No other symbol is as omnipresent in Poland as the cross. This multilayered and contradictory icon features prominently in public spaces and state institutions. It is anchored in the country's visual history, inspires protest culture, and dominates urban and rural landscapes. The cross recalls Poland's historic struggles for independence and anti-Communist dissent, but it also encapsulates the country's current position in Europe as a self-avowed bulwark of Christianity and a champion of conservative values. It is both a national symbol – defining the boundaries of Polishness in opposition to a changing constellation of the country's Others – and a key object of contestation in the creative arts and political culture. Despite its long history, the cross has never been systematically studied as a political symbol in its capacity to mobilize for action and solidify power structures. Cross Purposes is the first cultural history of the cross in modern Poland, deconstructing this key symbol and exploring how it has been deployed in different political battles.

A Marriage at Cross Purposes Professor Martin Quint has moved from a major university to a small college. He has an important book to write. But he is pressured by the college to help develop a new school of engineering and entrepreneurship and pushed by a visiting professor from Oxford University to completely redesign his teaching mode. Meanwhile, his wife’s new business draws her away from child care. Conflicts over time and money erupt just when a shocking revelation from Martin’s past threatens to careen everything out of control. Cross Purposes provides an eye-opening look at the realities of academic life, but at its heart, it’s about a marriage at cross purposes, about trust and betrayal, anger and forgiveness.

"... innovative and important thinking about the various relations between feminist theory, queer theory, and lesbian theory, as well as the possibility that liberation can be mutual rather than mutually exclusive." --Lambda Book Report "Challenging and interesting." --Just Out A collection of fifteen interdisciplinary essays examining the history, current condition, and evolving shape of lesbian alliances with U.S. feminists. Contributors explore the social and aesthetic significance of the terms "lesbian" and "feminist" with the interest of reforming and strengthening them.

"This volume displays de Haume's body of work through four compelling themes: Politics and Play, comprising pieces with titles such as Gorbachev Cross and Superhero Cross; Fashion and Fancy, including tributes to the great fashion houses such as Chanel, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton; Poets and Painters, honoring Donne, Hemingway, Schnabel, Warhol, and many more; and Saints and Saintly, venerating not only saints such as St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Alexandria but also saint-like individuals including humanitarian Raoul Wallenberg--"Publisher's description.