This is the true story of an Anglican ordinand (a student preparing for the ordained priesthood in the Church of England) and changes in his sense of direction, which took him into academia and to then return to his old college as tutor. All this set against the historical background, at that time, of a church losing its sense of direction, the madness of a place almost out of time, the clash of traditions and ideas, and the continuing thoughts that none of this could possibly have happened!

This Book, this Essay began as a response to Peter Berger et al’s , ‘The Homeless Mind’, and their concerns for the influence of Modernism on Societies. My interests and focus is both broader and wider; taking in the intellectual roots of western sociology and the earliest historical roots of the European Home; drawing on; Sociological Biography, Phenomenology, Multiple Realities, DIY techniques, Philosophy, Poetry, Consciousness and Spirituality, also with brief references to my cat! Usually each one of these would stand alone, perhaps as a conventional essay. But to combine them into a single entity, and to maintain a ‘flow' between ideas with varied resonances, required something more integrative; in this case derived from the spirit of Husserl’s phenomenology, the Epoque, freely applied throughout, not only to signify the tentativeness of personal opinion, but also as an example of multiple realities, and as tributaries of thought and beliefs feeding the great river of civilisation. The “Homely Mind’, of the title of this essay is one, more of a certain hope than achievement, as it might possibly be in most cases of all times and all places. So in the meantime, the best we can do is to endeavour to ‘keep the home fires burning’ as that sign of the ‘sacred flame of life’.

I share this account of an apparently simple family event; the sharing of a breakfast meal, celebrating Mothering Sunday; as a way of thinking about how shared experiences, especially of shared meals, which are always more meaningful than they first seem. That Sunday morning, even whilst enjoying the friendly atmosphere and the delicious food, I somehow knew that there was a story to tell; this is but one version. Although my thinking is sociological and methodological, I have tried to tell it as a story, through which I might be able to capture something of the essence of the extraordinary in the ordinariness of a simple shared meal!

This book is a real-life documentary of two of these challenges, and their eventual successful outcomes and their discoveries; but more than that it is an adventure story in ideas, and the surprising synchronicity that is the Daily Lot of the postmodernist wandering scholar. Read-on and enjoy the journey.

‘Humble Anecdote of the Invisible’ is the final part of my condensed ‘Lebenswelt Studies’, necessarily autobiographical, and centred mostly on what amounted to a ‘mesocosm’ —an intermediary spiritual -world, between the macrocosm and microcosm, by artists, thinkers, poets and dancers who founded an experimental community, the ‘Hill of Truth’ in Ascona, during the early onset of Modernism, and later at Eronos, the intellectual and aesthetic hub founded by Olga Frobe in Ascona in 1933, to discuss the most pressing issues of the times: the nature of body and soul, social norms, religious belief, relationships, value of life, the human spirit, art and creativity; and their eventual making of an alternative spiritual and intellectual history of the twentieth century.

This handbook brings national and thematic case studies together to examine a variety of populist politics from local and comparative perspectives in the Asia Pacific. The chapters consider key and cross cutting themes such as populism and nationalism, religion, ethnicity and gender, as well as authoritarianism. They show how populist politics alters the way governments mediate state-society relations. The essays in this volume consider: • diverse approaches in populist politics, for example, post-colonial, strategic vs ideational, growth and redistribution, leadership styles, and in what ways they are similar to, or different from, populist discourses in Europe and the United States; • under what social, political, economic and structural conditions populist politics has emerged in the Asia-Pacific region; • national case studies drawn from South, East and Southeast Asia as well as the Pacific analyzing themes such as media, religion, gender, medical populism, corruption and cronyism, and inclusive vs exclusive forms of populist politics; • modes and techniques of social and political mobilization that populist politicians employ to influence people and their impact on the way democracy is conceived and practiced in the Asia Pacific. As a systematic account of populist ideologies, strategies, leaders and trends in the Asia Pacific, this handbook is essential reading for scholars of area studies, especially in the Asia Pacific, politics and international relations, and political and social theory.

This book sheds light on religiously motivated extremism and violence in South Asia, a phenomenon which ostensibly poses critical and unique challenges to the peace, security and governance not only of the region, but also of the world at large. The book is distinctive in-so-far as it reexamines conventional wisdom held about religious extremism in South Asia and departs from the literature which centres its analyses on Islamic militancy based on the questions and assumptions of the West’s ‘war on terror’. This volume also offers a comprehensive analysis of new extremist movements and how their emergence and success places existing theoretical frameworks in the study of religious extremism into question. It further examines topical issues including the study of social media and its impact on the evolution and operation of violent extremism. The book also analyses grassroots and innovative non-state initiatives aimed to counter extremist ideologies. Through case studies focusing on Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, this collection examines extremist materials, methods of political mobilisation and recruitment processes and maps the interconnected nature of sociological change with the ideological transformations of extremist movements.

In recent years, peace psychology has grown from a utopian idea to a means of transforming societies worldwide. Yet at the same time peacebuilding enjoys global appeal, the diversity of nations and regions demands interventions reflecting local cultures and realities. Peace Psychology in Asia shows this process in action, emphasizing concepts and methods diverging from those common to the US and Europe. Using examples from China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and elsewhere in the region, chapter authors illuminate the complex social, political, and religious conditions that have fostered war, colonialism, dictatorships, and ethnic strife, and the equally intricate personal and collective psychologies that need to be developed to encourage reconciliation, forgiveness, justice, and community. Peace Psychology in Asia: Integrates psychology, history, political science, and local culture into concepts of peace and reconciliation. Highlights the indigenous aspects of peace psychology. Explains the critical relevance of local culture and history in peace work. Blends innovative theoretical material with empirical evidence supporting peace interventions. Balances its coverage among local, national, regional, and global contexts. Analyzes the potential of Asia as a model for world peace. As practice-driven as it is intellectually stimulating, Peace Psychology in Asia is vital reading for social and community psychologists, policy analysts, and researchers in psychology and sociology and international studies, including those looking to the region for ideas on peace work in non-Western countries.