William B. Bowes investigates the Fourth Gospel as a creative reworking of Mark, situating John within the vibrant literary culture of late Second Temple Judaism. Rather than treating John as an isolated voice, Bowes argues that the Evangelist adopts compositional practices akin to Jewish texts categorized as Rewritten Scripture-works that extend authoritative tradition through interpretive rewriting. This approach reframes John not as independent but as an inspired interpreter who reshapes Mark for a later context and audience.

Bowes begins by reviewing scholarly paradigms on John's use of Mark and mapping these against Jewish methods of source reuse. Bowes then offers five detailed case studies comparing Johannine episodes with their Markan counterparts and with analogous Jewish texts. These include John 1's portrayal of John the Baptist alongside Jubilees 1; the Temple disturbance in John 2 with Mark 11 and the Temple Scroll; the feeding of the five thousand in John 6 with Mark 6 and the Genesis Apocryphon; the Bethany anointing in John 12 with Mark 14 and Philo's De Vita Mosis; and the Roman trial narrative in John 18-19 with Mark 15 and Josephus' Jewish Antiquities. Through these comparisons, Bowes demonstrates how John employs additions, omissions, rearrangements, and theological reframing, all techniques characteristic of Jewish exegetical rewriting.

By situating John's Gospel within this Jewish literary milieu, Bowes illuminates its compositional logic and interpretive purpose, offering a fresh paradigm for understanding the origins of the Fourth Gospel and its complex interplay of similarity and difference with Mark.

This book provides unique insight into the influential and impactful working life of Barbara Bergmann. It charts her life and career to contextualize her early work on racial and gender discrimination within the labour market, as well as her analysis of the traditional gendered division of labor within the household. Her significant contributions to economic methodology, her critique of mainstream economics, and her role in the establishment of feminist economics during the 1980s and 1990s are scrutinized, with particular attention to her definition of feminism and conceptualization of commodification. The book also examines her efforts to promote gender equality in public policy, along with her public engagement in advancing a progressive agenda on social security and welfare reform to an audience beyond academia.

This book highlights the lasting impact Barbara Bergmann had at the intersection of economics, race, feminism, and social justice. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in the history of economic thought and the origin and development of feminist economics.

This book explores the central role of art and design in shaping risk perceptions and behaviours. Guidance, warnings, and protocols of risk management shape how possible futures are imagined and governed. How is this imperative to manage risk transforming contemporary visual language? Are its rhetorics of danger, reassurance, and rationality convincing us that we are prepared-and at what cost? Through the analysis of artworks, warnings, pre-enactments, and data visualisations, the book examines the aesthetic dimension of risk as a diagnostic framework for articulating, narrating, and living with uncertainty. Bringing visual culture into dialogue with risk studies, it reimagines fairer, engaging, and trustworthy ways of communicating and preparing for risk.

The book presents a bold and transformative exploration of how Pentecostal theology can be revitalized by critically engaging with the Nicene Creed through the lens of African spirituality and decolonial thought.

In an era marked by profound cultural exchanges and theological diversification, Kaunda challenges traditional Nicene faith and calls for a new approach that reflects the pluralistic realities of the 21st century. Rooted in the rich metaphysical and philosophical traditions of the Bemba people of Zambia, the book critiques the classical dualistic interpretations of Christian theology, which have long emphasized divisions between the sacred and secular, material and spiritual, human and nonhuman.

Through a decolonial framework, this powerful work seeks to dismantle these entrenched dualisms and reintroduce an integrated approach to faith, one that embraces the interconnectedness of all things. African indigenous concepts are central to this reimagining of Nicene Christianity. It demonstrates how Pentecostalism, with its emphasis on the Spirit's dynamic presence, can speak powerfully to issues such as gender relations, ecological crises, power dynamics, and the lived realities of African communities. Grounding theological reflection in the lived experiences and cultural contexts of African Pentecostal believers, Kaunda reveals a more holistic, contextually resonant, and responsive form of Christian theology.

This book offers a comparative legal analysis of data protection frameworks in three of Asia's most influential jurisdictions: China, Japan, and South Korea. As data privacy becomes a universal legal concern, regional approaches remain deeply shaped by divergent legal traditions, economic strategies, and governance philosophies. This volume examines how each country balances the competing interests of individual privacy, economic innovation, and public security in crafting and enforcing data protection laws.

Focusing on four major themes-(1) General Frameworks, (2) Biometric Data, (3) Artificial Intelligence, and (4) Cross-Border Data Transfers-the book explores how these countries address some of the most pressing and complex challenges in contemporary data protection law. Each chapter is written by legal scholars or practitioners with deep regional knowledge and comparative perspectives, offering both doctrinal analysis and practical insights drawn from real-world regulatory and litigation contexts.

Chapter 5 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book offers a comprehensive study of the ways Wales and Welsh people have historically engaged with-and imagined-Jews, Judaism, and Israel-Palestine. This volume argues that Wales is allosemitic, a term that encompasses both positive and negative attitudes towards Jews, but which views Jews as fundamentally different from the non-Jewish mainstream.

Jews and Judaism have long-albeit hidden-histories in Wales, but traditionally, little has been written about non-Christian religions in Wales. Jews often served as allegorical figures in medieval poetry and chronicles; in the early modern period, Welsh Christian evangelists expressed missionary zeal toward Jews. In the twentieth century, policy driven by Welshmen like David Lloyd George and T.E. Lawrence changed the Middle East's political landscape forever. In the modern era, many Welsh intellectuals have become deeply involved in discussions around colonialism and conquest through the lens of the Israel-Palestine conflict: the latest iteration of a centuries-old conversation about self-determination, nationhood, identity, and more.

The Economic Report of the President provides valuable information about the present state of the U.S. economy and its future course. The Economic Report is issued by the Executive Office of the President and the Council of Economic Advisers and transmitted to Congress no later than 10 days after the submission of the Budget of the United States Government. It includes:
?Current and foreseeable trends and annual numerical goals concerning topics such as employment, production, real income and federal budget outlays.
?Employment objectives for significant groups of the labor force.
?Annual numeric goals.
?A program for carrying out program objectives.

For more than 70 years, the Economic Report has provided a nearly contemporaneous record of how administrations have interpreted economic developments, the motivation for policy actions, and the results of those interventions.

Included in the Economic Report of the President is the Annual Report of the Council of Economic Advisers. Each year, the Council of Economic Advisers submits this report on its activities during the previous calendar year in accordance with the requirements of the Congress as set forth in section 10(d) of the Employment Act of 1946 as amended by the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978.

Social diversity has become a politically controversial issue ? and this is particularly true in Central and Southeastern Europe. It is therefore important to address this topic scientifically, which is done several times in this volume from divergent perspectives. The concepts and terms used by the authors vary. For example, some use diversity to express ethnic and cultural differences. The book as a whole ? and in particular the introductory contributions ? attempts to make diversity useful as a theoretical concept for understanding past and present societies. For this purpose, innovative sociological and cultural studies approaches (e.g., super-diversity) are used, which make diversity fruitful for historical research as well.

The authors of this book are renowned academic scholars who cover the period from the 18th century to the present day with different thematic focuses.

This book is Volume 2 of The Linguistic Landscape of Higher Education Internationalisation, a project examining the implementation of English as a Language of Globalization and Internationalization (ELGI), a term introduced here to describe countries in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East where English is neither a heritage nor official language. The volumes explore Englishisation through the lenses of identity, local languages, and culture, while also highlighting stakeholder resistance and grassroots experiences of students and teachers. Attention is given to language policy, emphasizing legal and ethical dimensions, alongside the impact of digitalization, online learning, and technology on language use.

Volume 2 focuses on pedagogical and professional applications of English in higher education, with emphasis on EMI, CLIL, and skills development for teachers and students. Volume 1 addresses linguistic landscapes, language policy, and English's interaction with local languages. This book will be relevant to researchers, academics, students, and educators in international education, language policy, Englishisation, and applied linguistics.

This groundbreaking volume examines the relationship between new religions, alternative spiritualities, and popular music.

