'Other Kinds of Dreams' provides an invaluable insight into the political activity of black and Asian women in the UK both inside and outside the black and Asian communities. The book breaks new ground by: * destroying the misconception that black and Asian women lack political involvement * integrating gender into the study of black and Asian political participation in Britain * exploring the potential for alliances between black women and the new progressive 'black man's movement' * examining black women activists' perception and experiences of white feminism. 'Other Kinds of Dreams also questions the homogeneity of the term 'black' and asks whether increasing social stratification within black communities undermines this unity.

"Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty . . . weaves a brilliant analysis of the complex role of dreams and dreaming in Indian religion, philosophy, literature, and art. . . . In her creative hands, enchanting Indian myths and stories illuminate and are illuminated by authors as different as Aeschylus, Plato, Freud, Jung, Kurl Gödel, Thomas Kuhn, Borges, Picasso, Sir Ernst Gombrich, and many others. This richly suggestive book challenges many of our fundamental assumptions about ourselves and our world."—Mark C. Taylor, New York Times Book Review "Dazzling analysis. . . . The book is firm and convincing once you appreciate its central point, which is that in traditional Hindu thought the dream isn't an accident or byway of experience, but rather the locus of epistemology. In its willful confusion of categories, its teasing readiness to blur the line between the imagined and the real, the dream actually embodies the whole problem of knowledge. . . . [O'Flaherty] wants to make your mental flesh creep, and she succeeds."—Mark Caldwell, Village Voice

Reportedly, the prophet Muhammad told his followers that after he was gone prophecy would come only through "true dreams." Based on this and other statements, early Muslims created what might be called a theology of dreams. Dreams were regarded as an important means used by God to guide the faithful, especially after the cessation of Koranic revelation. However, since these dreams were often symbolic, they required interpretation, and early Muslims wrote numerous manuals dedicated to deciphering their meaning. Utilizing manuscripts preserved in Middle Eastern mosques and libraries, this book offers the first comprehensive account of the early Muslim tradition of dream interpretation. In addition to describing how and when the tradition developed, author John C. Lamoreaux discusses the social context in which dream interpretation arose and its role in the intellectual life of the time. He demonstrates that early Muslims considered dream interpretation a fully orthodox theological discipline, one sanctioned both by the Koran and the example of the prophet Muhammad.

Dreams that Matter explores the social and material life of dreams in contemporary Cairo. Amira Mittermaier guides the reader through landscapes of the imagination that feature Muslim dream interpreters who draw on Freud, reformists who dismiss all forms of divination as superstition, a Sufi devotional group that keeps a diary of dreams related to its shaykh, and ordinary believers who speak of moving encounters with the Prophet Muhammad. In close dialogue with her Egyptian interlocutors, Islamic textual traditions, and Western theorists, Mittermaier teases out the dream’s ethical, political, and religious implications. Her book is a provocative examination of how present-day Muslims encounter and engage the Divine that offers a different perspective on the Islamic Revival. Dreams That Matter opens up new spaces for an anthropology of the imagination, inviting us to rethink both the imagined and the real.

Dreaming is vital to the human story. It is essential to our survival and evolution, to creative endeavors in every field, and, quite simply, to getting us through our daily lives. All of us dream. Now Robert Moss shows us how dreams have shaped world events and why deepening our conscious engagement with dreaming is crucial for our future. He traces the strands of dreams through archival records and well-known writings, weaving remarkable yet true accounts of historical figures who were influenced by their dreams. In this wide-ranging, visionary book, Moss creates a new way to explore history and consciousness, combining the storytelling skills of a bestselling novelist with the research acumen of a scholar of ancient history and the personal experience of an active dreamer.

Big Dreams is the first full-scale cognitive scientific analysis of highly memorable dreams, with an original theory about their formation, function, and meaning. The book draws on evidence from religious studies, psychology, anthropology, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience to explore how big dreams are a wellspring of religious experience.

