Ashgate at the Attending to Early Modern Women symposium

Posted by Erika Gaffney, Ashgate’s Publisher for Literary Studies and Women & Gender Studies

During the first weekend of November, the atmosphere was electric at the international, interdisciplinary symposium Attending to Early Modern Women.  Scholars descended from all over the US, as well as from Canada and the UK, on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus for the eighth iteration of this dynamic triennial gathering, to address the theme of “Conflict, Concord” in the context of early modern women’s studies.

Kudos and thanks to the University of Maryland’s Center for Renaissance and Baroque Studies, organizer and host of the event!   Established in 1981, CRBS plays a vital role in fostering intellectual exchange between disciplines in the arts and humanities and allied fields.

The CRBS staff are to be congratulated not only for their successful coordination of multiple plenary lectures and workshops to do with early modern women, but for their innovation in composing advice roundtables for today’s professional women, whether in early or mid-career.  In the Early Career Professional Development session I offered guidance about working with academic presses in the form of a list of “Publishing Dos and Don’ts.”  Before long, documents relating to this session will be posted online (along with materials relating to a parallel session on Mid-Career Development); see also the bottom of this posting for the content of the “Publishing Dos and Don’ts” handout mentioned above.

Highlights of the 2009 incarnation of Attending include, but are not limited to:

• The annual business meeting of the international Society for the Study of Early Modern Women
• A special performance of early seventeenth-century songs, performed by Hallie Fishel (Soprano) and John Edwards (Lute)
• A 10^th-anniversary celebration for Ashgate’s book series Women and Gender in the Early Modern World

The Netherlandish Image in the Age of Iconoclasm wins the ACE / Mercers’ book award

We are delighted to announce that Mia M. Mochizuki’s book The Netherlandish Image after Iconoclasm, 1566–1672: Material Religion in the Dutch Golden Age has won the 2009 ACE / Mercers’ International Book Award. The prize is awarded for a book which makes an outstanding contribution to the dialogue between religious faith and the visual arts. Mia Mochizuki’s book is the fruit of fifteen years’ research, and it well deserves all the plaudits it has been receiving.

Graham Howes, who presented the award, had this to say about the book:

Outstanding…  It sets one building – the Great Church at Haarlem – in an exceptionally broad context – as built form, as culturally symbolic artefact, and as a vehicle for didactic decoration…  Her story begins in the Roman Catholic era, examines the motives behind iconoclasm, its destructive force as well as its generative power, and then details the appropriation of the church by the local Reformed Community. All this is done with exceptional precision, imaginative insight and scholarly depth. The judges themselves found the book ‘enthralling’ and referred frequently to the way in which it re-shaped their entire perception of the relationship between a, perhaps the Protestant aesthetic and their own visual and emotional experience of that aesthetic. They also praised the sheer quality of the book’s production, and especially the way in which the excellent illustrations are placed throughout in close association to the text.

Image Making in Byzantium, Sasanian Persia and the Early Muslim World

One of the best selling titles this year from our Variorum Collected Studies series has been Image Making in Byzantium, Sasanian Persia and the Early Muslim World: Images and Cultures. The volume collects together essays by Anthony Cutler, focusing on relations between Byzantium and its neighbours. The papers address questions of cultural exchange, with special attention to art historical relations as shown by technical, iconographic and diplomatic exchanges. While addressed to specialists, both their approach and the language make these papers accessible to students at all levels.

Thomas F. Torrance: Theologian of the Trinity – most popular book at the AAR

At the recent American Academy of Religion meeting in Montreal we were delighted with the positive feedback we received about the books we had on display. Popular titles included Religious America, Secular Europe (Peter Berger, Grace Davie and Effie Fokas), Theology, Psychology and the Plural Self (Léon Turner), and Grace Jantzen (Elaine L. Graham).

However, the book that got the most interest was Paul D. Molnar’s book Thomas F. Torrance: Theologian of the Trinity. As well as garnering interest at the AAR meeting, this book has also received many glowing endorsements, and here are a few of them!

