For nearly 70 years, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has played a crucial role in developing policies and recommendations for dealing with intangible cultural heritage. What has been the effect of such sweeping global policies on those actually affected by them? How connected is UNESCO with what is happening every day, on the ground, in local communities? Drawing upon six communities ranging across three continents—from India, South Korea, Malawi, Japan, Macedonia and China—and focusing on festival, ritual, and dance, this volume illuminates the complexities and challenges faced by those who find themselves drawn, in different ways, into UNESCO's orbit. Some struggle to incorporate UNESCO recognition into their own local understanding of tradition; others cope with the fallout of a failed intangible cultural heritage nomination. By exploring locally, by looking outward from the inside, the essays show how a normative policy such as UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage policy can take on specific associations and inflections. A number of the key questions and themes emerge across the case studies and three accompanying commentaries: issues of terminology; power struggles between local, national and international stakeholders; the value of international recognition; and what forces shape selection processes. With examples from around the world, and a balance of local experiences with broader perspectives, this volume provides a unique comparative approach to timely questions of tradition and change in a rapidly globalizing world.

The English edition of this celebrated novel by world-renowned Romanian writer Augustin Buzura paints a psychological portrait of rulers and the ruled under communism (the eponymous "fools" and "beasts"). A psychiatrist by training, Buzura offers poignant insights into the realities of life under communist rule.

"I eagerly commend this series." — R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Experience the Fullness of God's Grace in the Local Church Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. Church Questions is a series by 9Marks that seeks to provide Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions about church life. Each booklet offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment. What does it look like for women to truly thrive as Christians? In this short booklet, Keri Folmar presents eight essential principles to help women fully engage in the context of the local church, such as prioritizing church membership and involvement, investing in meaningful discipling relationships, and not allowing conflict or bitterness to fester. Women will come away with helpful ideas on how to experience the fullness of God's grace as they seek out biblical community with other believers.