A new edition of Katz's study of European Jewish society at end of the Middle Ages. It taps into a rich source, the responsa literature of the Rabbinic establishment of the time, a time when self-governing communities of Jews dealt with their own civil and religious issues.

Does it matter whether traditional Protestants survive? Yes, because they are a distinct and necessary voice in American religion. Here that case is made, along with an honest assessment of what went wrong. We are witnessing the death of churches relying on agreement based on race, class, and tradition or the newer divisions of left or right religion and politics. Now is the time to reclaim the church based on the grace and community of Christ. For this to happen, we need to heed Martin Luther's claim that the only treasure of the church is Jesus Christ, as well as Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of an America where all people may gather together in peace.

Edited by Julia F. Andrews and Kuiyi Shen. Essays by Jonathan Spence, Xue Yongnian and Mayching Kao.

It is often argued that Germany and Scandinavia stand at two opposite ends of a spectrum with regard to their response to social-economic disruptions and cultural challenges. Though, in many respects, they have a shared cultural inheritance, it is nevertheless the case that they mobilize different mythologies and different modes of coping when faced with breakdown and disorder. The authors argue that it is at these "critical junctures," points of crisis and innovation in the life of communities, that the tradition and identity of national and local communities are formed, polarized, and revalued; it is here that social change takes a particular direction.

A prolific writer and author of over 24 books, Rene Guenon was the founder of the Perennialist/Traditionalist school of comparative religious thought. Known for his discourses on the intellectual and spiritual bankruptcy of the modern world, symbolism, tradition, and the inner or spiritual dimension of religion, this book is a compilation of his most important writings. A key component of his thought was the assertion that universal truths manifest themselves in various forms in the world's religions and his writings on Hinduism, Taoism, and Sufism are particularly illuminating in this regard.

Drawing on historical sociology, transnational histories and Asian traditions, Duara seeks answers to the pressing global issue of environmental sustainability.