Paul Molnar is known for detailed and fair-minded reading of text by which he has established his reputation as one of the leading interpreters of Karl Barth. This volume on my father’s theology exemplifies those practices of faithful reading. I believe Paul Molnar is profoundly right in identifying my father’s understanding of the Trinity as the proper point of entry to his theology as a whole. My father’s perception of the inner relations between the doctrine of God, of creation and the incarnation flow from this. The volume is meticulous, thorough and always clear. I thoroughly recommend it. Paul Molnar knew my father personally, talked to him, questioned him and understood him well.
Iain Torrance, President of Princeton Theological Seminary and younger son of Thomas F Torrance

New titles – Law, Sociology, Geography, Politics & International Relation, Human Factors

Law

Agriculture and EU Environmental Law Brian Jack, Queens University Belfast, UK

The Legal, Medical and Cultural Regulation of the Body: Transformation and Transgression, Edited by Stephen W. Smith, University of Birmingham, UK, and Ronan Deazley, University of Glasgow, UK, Medical Law and Ethics Series

Sociology and Social Policy

The Ashgate Research Companion to Queer Theory, Edited by Noreen Giffney, University of Limerick, Ireland and Michael O’Rourke, University College Dublin, Ireland Queer Interventions

The Invisible Empire: White Discourse, Tolerance and Belonging, Georgie Wemyss, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK, Studies in Migration and Diaspora

Media, Policy and Interaction, Edited by Richard Fitzgerald, University of Queensland, Australia and William Housley, Cardiff University, UK

Sound, Society and the Geography of Popular Music, Edited by Ola Johansson, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, USA and Thomas L. Bell, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA and Western Kentucky University, USA

Between the Social and the Spatial: Exploring the Multiple Dimensions of Poverty and Social Exclusion, Edited by Katrien De Boyser, University of Antwerp, Belgium, Caroline Dewilde, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Danielle Dierckx, University of Antwerp, Belgium and Jürgen Friedrichs, University of Cologne, Germany

The End of Territoriality?: The Impact of ECJ Rulings on British, German and French Social Policy, Andreas Obermaier, Brussels, Belgium

Geography

Sport, Leisure and Culture in the Postmodern City, Edited by Peter Bramham, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and Stephen Wagg, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK, Heritage, Culture and Identity Series

Politics and International Relations

Partners in Peace: Discourses and Practices of Civil-Society Peacebuilding, Mathijs van Leeuwen, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands, Non-State Actors in International Law, Politics and Governance Series

Power and Justice in International Relations: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Global Challenges, Edited by Marie-Luisa Frick and Andreas Oberprantacher, both at the University of Innsbruck, Austria

Foreign Interventions in Ethnic Conflicts, Robert Nalbandov, University of St Andrews, UK, Global Security in a Changing World Series

The EU and World Regionalism: The Makability of Regions in the 21st Century, Edited by Philippe De Lombaerde, United Nations University (UNUCRIS), Belgium and Michael Schulz, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, The International Political Economy of New Regionalisms Series

Afghanistan’s Political Stability: A Dream Unrealised, Ahmad Shayeq Qassem, Current Affairs Analyst, UK

Human Factors

Safety Culture: Theory, Method and Improvement, Stian Antonsen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway

Working Through Synthetic Worlds, Edited by C.A.P. Smith, Colorado State University, USA, Jeffrey G. Morrison, Ph.D, Program Manager, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center – Pacific, USA and Kenneth W. Kisiel, Principal Research Engineer, Lockheed Martin Corporation, USA

History – fact or fiction? Ronald Hutton in the THE

An interesting article in this week’s Times Higher from Ronald Hutton about the (non)reliability of history.

From the comments section of the article:

What a pleasure to read such personal and scholarly stuff! This is what scholarship is about

This contribution should be mandatory reading for all seventh form history students

Read the article here

Aviation “funnies” for a Saturday

These apparently true airline engineer reports have been doing the rounds for a few years now, but if you’ve never come across them before, they are funny!

After every Qantas flight, pilots fill out a form called a gripe sheet, which conveys to the mechanics any problem they had with the airplane during the flight.

The mechanics read and correct the problem, and then explain in writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was taken. The pilot reviews the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Here are some actual maintenance problems submitted by Qantas pilots and the solutions recorded by maintenance engineers.

By the way, Qantas has a very good safety record!

