Author: Bill Hybels
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310566037
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 148
Book Description
Pastor Bill Hybels believes that there is a new reality in America. The church has entered an era of growth and unprecedented spiritual opportunity to share the Gospel, yet at the same time we face a shrinking economy and a world in crisis. This poses a great resource challenge for the church. In order to reach out to people who are spiritually hungry, the church needs more people to be equipped to serve others. Hybels passionately believes the key to the future of the church is the equation "X (paid staff) + Y (volunteers) = Z (bearing much fruit for God’s glory)." Churches cannot afford to continue hiring more and more staff with limited budgets. The key to resourcing the church is what Hybels calls "the Y factor." The Y factor is the pool of volunteers in every church. The great need of the church is to grow the church’s volunteer base through the equipping ministry of church staffs. As churches recover the message of Ephesians 4:11-12 to "equip God’s people for works of service" they will launch a Volunteer Revolution. People are just waiting to discover the gifts and passions that God has given them to serve others and then be invited to use those gifts and passions through the local church in order to advance the kingdom of God on Earth. Hybels believes that every church staff should be helping people discover their spiritual gifts, passions and place of service in order to meet the growing needs in our churches and world. Hybels makes a clarion call to move beyond volunteer retention to volunteer acquisition. By attracting, connecting, training, and sustaining volunteers, churches will mobilize people into places of service that will bring new meaning to their lives and understand why God put them on planet Earth. Hybels also outlines how we can build lifelong volunteers in the church through community, celebration, and commendation.
The Volunteer Revolution
Author: Bill Hybels
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310566037
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 148
Book Description
Pastor Bill Hybels believes that there is a new reality in America. The church has entered an era of growth and unprecedented spiritual opportunity to share the Gospel, yet at the same time we face a shrinking economy and a world in crisis. This poses a great resource challenge for the church. In order to reach out to people who are spiritually hungry, the church needs more people to be equipped to serve others. Hybels passionately believes the key to the future of the church is the equation "X (paid staff) + Y (volunteers) = Z (bearing much fruit for God’s glory)." Churches cannot afford to continue hiring more and more staff with limited budgets. The key to resourcing the church is what Hybels calls "the Y factor." The Y factor is the pool of volunteers in every church. The great need of the church is to grow the church’s volunteer base through the equipping ministry of church staffs. As churches recover the message of Ephesians 4:11-12 to "equip God’s people for works of service" they will launch a Volunteer Revolution. People are just waiting to discover the gifts and passions that God has given them to serve others and then be invited to use those gifts and passions through the local church in order to advance the kingdom of God on Earth. Hybels believes that every church staff should be helping people discover their spiritual gifts, passions and place of service in order to meet the growing needs in our churches and world. Hybels makes a clarion call to move beyond volunteer retention to volunteer acquisition. By attracting, connecting, training, and sustaining volunteers, churches will mobilize people into places of service that will bring new meaning to their lives and understand why God put them on planet Earth. Hybels also outlines how we can build lifelong volunteers in the church through community, celebration, and commendation.
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310566037
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 148
Book Description
Pastor Bill Hybels believes that there is a new reality in America. The church has entered an era of growth and unprecedented spiritual opportunity to share the Gospel, yet at the same time we face a shrinking economy and a world in crisis. This poses a great resource challenge for the church. In order to reach out to people who are spiritually hungry, the church needs more people to be equipped to serve others. Hybels passionately believes the key to the future of the church is the equation "X (paid staff) + Y (volunteers) = Z (bearing much fruit for God’s glory)." Churches cannot afford to continue hiring more and more staff with limited budgets. The key to resourcing the church is what Hybels calls "the Y factor." The Y factor is the pool of volunteers in every church. The great need of the church is to grow the church’s volunteer base through the equipping ministry of church staffs. As churches recover the message of Ephesians 4:11-12 to "equip God’s people for works of service" they will launch a Volunteer Revolution. People are just waiting to discover the gifts and passions that God has given them to serve others and then be invited to use those gifts and passions through the local church in order to advance the kingdom of God on Earth. Hybels believes that every church staff should be helping people discover their spiritual gifts, passions and place of service in order to meet the growing needs in our churches and world. Hybels makes a clarion call to move beyond volunteer retention to volunteer acquisition. By attracting, connecting, training, and sustaining volunteers, churches will mobilize people into places of service that will bring new meaning to their lives and understand why God put them on planet Earth. Hybels also outlines how we can build lifelong volunteers in the church through community, celebration, and commendation.
Community Volunteers in Japan
Author: Lynne Y. Nakano
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415323161
Category : Voluntarism
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
Based on extensive original research, this book explores the reality of volunteering in an urban residential Japanese neighbourhood.
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415323161
Category : Voluntarism
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
Based on extensive original research, this book explores the reality of volunteering in an urban residential Japanese neighbourhood.
