The devil is the most charismatic and important figure in the blues tradition. He's not just the music's namesake ("the devil's music"), but a shadowy presence who haunts an imagined Mississippi crossroads where, it is claimed, Delta bluesman Robert Johnson traded away his soul in exchange for extraordinary prowess on the guitar. Yet, as scholar and musician Adam Gussow argues, there is much more to the story of the devil and the blues than these cliched understandings. In this groundbreaking study, Gussow takes the full measure of the devil's presence. Working from original transcriptions of more than 125 recordings released during the past ninety years, Gussow explores the varied uses to which black southern blues people have put this trouble-sowing, love-wrecking, but also empowering figure. The book culminates with a bold reinterpretation of Johnson's music and a provocative investigation of the way in which the citizens of Clarksdale, Mississippi, managed to rebrand a commercial hub as "the crossroads" in 1999, claiming Johnson and the devil as their own.

There are two paths in life: Should & Must. We arrive at this crossroads over and over again, and every day. And we get to choose. Starting out or starting over, making a career change or making a life change, the most life-affirming thing you can do is to honor the voice inside that says your have something special to give, and then heed the call and act. Many have traveled this road before. Here’s how you can, too. #choosemust An inspirational gift book for every recent graduate, every artist, every seeker, and every career change.

Building on her previous important work, Religious Life at the Crossroads, Sister Amy Hereford draws attention to emerging currents, particularly among the smaller cohorts of younger religious, to reflect on the ongoing meaning of vows, formation, community, and mission, amidst the rapidly changing currents in the church and society.

This volume assesses how current approaches to iconology and iconography break new ground in understanding the signification and reception of medieval images, both in their own time and in the modern world. Framed by critical essays that apply explicitly historiographical and sociopolitical perspectives to key moments in the evolution of the field, the volume’s case studies focus on how iconographic meaning is shaped by factors such as medieval modes of dialectical thought, the problem of representing time, the movement of the viewer in space, the fragmentation and injury of both image and subject, and the complex strategy of comparing distant cultural paradigms. The contributions are linked by a commitment to understanding how medieval images made meaning; to highlighting the heuristic value of new perspectives and methods in exploring the work of the image in both the Middle Ages and our own time; and to recognizing how subtle entanglements between scholarship and society can provoke mutual and unexpected transformations in both. Collectively, the essays demonstrate the expansiveness, flexibility, and dynamism of iconographic studies as a scholarly field that is still heartily engaged in the challenge of its own remaking. Along with the volume editors, the contributors include Madeline H. Caviness, Beatrice Kitzinger, Aden Kumler, Christopher R. Lakey, Glenn Peers, Jennifer Purtle, and Elizabeth Sears.

The modern university started as an innovative model - a research-driven teaching and service model in the 19th century -, but the contemporary university is in a crisis of identity. The major challenge is how to harmonize different missions, e.g., teaching, research, and service. The triple function has become questionable and research now dominates the other two functions in contemporary higher education. This book takes a step towards further academic and policy discussions on the restructuring the triple functions of university and designing the future of the post-massified university.

The nonprofit sector occupies an ever more central role in economic and social policies, from the redesign of welfare system in the U.S. or UK, to fostering democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. At the same time, non-profit organizations face increased public scrutiny, and calls for more 'efficiency' and greater 'accountability'. Against this background, this revealing book explore keys policy issues such as: * Is the nonprofit sector in crisis? * What are the common themes and patterns in current policy debates concerning the future of the nonprofit sector? * What policy models are being discussed, and what are their implications? * How can nonprofit organiztions negotiate a course between commercialization and tighter government regulation? As this sector is confronted with often conflicting demands of new public management, tight budgeting, and greater competition, it arrives at a crucial crossroad in its development. Through the detailed investigations presented in this key book, postgraduate students of business and politics can fully explore this significant sector and analyze it's position in today's society.