Month: November 2011

Posted on

New Books in Native American Studies - Erica Prussing, “White Man’s Water: The Politics of Sobriety in a Native American Community” (University of Arizona Press, 2011)

For the past half century, Alcoholics Anonymous and its 12-step recovery program has been the dominant method for treating alcohol abuse in the United States. Reservation communities have been no exception. But as Erica Prussing vividly describes in her new book,White Man’s Water: The Politics of Sobriety in a Native American Community (University of Arizona Press, 2011), a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment does not, in fact, fit all.

An assistant professor of anthropology and community and behavior health at the University of Iowa, Prussing lived for three years on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana, working with community organizations, building long-lasting relationships, and gathering testimonies of alcohols’ often disruptive impacts on the lives of many Northern Cheyenne. While many young women have embraced the 12-step program, others – particularly of the older generation – find its moral assumptions foreign and unhelpful. What emerges from Prussing’s account is not a reductive and totalizing “Cheyenne culture” but rather a complex negotiation of tradition, community, and recovery in the face of persistent colonial challenges. This nuance and attention to detail makes Prussing’s call for indigenous self-determination in health care all the more powerful.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/native-american-studies

Posted on

Start the Week - Writing History with Peter Englund, Norman Davies, Boris Johnson and Alison Weir.

Andrew Marr discusses the writing of history with Peter Englund, Norman Davies Alison Weir and Boris Johnson. Norman Davies turns to the vanished kingdoms of Europe to explore an alternative history of the continent and to reclaim the stories of the vanquished. While the Swedish historian Peter Englund puts the lives of ordinary people throughout Europe at the heart of his re-telling of the First World War, the London mayor Boris Johnson celebrates the vitality of the capital through the lives of the great and good. Tudor specialist, Alison Weir who has published both academic history and historical fiction, argues against the blurring of these very distinct genres.

Produced by Katy Hickman.

Posted on

Motley Fool Money - Motley Fool Money: 11.11.2011

Greece gets a new leader.  The Obama administration puts a big pipeline on hold.  Starbucks makes a big buy.  And Disney reports big earnings.  Our analysts talks about those stories and share three stocks on their radar.  Plus,  Harvard Professor Niall Ferguson shares some insights from his new book, Civilization: The West and the Rest.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices