Bookbeat: April / May 2003
Publications from CLAS faculty.
Sex, Men, and Babies
by
William Marsiglio, Department of Sociology
(New York University Press, 2003)
Available through Amazon
In his most recent book, Sex, Men, and Babies, William Marsiglio delves into the psyche of the young American male. The book records the sexual awareness of men between the ages of 16 and 30, in order to present a conceptual analysis of the social and psychological experiences of young males learning about their reproductive ability.
"The thrust of the book is designed to encourage males to become more mindful and to develop the ability to think in more nuanced ways about the meaning of procreation," Marsiglio says. The book builds on his former work, Procreative Man. Marsiglio and his colleague Sally Hutchinson, a recent retiree from UF's nursing program, recruited their participants from various public offices, clinics, fliers, and by word of mouth. Individuals were asked to describe their experiences regarding procreation: abortion, miscarriage, pregnancy scares, pregnancy and births. Much of the focus of Marsiglio's research was to determine a man's "fatherhood readiness." He describes this as "men's readiness to not only procreate but to be a father to the child."
Marsiglio's hope for both male and female readers is that they would communicate with their partners and become more mindful of what it means to be able to create human life and to embrace not only the magic of it, but also the responsibility.
Marsiglio earned his PhD from Ohio State University and has taught at UF for 15 years. He has been a consultant to three major national surveys in the US and Canada focusing on men and sexuality/fatherhood issues. His next book, Stepdads: Stories of Love, Hope, and Repair, will be released by fall 2003.
—Elise Jacobus
Catastrophe & Culture The Anthropology of Disaster
edited
by Anthony Oliver-Smith , Department of
Anthropology, and Susanna
M. Hoffman
(School of American Research Press, 2003)
Available through Amazon
At a time of increasing globalization and worldwide vulnerability, the study of disasters has become an important focus for anthropological research. Using a variety of natural and technological disasters—including Mexican earthquakes, drought in the Andes and in Africa, the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Oakland firestorm, and the Bhopal gas disaster—the authors of this volume explore the potentials of disaster for ecological, political-economic, and cultural approaches to anthropology along with the perspectives of archaeology and history.
—Publisher
Plato's Reception of Parmenides
by John
A. Palmer, Department of Philosophy
(Oxford University Press, 2003)
Available through Amazon
John Palmer presents a new and original account of Plato's uses and understanding of his most important Presocratic predecessor, Parmenides. Adopting an innovative approach to the appraisal of intellectual influence, Palmer first explores the Eleatic underpinnings of central elements in Plato's middle-period epistemology and metaphysics. By tracing connections among the uses of Parmenides over the course of several dialogues, Palmer both demonstrates his fundamental importance to the development of Plato's thought and furthers understanding of central problems in Plato's own philosophy.
—Publisher
Hearts of Darkness
by Bertram
Wyatt-Brown, Department of
History
(Louisiana State University Press, 2003)
Available through Amazon
In this beautifully realized study, Bertram Wyatt-Brown explores the defining role of melancholy in southern literature from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth, when it evolved into modernist alienation. Deeply marked by high death rates, social dread, and bitter defeat, white southerners imposed a climate of parochial pride, stifling conventions of masculinity, social condescension, and mistrust of intellectualism. Many writers experienced a conscious or unconscious alienation from the prevailing social currents, and they expressed emotional turmoil in and through their writing.
—Publisher
Photo:
Jane Gibson
