Indiana University Press blog

Book review: Starring Madame Modjeska

"Starring Madame Modjeska is based on very solid archival research, yet it is written with lightness and grace—qualities inspired by the character of the formidable protagonist of this excellent book." —Slavic Review

Book reviews: Masquerade and Postsocialism

Masquerade and Postsocialism was reviewed in the following publications:

"[A] brilliant scholar's masterpiece." —American Anthropologist

"Masquerade and Postsocialism was an exhilarating read that offered much inspiration on the relevance of anthropological insights into larger social problems and critique of hegemonic models for political and economic reforms. Clearly and accessibly written, I strongly recommend this book for both introductory and advanced level courses." —American Ethnologist

Gerald Creed wins John D. Bell 2012 Memorial Book Prize

We're pleased to announce that IUP author Gerald Creed has won the John D. Bell 2012 Memorial Book Prize from the Bulgarian Studies Association for his book Masquerade and Postsocialism. This award is given to the most outstanding scholarly work in Bulgarian studies. 

The prize committee calls the book "a highly interesting and illuminating socio-anthropological study of the well-known Bulgarian kukeri mumming tradition as it is practiced in various regions of postsocialist rural Bulgaria . . . " The committee also praises the book for its contributions to "ethnography, sociology, ethnic studies, and politics" and says it is "a fine scholastic product in a fascinating and underexplored cultural area of research."

In addition to this award, Creed's book was also co-winner of the Douglass Prize. Learn more about Masquerade and Postsocialism on the IU Press website.

Two IU Press books reviewed in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Two books were reviewed in the current issue of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute:

Masquerade and Postsocialism

"Masquerade and Postsocialism is written with great sympathy for the people it describes and bears the marks of a work matured by decades of fieldwork. Creed takes the rare (and brave) step of choosing to analyse an indigenous tradition as a key to understanding the state of contemporary society, where others have typically sought answers to the same questions in studies of privatization and structures of governance."

Playing on the Edge

"The power of Newmahr’s analysis is that she goes beyond the exotic eroticism of her subject in order to open up broader theoretical debates around the concepts of edgework, gender identity, intimacy, and risk."

Library Journal selects two IU Press books as "Spring Fling" picks

Senior editor Margaret Heilbrun featured two of our books in her "Spring Fling 2013" column for Library Journal. Anne Gillain's François Truffaut and Karen Auerbach's The House at Ujazdowskie 16 are on Heibrun's list of "exciting stuff" coming from university presses this spring. Learn more about the books:

François Truffaut: The Lost Secret

Available in English for the first time, Anne Gillain's book is considered by many to be the best book on the interpretation of Truffaut's films. Gillian examines how the French New Wave director's personal life and childhood influenced his filmmaking.

The House at Ujazdowskie 16: Jewish Families in Warsaw after the Holocaust

Using 16 Ujazdowskie Avenue as a backdrop, Karen Auerbach profiles 10 Jewish families and their struggles to rebuild their lives in Poland after the Holocaust. She presents an engrossing story of loss and rebirth, political faith and disillusionment, and the persistence of Jewishness.

Want to see what else we're publishing this spring? Download our Spring 2013 catalog.

'Starring Madame Modjeska' recieves the Heldt Prize

We are pleased to announce Starring Madame Modjeska by Beth Holmgren has won the Heldt Prize! This award is given by the Association for Women in Slavic Studies to the best book in Slavic/Eastern European/Eurasian Women's Studies.

The award will be presented during an official ceremony at the ASEEES convention in New Orleans Friday, November 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

To learn more about Starring Madame Modjeska, please visit the IU Press website.

Creed's 'Masquerade and Postsocialism' wins Douglass Prize

Gerald Creed's Masquerade and Postsocialism, a book in the New Anthropologies of Europe series, has been named co-winner of the William A. Douglass Prize in Europeanist Anthropology by the Society for the Anthropology of Europe. The Douglass Prize honors the best book published annually in Europeanist anthropology.

Creed will formally receive the award in San Francisco next week at the American Anthropological Association's annual meeting. The co-winner of this year's Douglass Prize is Miriam Ticktin's Casualties of Care, published by the University of California Press. 

'Mothers of Srebrenica' file appeal with European Court of Human Rights

Last week, widows and mothers of Bosnian Muslims murdered by Serb forces in the town of Srebrenica filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights. These relatives, also known as the "Mothers of Srebrenica," want to sue Netherlands over a Dutch Supreme Court verdict in April this year that granted Dutch UN peacekeepers absolute immunity from prosecution. They feel that Dutch UN peacekeeping forces should be held accountable for not protecting Srebrenica citizens and are also partially responsible for the July 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Bosnian men and boys.

The stories of these women and their relatives' murders at Srebrenica appear in Selma Leydesdorff's book Surviving the Bosnian Genocide. Leydesdorff interviewed 60 female survivors—many of whom still live in refugee camps—to learn about their lives before the Bosnian war, the events of the massacre, and the ways they have tried to cope with their fate. Drawing on their memories, though fragmented by trauma, the women tell of life and survival under extreme conditions, while recalling a time before the war when Muslims, Croats, and Serbs lived together peaceably.

By giving them a voice, this book looks beyond the rapes, murders, and atrocities of that dark time to show the agency of these women during and after the war and their fight to uncover the truth of what happened at Srebrenica and why.

Book review: Surviving the Bosnian Genocide

"Surviving the Bosnian Genocide provides a clear, concise analysis of conditions in Srebrenica and the genocidal massacre in Potočari. As an author, Leydesdorff manages to organize excerpts from dozens of interviewees in a manner that allows their words to carry the weight of the experience, while interjecting herself only to provide the necessary historical perspective to maintain its readability. Ultimately, this collection of experiences succeeds at placing the human toll of mass atrocities in the forefront of the historical discussion in a way that preserves the emotional scars such events leave in their wake." —Oral History Review

Book review: Domestic Violence in Postcommunist States

"The volume will be of interest to scholars of violence against women and post-communism from a variety of disciplines, but also to on-the-ground practitioners who can draw on the rich lessons learned included in the studies." —Anthropology of East Europe Review