Iconoclasm, the destruction of images, is part of our history – from the destroying of religious images in early Christianity to today’s toppling of statues of Confederate generals and slave traders. Images, buildings and objects that violate religious or ideological beliefs must be wrecked. Those who perform such purges – iconoclasts – are convinced they are carrying out an act of purification. The past has been turned upside down in a desire to start over from the very beginning. The different contributions in the anthology Iconoclasm: Rejecting the Past make the consequences crystal-clear. Not just invaluable cultural treasures but also human lives are lost when fanaticism has free rein. We saw this when the Islamic State destroyed museum artefacts that were thousands of years old, when Mao’s Red Guards burned books and persecuted people who did not share their beliefs during China’s Cultural Revolution, or when the Russian Bolsheviks dynamited churches and desecrated icons. There are countless examples of the damage these destructive forces have wrought over the centuries. The battle cry of iconoclasm, which is so strong today, demonstrates its continued appeal. Iconoclasm: Rejecting the Past is a warning bell, an alarm, alerting readers to the threat against the tolerance and openness of democratic society.
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9789189425910
Publisert
2024-06-03
Utgiver
Vendor
Stolpe Publishing
Høyde
240 mm
Bredde
170 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
254

Om bidragsyterne

James Simpson is the Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Research Professor of English at Harvard University. His most recent books are Burning to Read: English Fundamentalism and its Reformation Opponents from 2007, Under the Hammer: Iconoclasm in the Anglo-American Tradition from 2010 and Permanent Revolution: the Reformation and the Illiberal Roots of Liberalism from 2019. Natalie Lantz is a researcher in the field of Hebrew Bible Studies. Her research focuses on Jewish temple architecture and mystical traditions throughout the Jewish civilisations. Her educational background encompasses Classic and Modern Hebrew, Biblical Studies and Jewish Studies at Uppsala University, The Hebrew University and Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies. Lantz is also a translator of contemporary Hebrew prose, poetry and other creative work. Her translations include works by major Israeli writers such as Amos Oz and Dan Pagis. She has translated David Grossman’s critically acclaimed Life Plays With Me and A Horse Walks into a Bar. In addition to her scholarly and literary work, Lantz is a columnist for major Swedish newspapers and magazines with special focus on Jewish culture. Michael Freeden is Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of Oxford and Emeritus Professorial Fellow, Mansfield College, Oxford. He is the founder of the Journal of Political Ideologies. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and has been awarded the Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize for Lifetime Contribution to Political Studies by the UK Political Studies Association, and the Medal for Science, Institute of Advanced Studies, Bologna University. His most recent book is Ideology Studies: New Advances and Interpretations from 2022. Daniel Reynolds is Senior Lecturer in Byzantine History at the Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham, UK and is currently a Byzantine Studies Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. He was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow of the British Academy. Reynold’s research focuses on the social and economic history of Byzantium in the period c.300–c.1100, with particular interest in Byzantine and early Islamic Palestine and Arabia (now Israel, the Palestine territories and Jordan), with the occasional foray into southern Italy. Reynold’s publication record has addressed the themes of iconoclasm, identity, rural life, and early medieval perceptions of Jerusalem. Svante Nordin is Professor of the History of Ideas at Lund University. He has written several books on the history of ideas and philosophy, including Filosofins historia (‘History of Philosophy’) and Sveriges moderna historia. Fem politiska projekt 1809–2019 (‘Sweden’s Modern History. Five Political Projects 1809–2019’). He has won several awards for his writing, e.g. Stora fackbokspriset, one of Sweden’s most prestigious awards for non-fiction books.