Odun


Book Description

A poetic 'voice' scans the rhythm of academic research, telling of the encounter with odún; then the voice falls silent. What is then raised is the dust of a forgotten academic debate on the nature of theatre and drama, and the following divergent standpoints of critical discourses bent on empowering their own vision, and defining themselves, rather, as counterdiscourses. This, the first part of the book: a metacritical discourse, on the geopolitics (the inherent power imbalances) of academic writing and its effects on odún, the performances dedicated to the gods, ancestors, and heroes of Yorùbá history. But odún: where is it? and what is it? And the 'voice'? The many critical discourses have not really answered these questions. In effect, odún is many things. To enable the reader to see these, the study proceeds with an 'intermezzo' a frame of reference that sets odún, the festival, in its own historico-cultural ecoenvironment, identifying the strategies that inform the performance and constitute its aesthetic. It is a 'classical' yet, for odún, an innovative procedure. This interdisciplinary background equips the reader with the knowledge necessary to watch the performance, to witness its beauty, and to understand the 'half words' odún utters. And now the performance can begin. The 'voice' emerges one last time, to introduce the second section, which presents two case studies. The reader is led, day by day, through the celebrations -odún edì, Morèmi's story, and its realization in performance; then confrontation by the masks of the ancestors duing odún egúngún (particularly as held in Ibadan). The meaning of odún becomes clearer and clearer. Odún is poetry, dances, masks, food, prayer. It is play (eré) and belief (ìgbàgbó). It is interaction between the players (both performers and spectators). It is also politics and power. It contains secrets and sacrifices. It is a reality with its own dimension and, above all, as the quintessential site of knowledge, it possesses the power to transform. In short, it is a challenge - a challenge that the present book and its voices take up.




Divine Knowledge


Book Description

In an original and compelling examination of traditional mathematics, this comprehensive study of the anonymous "Manual of Mongolian Astrology and Divination" (published by A. Mostaert in 1969) takes on the fundamental problem of the post-enlightenment categorization of knowledge, in particular the inherently problematic realms of religion and science, as well as their subsets, medicine, ritual, and magic. In the process of elucidating the rhetoric and logic shaping this manual the author reveals not only the intertwined intellectual history of Eurasia from Greece to China but also dismantles many of the discourses that have shaped its modern interpretations.




It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues


Book Description

This sizzling revue of the blues and blues infused songs that changed the way the world hears the human heartbeat took New York by storm. Ravishing songs trace the evolution of the blues from Africa to Mississippi to Memphis to Chicago.




Under the Same Skies


Book Description

Sentries of the Past is a group of 9th grade students at Webster Schroeder High School who spent six months researching the Hero's Journey pattern as outlined by mythologist Joseph Campbell. From there, the students explored how the pattern is part of the human condition and how it can be used as a tool to examine their own lives. For 60 days, my 9th graders reflected and shared insights as they explored the archetypal hero within. After completing The Sixty Day Sojourn and after reading a book of forensic anthropology, Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates by Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw, each student selected one of the four hominids studied in the work and "put flesh on the bones," so to speak. Each story included doing research on the region where the bones were found, and making educated hypotheses regarding the ancient cultures of the people who lived in those regions.




Babalawo


Book Description

Cuban Ifá From An Insider Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá. This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more. Praise: "A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."mdash;Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion




Fingerprint No. 2


Book Description

For many designers, creating things by hand is a reaction to too much computer-based design. Since the first Fingerprint was published, ideas that were once on the fringe have begun to thrive in the mainstream. From typography and illustration to book-making and film titles, elements of handcraft have soaked into everyday life. Fingerprint No. 2 reflects the evolution of those ideas. In this second volume, you’ll still find plenty of projects created entirely without the aid of computer technology. But you’ll also discover how designers are beginning to incorporate the two aesthetics—handmade and digital—in order to best communicate their message. A third, hybrid aesthetic is emerging, one that marries the technologies of the past and future into a vibrant, exciting present. Look inside to discover 133 projects and exclusive visual essays from leading designers, including Robynne Raye, Stefan Bucher and Christian Helms. These pieces of work prove that handmade elements are not only vital to excellent design, but often result in exceptional design. Listen for the pulse, which cannot be faked, forged, or falsified. Look for the finger print. It is the key to design’s success.




International Advanced Researches & Engineering Congress 2017 Proceeding Book


Book Description

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS (at IAREC'17) (This book inclueds English (main) and Turkish languages) International Workshop on Mechanical Engineering International Workshop on Mechatronics Engineering International Workshop on Energy Systems Engineering International Workshop on Automotive Engineering and Aerospace Engineering International Workshop on Material Engineering International Workshop on Manufacturing Engineering International Workshop on Physics Engineering International Workshop on Electrical and Electronics Engineering International Workshop on Computer Engineering and Software Engineering International Workshop on Chemical Engineering International Workshop on Textile Engineering International Workshop on Architecture International Workshop on Civil Engineering International Workshop on Geomatics Engineering International Workshop on Industrial Engineering International Workshop on Food Engineering International Workshop on Aquaculture Engineering International Workshop on Agriculture Engineering International Workshop on Mathematics Engineering International Workshop on Bioengineering Engineering International Workshop on Biomedical Engineering International Workshop on Genetic Engineering International Workshop on Environmental Engineering International Workshop on Other Engineering Science




The Numeral Systems of Nigerian Languages


Book Description

The papers in this collection present the numeral systems of more than twenty Nigerian languages. The papers mainly emanate from a workshop on the numeral systems of Nigerian languages organised by the Linguistic Association of Nigeria during its 23rd Annual Conference which was held at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The workshop arose from awareness created by Dr. Eugene S.L. Chan on the need for Nigerian linguists to document this severely endangered but very important aspect of natural languages. The quantum of mathematical computations - addition, multiplication, subtraction, or a combination of two or all of these - involved in the numeral systems of Nigerian languages is remarkable. The papers reveal that a variety of numeral systems do exist, such as: binary, decimal, incomplete decimal, duodecimal, quinary, quaternary, ternary, mixed, body-part tally systems, and much more. The book is a resource about how different languages manipulate their numeral systems.




The Garden of the Mosques


Book Description

This is an annotated translation of what is perhaps the most important Ottoman literary source for the Islamic monuments of the Ottoman capital, Istanbul: Hafız Hüseyin bin Ismail Ayvansarayî's Hadikat al-Cevami (The Garden of Mosques). Long recognized by Turkish scholars as a unique source for the city's architecture and urban form, the text, which was completed in 1195/1780 and revised and enlarged between 1248/1832-33 and 1253/1838 by Ali Sati, contains separate descriptions of each of Istanbul's more than 800 mosques, plus accounts of its medreses, tombs, tekkes and other monuments. The annotations place each of these buildings within the city's urban plan and provide biographical information about the patrons, architects and other personalities mentioned in the text. An introductory essay gives an account of Ayvansarayî's life and works, describes the various manuscript versions of the text and reviews the cartographic resources available for the study of Istanbul's urban form.