Simplicity

Sample

David M. Fetterman

Sifting through notepads filled with illegible scrawl, listening to hours of tape recordings, labeling and organizing piles of photographs and slides and cross-referencing disks of data are all too familiar pictures to the ethnographic researcher. How does one manage a mountain of data and make meaningful statements? By using the new, updated Ethnography that has proved so reliable to thousands of researchers. This edition takes a step into a new frontier - the Internet, which is one of the most-powerful resources available to ethnographers. The book now provides insights into the uses of the internet, including conducting searches about topics or sites, collecting census data, conducting interviews by "chatting" and video-conferencing, sharing notes and pictures about research sites, debating issues with colleagues on listservs and in online journals, and downloading useful data collection and analyses software. Maintained from the first edition is coverage of the nature of fieldwork, the equipment needed to conduct research, the analysis of data, the differences and similarities between qualitative and quantitative approaches and writing the report. Throughout the book author David M. Fettermen provides insights into putting people at ease, research ethics, and sensitivity to other cultures.

Sample

Julia Ching

"In this book, Julia Ching offers a magisterial survey of over four thousand years of Chinese civilisation through an examination of the relationship between kingship and mysticism. She investigates the sage-king myth and ideal, and analyses the various skills that have been required as qualifications of leadership. She argues that institutions of kingship were bound up with cultivation of trance states and communication with spirits. Over time, these associations were retained, though sidelined, as the sage-king myth became a model for the actual ruler, with a messianic appeal for the ruled. As a paradigm, it also became appropriated by private individuals who strove for wisdom without becoming kings. As the Confucian tradition interacted with the Taoist and the Buddhist, the religious character of spiritual and mystical cultivation became more pronounced. But the sage-king idea continued, promoting expectation of benevolent despotism rather than democratisation in Chinese civilisation."--Jacket.

Sample

Vesna A. Wallace

The Kalacakratantra is the latest and most comprehensive Buddhist Tantra that is available in its original Sanskrit. The Kalacakratantra's five chapters are classified into three categories: outer, inner, and other Kalacakratantra. This text focuses on the inner Kalacakratantra.

Sample

Paul M. Taylor

The author compares UN and European standards regarding freedom of religion. A simple, clear format and detailed thematic analysis makes the text readily accessible for research purposes and compendious citation of UN and European authorities on each issue are considered.