Indiana University Press

When She Remembered showcases an intertwined group of seven influential women, from well-known figures such as Simone Veil to memory activist Sabine Zlatin, who shaped the production of Holocaust memory in France from 1945 to the present. Most of these women began their memory work immediately after the war by testifying at perpetrator trials and when monuments were commissioned. In the subsequent decades, their work transformed from personal memory projects to large-scale, politically driven initiatives. Through decades of engagement with Holocaust memory, these seven individuals ensured the stories of Jewish women were featured in the greater wartime narrative. In doing so, they deliberately shifted the French discourse on the Holocaust away from a focus on victimization and resistance to female agency during the fight for survival under Nazi occupation. Alongside other activists, these women became political actors by pushing the state to reckon with the legacy of French complicity in the deportation of Jews. Pulling from diverse archival sources as well as material culture and oral histories, When She Remembered convincingly reveals why the themes of gender, resistance, and memory continue to resonate widely in French history.

Sonic Relations explores how sound shapes religious life and community among Twelver Shi'i Muslims in eastern Turkey and beyond, examining the powerful role of devotional recitation in cultivating relationships not only among people, but also with the unseen. These sonic practices are central to Muslim devotional life, and through media and public ritual performance, they also shape how identity is expressed in broader social and political spheres. Attending to a range of sonic forms and events, such as public processions, ritual lamentations, and the circulation of audiovisual recordings, Stefan Williamson Fa offers a new relational perspective on Islam, foregrounding affiliations with more-than-human figures and civic life. Whether communal, devotional, or transnational, Twelvers' relationships with their communities and with the unseen enable them to cultivate the self through sounding and listening. Grounded in detailed ethnographic material collected in Turkey's eastern borderlands and via transnational networks in Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Germany, Williamson Fa tells a compelling story about the human and more-than-human relations Twelver Shias seek to cultivate amid the Republic of Turkey's changing society and politics. Through vivid ethnographic vignettes, analysis, and audiovisual examples, Sonic Relations offers an intimate look at how Twelver Shii Muslims forge bonds of love, faith, and community within Turkey and across borders. It invites readers to rethink religion, not as belief alone, but as a sensory, relational, and deeply embodied experience.

Guided by the philosophical insights of Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, How to Talk to a Cat explores the possibility of dialogue beyond the boundaries of spoken language. Original and effective in its interdisciplinary scope, this book ventures into the complexities of engaging in meaningful dialogue with creatures that do not use verbal communication, focusing on unspeaking beings we encounter in the domestic sphere: cats, babies, plants, and tools, among others. Author Dustin N. Atlas distinguishes between talking to entities in a direct, second-person dialogue, talking about them in a third-person analytical mode, and focusing on how the former is possible in the absence of speech. While many discussions of Buber's philosophy have focused on the I-You relationship, How to Talk to a Cat emphasizes the dynamic processes of dialogue that take place over time where attention, rather than presence, is central. Raising questions about the nature of understanding, cohabitation, and the possibility of connection across different beings, Atlas encourages readers to look more closely at their present life, to reconsider the scope of dialogue and extend it beyond the human to include the silent relationships we share with the world around us. Bringing Jewish thought into conversation with contemporary philosophy, ethology, animal studies, and critical theory, How to Talk to a Cat challenges prevailing assumptions about the limitations of dialogue and expands on the nature of understanding, cohabitation, and the possibility of connection across types of beings.

One spring day in the 1980s, my family and I woke up to the sight of bulldozers, accompanied by Israeli policemen, ascending the hill called Jabal Sikh in Kafr Kanna. At the time, I was a pupil in elementary school, and the hill could be seen clearly from the school. My teacher explained to the class that the Jewish National Fund workers were leveling the hill and planting pine and cypress trees that would provide shade for us in the play areas that would be erected between the trees. Years passed, playgrounds were not erected, and the hill was partly settled by immigrants from the former Soviet Union and given a biblical name: Mount Yonah. My friends and I continue to call the hill by the name we heard from the elders of Kafr Kanna (Cana of Galilei). What's in a Name examines the geographical names used by the Palestinian minority living in Israel: their pronunciation in local dialects; their narratives, stories, and history; the motifs and themes underlying their bestowal; how they are perceived; and the cultural messages they communicate. Based on a rich repertoire of original fieldwork in Arabic, Amer Dahamshe analyzes the Arabic names of villages and towns as well as natural formations such as rivers, hills, and meadows in the Arab-Palestinian society in Israel. In doing so, Dahamshe provides different cultural explanations for the bestowal of these names, their origin as explained in the local stories of the Palestinian people, and their popular, communal, and autobiographical memories across generations. A poetic study of the ideological and cultural construction of how names create meaning, What's in a Name shows how names can reflect multiculturalism and a tradition of tolerance in spite of ongoing processes of erasure.

