Indiana University Press blog

Rachel Peden is all the rage

Rachel Peden has recently received some good coverage in The Herald Times and Bloom magazine. So why is she all the rage lately? As her son Joe Peden told The Herald Times, Rachel Peden was "ahead of her time" because she wrote about green issues long before there was even a green movement. However, the three books that Peden published had fallen out of print. Recognizing the relevance of Peden's work for today's readers, IU Press has re-issued Rural Free and The Land, The People. (A third book, Speak to the Earth, will be released next year.) Here are some of my favorite passages from Peden's works:

From Rural Free: "Do we really need these bumblebees?"

This is a classic example of why Peden was ahead of her time. She knew how important the bees were to our existence before anyone was talking about colony collapse disorder!

From The Land, The People: "The Fulness of Maple Grove"

In this brief excerpt of the longer essay, Peden covers everything from population growth and distribution of resources to urbanization and land loss. Again, timely topics.

What are some of your favorite Rachel Peden quotes or passages?

Interview: Bill Smoot (Conversations with Great Teachers)

Bill Smoot, author of Conversations with Great Teachers, was interviewed by Jim Foster for his radio show, "Conversations on the Coast." You can listen to the interview on Green 960 AM's website.

Booksigning: Rita Kohn at Viewpoint Books

True Brew author Rita Kohn will be signing copies of her books at Viewpoint Books in Columbus, IN, Thursday, August 26 at 6 p.m. The signing will also feature beer tasting provided by Columbus-based Power House Brewing Company. Can't think of a better combination than beer and books!

African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review editor discusses his vision for new journal

Our journals staff recently interviewed Abu Bakarr Bah about his vision for our newest journal, African Conflict & Peacebuilding Review (ACPR). Read the interview to see why Bah thinks the time is right for this journal.

Abu Bakarr Bah is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Northern Illinois University. His research focuses on issues of democracy, nation building, ethnicity, and the peace-making and peace-building role of the international community. He has a PhD from the New School for Social Research.

Author interview: John O. Whitaker, Jr.

This month, we published Mammals of Indiana by Indiana State University biology professor John O. Whitaker, Jr. In this pocket-sized field guide, the author provides color photos, skull close-ups, range maps, and descriptions to help the reader identify all mammals indigenous to the area—and even a few that are not, but now can be found in the Hoosier state. I recently interviewed Whitaker about his book, his love of mammals, and the work he is doing on bat research and education.

IU Press blog: When did you first become interested in studying mammals?

John Whitaker: I have been interested in natural history since I was about 7 or 8, but became serious in 8th grade (1949), when my mother informed me that I did not have to be a dentist (my father had actually provided a dental chair for me). In the next sentence I said that I was going to Cornell University and would study vertebrate natural history. I had planned to study birds, but a series of events led me to work with W. J. Hamilton Jr. on mammals. That particular decision was made about my junior year in college, and I went on to work with Bill Hamilton on undergraduate research projects, and then did my PhD on the meadow jumping mouse with him as my adviser.

IUP blog: In your book, you propose that Indiana should have a state mammal. What do you think it should be and why?

JW: I think that it should be the Indiana bat, as it is one of only two mammals described from Indiana, it has Indiana in its name, and this species is well known because of its economic impact. This species has been listed as endangered, and the USFWS [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] spends much effort on this animal.

IUP blog: One species I am surprised to see listed as an Indiana mammal is the armadillo. How did it end up here?

JW: We have seen four individuals of armadillos from Indiana to date. There are over 100 known from Illinois, and quite a few from Kentucky. It is possible that all four have moved into Indiana from Illinois and possibly Kentucky and are not hoaxes (One was a hoax—i.e., somebody brought it from elsewhere and deposited it on an Indiana highway). All four were in the southwest part of the state, and one was picked up (still warm) by a conservation officer. This species may be moving northward with climate warming.

IUP blog: You provide a list of extirpated native species in your book. I noticed that some of the dates of extirpation roughly coincide with the time when more settlers moved into Indiana (when the Indiana Territory was established in 1800 and later when Indiana became a state in 1816). How large of a role do humans play in the extirpation of a species? What are some other reasons why a species becomes extirpated?

JW: Humans play a huge role in extirpation of species in a number of ways. It is mostly the larger predators that become extirpated. They are hunted and trapped and are often killed because of a real or perceived (often just perceived) idea that they will kill livestock. Unlike normal predators, humans can continue to hunt an individual species to extinction. Pressure from natural predators decreases as prey populations decrease; then they turn their attention to more abundant prey. Another huge cause of extirpation is loss of habitat, and this too is mostly human caused. Pollution is another factor than can cause mortality and can contribute to extirpation.

