Ethical issues, topics and debates Books

Book SynopsisCapital punishment has been carried out in Japan since ancient times. Although ancient Japan uniquely suspended executions for several centuries towards the end of the first millennium, today the death penalty is firmly established in Japan. This volume explores the current state of capital punishment, the domestic discussion on the subject, and the influence of the political orientations of the governments of recent years. The treatise is of current interest especially because of the Aum cult, whose leader Shoko Asahara is at present tried in Tokyo. If found guilty, he may be sentenced to death. After a three years' interval (between 1989 and 1993), Japan is nowadays undergoing a capital punishment "renaissance" with 39 executions between 1993 and 2000.

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Book SynopsisValues are a hot topic in Europe, both in the public and political debate as well as in the social sciences. Is Europe a community of values? What are the cultural borders of the European Union? How united are Europeans with respect to their fundamental values? How does globalization affect European values? Do national values vanish? There is also a clear moral overtone in the debate: basic values are believed to erode, community values are waning, values become fragmented, and civic engagement is rapidly declining while hedonism and consumerism are prevailing. But are these far-reaching assumptions true? Answers are provided in this book. The three core issues that guide the various chapters in this book are the following: do basic values in European countries converge or diverge? Do we observe a marked decline in traditional values in European societies? Is it the youngest generation in Europe that embraces new values?

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Book SynopsisIn Identity, Nationalism, and Cultural Heritage under Siege, Fatme Myuhtar-May makes a case for the recognition of Pomak heritage by presenting five stories from the past and present of the Rhodope Muslims in Bulgaria as examples of a distinct Pomak culture. The stories range from the Christianisation during the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and the forced communist renaming of the Pomaks in the 1970s, to their fascinating wedding rituals and historic figures. Each of the five narratives contains its own storyline and serves as a prominent example of Pomak heritage, from the author’s perspective. The stories take place in the context of fervent nationalism and the ongoing censorship of Pomakness based on the claim that it is an “ethnic Bulgarian,” not “Pomak” heritage.

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Book SynopsisIn 1679 Hadriaan Beverland (1650-1716) was banished from the province of Holland. Why was this humanist scholar exiled from one of the most tolerant parts of Europe in the seventeenth century? To answer this question, this book places Beverland’s writings on sex, sin, and scholarship in their historical context for the first time. Beverland argued that sexual lust was the original sin and highlighted the importance of sex in human nature, ancient history, and his own society. His audacious works hit a raw nerve: Dutch theologians accused him of atheism, he was abandoned by his humanist colleagues, and he was banished by the University of Leiden. By positioning Beverland’s extraordinary scholarship in the context of the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic, this book examines how his radical studies challenged the intellectual, ecclesiastical, and political elite, providing a fresh perspective upon the Dutch Republic in the last decades of its Golden Age.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Tables and Illustrations Abbreviations and Translations Note on Translations Introduction  1 Studies on Beverland  2 The Seventeenth-Century Dutch Republic  3 Sin, Scripture, Scholarship, Sex Prologue: Banishment (1650–1680)  1 Early Life and Student Years  2 First Publications  2 Trial and Banishment 1 Sin  1 The Fall of Adam and Eve  2 Ideas on Sex and Sin  3 Beverland and the Dutch Theologians  4 Conclusion 2 Scripture  1 The Bible in the Seventeenth Century  2 Philological Criticism  3 Composition and Conservation  4 A Spinozist?  5 Conclusion 3 Scholarship  1 The Humanist  2 Sex and Humanist Scholarship  3 Conclusion 4 Sex  1 Bars, Brothels, and Obscenities  2 Enticing Texts and Images  3 Truth and Liberty  4 Conclusion Epilogue: Exile (1680–1716)  1 Studies and Services  2 Return to the Dutch Republic  3 A Broken Man Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisMoving towards Inclusive Education: Diverse National Engagements with Paradoxes of Policy and Practice presents perspectives from Asia-Pacific and Europe that have seldom been heard in international debates. While there may be global consensus around United Nations' goals for inclusion in education, each country's cultural and religious understandings shape national views regarding the priorities for inclusion. Some countries focus on disability, while others bring in concerns about culture, ethnicity, language, gender and/or sexuality. In this fascinating collection, senior commentators explore the ethical difficulties as well as hopes for a more inclusive education in their countries, raising questions of interest for educators, policy-makers and all who support the work of inclusive education. Contributors are: Vishalache Balakrishnan, Bayarmaa Bazarsuren, Cleonice Alves Bosa, Yen-Hsin Chen, Lise Claiborne, Tim Corcoran, Bronwyn Davies, Carol Hamilton, Dorothea W. Hancock, Mashrur Imtiaz, Maria Kecskemeti, Silvia Helena Koller, Yvonne Leeman, Sonja Macfarlane, Roger Moltzen, Sikder Monoare Murshed, Sanjaabadam Sid, Simone Steyer, Eugeniusz Świtała, Wiel Veugelers, and Ben Whitburn.Table of ContentsPreface  Vishalache Balakrishnan Notes on Contributors 1 Introduction: Continuing Struggles around Inclusive Education  Lise Claiborne and Vishalache Balakrishnan PART 1: National Settings for Implementation of UN Policies 2 Children with Disabilities in New Zealand Schools: Implementing Policy to Develop Inclusive Practices  Carol Hamilton 3 Inclusive Education in Poland  Eugeniusz Świtała 4 Pedagogical Possibilities in Culturally Diverse Educational Contexts: Theory and Practice of Inclusive Education in the Netherlands  Wiel Veugelers and Yvonne Leeman 5 Commentary on Part 1: Messing with Inclusive Education  Tim Corcoran and Ben Whitburn PART 2: Juggling Inclusive Education with Cultural Complexities 6 Khot Ail as an Inclusive Education Approach in a Mongolian School  Dorothea W. Hancock with Sanjaabadam Sid and Bayarmaa Bazarsuren 7 Exploring Inclusive Practices in School through Character and Moral Education in Taiwan  Yen-Hsin Chen 8 Evidence of Effectiveness of a Brazilian Inclusive Practices Programme in Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder  Cleonice Alves Bosa, Simone Steyer and Silvia Helena Koller 9 Commentary on Part 2: Inclusive Education and Character Formation as a Tug-of-War between Local and Global  Vishalache Balakrishnan PART 3: Indigenous Culture and Language as Crucial Aspects of Difference in an Inclusive Society 10 Creating Culturally Inclusive Contexts for Engagement and Learning: Authentic and Agentic Drivers for Success  Sonja Macfarlane 11 Inclusive Practices in Bangladesh: Multilingual Education for Indigenous Children  Sikder Monoare Murshed and Mashrur Imtiaz 12 Commentary on Part 3: Questions for Inclusive Education from Indigenous Cultures and Languages  Roger Moltzen PART 4: Getting Down to it: Teaching Strategies towards Transformation 13 Beyond Inclusion/Exclusion in Teaching about Difference: Entanglements at The Edge of Practice  Lise Claiborne 14 Developing Inclusive Practices in the Classroom: Engaging All Students in Classroom Change  Maria Kecskemeti 15 Commentary on Part 4: Big Dreams for Inclusive Education  Bronwyn Davies 16 Afterword: Possibilities for Education in a World of Difference and Exclusion  Lise Claiborne Index

