Yale Bulletin and Calendar

November 9, 2001

Volume 30, Number 10

Yale Books in Brief

The following is a list of books published recently by members of the Yale community. Descriptions are based on material provided by the publishers.

To submit information about books for this column, send e-mail to opa@yale.edu.

The Ship of State: Statecraft and Politics from Ancient Greece to Democratic America
Norma Thompson, Associate Professor of Political Science
(Yale University Press, 2001)

This book provides a new perspective on the development of political thought from Homer to Machiavelli, Tocqueville and Gertrude Stein. Although most critics view the Western tradition as a progression away from misogyny and towards rights for women, Thompson contends that the need for balance in the political community was well understood in earlier eras. Only now, she argues, has it been almost entirely overlooked in our focus on surface indications of gender equality.

Agrarian Studies: Synthetic Work at the Cutting Edge
James C. Scott, the Eugene Meyer Professor of Political Science, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Program in Agrarian Studies, with Nina Bhatt
(Yale University Press, 2001)

This book presents an account of an intellectual breakthrough in the study of rural society and agriculture. Its 10 chapters, selected for their originality and synthesis from the colloquia of the Program in Agrarian Studies at Yale University, encompass various disciplines, diverse historical periods and several regions of the world. The 10 studies recast and expand what is known about rural society and agrarian issues, examining such topics as poverty, subsistence, cultivation, ecology, justice, art, custom, law, ritual life, cooperation and state action.

Freedom and Time: A Theory of Constitutional Self-Government
Jed Rubenfeld, the Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law
(Yale University Press, 2001)

In this volume, Jed Rubenfeld reassesses the relationship between freedom and time. Democracy, he writes, is not a matter of governance by the present "will of the people"; it is a matter of a nation's laying down and living up to enduring political and legal commitments. Constitutionalism, he contends, is not counter to democracy or a pre-condition of democracy; it is or should be democracy itself -- over time. On this basis, Rubenfeld offers a new understanding of constitutional interpretation and of the fundamental right of privacy.

What Brown v. Board of Education Should Have Said: The Nation's Top Legal Experts Rewrite America's Landmark Civil Rights Decision
Edited by Jack M. Balkin, the Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment
(New York University Press, 2001)
Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 decision ordering the desegregation of America's public schools, is perhaps the most famous case in American constitutional law. In this volume, nine of America's top constitutional and civil rights experts have been challenged to rewrite the Brown decision as they would like it to have been written, incorporating what they now know about the subsequent history of the United States but making use of only those sources available at the time of the original decision. In addition, Jack Balkin gives a detailed introduction to the case, chronicling the history of the litigation and the current debates over its legacy.

Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic
Joanne B. Freeman, Assistant Professor of History
(Yale University Press, 2001)

Joanne Freeman offers a major reassessment of political culture in the early years of the American republic. By exploring both the public actions and private papers of key figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and Alexander Hamilton, Freeman reveals an alien and profoundly unstable political world grounded on the code of honor. By illuminating this culture of honor, Freeman offers new understandings of some of the most perplexing events of early American history, including the notorious duel between Burr and Hamilton.

Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper
Harriet Scott Chessman, Lecturer of English
(Seven Stories Press, 2001)

Set in Paris in 1880, this mock-memoir brings the reader into the world of Mary Cassatt's early impressionist paintings through her sister Lydia, who Chessman sees as the artist's most inspiring muse. Each section of the story is told in the voice of Lydia as she poses for five of her sister's most complex paintings.

Infinity and Perspective
Karsten Harries, Professor of Philosophy
(The MIT Press, 2001)

Looking at a small number of medieval and Renaissance texts, as well as some paintings, Karsten Harries uncovers the threshold that separates the modern from the premodern world. At the same time, he illuminates that other, more questionable threshold, between the modern and the postmodern. Two spirits preside over the book: Alberti, the Renaissance author on art and architecture, whose interest in perspective and point of view offers a key to modernity; and Nicolaus Cusanus, the 15th-century cardinal, whose work shows that such interest cannot be divorced from speculations on the infinity of God.

