The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death offers readers an extraordinary glimpse into the mind of a master criminal investigator. Frances Glessner Lee, a wealthy grandmother, founded the Department o
What are the predominant aesthetics of the twenty-first century? Thorsten Botz-Bornstein argues that deculturation, embodied by the conspicuous vulgarity of kitsch, is the overriding visual language o
Through empirical analysis and theoretical reflection, this book shows that the aesthetics and politics of the Islamic State is “futurist.” ISIS overcomes postmodern pessimism and joins th
When the Nicaraguan Revolution overthrew the Somoza Regime in 1979, it inspired radicals across the globe. And yet its promise and potential was extinguished by the early 1990s. This insightful and pe
The "organic" is by now a venerable concept within aesthetics, architecture, and art history, but what might such a term mean within the spatialities and temporalities of film? By way of an answer, th
By taking an unorthodox approach towards three phenomena that have changed considerably during the past thirty years, this book reveals through conceptual analysis that the three are both private and
This volume is a valuable re-assessment of the Nicaraguan Revolution by a Marxist historian of Latin American political history. It shows that the FSLN’s lack of commitment to democracy was a key fact
Critical Regionalism is a notion which gained popularity in architectural debate as a synthesis of universal, 'modern' elements and individualistic elements derived from local cultures. This book shif
Veils, Nudity, and Tattoos: The New Feminine Aesthetics inaugurates a new approach toward the history and usage of nudity, veiling, and tattoos. By taking an unorthodox approach towards three phenomen
The Cool-Kawaii: Afro-Japanese Aesthetics and New World Modernity, by Thorsten Botz-Bornstein, analyzes and compares African American cool culture and the Japanese aesthetics of kawaii or cute and cha
“When I was between the ages of five and eight, my sister and I slept in a large attic bedroom. At nightfall the room was filled with gypsies who glided around in clusters. They wore colorful thin flo
Films and Dreams considers the essential link between films and the world of dreams. Thorsten Botz-Bornstein reveals a common structure of 'dreamtense' in the works of major filmmakers like Tarkovsky,
Botz-Bornstein (philosophy, Zhejiang U., China) discusses dream theory philosophy as it manifests in the films of Kubrick, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Sokurov, and Wong Kar-wai. He defines dreams as "self-suf
If there had been a "Life Styles of the Rich and FamouS" in the 1920s, the notorious oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny would surely have been featured. For at the peak of his powers, between 1904 and 1927,
You have to go deeper. Inception is more than just a nail-biting heist story, more than just one of the greatest movies of all time. The latest neuroscience and philosophy of mind tell us that shared
"The Veil in Kuwait explores the complex and compelling reasons behind why young women in Kuwait wear the hijab, abaya, and/or niqab, analyzing--along the way--the ways in which these women are percei
