Explores the body of nude photography being made by a large group of young artists from all over the world. The collection examines the new moods and outlooks in photography engendered by the heady era that witnessed the explosion of the snapshot aesthetic, the birth of digital photos and the proliferation of online outlets for sharing and exhibiting art. As these changes shaped the means of photography, the relaxing of social mores changed the ends. The young artists of today are more open in their portrayal of sexuality in these intimate and beautiful nudes.

At first sight, tattoos, nudity, and veils do not seem to have much in common except for the fact that all three have become more frequent, more visible, and more dominant in connection with aesthetic presentations of women over the past thirty years. No longer restricted to biker and sailor culture, tattoos have been sanctioned by the mainstream of liberal societies. Nudity has become more visible than ever on European beaches or on the internet. The increased use of the veil by women in Muslim and non-Muslim countries has developed in parallel with the aforementioned phenomena and is just as striking. Through the means of conceptual analysis, Veils, Nudity, and Tattoos: The New Feminine Aesthetics reveals that these three phenomena can be both private and public, humiliating and empowering, and backward and progressive. This unorthodox approach is traced by the three’s similar social and psychological patterns, and by doing so, Veils, Nudity, and Tattoos hopes to sketch the image of a woman who is not only sexually emancipated and confident, but also more and more aware of her cultural heritage.

Through sections containing overview essays and reference entries related to particular religions, this resource explores the rise of religious violence, hate crime, and persecution around the world. Religious violence and persecution have been growing steadily both within the United States and around the world. Drawing on the expertise of a wide range of scholars, this current and comprehensive reference helps readers understand the persecution of members of particular faiths as well as violence committed by members of those faiths. In doing so, it promotes a greater understanding of the role of religion in global politics, domestic and international terrorism, and religious bigotry. The book contains sections on particular religious traditions from around the world. Each section begins with an overview essay surveying violence related to that particular religion, whether committed by or against members of that faith. Reference entries in each section then provide objective, fundamental information about particular topics related to violence and the religion discussed. The entries provide cross-references and suggestions for further reading, and the work closes with a bibliography of resources for further study.

Drawing on a wealth of examples, the author addresses a topic that has been largely ignored within cultural studies, despite its ability to shock, titillate or entertain. 'Nudity' is a blend of meaningful minutiae and big philosophical questions about the most unnatural state of nature in the modern West.

This book takes a new approach to the question, "Is the philosopher to be seen as universal human being or as eccentric?". Through a reading of the Theaetetus, Pappas first considers how we identify philosophers – how do they appear, in particular how do they dress? The book moves to modern philosophical treatments of fashion, and of "anti-fashion". He argues that aspects of the fashion/anti-fashion debate apply to antiquity, indeed that nudity at the gymnasia was an anti-fashion. Thus anti-fashion provides a way of viewing ancient philosophy’s orientation toward a social world in which, for all its true existence elsewhere, philosophy also has to live.

Who was Emmanuel Trident? Was he really Jesus Christ--as legend suggests? On a wintry evening in 1940, a charismatic stranger suddenly appears in the crime-ridden village of Vesaria in the North Carolina mountains. He brings harmony and prosperity to the community but then he marries the town outcast--the beautiful transgender Diana DuPree--and there is the miracle birth of twin sons. Enraged, Klansmen massacre the family and a horrendous plague wipes out all life in Vesaria within a week. But myth says the Mountain Messiah actually escaped to a magic cave in the side of the mountain and remains asleep until a mystical signal awakens him. His twin sons survive. One becomes a famous gay fashion designer. HIs sibling becomes a blazing replica of his father. The two vow to find their father--and discover once and for all--if he really is the Messiah!

Most men may be unaware that their struggles with porn and adultery might be related to the unrealistic biased ban on multiple wives and concubines. Men today are increasingly refusing to commit to only one woman for the rest of their life. This book may provide sufficient information and resource recommendations to empower anyone to better understand and manage their heterosexual relationships (and their children, if any) so that they will soon become non-oppressive and non-abusive, as well as honest, honorable, respectable, and trustworthy.

Smith reveals how images of the nude were used at all levels of Victorian culture, from prestigious high-art paintings through to photographs and popular entertainments; and discusses the many views as to whether these were legitimate forms of representation or, in fact, pornography and an incitement to unregulated sexual activity.

"Nothing is as satisfying as a quiet, one-on-one conversation with your heavenly Father"--

In early modern times, religious affiliation was often communicated through bodily practices. Despite various attempts at definition, these practices remained extremely fluid and lent themselves to individual appropriation and to evasion of church and state control. Because bodily practices prompted much debate, they serve as a useful starting point for examining denominational divisions, allowing scholars to explore the actions of smaller and more radical divergent groups. The focus on bodies and conflicts over bodily practices are the starting point for the contributors to this volume who depart from established national and denominational historiographies to probe the often-ambiguous phenomena occurring at the interstices of confessional boundaries. In this way, the authors examine a variety of religious living conditions, socio-cultural groups, and spiritual networks of early modern Europe and the Americas. The cases gathered here skillfully demonstrate the diverse ways in which regional and local differences affected the interpretation of bodily signs. This book will appeal to scholars and students of early modern Europe and the Americas, as well as those interested in religious and gender history, and the history of dissent.