During the Cold War, humanitarianism became the focus of intense debates among intellectuals, politicians, and diplomats from capitalist, socialist, and nonaligned countries about the boundaries between the political and nonpolitical. However, with the fall of socialism near the end of the twentieth century, these discussions over what humanitarianism is, what it could be, and what it ought to be were largely forgotten. Realigning Humanitarianism in the Balkans examines how the fall of socialism changed humanitarianism in the Balkan region, beginning with the work of the Yugoslav Red Cross within the Non-Aligned Movement in the 1970s and continuing with work in Montenegro by local organizations in a refugee camp between 2000 and 2018. Author Carna Brkovic traces how humanitarian regimes of care and discipline, implemented by local staff, have become the main source of support and the main channel of sociocultural integration of displaced communities in the Balkans. Within these regimes, though, structural problems generate a profound sense of disappointment for both the humanitarians and the displaced people. By tracing the shifts in humanitarianism between the West, the East, and the South, Realigning Humanitarianism in the Balkans uncovers how the fall of state socialism shaped not only humanitarian practices but also how we analyze them—often in ways that have gone unnoticed.

For over a century, filmmakers have been shooting documentaries in West and Central Africa, a region that included the colonies of French West and Equatorial Africa and now encompasses fourteen nations and nearly 200 million people. Documentary Objectives offers a rich history of these films, until now largely ignored by scholars. Author Rachel Gabara shows the crucial role they played in the development of both European and African cinemas, arguing that their recovery as a nonfiction tradition transforms our understanding of documentary itself. Gabara's book traces fifty years of French colonial documentary in sub-Saharan Africa – propaganda-infused travel, hunting, expedition, and ethnographic films. After independence, African directors reclaimed their cinematic image by challenging outsider claims to authenticity and developing new models for nonfiction. Gabara highlights the nearly forgotten innovations of early decades and analyzes recent works that have attracted a wider audience on the continent and internationally. In a complex network of images and languages and across a dynamic range of styles, African documentarists have remade a global art form rooted in oppression, exoticization, and a simplistic conception of filmic realism. By recounting a history of nonfiction film in which Europe and Africa were inextricably linked, Documentary Objectives brings together traditions that have been both marginalized and kept apart, charting new ground in the disciplines of Film Studies, African Studies, and French and Francophone Studies.

Why were the last generation of Jews to grow up in Poland before the Holocaust so susceptible to change and new ideas? Despite any major differences between different groups of Jewish youth, whether rich, poor, traditional, orthodox, Zionist, socialist, or communist, the generation as a whole was unified by "radical modernism," engaging with revolutionary political ideologies of the 1930s. Modern and Radical explores the political consciousness of this generation of Jewish youth who came of age in 1930s Poland. Author Kamil Kijek describes how Jewish youth in the 1920s and '30s, unlike their parents and grandparents, attended Polish public schools, adapted to the realities of a Polish national state, and were significantly influenced by both Polish elite and popular cultures – despite the state's emphasis on ethnic Polish nationalism creating a strong feeling of exclusion. This, combined with discrimination in higher education and employment, as well as the growth of antisemitism, created a generation of Jewish youth with a complex, love-hate relationship with the Polish state. Drawing on hundreds of autobiographies penned by young Polish Jews throughout the 1930s, Modern and Radical provides rich insight into how this unique group of Jewish youth in the interwar period experienced life in the emerging national Polish state., reviewing a previous edition or volume

