Böcker av James Macdonald

Disability studies have long been the domain of medical and pedagogical academics. However, in recent years, the subject has outgrown its clinical origins. In Freaks of History, James MacDonald presents two dramatic explorations of disability within the wider themes of sexuality, gender, foreignness, and the Other. Originally directed by Martin Harvey and performed by undergraduate students at the University of Exeter, Wellclose Square and Unsex Me Here analyze cultural marginalization against the backdrop of infamous historical events. MacDonald, who is cerebral palsied, recognizes that disability narratives are rarely written by and for disabled people. Therefore his plays, accompanied by critical essays and director's notes, are a welcome addition to the emerging discourse of Crip theory, and essential reading for disability students and academics alike.

Following a brief overview of the background observational material, the basic equations describing the structure and evolution of single stars are derived. The relevant physical processes, which include the equation of state, opacity, nuclear reactions and neutrino losses are then reviewed. Subsequent chapters describe the evolution of low-mass stars from formation to the final white dwarf phase.

This book comprises three related dramatic works, all of which use Russian theorist Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of carnival, a literary style designed to subvert dominant assumptions through chaos and humour. The texts blur the distinction between spectator and performer in an exploration of physical, moral and cultural upheaval in a postmodern age.

For the greater part of recorded history, the most successful and powerful states were autocracies; yet the world is increasingly dominated by democracies. This book provides a novel answer for how and why this political transformation occurred. It presents a history that starts in biblical times.