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
Plotinus and the Moving Image offers the first philosophical discussion on Plotinus' philosophy and film. It discusses Plotinian concepts like “the One” and “the intelligible” in a cinematic context,
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
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 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
The Veil in Kuwait explores the complex reasons behind why women veil and how they are perceived by those that do not veil. Religion, culture, family, tradition, and fashion are all explored to provid
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 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
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
Lifespan human development is the study of all aspects of biological, physical, cognitive, socioemotional, and contextual development from conception to the end of life. In more than 800 signed articl
This work is an ethnographic account of the work of transnational, Christian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Zimbabwe. Protestant NGOs are one of the voices of pluralism in southern Africa, s
