Yale Bulletin and Calendar

January 18, 2002Volume 30, Number 15Two-Week Issue


This is the cover image of "Reclaiming the Political in Latin American History."

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 Production Notebooks: Theatre in Process, Volume II
edited by Mark Bly, Professor (Adjunct) and Chair of the Playwriting Program at the School of Drama and Associate Artistic Director of the Yale Repertory Theatre
(TCG Books, 2001)

The second volume of this series of case studies provides a behind-the-scenes look at four major theater productions, exploring the dramaturgical, directorial, design, acting and administrative aspects of mounting contemporary and classic plays. This volume includes: "In the Blood" by Suzan-Lori Parks (The Joseph Papp Public Theatre/ New York Shakespeare Festival); "The First Picture Show" by David and Ain Gordon (Mark Taper Forum and American Conservatory Theatre); "The Geography Project" by Ralph Lemon (Yale Repertory Theatre); and "Shakespeare Rapid Eye Movement," directed by Robert Lepage (Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel-Munich).


Reclaiming the Political in Latin American History: Essays from the North
edited by Gilbert M. Joseph, the Farnam Professor of History and Chair of the Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies
(Duke University Press, 2001)

This collection embraces a new social and cultural history of Latin America that is not divorced from politics and other arenas of power. True to the intellectual vision of Brazilian historian Emilia Viotti da Costa, one of Latin America's most distinguished scholars, the contributors actively revisit the political -- as both a theme of historical analysis and a stance for historical practice -- to investigate the ways in which power, agency and Latin American identity have been transformed over the past few decades.


Christian Hope and Christian Life
Rowan A. Greer, the Walter H. Gray Professor Emeritus of Anglican Studies
(Crossroad/Herder & Herder, 2001)

According to Rowan Greer, Augustine of Hippo, the influential theologian and philosopher, set the tone for much of later Western history, with his view that the future life is far removed from the here and now of mundane existence. Gregory of Nyssa, another influential writer of the period, struck a different note, seeing the future and present life as closely linked. These competing ways of interpreting Christian life are repeated throughout history. In this book, Greer explores whether these early writings say anything meaningful to people today and rejects the widespread assumption that the idea of an afterlife demeans the value of everyday life.


Divergent Jewish Cultures: Israel and America
edited by Deborah Dash Moore, Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study of Religion, and S. Ilan Troen
(Yale University Press, 2001)

Two creative centers of Jewish life rose to prominence in the 20th century, one in Israel and the other in the United States. Although Israeli and American Jews share kinship and history, they have developed divergent cultures. This book explores why this is so. Using examples from literature, art, history and politics, leading Israeli and American scholars focus on the political, social and memory cultures of their two communities, considering in particular the American Jewish challenge to diaspora consciousness and the Israeli struggle to forge a secular, national Jewish identity.


Championing Child Care
Sally Cohen, Associate Professor of Nursing and Director of the Center for Health Policy and Ethics
(Columbia University Press, 2001)

Why has child care legislation developed along its present course? How did the political players influence lawmakers? What do the politics of child care legislation over the past 30 years indicate for the future? Based on more than 100 interviews with legislators and executive branch officials, archival research, and secondary sources, this book looks at the politics behind child care legislation, rather than analyzing child care as a work and family issue. Identifying key junctures at which major child care bills were introduced and debated, Sally Cohen examines the politics surrounding each of these events and identifies the political structures and negotiations that evolved in the intervening years.


Quantitative Evaluation of HIV Prevention Programs
edited by Edward H. Kaplan, the William N. and Marie A. Beach Professor of Management Sciences and Professor of Public Health, and Ron Brookmeyer
(Yale University Press, 2002)

How successful are HIV prevention programs? Which HIV prevention programs are most cost effective? Which programs are worth expanding and which should be abandoned altogether? This book addresses the quantitative evaluation of HIV prevention programs, assessing for the first time several different quantitative methods of evaluation. The authors of the book present a wide variety of perspectives on the subject, including an overview of HIV prevention programs in developing countries, economic analyses that address questions of cost effectiveness and resource allocation, case studies such as Israel's ban on Ethiopian blood donors, and descriptions of new methodologies and problems.


Loss of Happiness in Market Economies
Robert E. Lane, Professor Emeritus at the Institution of Social and Policy Studies and of Political Science
(Yale University Press, paperback, 2001)

Why in prosperous market democracies today do so many people regard themselves as unhappy? Robert E. Lane draws on extensive research in many fields to show that the main sources of well-being in advanced economies are friendships and a good family life; income has little to do with happiness once a person rises above the poverty level. Lane urges us to alter priorities and emphasize companionship over higher income.


God's Name in Vain: The Wrongs and Rights of Religion in Politics
Stephen L. Carter, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law
(Basic Books, paperback, 2001)

Stephen Carter argues that American politics is unimaginable without America's religious voice. Using contemporary and historical examples, from abolitionist sermons to presidential candidates' confessions, he illustrates ways in which religion and politics do and do not mesh well and ways in which spiritual perspectives might make vital contributions to our national debates. He also warns us of the importance of setting out some sensible limits, so that religious institutions do not allow themselves to be seduced by the lure of temporal power, and offers strong examples of principled and prophetic religious activism for those who choose their God before their country.

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

Yale and Unions agree to seek more effective negotiations process
Campus events honor legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Center receives over $12 million in grants for research on AIDS

IN FOCUS: Electrical Engineering

'Painted Ladies' of king's court featured in exhibition


MEDICAL SCHOOL NEWS

'Art for All Seasons' showcases works by Asian artists

Works depict the human form, both draped and undraped

'A Streetcar Named Desire' comes to the Yale stage

Petrarch's poetry will be highlighted in a campus talk . . .

Symposium to examine roots of modern visual culture

Woodcut offers panoramic view of 16th-century Muslim life


OBITUARIES

Funny things will happen during a Roman-style comedy week

Standing, Special and Appointments Committees

Yale seeks nominees for 2001 Seton Elm-Ivy Awards

Fellowships for foreign study and travel offered by YCIAS

Yale Books in Brief

Campus Notes


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