Interdisciplinary in its approach, this book draws on scholarship within the study of new religions, the sociology of religion, popular music studies, ethnomusicology, and critical musicology. It examines the ways in which devotion to a band can lead to the establishment of a new religion and also
how new religions use popular music evangelistically, ritualistically, and as a source of income.

What emerges is a complex picture in which religious beliefs and popular music cultures cross-fertilize each other in unexpected and fascinating ways.

This book compiles papers originally presented at a conference held in Hong Kong in August 2025. The publication commemorates the centenary, in 2026, of the appointment of six Chinese bishops in Rome-a landmark event that ushered in a new era in the history of the Catholic Church in China. The 1926 consecration of these bishops marked a transformative shift toward indigenization, elevating Chinese clergy to positions of significant authority and influence for the first time since the consecration of Luo Wenzao in the seventeenth century. This milestone not only demonstrated the Church's commitment to fostering local leadership but also challenged the longstanding dominance of Western ecclesiastical structures.
In marking this centenary, the book invites reflection on broader themes of localization, cultural adaptation, and identity within global Catholicism. Contributors from diverse academic disciplines and perspectives examine the evolving roles, responsibilities, and challenges faced by Chinese cardinals and bishops over the past century. Their research delves into how these Church leaders have navigated the complex intersections of faith, culture, and national identity, particularly during periods of social and political upheaval. Collectively, these studies shed light on the dynamic evolution and enduring significance of the Catholic Church in modern Chinese society.

This technical book is designed to help you prepare patent or utility model applications on your own. It explains the required components of an application and provides suggested wording. Numerous practical examples offer additional guidance. The structure of the book follows the recommended process for drafting an application.

First, it describes how to present the state of the art in the application. The state of the art represents the starting point for the creation of the invention. By examining the state of the art, the inventor identifies shortcomings that lead to the invention. These shortcomings define the objective of the invention. This development process of the invention must be reflected in the application.

The next step in drafting the application is a description of the various embodiments of the invention. Finally, the claims are formulated. This sequence has the advantage that the most challenging step-drafting the claims-comes last. By this point, the inventor has a thorough understanding of the different aspects of the invention, which makes writing the claims significantly easier.

The must-have textbook for A-level Politics

The updated sixth edition of Essentials of UK Politics and Government covers everything you need to know about UK Politics for the Pearson Edexcel specification. It will show you how politics works in the real world, and help you to think critically about the subject through examples, debates and case studies.

A wealth of features helps to explain and cement your learning for the Edexcel specification, such as specification checklists, key terms from the Edexcel specification, and exam style essay and source questions in every chapter.

Kathy Schindler brings this edition right up to date with every chapter being reviewed and updated including:

- coverage of the 2024 general election and 2025 mayoral elections;
- extended material on devolution;
- detailed analysis of the changing nature of Parliament and the way it fulfils its scrutiny function; and
- brand new or updated case studies in every chapter

A companion website provides extra material for students such as flashcards for key terms and definitions and tips for planning and organising revision. Teachers can also access further resources, bonus case studies, specification matching tables and example student answers.

The contemporary geopolitical order is marked by profound instability: international law appears fractured and largely ineffective, might is often right as power prevails over principle. This book identifies one fundamental reason for the apparent gangsterish anarchy- lack of enforcement power for international institutions and the primary premise of international law being that of an effectively absolute national sovereignty. Drawing on the political philosophies of Hobbes and Kant this books advances a bold proposal: the creation of a supranational world authority endowed with genuine enforcement powers. Such an authority would require states to cede voluntarily limited aspects of sovereignty essential for sustaining global peace and addressing shared interdependent challenges. Far from being utopian, this vision finds precedent in and could be modelled upon the European Union, whose supranational institutions offer both lessons and cautionary tales for designing a global framework.

The book can be a starting point for a truly innovative and in our day much needed reflection on the future of geopolitical relations; and it sketches how a worldwide political cooperation, concretely inspired by values of solidarity and peace might be put in place. This book will be of interest to scholars of political theory, of international relations and of international law as well as political leaders and policy-makers the world over who are seeking truly lasting peace and prosperity.

