The Power of the Sacred

“Disenchantment” is a key term in the self-understanding of modernity. But what exactly does this concept mean? What was its original meaning when Max Weber introduced it? And can the conventional meaning or Max Weber’s view really be defended, given the present state of knowledge about the history of religion? This book attempts to divest this concept of its enduring enchantment. The first chapters of the book deal with three empirical disciplines—history, psychology, and sociology of religion—to develop an understanding of religion that then lays the groundwork for chapter 4, which amounts to the most thorough study ever undertaken of Weber’s views on disenchantment. It turns out that Weber’s use of this term was highly ambiguous and that his grand narrative leading from the prophets of ancient Judaism to the crisis of meaning on the eve of World War I collapses when we recognize this ambiguity. This makes it possible to construct an alternative that takes into account the dynamics of ever new sacralizations, their normative evaluation in light of a universalist morality, and the dangers of the misuse of religion in connection with the formation of power. This book constitutes a challenge—for believers and nonbelievers alike.

EU Administrative Law

The third edition of EU Administrative Law provides comprehensive coverage of the administrative system in the EU and the principles of judicial review that apply in this area. This revised edition provides important updates on each area covered, including new case law; institutional developments; and EU legislation. These changes are located within the framework of broader developments in the EU. The chapters in the first half of the book deal with all the principal variants of the EU administrative regime. Thus there are chapters dealing with the history and taxonomy of the EU administrative regime; direct administration; shared administration; comitology; agencies; social partners; and the open method of coordination. The coverage throughout focuses on the legal regime that governs the particular form of administration and broader issues of accountability, drawing on literature from political science as well as law. The focus in the second part of the book shifts to judicial review. There are detailed chapters covering all principles of judicial review and the discussion of the law throughout is analytical and contextual. It begins with the principles that have informed the development of EU judicial review. This is followed by a chapter dealing with the judicial system and the way in which reform could impact on the subject matter of the book. There are then chapters dealing with competence; access; transparency; process; law, fact and discretion; rights; equality; legitimate expectations; two chapters on proportionality; the precautionary principle; two chapters on remedies; and the Ombudsman.

E-Government and Social Inclusion

E-Government is a relatively new phenomenon in much of the world, having been put in place in the 2000s. Thus, it is not a settled concept but an evolving one. Social Inclusion, although still a very contested concept, has been around for considerable time, but even that needs to be updated to suit the digital world in which it is being applied in this book. The authors in the first section of this book deal with these and associated concepts, and this chapter provides an overview of selected ideas as a primer for the chapters that follow.

Perspectives on Student Affairs in South Africa

The goal of Perspectives on Student Affairs in South Africa is to generate interest in student affairs in South Africa. The papers contained herein are based on best practice, local experience and well-researched international and local theories. The papers in this book deal with matters pertaining to international and national trends in student affairs: academic development, access and retention, counselling, and material support for students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are linked to national and international developments, as described in the first two papers. This publication will assist both young and experienced practitioners as they grow into their task of developing the students entrusted to them. All contributors are South Africans with a great deal of experience in student affairs, and all are committed to the advancement of student affairs in South Africa. The editors are former heads of student affairs portfolios at two leading South African universities.

The Cold War and After

What makes for war or for a stable international system? Are there general principles that should govern foreign policy? This book explores how historical work can throw light on these questions. The essays in this book deal with specific problems—with such matters as nuclear strategy and U.S.–European relations. But the book's main goal is to show how in practice a certain type of scholarly work can be done. The book demonstrates how, in studying international politics, the conceptual and empirical sides of the analysis can be made to connect with each other, and how historical, theoretical, and even policy issues can be tied together in an intellectually respectable way. These essays address a wide variety of topics, from theoretical and policy issues, such as the question of preventive war and the problem of international order, to more historical subjects—for example, American policy on Eastern Europe in 1945 and Franco-American relations during the Nixon–Pompidou period. But in each case, the aim is to show how a theoretical perspective can be brought to bear on the analysis of historical issues, and how historical analysis can shed light on basic conceptual problems.

Book Review - Science, medicine and dissent: Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) (papers celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Priestley together with a catalogue of an exhibition held at the Royal Society and the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine)

Science, medicine and dissent: Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) (papers celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Priestley together with a catalogue of an exhibition held at the Royal Society and the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine) , edited by R. G. W. Anderson & C. Lawrence (pp. ix + 105). Published by Wellcome Trust and Science Museum, London, 1987, £9.95. The contents of this book are described accurately by a title of 18th- century amplitude. Priestley is remembered by chemists as the man who did most to establish the technique of pneumatic chemistry, for his discovery of ‘dephlogisticated air’ or oxygen, and for his refusal to abandon the phlogiston theory when confronted with Lavoisier’s revolution. He is occasionally remembered by physicists for his interest in electricity and optics. He was, however, a man of many other parts and the essays in this book deal, almost entirely, with these other aspects of his thought. Perhaps their scope is best illustrated by brief quotations from each of them since these are sometimes more revealing, in both substance and style, than the titles. They are as follows: C. Lawrence, ‘In this paper I shall outline Priestley’s biography and point to some areas in it where medicine was of importance.’ J. H. Brooke, ‘The paper had its origin in the realisation that I had been studying Whewell and Priestley, with different objects in view, and largely disregarding the stereotypes to which they have often been assimilated. It occurred to me that, despite the obvious problem of chronology, a comparison between their respective apologias for science might be instructive,...’.