Lost in Thought
What is the value of the arts, humanities, and a liberal arts education? How do we quantify the intrinsic value of intellectual pursuits in an extrinsic-based society?
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Posted on January 4, 2021 in Review of the Week
Obstruction
Salvato, Nick. Duke, 2016
263p bibl index afp, 9780822360841 $89.95, 9780822360988 $24.95, 9780822374473
Through an often breathtaking range of cultural readings, Salvato (performing and media arts, Cornell) offers new ways to think about traits that are normally seen as obstructions or impediments to creative or scholarly projects. He focuses on five obstructions—laziness, digressiveness, embarrassment, slowness, and cynicism—and shows how each can be embraced as productive rather than a hindrance. By reading across contemporary texts, from the teachings of Lama Surya Das to the animated television series Daria, Salvato recovers the obstructions for creative and scholarly activity. The self-reflective stance Salvato often employs and the humor he brings to the discussion make the book a pleasurable read. This is a book for those interested in affect theory, cultural studies, creative writing, and humanistic inquiry. There is little doubt that graduate students and early-career academics, especially those in the humanities, will find this book a source of affirmation, encouragement, and transformation.
Summing Up: Essential. All readers.
Reviewer: M. Uebel, University of Texas
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – Psychology
Choice Issue: Nov 2016
What is the value of the arts, humanities, and a liberal arts education? How do we quantify the intrinsic value of intellectual pursuits in an extrinsic-based society?
Posted on in Review of the Week
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, this week's review looks at King's global perspective on the fight toward equity and justice.
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This week we look at the Wilmington insurrection of 1898, and its ramifications that are still felt today.
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As this year (finally) comes to an end, it's expected we get a little philosophical. What's the point of it all?
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