Between 1956 and 1963, the United Nations grappled with the "Hungarian question"; namely, what it should do about the events and aftermath of the country''s 1956 Revolution. Cold War tensions, anxieties over the concurrent Suez crisis, and ignorance and indifference about Hungary influenced how UN member states responded to this "internal affair" and its potentially dangerous effects on international relations. Diplomacy and Disregard draws upon previously inaccessible documents, including UN archival materials, Hungarian government and secret service papers, and personal collections held by UN officials across the globe, to reveal the UN''s contradictory rhetorical and practical responses to the Hungarian Revolution. Through detailed overviews alongside case studies of individual diplomats and specific controversies, András Nagy traces the UN''s reactions to Hungarian and Soviet authorities'' blocking of resolutions and denunciation of the UN as an enemy power, its need to use the International Committee of the Red Cross as a channel for its humanitarian aid, and its inability to legitimize revolutionary leaders and allow them to represent and act on Hungary''s behalf. Reports riddled with inconsistencies, failures to call emergency sessions and fulfill information requests, and lackluster responses to known acts of terror and espionage demonstrated that even at its highest levels of leadership, the UN was not only unable to intervene against the Soviet-supported government but was often unwilling to do so. Diplomacy and Disregard provides an unprecedented look at the global reach and consequences of Hungary''s 1956 Revolution and at how the UN''s action and inaction during this political crisis ultimately defined its ability to maneuver the Cold War''s fraught political landscape and live up to the ideals of its charter.

In the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, the US saw a growing awareness of representational politics following the civil rights, women's, gay and lesbian, anti-war, and environmental justice movements, and, like most fields, folklore became increasingly cognizant of these cultural and political shifts. The Soul of a Folklorist chronicles the growing pains folklorists felt as the field engaged in these new and different ways of thinking about expressive culture, inequality, and political representation. Grounded in primary sources including archival documents and interviews with members of the field, authors Ann K. Ferrell and Diane E. Goldstein examine the discussions that arose during this period among folklore scholars. Some folklorists explored progressive social change initiatives as part of their professional work, while others questioned the scholarly appropriateness of applied or political engagement, at times challenging this professional engagement in contemporary political issues. In a series of case studies from the 1970s and '80s, Ferrell and Goldstein explore how folklorists navigated questions about inequities that existed within the field and the potential adverse effects of those inequities on what and whom they studied, the push and pull of scholarly and public folklore work, the location of the line between research and advocacy as well as the wisdom of crossing that line, and the nature of our responsibility, as individual folklorists and as a field, to those we study and the communities in which we live and work. The Soul of a Folklorist examines how, as folklorists moved toward a perspective that increasingly explored the responsibility of presentation and representation of gender, race, class, and other areas of inequities, the discipline gradually came to understand both the power of its own subject and structures of subordination within the field.

In the films of legendary Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky, images of visually striking and mysterious animals serve as powerful symbols, marvels, and metaphors, from nomadic dogs to rolling horses and soaring birds. Yet Tarkovsky's hauntingly beautiful depictions of animals exist in suspended tension with his often grisly portrayals of animal cruelty – exemplified by the cow he set on fire while making his second feature film Andrei Rublev. These disturbing moments challenge viewers' perceptions of Tarkovsky's morality and complicate his films' refined artistry. And the Cow Burned is a dynamic interdisciplinary study of Tarkovsky's filmography that draws on insights from animal studies, ethical philosophy, and film theory. Through focused case studies centered on different animals, De Luca posits that Tarkovsky's body of work serves as a canvas for animal philosophy, exposing contradictions inherent in human-animal relationships while raising questions about agency, ethics, and power. Readers are invited to engage with the ethical ramifications of Tarkovsky's depictions and understand these animals as real beings whose experiences are fundamentally woven into his moral and aesthetic considerations. And the Cow Burned challenges us to rethink the connections between animals and humans, encouraging a fresh perspective on the paradoxical exchanges that shape our interactions and paving the way for new interpretations in the future.

Reflecting on the final decades of socialism, eight individuals born in the former nation of Yugoslavia between 1971 and 1991 recount their memories of childhood and early adulthood, and how that time period has made a lasting impact on their lives. The Youngest Yugoslavs is an oral history collection that gives its readers in-depth, varied perspectives on why Yugoslavia continues to resonate so remarkably amongst its former citizens more than 30 years since the state collapsed amid war, genocide, and dislocation. Their interviews with author Jovana Babovic' showcase how these individuals remember their childhoods during the final decades of socialism and how they conceptualize the lasting impact Yugoslavia has had on their lives. The Youngest Yugoslavs offers insight on how this generation of Yugoslavian individuals have reconciled the loss of their homeland and how they have continued to find meaning in the Yugoslav past as both a lived experience and as a set of ideals.

Discover how railroad companies in America's heartland developed a monumental network that spanned nearly 70,000 route miles. Over a century, a wide array of carriers ranging from short lines to trunk roads spread through the Midwest and represented over 35% of the country's rail mileage in the 1920s. Railroads in the Midwest is a portrait of two premier rail hub rivals, Chicago and St. Louis, and of Iowa and Ohio, which boasted the highest line densities. Before World War I, Iowa railroad officials bragged that the Hawkeye State had a depot and agent located no farther than thirteen miles from any point within its borders. In Railroads in the Midwest: An Epic History, renowned historian H. Roger Grant draws on fifty years of research into America's celebrated railroad history to examine what effect railroads had in the heartland and what has happened to them since the early twentieth century.

A midwestern urban Republican mayor reveals the success of his moderate approach to governing. Throughout his eight years as mayor of Indianapolis, Greg Ballard did what he thought was right, looking out for the long-term health of his city with political implications being the last of considerations. This included a pointed critique of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed by then governor Mike Pence. Relying on his well-trained and efficient staff, he ensured that the city moved aggressively forward with little political interference. Never taking a poll to see which way the winds were blowing, Ballard was not a normal politician. He was a Marine who had traveled the world, been to war, and had returned to his hometown to serve again. Ballard was that rarity in American politics, an urban Republican, moderate in views and practical in governing, and always completely dedicated to his city. Thoughtful and brimming with insights, Greg Ballard's inspirational story offers a compelling blueprint for American politics going forward.

State of Others: Levinas and Decolonial Israel explores the relations between post-Holocaust Jewish thought and postcolonial thought through the work of Emmanuel Levinas. In the last decade, thinkers have criticized Levinas for his Eurocentrism; however, author Elad Lapidot argues that Levinas anticipated this critique and, from the 1960s onward, began setting the foundations for decolonial Jewish thought - and for decolonial Zionism. State of Others offers an innovative analysis of Levinas's intellectual project as articulated around a turn in the year 1968. This turn relates to the relationship between Judaism and Western civilization. Prior to 1968, Levinas considered the historical Jewish collective, Israel, as the avant-garde of Western humanism. After 1968, with the rise of decolonial discourse, Levinas's concept of Israel shifts roles and becomes the paradigmatic victim of Western imperialism. State of Others demonstrates how Levinas simultaneously developed his dual narratives - before and after the pivotal year of 1968 - across his philosophical and Jewish writings, with a special emphasis on the Talmudic Readings. It presents for the first time a cohesive overview of Levinas's writings, both early and late, as interconnected components of a singular intellectual endeavor. The ethical principles concerning the other, as articulated by Levinas, are conceptually linked to his reflections on the State of Israel.

Veteran Soviet statesman and longtime Politburo member Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan is perhaps best remembered in both the West and the post-Soviet space as a master political survivor who weathered every Soviet leader from Lenin to Brezhnev. Less well known is the pivotal role that Mikoyan played in dismantling and rejecting the Stalinist legacy and guiding Khrushchev's nationality policy toward greater decentralization and cultural expression for nationalities. Based on new discoveries from the Russian and Armenian archives, Anastas Mikoyan is the first major biographical study in English of a key figure in Soviet politics. The book focuses on the Armenian statesman's role as a reformer during the Thaw of 1953–1964, when Stalin's death and Khrushchev's ascension opened the door to greater pluralism and democratization in the Soviet Union. Mikoyan had been a loyal Stalinist, but his background as a native Armenian guided his Thaw-era reform initiatives on nationality policy and de-Stalinization. The statesman advocated a dynamic approach to governance, rejecting national nihilism and embracing a multitude of ethnicities under the aegis of "socialist democracy," using Armenia as his exemplar. While the Soviet government adopted most of Mikoyan's recommendations, Khrushchev's ouster in 1964 ended the prospects for political change and led to Mikoyan's own resignation the following year. Nevertheless, Mikoyan remained a prominent public figure until his death in 1978. Following a storied statesman through his personal and professional connections within and beyond the Soviet state, Anastas Mikoyan offers important insights into nation-building, the politics of difference, and the lingering possibilities of political reform in the USSR.

For over three decades, Portuguese director Pedro Costa has been widely admired for his unusual and innovative body of work, which has earned accolades and wide acclaim. The Haunted Cinema of Pedro Costa is the most complete treatment of his work, exploring Costa's feature films from Blood to Vitalina Varela, and from the documentaries to the short films, museum exhibitions, and the forthcoming Daughters of Fire. Authors James Naremore and Darlene J. Sadlier situate Costa within the history and culture of Portugal, at the same time providing insightful close readings and stylistic analysis of the films. Their work explores the unusual features of his artistry and illuminates his unique contribution to cinema. An accessible portrait of an important artist, The Haunted Cinema of Pedro Costa is an indispensable companion for scholars, students, and cinephiles everywhere.