(P = The problem logged by the pilot)
(S = The solution and action taken by the engineer)

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet-per-minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That’s what they’re there for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you’re right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget

Architecture and Justice Conference, 25-27 November 2009, Lincoln

Kerrie-Anne Hughes will be attending the Architecture and Justice Conference, 25-27 November 2009, at the University of Lincoln, for Ashgate.

From the conference website:

This conference examines relationships between architecture and justice looking at the links between architecture and justice not only to explore ways in which justice is manifested architecturally, but also to investigate slippages between the authority that is necessary to justice and force or violence, or to question claims to a universality or standard of justice.

New series – Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies

We are pleased to announce a new series from Ashgate: the Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies Series, edited by Greg Kennedy, Tim Benbow and Jon Robb-Webb, all of the Defence Studies Department, Joint Services Command and Staff College, UK.

This series offers a unique opportunity to examine key issues such as maritime security, the future of naval power, and the commercial uses of the sea, from an exceptionally broad chronological, geographical and thematic range. Truly interdisciplinary in its approach, the series welcomes books from across the humanities, social sciences and professional worlds, providing an unrivalled opportunity for authors and readers to enhance the national and international visibility of maritime affairs, and provide a forum for policy debate and analysis.

Please visit www.ashgate.com/corbettstudies for more information on the series and how to submit a proposal.

New titles – Music, Literary Studies, History, Religion, Art

Here are Ashgate’s most recently published humanities titles – in Music, Literary Studies, History, Religion and Art

Music

Harrison Birtwistle: The Mask of Orpheus Jonathan Cross, Christ Church Oxford, UK, Series: Landmarks in Music Since 1950

Experiencing Ethnomusicology: Teaching and Learning in European Universities Simone Krüger, Liverpool John Moores University, UK

Jews, Race and Popular Music Jon Stratton, Curtin University of Technology, Australia, Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series

Literary Studies

The Collage Aesthetic in the Harlem Renaissance Rachel Farebrother, University of Swansea, UK

Cricket, Literature and Culture: Symbolising the Nation, Destabilising Empire Anthony Bateman, De Montfort University, UK

Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford: A Publishing History Thomas Recchio, University of Connecticut, USA, Series: Ashgate Studies in Publishing History

Time, Narrative, and Emotion in Early Modern England David Houston Wood, Northern Michigan University, USA, Series: Literary and Scientific Cultures of Early Modernity

Medical Authority and Englishwomen’s Herbal Texts, 1550–1650 Rebecca Laroche, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, USA, Series: Literary and Scientific Cultures of Early Modernity

Machiavelli in the British Isles: Two Early Modern Translations of The Prince Alessandra Petrina, Università di Padova, Italy, Series: Anglo-Italian Renaissance Studies

Performing the Everyday in Henry James’s Late Novels Maya Higashi Wakana, Ritsumeikan University, Japan

Detective Fiction in a Postcolonial and Transnational World Edited by Nels Pearson, Fairfield University, USA and  Marc Singer, Howard University, USA

History

Outlaws in Medieval and Early Modern England: Crime, Government and Society, c.1066–c.1600 Edited by John C. Appleby, Liverpool Hope University, UK and Paul Dalton, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK

Enlightened Reform in Southern Europe and its Atlantic Colonies, c. 17501830 Edited by Gabriel Paquette, Trinity College, Cambridge, UK, Series: Empires and the Making of the Modern World, 1650–2000

Segregation – Integration – Assimilation: Religious and Ethnic Groups in the Medieval Towns of Central and Eastern Europe Edited by Derek Keene, Institute of Historical Research, London, UK, Balázs Nagy, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary and Katalin Szende, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, Historical Urban Studies Series

The Arctic Whaling Journals of William Scoresby the Younger (1789–1857) Volume III: The Voyages of 1817, 1818 and 1820 Edited by Ian Jackson, Timothy Dwight College, Yale University, USA, Hakluyt Society, Third Series

Religion and Theology

Catholicity and Heresy in the Early Church Mark Edwards, Christ Church, Oxford, UK

Grace Jantzen: Redeeming the Present Edited by Elaine L. Graham, University of Chester, UK

A Sociology of Spirituality Kieran Flanagan and Peter C. Jupp, Theology and Religion in Interdisciplinary Perspective Series in Association with the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group

Art

Henry Moore Textiles (A Lund Humphries book) Edited by Anita Feldman, with an introduction by Sue Prichard