Outbound
William Storandt, Tutor in the Bass Writing Program
(University of Wisconsin Press, 2001)

"Outbound" is the story of two voyages: an Atlantic crossing in the 33-foot cutter Clarity, bound for Scotland; and the hard voyage of self-discovery as Bill Storandt, his longtime partner Brian Forsyth and their friend Bob encounter a fierce storm 400 miles from the Irish coast that tests their courage and all their sailing skills.

Skeptical Music: Essays on Modern Poetry
David Bromwich, Professor of English
(University of Chicago Press, 2001)

"Skeptical Music" collects the essays on poetry that have made David Bromwich one of the most widely admired critics now writing. Each essay stakes a definitive claim for the modernist style and its intent to capture an audience beyond the present moment. Whether the topic is heroism in the poetry of Wallace Stevens, self-reflection in the poems of Elizabeth Bishop, or the battle between the self and its images in the work of John Ashbery, "Skeptical Music" seeks to make readers think again about what poetry is and why it still matters.

An Elementary Textbook of Ayurveda: Medicine with a Six Thousand Year Old Tradition
Dr. Frank J. Ninivaggi, Assistant Clinical Professor at the Child Study Center and in the Department of Psychiatry
(International Universities Press, 2001)

Ayurveda has its origins in the rich soil of Indian culture, where it has been practiced 3,000 to 6,000 years. The word Ayurveda derives from the traditions of the ancient Indian sages and denotes enlightened knowledge of all aspects of optimal, healthy, daily living and longevity. The author brings to this volume not only his extensive knowledge of Ayurveda but also his background as a Western-trained psychiatrist.

Architecture and Geometry in the Age of the Baroque
George Hersey, Professor Emeritus of the History of Art
(The University of Chicago Press, 2001)

The age of the Baroque -- a time when great strides were made in science and mathematics -- witnessed the construction of some of the world's most magnificent buildings. George Hersey explores the ways in which Baroque architecture, with its dramatic shapes and playful experimentation with classical forms, reflects the scientific thinking of the time. Some two centuries later, he finds that the geometric principles of the Baroque resonate, often unexpectedly, in the work of architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.

Antebellum Dream Book
Elizabeth Alexander, Lecturer in African American Studies
(Graywolf Press, 2001)

Elizabeth Alexander is the author of two previous poetry collections, "Body of Life" and "The Venus Hottentot." Her poetry and essays have been widely published in magazines, including the American Poetry Review, Callaloo, Fence, the Paris Review, Ploughshares and Poetry, and in anthologies including "By Herself; Women Reclaim Poetry"; "American Poetry: The Next Generation"; and "The Vintage Book of African-American Poetry."

The Russian Mafia -- Private Protection in a New Market Economy
Federico Varese, Visting Assistant Professor of Political Science and Ethics, Politics and Economics
(Oxford University Press, 2001)

What is the Russian mafia? This unique book explores this question by examining the emergence of the Russian mafia in the context of the transition to the market, the privatization of property and pervasive corruption. The author draws on reports of undercover police operations, in-depth interviews conducted over several years with the victims of the mafia, criminals and officials, and documents from the Gulag archives.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

F&ES launches a $60 million capital campaign

School of Management hailed for emphasis on teaching . . .

Iran is 'buckle' of 'terror belt,' warns exiled crown prince

Yale Books in Brief

For American architects, the sky is still the limit, says Stern

AIA to honor Stern for his contributions to the 'urban landscape'

Ireland's former prime minister to speak at YCIAS

DEA official and New Mexico's governor to discuss war on drugs

Show highlights painter John Singer Sargent's sculptural skills

Panel goes beyond fantasy and crisis to look at richness of Arab civilization

Yale has long history of teaching Arabic language

Conference on 'ideal' Native American school to include play, film . . .

Council on European Studies sponsoring conference . . .

Auction to raise funds to fight hunger and homelessness

Memorial service to honor Levi Jackson, . . .

Rescheduled talks to explore Sept. 11 events, evolution