...
Enemies of Intelligence
Knowledge and Power in American National Security
Language: English
Release Date: September 6, 2007
The tragic events of September 11, 2001, and the false assessment of Saddam Hussein's weapons arsenal were terrible reminders that good information is essential to national security. These failures convinced the American public that their intelligence system was broken and prompted a radical reorganization...
A Revolution in Eating
How the Quest for Food Shaped America
Language: English
Release Date: June 1, 2005
Sugar, pork, beer, corn, cider, scrapple, and hoppin' John all became staples in the diet of colonial America. The ways Americans cultivated and prepared food and the values they attributed to it played an important role in shaping the identity of the newborn nation. In A Revolution in Eating, James...
by Ami Pedahzur, Arie Perliger
Language: English
Release Date: October 30, 2009
Language: English
Release Date: October 30, 2009
Ami Pedahzur and Arie Perliger, world experts on the study of terror and security, propose a theory of violence that contextualizes not only recent acts of terror but also instances of terrorism that stretch back centuries. Beginning with ancient Palestine and its encounters with Jewish terrorism,...
Shanghai Homes
Palimpsests of Private Life
Language: English
Release Date: November 18, 2014
In the dazzling global metropolis of Shanghai, what has it meant to call this city home? In this account—part microhistory, part memoir—Jie Li salvages intimate recollections by successive generations of inhabitants of two vibrant, culturally mixed Shanghai alleyways from the Republican, Maoist,...