This is Volume XX of thirty-eight in the General Psychology series. First published in 1942 by the author, one of the younger neuropsychiatrists working in Czechoslovakia, this is psychobiological approach to the meaning and purpose of dream-interpretation and the science of dreams.

From the Iliad to Aristophanes, from the gospel of Matthew to Augustine, Greek and Latin texts are constellated with descriptive images of dreams. Some are formulaic, others intensely vivid. The best ancient minds—Plato, Aristotle, the physician Galen, and others—struggled to understand the meaning of dreams. With Dreams and Experience in Classical Antiquity the renowned ancient historian William Harris turns his attention to oneiric matters. This cultural history of dreams in antiquity draws on both contemporary post-Freudian science and careful critiques of the ancient texts. Harris traces the history of characteristic forms of dream-description and relates them both to the ancient experience of dreaming and to literary and religious imperatives. He analyzes the nuances of Greek and Roman belief in the truth-telling potential of dreams, and in a final chapter offers an assessment of ancient attempts to understand dreams naturalistically. How did dreaming culture evolve from Homer’s time to late antiquity? What did these dreams signify? And how do we read and understand ancient dreams through modern eyes? Harris takes an elusive subject and writes about it with rigor and precision, reminding us of specificities, contexts, and changing attitudes through history.

Explore the fascinating world of dreams, with this comprehensive reference that examines 276 dream-related topics, from art to history to science, plus insights into the great thinkers, dreamers, and researchers—and interprets more than 1,000 symbols and explanations. This is the ultimate dreamer's companion! Dreams have fascinated the human mind throughout recorded history. Some believe that dreams have healing powers, spark creative inspiration, or warn us of things to come. The Dream Encyclopedia ponders these ideas and much more. Learn how how factors such as self-healing, ESP, literature, religion, sex, cognition and memory, and medical conditions can all have an effect on dreams. Dream symbolism and interpretation is examined in detail, while a special section—with over 1,000 symbols and explanations—interprets dream symbols and helps readers understanding the phenomena of dreaming. Among the dream symbols unraveled are: Airplane dreams may mean you have the power to “rise above” a situation or have the desire to break free of restrictions. Falling dreams often reflect a sense that one has failed or “fallen down” in life. Horse riding dreams most probably mean that the dreamer feels in control of his or her life. Teeth in a dream may indicate control issues. Zoo dreams may mean that a dreamer needs to tidy up some situation. James R. Lewis is a professor of philosophy, and a recognized authority on nontraditional religious movements, and has written the ultimate dreamer’s companion. This resource is unique in its in-depth exploration of dreams, the latest scientific research on dreaming and dream-related topics. Whether one is a serious student of dreams, or wishes merely to peruse the subject for pleasure, The Dream Encyclopedia explores the historical, cultural, and psychological significance of dreams. With more than 120 photos and illustrations, this tome is richly illustrated, and its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness.

This fascinating and highly original book presents a longitudinal systematic study of the earliest form of human dreaming in a child, from ages 4 through 10. Claudio Colace draws upon his extensive research on children’s dreams, his expertise in brain science and an intimate knowledge of a single subject, his son Marco, to demonstrate the validity of an ontogenetic approach to the understanding of dream processes. The availability of ‘first-hand’ information about the daytime experiences of the author’s son in relation to dream contents, as well as the longitudinal approach of the study, prove to be useful for a qualitative in-depth analysis of the nature and function of infantile dreams and of the changes that occur in the dreaming process as the child grows, from the early forms to more complex ones. Affirming the significance of Freud’s explorations of infantile dreaming, this book attests to the nature of dreaming as a meaningful psychic act rather than the result of random processes. Expanding beyond a purely psychotherapeutic context, the book analyzes the development of dreams systematically and in relation to Freud’s theories on the human mind, making it an important read for clinicians, scholars and researchers interested in dream functions, child development and psychodynamic theory.