Sudan at the Brink

Posted on February 3rd, 2011
by FUPress

Protests in Khartoum over the past few days echo the recent unrest in Egypt and Tunisia. Protests came on the heels of the news that, after decades of conflict between the north and south, more than 95% of South Sudanese voted for independence.

Sudan at the Brink: Self-Determination and National Unity by Sudanese academic and politician, Francis Mading Deng, sheds important light on the complexities of the region and the challenges new leadership will face to maintain peace and promote unity.

Hear more from Dr. Francis Mading Deng and the lead–up to this landmark referendum.

National Youth Literacy Day

Posted on August 26th, 2010
by FUPress

August 26th is National Youth Literacy Day, a day focused on bringing awareness to the fundamental issue of youth education and literacy. Fordham University Press takes is passionate about literacy, and would like to spotlight the following four titles today:

Noted humanitarian and activist Dr. Kevin Cahill’s latest, Even in Chaos: Education in Times of Emergency, is a collection of essays written by world leaders and aid workers focusing on the vast importance of education and schools following destruction, natural disasters, war, and other catastrophes. (Now available in both paperback and hardcover)

The Dark Side of Literacy: Literature and Learning Not to Read is literary scholar Benjamin Bennett’s argument against the classical culture of reading. Since reading has long been thought to aid readers in understanding experiences they have not personally had, Bennett questions this association, calling attention to the fact that such an assumption can, in fact, be politically and morally dangerous. It’s an interesting, and not oft explored, side of the literacy issue.

Around the Book: Systems and Literacy is publishing in November, 2010. In it, Henry Sussman examines the past, present, and future of the book as a medium of information in an age of rapidly changing media. Through complex analysis of the nature of the book, Sussman concludes that the book is still a vital part of our culture–read it to learn all of the ways in which books still impact the way we live today.

The Pleasures of Memory: Learning to Read with Charles Dickens , publishing in February 2011, is Sarah Winter’s examination of just how Charles Dickens came to lodge himself into the global collective reading culture. She elucidates his methods, spotlighting his publishing process of serialization, his establishment of his authority as an author, and the ways in which his serialized fiction made use of memory and other senses, thus establishing his work as the very foundation of what think of as “reading” and “fiction” today.

National Teacher Day

Posted on May 4th, 2010
by FUPress

May 4 is National Teacher Day (as well as Star Wars Day, coincidentally). Fordham just released a new title from Kevin Cahill, director of Fordham’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs, called Even in Chaos: Education in Times of Emergency. The book comes at a time rife with global disasters, when the world’s people need education and the power of knowledge most. In this book, world leader, disaster relief volunteers, and other experts stress the importance of education around the world, especially in nations where devastation has struck.

We also have two Education titles on our White Sale list:

Counter-Institutions: Jacques Derrida and the Question of the University (NOW $12.00, Was $24)

The Gleam of Light: Moral Perfectionism in Dewey and Emerson (NOW $11, Was $22)

Meryl Streep Partners with Kevin Cahill and Fordham University to Promote Education

Posted on April 23rd, 2010
by FUPress

Academy Award-winning, world renowned actress Meryl Streep joined Fordham author and activist Kevin Cahill at the launch of his new book, Even in Chaos: Education in Times of Emergency, at the United Nations on April 21. Cahill, the director of the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham, advocates for the importance of education in times of emergency relief, stating that education should receive equal funding and attention as basic needs such as medical aid and supplies in refugee camps. The book contains 19 essays written by relief workers, experts in the field, and national leaders, several of whom were on hand at the launch to discuss the book with 65 distinguished guests.

Streep agrees with Cahill’s mission and the overarching statement of the book. She said, “”Young lives can be saved by the order and safety of school. It lets children know: here you are safe. Here there’s understanding. Here there is care. Here there’s a future and here’s how you’re going to get there.”

The book, publishing in May, closes with a poem by Maya Angelou. The faculty and administration at Fordham is so convinced of the vitality and necessity of this book and its mission that it’s required reading for each entering Fordham freshman, transfer student, and graduate student this fall semester.

Fordham salutes Dr. Cahill and all who are involved in the efforts to bring education into the lives of those most in need.

Academy Award-winning, world renowned actress Meryl Streep joined Fordham author and activist Kevin Cahill at the launch of his new book, Even in Chaos: Education in Times of Emergency, at the United Nations on April 21. Cahill, the director of … Full Story →

Sheri Fink wins Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting

Posted on April 15th, 2010
by FUPress

Sheri Fink, a contributor to The Pulse of Humanitarian Assistance, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting for her piece “Deadly Choices at Memorial,” a gripping piece about Memorial Medical Center, a hospital in New Orleans that was cut off from the city by flood waters during Hurricane Katrina. The piece focuses on the ethical and legal issues medical professionals were faced with during the devastating natural disaster. Hundreds of patients died, leading to a national investigation and a campaign to enforce clearer laws for medical personnel during these types of catastrophes. The piece, written over two years and using interviews with about 140 sources, was finally published in the New York Times Magazine on the fourth anniversary of Katrina, in 2009. The article had immediate ramifications for New Orleans and the medical community as a whole.

The Pulse of Humanitarian Assistance, edited by Dr. Kevin Cahill, is a collection of essays focusing on the very same issues, examining international humanitarian efforts, especially following wars and natural disasters.

Dr. Cahill, the director of Fordham’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs and president of the Center for International Health and Cooperation, has a new book called Even in Chaos: Education in Times of Emergency , published by Fordham and available in May. Even in Chaos takes an intimate and personal look at students, aid workers, and national leaders as they struggle to provide and obtain the basic right to education following catastrophe.

Congratulations, Dr. Fink!

Sheri Fink, a contributor to The Pulse of Humanitarian Assistance, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting for her piece “Deadly Choices at Memorial,” a gripping piece about Memorial Medical Center, a hospital in New Orleans that was cut … Full Story →