University of Mary Washington - Index

University of Mary Washington - summer08 - Index

BOOK REPORT
BOOKS BY FACULTY:
The World of Early Egyptian Christianity:
Language, Literature, and Social Context
Edited by James E. Goehring and Janet A. Timbie
A new book of essays sheds light on Egyptian – or Coptic –
Christianity, which was built on rigorous faith and self-denial. The
World of Early Egyptian Christianity: Language, Literature, and Social
Context, edited by James E. Goehring, UMW professor of religion,
and Janet A. Timbie, adjunct associate professor of Semitic and
Egyptian languages at the Catholic University of America, examines
a wide range of related issues, such as Coptic literature and culture.
It also explores the Coptic language, which was spoken through the
16th century but survives today as the formal language of the Coptic
Church.
Filled with significant and influential writings by experts in their
fields, the book touches on the connections between Judaism and
this early Egyptian Christianity. Included are a new translation and
investigation of a letter written by the Christian monk Evagrius
of Pontus and a study of I Am Amazed, the historically significant
exposition by the fourth- and fifth-century monastic leader St.
Shenoute. The book also explores
Coptic sermons, manuscripts, and
grammar, and covers the subjects
of Egyptian monasticism and the
communal movement of its founder, St.
Pachomius.
The publication includes essays by
Goehring and Timbie; it was written
in honor of David W. Johnson, S.J.,
professor emeritus of Semitic and
Egyptian languages at the Catholic
University of America in Washington,
D.C.
Published by The Catholic University
of America Press, 2007.
Restaging the Sixties: Radical Theaters
and Their Legacies
Edited by James M. Harding and Cindy Rosenthal
Few areas of American society escaped the volatility of the late
1960s and early 1970s. The prevailing political passion – fueled in
part by the Vietnam War – moved some radical theater groups of
the time to engage in their own brand of activism, changing forever
the relationship between theater
and politics. Restaging the Sixties:
Radical Theaters and Their Legacies,
a collection of essays, recounts the
drama – both onstage and off – of
that era. Editors James M. Harding,
professor of English at UMW,
and Cindy Rosenthal, associate
professor of theater studies at Hofstra
University, commissioned leading
theater artists, critics, and scholars
to write about eight revolutionary
theater groups, including the Living
Theatre, the San Francisco Mime
Troupe, El Teatro Campesino, and
Bread and Puppet Theater. In threepart
essays, writers tell the origins of
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each artistic body, its efforts to weigh in on political issues, and how
each helped shape contemporary activist performances. The groups’
works and societal contributions are documented along with their
legacies, leading to an exploration of how radical theater’s embrace
of political activism changed the foundations of theater itself.
Published by University of Michigan Press, 2006.
Men’s Violence Against Women: Theory,
Research, and Activism
By Christopher Kilmartin and Julie Allison
One in six women will be sexually
assaulted in her lifetime, according
to the Rape, Abuse & Incest
National Network. A new book by
Christopher Kilmartin, professor
of psychology at UMW, and Julie
Allison, director of the Office of
Violence Response and Prevention
at Pittsburg State University in
Kansas, aims to help readers play
a role in ending this tragic social
phenomenon.
Men’s Violence Against Women:
Theory, Research, and Activism
presents a unique view of genderbased
violence, one that stresses
that this is not solely a women’s
problem. Rather, the authors say, it is a human issue that can only
be ended through the efforts of both men and women. In their book,
Kilmartin and Allison use clinical and social psychological research
and theory to provide an in-depth study of this violence, using
examples that range from stalking to rape.
The book, intended to serve as a text for college courses, is
divided into three distinct sections. “The Problem, The Perpetrator,
The Victim” examines gender-based violence, how offenders are
motivated, and how survivors are affected. “Theory” provides a
social analysis of violence that includes an examination of attitudes,
prejudice, and stereotypes. “Intervention and Prevention” is
dedicated to varied responses to gender-based violence, ranging from
anti-violence programs to preventative efforts.
Published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., 2007.
Rethinking Zion:
How the Print Media
Placed Fundamentalism
in the South
By Mary Beth Swetnam Mathews
In Rethinking Zion: How the Print
Media Placed Fundamentalism in the
South, Mary Beth Swetnam Mathews
explores how and why American
culture has long coupled Christianfundamentalist
thought with the
American South. In her book,
the assistant professor of religion
at UMW argues that the qualities
often attributed to fundamentalists