This book offers a compelling archaeological exploration of China's millennia-old civilization. It masterfully synthesizes material evidence with classical texts such as The Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), anchored by 15 iconic cultural artifacts. These range from the Jiahu bone flute (a testament to the sophistication of early Chinese musical systems) and the Liangzhu jade cong (a symbol of early political hierarchy and ritual authority) to the Four-Ram Square zun (a masterpiece of Shang Dynasty bronze craftsmanship) and the astronomical lacquer box from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng.

Adopting a rigorous interdisciplinary approach spanning archaeology, history, astronomy, metallurgy, and ritual studies, Peng Lin illuminates the technical ingenuity, cultural traditions, and social structures of ancient China, while highlighting the unity in diversity that shaped the evolution of Chinese civilization. Far from a static exhibition of relics, the book employs a "dual evidence" approach-cross-checking unearthed materials against received texts-to challenge fragmented interpretations of the past. Essential reading for university liberal arts curricula, it offers scholars and general readers alike a nuanced yet accessible lens on the nexus between material culture and the origins of Chinese civilization.

Can the often-conflicted relationship between science and religion be seen in new light? In this volume, Ashley Lebner, Yunus Dogan Telliel, and their contributors show that engaging secularity and its constitutive relations can take science-religion debates onto new terrain.

Increasing antagonism towards science and scientists in the twenty-first century is often explained simplistically by pointing to the rise of religiously-underpinned right-wing movements - a narrative that reinforces the idea of an age-old and inevitable clash between science and religion. This book shows that engaging the concept of secularity, which has been understudied in scholarship on science and religion, helps take the scholarly debate into productive new directions.

Focusing on contemporary issues in the study of science and religion, including UFOs, cognitive science, decolonization, the Covid-19 pandemic, and religious nationalism, the contributions in this volume consider how people support, reject and grapple with common secularist ideas. They argue that the conditions of secularity both produce and are produced through relationships - those between humans as well as those that humans have with animals, matter and the divine. Moving beyond the individualism that is typically privileged in the West, this relational perspective assumes that the web of secularity, religion and science is open to constant negotiation and transformation: people and knowledge keep changing in relation to the world.

In foregrounding relationships and their capacity for change, this volume raises important questions about the political dimension of research on science, religion, and secularity. At a time of science denial and ecological crisis, it invites us to think about how humans can live with each other - and with non-humans - in better and less destructive ways.

This book examines how contemporary populist governments in Latin America dismantle public policies and erode bureaucratic capacity. Focusing on the administrations of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico, and Javier Milei in Argentina, it analyzes deliberate efforts to attack the public administration, redirect resources, and scale back programs in areas such as social protection, gender, childcare, science and innovation, and agroecology. Rather than isolated budget cuts or routine reforms, dismantling often reflects broader political projects that challenge the role of the state itself and the way the bureaucracy works. Through detailed case studies, the book shows how these shifts affect everyday governance, the delivery of public services, and the relationship between citizens and the state. Offering new theoretical and empirical insights, this volume will interest scholars of public policy, public administration, and Latin American politics.

This is an excellent and timely book that makes a valuable contribution to the field of bisexual studies. The range of genres covered in this book, and the ways in which authors have been able to site their discussions in similar theoretical ground (liminality, erasure, stereotypes) without the discussions ever feeling repetitive, is impressive. Instead, each chapter sheds new light on these complex topics. This book will be essential reading for academics, students, and general audiences seeking to make sense of the ways in which bisexuality is represented in popular culture."
- Dr Helen Bowes-Catton, Senior Lecturer, The Open University, UK

This book explores the multifaceted representations of bisexuality within the cultural imagination, focusing on how bisexuality is portrayed and understood through literature, television, and media. By examining these diverse forms, this collection addresses the critical need to understand bisexuality's crucial role in shaping societal perceptions of sexual identity.

Bisexuality and Popular Culture considers how bisexuality disrupts traditional binaries and offers new frameworks for understanding bisexual identity.