The African Mother Tongue and Mathematical Ideas

A Diopian Pluridisciplinary Approach

Abdul Karim Bangura, American University Center for Global Peace

February 2020 / ISBN: 978-1-62273-818-2
Availability: In stock
402pp. ¦ $57 £43 €49

This book by renowned scholar Dr Abdul Karim Bangura combines linguistics and mathematics to show how and why African-centred mathematical ideas can be a driving force in Africa’s development efforts. Bangura explores the concept that Africa has been the centre of the History of Mathematics for thousands of years, as the civilizations that emerged across the continent developed contributions which would enrich both ancient and modern understanding of nature through mathematics. However, scholars and other professionals working in the field of mathematics education in Africa have identified a plethora of issues in carrying out their tasks. This is highlighted by one of the most compelling arguments in the book, which is that a major reason for these problems is the fact that the African mother tongues has been greatly neglected in the teaching of mathematics in the continent. Bangura asserts that a change has to be made in order for Africa to benefit from the exceptional opportunities mathematics offer, showing that, even if there is a great body of work connecting linguistics and mathematics, few analyses have been performed on the link between African languages and mathematics—and the ones that have been made are not theoretically-grounded on linguistics. Thus, the book begins by identifying the objects of study of linguistics and mathematics, and delineates which ones they have in common. Next, since the object of study of linguistics is language, the nine design features of language are employed to examine each of the objects as it pertains to African languages. After that, mathematical ideas of sustainability and those of tipping points are suggested as means to help Africa’s development efforts.

Manual of Reformed Stoicism

Piotr Stankiewicz, University of Warsaw, Poland

February 2020 / ISBN: 978-1-62273-648-5
Availability: In stock
352pp. ¦ $67 £50 €57

This book is a manifesto of reformed Stoicism. It proposes a system of life which is bullet-proof, universal, viable and effective in every cosmic setting. It holds in every possible universe, under any government and within any economic system. We can be reformed Stoics no matter what we believe in. Reformed Stoicism is about enjoying and exercising our agency. In other words, it’s about the flow of making autonomous and right decisions, and about celebrating our ability to make them. With no reliance on nature, with the recalibration of metaphysical positions, with skepticism towards grand discourses and universal answers, with an emphasis on the usefulness instead of truthfulness of narratives, with no reference to the vanity argument, with criticism of both conservative and ascetic misinterpretations of Stoicism, with an overall softer and more empathic approach, we can no longer be defined by the generic term “Stoicism”. Our time, in short, calls for a fresh interpretation of Stoicism. It is time for a new generation of Stoics. Thus: reformed Stoicism.

Fit-For-Market Translator and Interpreter Training in a Digital Age

Edited by Rita Besznyák, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary et al.

December 2019 / ISBN: 978-1-62273-862-5
Availability: In stock
245pp. ¦ $60 £45 €51

Training institutions offering specialized translation and interpreting programs need to keep up with the rapid development of digitalization and the increasingly sophisticated requirements of the language industry. This book addresses digital trends and employability in the market from the aspect of training: how have the latest digital trends shaped the language industry, and what competencies will translators, interpreters and T/I trainers need so as to meet current market requirements? Four major subjects of high relevance are discussed in 12 chapters: (1) collaborative partnership in the field of fit-for-market practices with a focus on e-learning materials; (2) competence development in translator and interpreter training; (3) the implications of neural machine translation and the increasing significance of post-editing practices, as well as (4) the role of new technologies and new methods in the work and training of interpreters and translators. With an introduction written by Juanjo Arevalillo, managing director of Hermes Traducciones and former vice-president of the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies, the book creates a fresh momentum for researchers, academics, professionals and trainees to be engaged in a constructive dialogue.

And the Loser is: A History of Oscar Oversights

2nd Edition

Aubrey Malone

February 2020 / ISBN: 978-1-62273-914-1
Availability: In stock
384pp. ¦ $41 £31 €35

In this updated edition of Aubrey Malone’s ground-breaking study of the unsung heroes and heroines of the Oscar ceremonies, he delves further into the circumstances surrounding many of the films either ignored or undervalued by the Academy from the 1920s up to the embarrassing gaffe of 2017 which saw La La Land wrongly announced as Best Picture instead of Moonlight. In a book which doubles as an unofficial history of Hollywood, he writes about all the great stars who never won an Oscar and, more poignantly, the tragedies that often befell winners as the law of diminishing returns set in. People like Susan Hayward, Rod Steiger, Vivien Leigh and many others never recaptured the magic after winning the golden statue. Instead of a foretaste of better things, for many of them it was the beginning of the end. In the case of some winners, like Gig Young, the decline resulted in a horrific murder/suicide some years down the road. The book also studies concepts like sympathy Oscars, consolation Oscars, Life Achievement Awards that are often AMPAS apologies for Oscar bypasses, and the number of relationships and marriages that broke down after Oscar wins. It also looks at those near-perennial bridesmaids at the Oscar wedding who were repeatedly passed over, often on spurious grounds. This intricate, highly detailed book also looks at the effect of the blacklist on the awarding of Oscars, and the various prejudices that saw many people excluded from the winner’s enclosure when they richly deserved to be there.

Cinematic Women, From Objecthood to Heroism: Essays on Female Gender Representation on Western Screens and in TV Productions

Edited by Lisa V Mazey, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

December 2019 / ISBN: 978-1-62273-777-2
Availability: In stock
161pp. ¦ $43 £32 €36

Women have fulfilled film roles that exhibit their historically subservient or sexualised positions in society, among others. Over the decades, the gender identity of women has fluctuated to include powerful women, emotionally strong women, lesbian women, and even neurologically atypical women. These identities reflect the change in societal norms and what is now acknowledged as more likely and more mainstream. The evolution of society’s views of women can be mapped through these roles; from 1950’s America where women were depicted as the counterpart to male characters and their masculinity either as a threat or support to the patriarchal norms; to more recent times, where these norms have been questioned, challenged, deconstructed and reconstructed to include women in a more equitable balance. The fight for equal access, equal pay and equal standing still exists in all walks of life and different cultures requiring continued scrutiny of the norms that made that fight necessary. The essays offer a unique vantage of the changing culture and conversations that allowed, encouraged, and praised an evolution of women’s roles. They strive to represent the issues faced by women, from the early heyday of Hollywood through to films as recent as 2007; examining depictions of the masculine gaze, mental and physical oppression, the mother figure, as well as how these roles may develop in the future. The book contains valuable material for film students at an undergraduate or post-graduate level, as well as scholars from a range of disciplines including cultural studies, media studies, film studies and women’s and gender studies.