August 21, 2009
Clark faculty research hits the bookshelves
Several of Clark's faculty recently released scholarly books in the past few months. Two will be published in early fall.
Jessica Bane-Robert's chapbook of poems, "Scarred Seasons," will be published by Finishing Line Press in October 2009. This is a limited edition collection. Works from the collection have been anthologized by Outrider Press and have appeared in the Naugatuck River Review. A selection from this manuscript-"Family Plot"-won the 2007 Editor's Choice Prize for the Writecorner Press Poetry Contest. Bane-Robert teaches Expository Writing, Intro to Literature and self-designed course, Sense of Place. She also advises members of the newly-formed Student Creative Writing Group. This book can be preordered at by clicking here.
George Billias, professor of history, published "American Constitutionalism Heard Round the World" (New York University Press) in August. In it, Billias traces the spread of American constitutionalism--from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean region, to Asia and Africa--beginning chronologically with the American Revolution and the fateful "shot heard round the world" and ending with the conclusion of the Cold War in 1989. The American model contributed significantly by spearheading the drive to greater democracy throughout the Western world, and Billias' landmark study tells a story that will change the way readers view the important role American constitutionalism played during this era.
James Cordova, associate professor of psychology and director of clinical training published "The Marriage Checkup: A Scientific Program for Sustaining and Strengthening Marital Health" (Jason Aronson) in May. Cordova's book is designed to help couples assess the strengths and weaknesses of their relationships and to develop strategies for strengthening their marital health. Covering such topics as intimacy, sexuality, co-parenting, managing money, and communication, Cordova offers recommendations for improving vulnerable marriages, and offers healthy couples a way to optimize and maintain their marital health and fitness. The book is only available on Amazon.com
Deborah Dwork, Rose Professor of Holocaust History and the director of the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, co-authored a fourth book with Robert Jan Van Pelt, professor at Waterloo University. Released in April, "Flight From the Reich: Refugee Jews, 1933-1946" (W.W. Norton & Co.) examines the ever--dwindling choices open to asylum seekers, and the often painful decisions of the people who dealt with them -- consuls, immigration officers and other government officials, church, health and social workers, volunteers and private individuals. Government policy and individual practice, and international action and local initiatives loomed large in this chapter of Holocaust history. For more information,
click here.
Abbie Goldberg, assistant professor of psychology, is anticipating the release of her first book, "Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children: Research on the Family Life Cycle" in September. Goldberg's book provides a comprehensive overview of the research on same-sex parenthood, exploring ways in which lesbian and gay parents resist, accommodate, and transform fundamental notions of gender, parenting, and family. The book takes a family life cycle approach, beginning with research on how same-sex couples meet and build healthy relationships, then describing how and why same-sex couples decide to have children and how they grapple with the changing roles each partner must adopt. The book is part of the American Psychological Association's Contemporary Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychology series. For more, visit
books.apa.org.
Wim Klooster, associate professor of history, published "Revolutions in the Atlantic World" (New York University Press) in June. The book highlights several central themes in the field of Atlantic history, from the concept of European empire and the murky position it occupied between Old and New World to slavery and diasporas. Klooster closely examines how the stability of the old regimes was undermined. He asks which mechanisms of successful popular mobilization could be observed, and what roles did blacks and Indians play? Drawing on both primary documents and extant secondary literature to answer these questions, Klooster portrays the revolutions as parallel and connected uprisings. Visit Barnes and Noble
Mark Miller, director of Clark's Law & Society Program, released "The View of the Courts from the Hill: Interactions between Congress and the Federal Judiciary" (University of Virginia Press) in June. Miller's book explores the current interactions and relationship between the U.S. Congress and federal courts using a "governance as dialogue" approach, which argues that constitutional interpretation in the United States is a continuous and complex conversation among all the institutions of government. The book examines customary interactions between Congress and the federal courts--especially the U.S. Supreme Court--as well as extraordinary conflicts between the two branches of government both today and throughout American history. Miller gives special attention to recent attempts by social conservatives in Congress to silence the voice of the courts in the inter-institutional dialogue through the use of court-stripping measures, threats of impeachment of federal judges, and a proposal for an inspector general for the courts. Miller interviewed numerous key players specifically for this book, including members of Congress, federal judges, congressional staff, employees of the judicial branch, lobbyists, and others with an interest in the courts. Visit upress.virginia
Valerie Sperling, associate professor of government and international relations, published "Altered States: The Globalization of Accountability" (Cambridge University Press) in May. The book explores whether or not globalization is good for democracy or if it has made our governing institutions less accountable to citizens. Sperling explores the circumstances under which transnational forces that embody globalization encourage or discourage political accountability. Among the transnational forces discussed in the book are the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, multinational corporations, the United Nations, private military contractors, peacekeepers, the European Court of Human Rights, and several transnational social movements. Using in-depth case studies of situations in which these transnational institutions interact with national governments and citizens, Sperling traces the impact of economic, political, military, judicial, and civic globalization on state accountability and investigates the degree to which transnational institutions are themselves responsible to the people whose lives they alter. For more on this book, visit cambridge.org.