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Book SynopsisMoving towards Inclusive Education: Diverse National Engagements with Paradoxes of Policy and Practice presents perspectives from Asia-Pacific and Europe that have seldom been heard in international debates. While there may be global consensus around United Nations' goals for inclusion in education, each country's cultural and religious understandings shape national views regarding the priorities for inclusion. Some countries focus on disability, while others bring in concerns about culture, ethnicity, language, gender and/or sexuality. In this fascinating collection, senior commentators explore the ethical difficulties as well as hopes for a more inclusive education in their countries, raising questions of interest for educators, policy-makers and all who support the work of inclusive education. Contributors are: Vishalache Balakrishnan, Bayarmaa Bazarsuren, Cleonice Alves Bosa, Yen-Hsin Chen, Lise Claiborne, Tim Corcoran, Bronwyn Davies, Carol Hamilton, Dorothea W. Hancock, Mashrur Imtiaz, Maria Kecskemeti, Silvia Helena Koller, Yvonne Leeman, Sonja Macfarlane, Roger Moltzen, Sikder Monoare Murshed, Sanjaabadam Sid, Simone Steyer, Eugeniusz Świtała, Wiel Veugelers, and Ben Whitburn.Table of ContentsPreface  Vishalache Balakrishnan Notes on Contributors 1 Introduction: Continuing Struggles around Inclusive Education  Lise Claiborne and Vishalache Balakrishnan PART 1: National Settings for Implementation of UN Policies 2 Children with Disabilities in New Zealand Schools: Implementing Policy to Develop Inclusive Practices  Carol Hamilton 3 Inclusive Education in Poland  Eugeniusz Świtała 4 Pedagogical Possibilities in Culturally Diverse Educational Contexts: Theory and Practice of Inclusive Education in the Netherlands  Wiel Veugelers and Yvonne Leeman 5 Commentary on Part 1: Messing with Inclusive Education  Tim Corcoran and Ben Whitburn PART 2: Juggling Inclusive Education with Cultural Complexities 6 Khot Ail as an Inclusive Education Approach in a Mongolian School  Dorothea W. Hancock with Sanjaabadam Sid and Bayarmaa Bazarsuren 7 Exploring Inclusive Practices in School through Character and Moral Education in Taiwan  Yen-Hsin Chen 8 Evidence of Effectiveness of a Brazilian Inclusive Practices Programme in Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder  Cleonice Alves Bosa, Simone Steyer and Silvia Helena Koller 9 Commentary on Part 2: Inclusive Education and Character Formation as a Tug-of-War between Local and Global  Vishalache Balakrishnan PART 3: Indigenous Culture and Language as Crucial Aspects of Difference in an Inclusive Society 10 Creating Culturally Inclusive Contexts for Engagement and Learning: Authentic and Agentic Drivers for Success  Sonja Macfarlane 11 Inclusive Practices in Bangladesh: Multilingual Education for Indigenous Children  Sikder Monoare Murshed and Mashrur Imtiaz 12 Commentary on Part 3: Questions for Inclusive Education from Indigenous Cultures and Languages  Roger Moltzen PART 4: Getting Down to it: Teaching Strategies towards Transformation 13 Beyond Inclusion/Exclusion in Teaching about Difference: Entanglements at The Edge of Practice  Lise Claiborne 14 Developing Inclusive Practices in the Classroom: Engaging All Students in Classroom Change  Maria Kecskemeti 15 Commentary on Part 4: Big Dreams for Inclusive Education  Bronwyn Davies 16 Afterword: Possibilities for Education in a World of Difference and Exclusion  Lise Claiborne Index

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Book SynopsisThis book presents the trends in beliefs and values of people in 85 countries around the world from 1981 to 2004. Based on survey data collected in 1981-1984 and 1989-1993 by the European Values Study, the 1995-1997 World Values Surveys and the 1999-2004 European Values Study and World Values Surveys, it examines trends in human values concerning economics, politics, religion, family, gender roles, civic engagement and ethical concerns and important contemporary issues such as the environment, technology, identity, life satisfaction and human happiness. It is a valuable tool for understanding the cultural patterns of countries and how human values are changing. It will be useful to social scientists, journalists, business executives, politicians and policy-makers working in an increasingly globalized world.

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