IUP blog: In addition to the list of extirpated native species, you also provide a list of Indiana’s endangered species (Indiana myotis, gray myotis, evening bat, swamp rabbit, Franklin’s ground squirrel, Allegheny woodrat, and bobcat). What efforts are underway to preserve these Indiana mammals?

JW: The USFWS is responsible for maintaining populations of the federally endangered species, the Indiana and gray bats. The Indiana bat receives by far the most attention for two reasons—there is only one population of gray bats in Indiana; it invaded about 1980 and has one main population which has been increasing since then. It started with about 400 individuals and now has over 6,000. The others are state endangered and are managed by IDNR [Indiana Department of Natural Resources]. The evening bat receives little or no protection but is maintaining itself well mostly in the lower Wabash River Valley. The swamp rabbit is fully protected, but there is very little habitat where they still occur. Some thought is being given to moving some to areas of good habitat. Franklin's ground squirrel, wood rat and bobcat are being monitored by DNR, and studies are being made on them to see what can be done for each. 

IUP blog: Besides being an author and professor, you’re also the director of the Center for North American Bat Research and Conservation. Tell us a little about your work with the center and its purpose.

JW: The Bat Center does research and monitoring for bats around the state and in some other states. We have the largest and most comprehensive study on the Indiana bat anywhere. It is being done on Indianapolis International Airport ground southwest of the airport. We have had and have other studies underway on most other species of Indiana.

IUP blog: Is the center conducting any research on white-nose syndrome?

JW: Yes, we are currently doing research on white-nose syndrome [WNS]. We are studying chitinase producing bacteria. We think that chitinase producing bacteria produce energy by digesting the tiny remnant pieces of exoskeleton of insects even during the winter and that this gives the bats an extra source of energy to help them survive the winter, a time when they are not feeding (and the main time that WNS bats die). We find that these bacteria are much reduced in bats with WNS, which could mean that they are energy deprived. We also do many projects with companies to determine if Indiana bats are present on sites to determine if mitigation is needed.

IUP blog: The center sponsors a yearly bat festival in Indiana. How did the idea for this event come about? What kinds of activities will take place at this year’s festival?

JW: The bat festival this year will be on 18 September here in the Science Building at ISU [Indiana State University]. As usual, it is for the general public, and we will have speakers, live bats, events for kids, books and articles for sale, an art contest, an auction, mostly of bat or wildlife related items, and a science night where we demonstrate bats flying and feeding, and we have broadcasting equipment so that people can hear the echolocation calls while they watch the bats.

IUP blog: What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

JW: I hope that they will get an appreciation for the mammals that occur in the state, especially the smaller species, and will be able to identify them and learn something of their life histories.

IUP blog: What upcoming books are you working on?

JW: Habitats and Ecological Communities of Indiana. It was sponsored by IDNR, has several authors, and has been accepted for publication by IU Press; Mammals of New York (also has several authors) and is about ready to be submitted; Food Habits of Mammals of North America (with Laura Bakken).  I have been working on this for over 50 years, but it is approaching finalization.

Special journal issue examines consumer capitalism, women, and the Islamic culture industry

Cross posted from the IU Press Journals blog:

Guest Edited by Banu Gökarıksel and Ellen McLarney

This special issue of the Journal of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies, examines the intersection of consumer capitalism, women, and the newly emergent “Islamic” culture industry. In this consumerist Islamic culture industry, a series of images, practices, knowledges, and commodities are marketed specifically to “Muslim women.” How does this industry, as well as the objects, meanings, and performances that circulate within it, shape the expression and constitution of femininity and piety? This issue addresses this question through the geographically wide-ranging research of an interdisciplinary group of scholars. The articles analyze advertisements of beauty products (Egypt), Muslim women’s new lifestyle magazines (the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Kuwait, and Indonesia), fashionable Islamic clothing catalogues (Turkey), and Muslim women’s literature translated into English.

The results reveal that the increasing mediation of contemporary Muslim femininities through market forces impacts women’s piety, identity, and belonging in complex ways. The Islamic culture industry uses—and creates—networks to circulate signifiers of Islamic identity while also reconfiguring Islamic practice according to the exigencies of the capitalist market and its power structures. This entails the fashioning of gendered Islamic subjectivities.

As Muslim women stake out their positions vis-à-vis consumer capitalism and the Islamic culture industry, they actively engage with given Islamic practice and knowledge as well as with modalities of capitalism. They often navigate between certain Orientalist stereotypes that marketed images sometimes challenge and sometimes reify. The continuing centrality of the veil epitomizes the simultaneous challenge to and reification of stereotypes, as it becomes a marker of agency, self-expression, and empowerment. At the same time, representations of self-determined, independent, and professional Muslim women conform to images of the ideal consumer. While the veiled images reinscribe Islamic norms and identifications by emphasizing particular ways of being Muslim for women, they also transform the very content and contours of Islamic piety and femininity. The essays in this issue also reveal how Muslim women’s bodies circulate in the market, turning into commodities themselves. Muslim women are not only targeted as a consumer niche, but their bodies constitute a territory on which capitalism stakes its claims.

