This e-book is an extract from Encounters that Changed the World and is also available as part of that complete publication. The great Renaissance artist Michelangelo loved young men. In 1532 he began a courtship with the love of his life. But Tommaso Cavalieri came from a distinguished, conventional Roman family and was shocked by the artist’s passion. Michelangelo’s unrequited love profoundly affected his art, and legend has it that Christ’s face in the Sistine Chapel is Cavalieri’s. Read about their relationship and many other creative encounters that changed the world.

Across the world from personal relationships to global politics, differences—cultural, religious, racial, gender, age, ability—are at the heart of the most disruptive and disturbing concerns. While it is laudable to nurture an environment promoting the tolerance of difference, Creative Encounters, Appreciating Difference argues for the higher goal of actually appreciating difference as essential to creativity and innovation, even if often experienced as stressful and complex. Even encounters that are apparently harmful and negatively valued (arguments, conflict, war, oppression) usually heighten the potential for creativity, innovation, movement, action, and identity. Drawing on classic encounters that have played a significant role in the founding of the academic study of religion and the social sciences, this book explores in some depth the dynamics of encounter to reveal both its problematic and creative aspects and to develop perspectives and strategies to assure encounters both include the appreciation of difference and also are recognized as creative and innovative. The two examples most extensively considered show that the academic study of the peoples indigenous to North America and to Australia involved creative constructions (concoctions) of primary examples in order to establish and give authority to academic theories and definitions. Rather than damning these examples as “bad scholarship,” this book considers them to be encounters engendering creative constructions that are distinctive to academia, yet their potential for harm must be understood. Most important to the book is a persistent development of perspectives and strategies for understanding and approaching encounters in order to assure the appreciation of difference is accompanied by the potential for creativity and innovation. Specific perspectives and strategies are related to naming, moving, gesture, and play and, particularly relevant to religion, the development of an aesthetic of impossibles. Since these historical examples engage highly relevant present concerns —the distinction of real and fake, truth and lie, map and territory—the threading essays show how these more or less classic examples might contribute to appreciating these contemporary concerns that are generated in the presence of difference.

"Contextual in approch, this text draws on socio-economic and political studies as well as histories of religion, science, literature, and popular culture, and explores the diverse, conflicted history of American art and architecture. Thematically interrelating the visual arts to other material artifacts and cultural practices, the text examines how artists and architects produced artwork that visually expressed various social and political values."--Publisher's website.

This inspiring collection of 72 critical and creative contributions honouring the life and work of Desmond Mpilo Tutu comprises a rich and diverse array of reflections on the ecumenical global struggle against Apartheid, and Archbishop Tutu’s role therein, as a political priest, prophet and intellectual. The encounters with ‘the Arch’ and his work has shaped ongoing faith-based, activist and academic pursuits for justice, peace and dignity. Anyone familiar with his outstanding contributions to the promotion of justice, dignity and peace, will know that a hallmark of Desmond Tutu’s celebrated style is his use of narrative and real-life stories. In honour of his unique and remarkable example, the contributions in this book combine oral history and written history paradigms, as well as sociological, philosophical and theological approaches. While the book is meant to be a memorial recollection of encounters with the Arch, the hope is that these recollections will continue to inspire collective struggles and hopes for justice, peace and dignity.

Contains brief biographies accompanied by lessons and activities to highlight the individual's goal setting abilities and success.