Indiana University Press blog

Three IUP books reviewed in American Ethnologist

Three IUP books are reviewed in the current issue of American Ethnologist:

The American War in Contemporary Vietnam
"The American War in Contemporary Vietnam is essential reading for anyone teaching or wanting to understand Vietnam today and would be useful in teaching seminars or upper-level courses on Vietnam, Asia, memory, and history, as well as discussions of ethnographic methodology."

Islamophobia/Islamophilia
"Overall, the volume is an impressive collection of serious discursive analyses that heighten our sensitivities to the forms arguments about Islam take; while always indexes of power, it is clear that the shared terms of global debates about Islamic reform do not always correspond
to shared meanings."

Live from Dar es Salaam
"In Live from Dar es Salaam, Alex Perullo focuses on the creative practices Tanzanians in the music economy in Dar es Salaam utilize as they try to make something of a living in difficult economic times. Perullo also shows how music in Tanzania transitioned from work to a commodity as the country itself moved from a socialist to a capitalist political–economic ideology."

Book review: Censorship in South Asia

"The contributors to this volume investigate a wide range of cultural regulation, from cinema to painting, blasphemy to official secrecy and even advertising to nuclear culture. The essays enlighten readers and provide better understanding of the concept of censorship." —South Asia Research

Book reviews: The Politics of Heritage from Madras to Chennai

“The book will remain a serious contribution to the discussion of memory, of the complex contours of the secular and the religious, of the construction of spaces, and of the wobbly world of history.” —Contemporary South Asia

"The book makes a significant contribution to memory not only because it offers a theoretically informed and empirically rich analysis, but also because it reflects a deep and insightful engagement with the popular culture of Chennai." —South Asia Research

Two IUP titles reviewed in fall issue of Feminist Formations

Two IU Press books have been reviewed in the Fall 2012 issue of Feminist Formations:

Women and Social Reform in Modern India

"In order to illuminate the social and cultural contexts obscured by such shortcuts, Sarkar and Sarkar suggest using nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century reform to analyze concurrent shifts in gendered systems of social regulation, especially through religious orthodox and revivalist movements, and gendered engagements with the state, especially through law ...The Sarkars’ project, however, is much larger than creating a more accurate narrative of social reform in late-colonial India."

Wives, Widows, and Concubines

"Sreenivas’s discussion points to the importance for feminist scholarship of exploring the links among conjugality, kinship, and capitalisms both historically and today."

Book review: Nationalist in the Viet Nam Wars

"This book is of incredible value for anyone interested in Vietnam—its history, politics, and culture—and in the American involvement with Vietnam. It is also a meditation of a Vietnamese patriot on the substance of patriotism during a time of civil war in a context of international alliances. Amid the terrors and harsh imperatives of war, the author’s is a rare voice of human decency." —H-War

Eugene Eoyang to receive IU Asian Alumni Association award

Congratulations to Eugene Eoyang, co-editor of Translating Chinese Literature, who was recently named the recipient of the IU Asian Alumni Association's Distinguished Asian Pacific American Award!

According to the press release, the award "recognizes outstanding professional achievements and community service of Asian and Pacific American alumni of IU." Eoyang arrived at IU as a graduate student in 1966. He taught East Asian languages and comparative literature at IU for 33 years, retiring in 2003; since then, he's taught English at Lignan University (until 2008) and "workshops in translation" at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Among his many accomplishments, Eoyang established—and directed for half a decade—the East Asian Summer Language Institute at IU, as well as three scholarships or prizes in honor of colleagues.

The Association will present the award to him during an August 9 ceremony at IU Bloomington's Lilly Library, held from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will also feature a booksigning for his latest work, The Promise and Premise of Creativity: Why Comparative Literature Matters, published by Continuum.

Book review: India's Immortal Comic Books

"India’s Immortal Comic Books is a welcome addition to the growing interdisciplinary analyses of India’s popular culture." —caa.reviews

Happy birthday, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar!

April 14th marks the 121st birthday of Buddhist activist and revolutionary Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Instrumental in the fight against the discrimination of Dalits (also called "Untouchables") in India, Ambedkar called for the abolition of untouchability in India's constitution. In honor of his life, April 14th is a public holiday in India.

Our book, Reconsidering Untouchability by Ramnarayan S. Rawat, explores the history of the Dalit group in India and the 20th century movement that has led to their political successes. Dr. Ambedkar's influence is noted throughout the book. Pick up a copy today to learn more about the legendary Dr. Ambedkar.

Book review: Everyday Life in Central Asia

"Everyday life in Central Asia is ... a textbook for area studies courses and has much to teach such students, as well as those in political science." —Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Book review: Ramayana Stories in Modern South India

"On the surface ... it might appear challenging for an anthology of Ramayana Stories in Modern South India to tell us something new about the epic. This is, however, precisely what Paula Richman has been able to do through this lively and engaging volume. ... The translations ... are lucid and of consistently high quality. ... The utility of this book for active undergraduate learning cannot be overstated." —H-Asia