Western theories of the development of capitalism traditionally assume that a new, secular rationality will take hold in society, undermining or limiting the role of religion. This issue, on the contrary, demonstrates the mutual capitalization of religion and the market. The points where they diverge—in the tensions and oppositions between capitalism and piety—cause anxiety about virtue traded for commercial value. Here we explore both the benefits and the costs of that mutual capitalization.

Special Issue JMEWS 6.3 will be available online and in print in August 2010.

Guest Edited by Banu Gökarıksel and Ellen McLarney

This special issue of the Journal of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies, examines the intersection of consumer capitalism, women, and the newly emergent “Islamic” culture industry. In this consumerist Islamic culture industry, a series of images, practices, knowledges, and commodities are marketed specifically to “Muslim women.” How does this industry, as well as the objects, meanings, and performances that circulate within it, shape the expression and constitution of femininity and piety? This issue addresses this question through the geographically wide-ranging research of an interdisciplinary group of scholars. The articles analyze advertisements of beauty products (Egypt), Muslim women’s new lifestyle magazines (the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Kuwait, and Indonesia), fashionable Islamic clothing catalogues (Turkey), and Muslim women’s literature translated into English.

The results reveal that the increasing mediation of contemporary Muslim femininities through market forces impacts women’s piety, identity, and belonging in complex ways. The Islamic culture industry uses—and creates—networks to circulate signifiers of Islamic identity while also reconfiguring Islamic practice according to the exigencies of the capitalist market and its power structures. This entails the fashioning of gendered Islamic subjectivities.

As Muslim women stake out their positions vis-à-vis consumer capitalism and the Islamic culture industry, they actively engage with given Islamic practice and knowledge as well as with modalities of capitalism. They often navigate between certain Orientalist stereotypes that marketed images sometimes challenge and sometimes reify. The continuing centrality of the veil epitomizes the simultaneous challenge to and reification of stereotypes, as it becomes a marker of agency, self-expression, and empowerment. At the same time, representations of self-determined, independent, and professional Muslim women conform to images of the ideal consumer. While the veiled images reinscribe Islamic norms and identifications by emphasizing particular ways of being Muslim for women, they also transform the very content and contours of Islamic piety and femininity. The essays in this issue also reveal how Muslim women’s bodies circulate in the market, turning into commodities themselves. Muslim women are not only targeted as a consumer niche, but their bodies constitute a territory on which capitalism stakes its claims.

Western theories of the development of capitalism traditionally assume that a new, secular rationality will take hold in society, undermining or limiting the role of religion. This issue, on the contrary, demonstrates the mutual capitalization of religion and the market. The points where they diverge—in the tensions and oppositions between capitalism and piety—cause anxiety about virtue traded for commercial value. Here we explore both the benefits and the costs of that mutual capitalization.

Special Issue JMEWS 6.3 will be available online and in print in August 2010.

New releases for August

Mammals of Indiana
A Field Guide
John O. Whitaker, Jr.

This pocket-sized field guide to native Indiana mammals offers color photos, skull close-ups, and range maps, along with descriptions and clues to finding and identifying all mammals indigenous to the area—and even a few that are not. Whether you are a biologist, veterinarian, wildlife manager, or simply a nature enthusiast, this guide is certain to be a welcome companion during your next outdoor adventure.

Back in Print
The Land, the People
Rachel Peden
Foreword by Nancy R. Hiller
Drawings by Sidonie Coryn

"Ms. Peden's writings remind us that we have not only survived the challenges and fed upon the beauty of the land, but we have thrived as a people by drawing strength from our humble country roots." —Judie Sutherland, Farm and Dairy Magazine

Now in Paperback
From Telegrapher to Titan
The Life of William C. Van Horne
Valerie Knowles

A gripping account of a larger-than-life titan of North American business, who started his railroad career at the age of 12, and crowned it by becoming the president of the Canadian Pacific.

