The Maya of the Yucatán have long been drawn into the Mexican state's attempt to create modern Mexican citizens (mestizos). At the same time, they have contended with globalization pressures, first with hemp production and more recently with increased tourism and the fast-growing influence of American-based evangelical Protestantism. Despite these pressures to turn Maya into mestizo, the citizens of the small town of Maxcanú have used subtle forms of resistance—humor, satire, and language—to maintain aspects of their traditional identity. Loewe offers a contemporary look at a Maya community caught between tradition and modernity. He skilfully weaves the history of Mexico and this particular community into the analysis, offering a unique understanding of how one local community has faced the onslaught of modernization.

This collection of twelve articles presents a selection of papers delivered in the course of a seminar 1994-95 and its concluding international symposium at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. The common theme is the interrelation between magic and religion, focussing particularly on the Mediterranean world in Antiquity - Egyptian, Graeco-Roman and Jewish beliefs and customs - but also treating the early modern period in Northern Europe (the Netherlands and Germany) as well as offering more general reflections on elements of magic in language and Jewish mysticism. The volume is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach and the use of varied methodologies, emphasizing the dynamic nature of the often contradictory forces shaping religious beliefs and practices, while dismissing the idea of a linear development from magic to religion or vice versa. The contributors are outstanding scholars in their fields: Ancient, Medieval and Modern History, Religious Studies, Jewish Studies, Classical Studies, Early Christianity, Islamic Studies, Anthropology, Egyptology and Comparative Literature. Without a doubt this re-evaluation of a fascinating age-old subject will stimulate scholarly discussion and appeal to educated non-specialist readers as well.

Junior alchemist, master gardener, jack-of-all-trades with a mean fireball spell. River Jackson practices her witchcraft in peace while enjoying a quiet life in the small town of Atropos, Texas. For her, it’s the ideal time to start dating Zacarias, the Brazilian hottie next door. Or it would be if not for the choking darkness shattering friendships and turning neighbor against neighbor. Although she’s only a junior sorceress, River isn’t blind to the hurricane of negative energy closing its grip around their rural community. The stakes rise when Zacarias’s ex-wife blows into town. She’s also a witch, one with no qualms about dragging him back under her control with magic. Discovering his furry secret is the least of River’s worries—saving him from a crazy ex will be the real test. Readers who love shifters, witches, and mysterious paranormal creatures will go wild over the Impractical Magic series and its strong cast of diverse characters.

Brings together more than one hundred articles dealing with the discipline of development in all its diversity. Key topics include the transformation of peasant economies, argibusiness, rural-urban relations, markets, industrialization, workers, trade, aid and structural adjustment. A unique set in its comprehensiveness and diversity, it also considers four key challenges for development theory and practice relating to capabilities, ethics, sustainability and regulation.