Title search results
Showing 1 - 5 of 5 items
Scotland: a very short introduction (Very Short Introductions)
By Rab Houston. 2008
Professor of modern history examines Scotland's politics, laws, society, religious institutions, schools and universities, culture, and relationship with the world,…
including the factors that have distinguished it from England both before and after Union. 2008
Spirituality: a very short introduction (Very Short Introductions)
By Philip Sheldrake. 2012
Scholar and writer looks at the historical foundations of spirituality in the major world religions. Explores the concept of spiritual…
experience and considers its meaning, transformative power, and the impact it has on society. Contrasts spirituality and religion and considers spirituality in philosophy, anthropology, and psychology. 2012
Theology: a very short introduction (Very Short Introductions)
By David Ford. 2013
Professor of divinity surveys the central questions of theology, addressing believers and nonbelievers alike. Considers the principles underlying religious belief,…
such as the centrality of salvation to most major religions; the concept of God in ancient, modern, and postmodern contexts; and the issue of sin and evil. 2013
Sikhism: a very short introduction (Very short introductions)
By Eleanor Nesbitt. 2005
The Sikh religion has a following of over 20 million people worldwide and is one of the largest religions in…
the world. This book introduces newcomers to the meaning of Sikhism, its practices, rituals, and festivals. 2005.
Russian politics: A very short introduction
By Brian D Taylor. 2025
Russia is rarely out of the news. Yet Russian politics can be difficult to understand. It is powerfully shaped by…
large, impersonal forces such as geography, and Russia's place in the international political and economic system. At the same time, Russia's formal political institutions, such as the Constitution and electoral procedures, are relatively weak and manipulable compared to those of stable, established democracies. Under these circumstances, powerful leaders represent a source of potential dynamism and change. This Very Short Introduction provides a guide to understanding Russian Politics that goes beyond the headlines, offering a vivid account of the key forces driving Russian politics. It places Russia in a global context while explaining its internal political development. Several major themes run through the book, including the primacy of the state over society, the role of the so-called "West," which has represented a source of inspiration, of threat, and of competition for generations of Russians, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet collapse brought about dramatic change across multiple spheres, from the nature of the political and economic system to the country's borders and who counted as a citizen. To this day, Russia is still working its way through the consequences of these transformations