Now in Paperback
The Unknown Black Book
The Holocaust in the German-Occupied Soviet Territories
Edited by Joshua Rubenstein and Ilya Altman
Introductions by Joshua Rubenstein, Ilya Altman, and Yitzhak Arad
Translated by Christopher Morris and Joshua Rubenstein

"These accounts from those who saw what happened convey what we cannot learn from official documents about the nature of this vast criminal enterprise, in which hundreds of thousands were transformed into monsters . . . and millions of others became helpless, dehumanized, mutilated, and finally forgotten victims." —Wall Street Journal

Now in Paperback
Russian Colonial Society in Tashkent, 1865–1923
Jeff Sahadeo

Winner, Central Eurasian Studies Society Prize for Best Book in History and Humanities

This intensively researched urban study dissects Russian Imperial and early Soviet rule in Islamic Central Asia from the diverse viewpoints of tsarist functionaries, Soviet bureaucrats, Russian workers, and lower-class women as well as Muslim notables and Central Asian traders.

Domestic Violence in Postcommunist States
Local Activism, National Policies, and Global Forces
Edited by Katalin Fábián

"A welcome and comprehensive collection of excellent studies on the politics of domestic violence. . . . These scholars are among the best writing on the topic, and they provide nuanced, sophisticated accounts." —Nanette Funk, City University of New York, Brooklyn College

New Francophone African and Caribbean Theatres
John Conteh-Morgan with Dominic Thomas

"John Conteh-Morgan was the preeminent scholar of African theatre in French in the United States. This book establishes the bar (and a high one) for future scholarship on the subject." —Judith G. Miller, New York University

Cinema in a Democratic South Africa
The Race for Representation
Lucia Saks

". . . an important and pathbreaking contribution to film studies and to the literature on South African cinema. . . . No monograph or piece of individual scholarship of this kind exists on cinema in postapartheid South Africa." —Sean Jacobs, University of Michigan

Now in Paperback
Evangelical Christians in the Muslim Sahel
Barbara Cooper

Winner of the 2007 Herskovits Award

"Fascinating historical account. . . . Highly recommended for all interested in African Christianity, missions, history, interfaith dialogue, and faith-based organizations." —Religious Studies Review

Now in Paperback
Slavery and the Birth of an African City
Lagos, 1760–1900
Kristin Mann

"Kristin Mann has been stimulating us with fine articles on this subject for years. . . . This is a major contribution to African history to slave studies, and to urban history." —Martin Klein, author of Slavery and Colonial Rule in French West Africa

Self and Community in a Changing World
D. A. Masolo

"D. A. Masolo is one of the leading African philosophers and nobody who has studied his African Philosophy in Search of Identity can fail to be excited when they pick up this new book." —Robert Bernasconi, Penn State University

Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Douglas Burnham and Martin Jesinghausen

Thus Spoke Zarathustra is considered one of Nietzsche’s most important works, but for many readers it is often impenetrable. This guide provides readers with the tools they need to understand this key philosophical work. No other guide deals as successfully with Zarathustra’s stylistic and conceptual challenges.

Recycling Indian Clothing
Global Contexts of Reuse and Value
Lucy Norris

Lucy Norris’s anthropological study of the recycling of clothes in Delhi follows garments as they are gifted, worn, handed on, discarded, recycled, and sold once more. She traces these local and transnational flows through homes and markets as she tells the stories of the people who work in the largely hidden world of fabric recycling.

Everyday Life in South Asia
Second Edition
Edited by Diane P. Mines and Sarah Lamb

"This wonderful collection serves as a unique introduction to cultural life in contemporary South Asia. The essays included here provide insights into everyday life that are unavailable from any other single source. This text will be of great interest to scholars and students in anthropology, sociology, gender studies, religious studies, geography, and communication studies." —Akhil Gupta, University of California, Los Angeles

Corsican Fragments
Difference, Knowledge, and Fieldwork
Matei Candea

Starting from an ethnographic study in a Corsican village, this book explores nationalism, language, kinship, and place, as well as popular discourses and concerns about violence, migration, and society. Candea's evocative and gracefully written account provides new insights into the dilemmas of understanding cultural difference and the difficulties and rewards of fieldwork.

Plants in Mesozoic Time
Morphological Innovations, Phylogeny, Ecosystems
Edited by Carole T. Gee

"It has been some time since there was a volume dedicated to Mesozoic plants. . . . This book will have merit as a reference for years to come." —Kirk R. Johnson, Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Urumaco and Venezuelan Paleontology
The Fossil Record of the Northern Neotropics
Edited by Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra, Orangel A. Aguilera, and Alfredo A. Carlini

This book reviews the recent paleobotanical and vertebrate fossil record of Venezuela, provides an understanding of Pleistocene climatic change and biogeography for the last few thousand years, and integrates new information with summaries of Spanish language works on Venezuelan geology and paleontology.

Music Education in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Edited by Russell E. Murray, Jr., Susan Forscher Weiss, and Cynthia J. Cyrus

This volume provides an expansive view of the beginnings of music pedagogy, and shows how the act of learning was embedded in the broader context of the early Western art music tradition.