Simply Strategic Volunteers
Author: Tony Morgan
Publisher: Group Publishing (Company)
ISBN: 9780764427565
Category : Church management
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Power up your ministry with empowered people! These in-the-trenches authors show you how to help volunteers use their strengths to benefit the church--and their spiritual growth. Following in the footsteps of Simply Strategic Stuff, this comprehensive resource offers 99 straightforward solutions to help you recruit, train, motivate, and keep volunteers in ministry. Lead people from being consumers in the church to being contributors--and help them find greater personal fulfillment in the process. The authors give you field-tested ideas on how to: Create a serving environment, Structure unique serving roles, Help people learn how God has wired them for ministry and more. It's simple--when you're strategic!
Publisher: Group Publishing (Company)
ISBN: 9780764427565
Category : Church management
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Power up your ministry with empowered people! These in-the-trenches authors show you how to help volunteers use their strengths to benefit the church--and their spiritual growth. Following in the footsteps of Simply Strategic Stuff, this comprehensive resource offers 99 straightforward solutions to help you recruit, train, motivate, and keep volunteers in ministry. Lead people from being consumers in the church to being contributors--and help them find greater personal fulfillment in the process. The authors give you field-tested ideas on how to: Create a serving environment, Structure unique serving roles, Help people learn how God has wired them for ministry and more. It's simple--when you're strategic!
Revolutionary Armies in the Modern Era
Author: S.P. Mackenzie
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135091196
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 253
Book Description
This presents a major re-evaluation of the standard view of revolutionary armies, the range of attitudes towards the role of heroic individuals, the formation and leadership of armies, and the differences and similarities between such armies. Beginning with an exploration of the New Model Army of the 1640s, a force whose name itself seems to denote its revolutionary credentials, the author presents ten case studies from around the globe, including the American War of Independence, The French Revolution, The Zulu-Boer War, the Waffen SS and the Viet-Cong. Through a detailed analysis of source material, he examines the images connected with these armies, both historical and recent, and assesses these images in their socio-political and nationalist contexts.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135091196
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 253
Book Description
This presents a major re-evaluation of the standard view of revolutionary armies, the range of attitudes towards the role of heroic individuals, the formation and leadership of armies, and the differences and similarities between such armies. Beginning with an exploration of the New Model Army of the 1640s, a force whose name itself seems to denote its revolutionary credentials, the author presents ten case studies from around the globe, including the American War of Independence, The French Revolution, The Zulu-Boer War, the Waffen SS and the Viet-Cong. Through a detailed analysis of source material, he examines the images connected with these armies, both historical and recent, and assesses these images in their socio-political and nationalist contexts.
Recruiting and Managing Volunteers in Museums
Author: Kristy Van Hoven
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442262524
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 147
Book Description
We are in the middle of a museum paradigm shift and a new type of museum volunteer is emerging from the community. Non-profit volunteers are looking for unique and satisfying ways to engage in their communities and museums are primed to offer just the experiences these volunteers are looking for. Here’s a practical exploration of the differences between the “then” and “now” volunteers and solid advice on volunteer recruitment, communication, and retention strategies. Kristy Van Hoven and Loni Wellman will help you answer the questions: What are new volunteers looking for? What is their motivation? How can you spot the hidden gems in your local community? How can you develop a successful relationship with potential volunteers? How do you keep the museum volunteer motivated and happy? What can teens, adults and retiring professionals bring to your organization? How can your museum support a robust and active volunteer program? How do you reward volunteers and keep them for the long term? and, most importantly, How can you meet volunteer’s needs and still benefit from their work? The Guide highlights successful projects, incentives, and general museum culture which support volunteer activities and includes examples of Volunteer Job Descriptions, Calls for Volunteers, Evaluation forms, as well as volunteer project outlines. Written in a light hearted spirit, Recruiting and Managing Volunteers in Museums: A Handbook to Volunteer Management will engage and inform any professional tasked with developing and managing a volunteer program at their institution. Museums offer an amazing array of volunteer opportunities that help create a greater sense of belonging and purpose for the volunteer. With a growing number of retiring professionals and students looking for professional experiences, now is the time to embark on developing a volunteer program that will thrive in the years to come.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442262524
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 147
Book Description
We are in the middle of a museum paradigm shift and a new type of museum volunteer is emerging from the community. Non-profit volunteers are looking for unique and satisfying ways to engage in their communities and museums are primed to offer just the experiences these volunteers are looking for. Here’s a practical exploration of the differences between the “then” and “now” volunteers and solid advice on volunteer recruitment, communication, and retention strategies. Kristy Van Hoven and Loni Wellman will help you answer the questions: What are new volunteers looking for? What is their motivation? How can you spot the hidden gems in your local community? How can you develop a successful relationship with potential volunteers? How do you keep the museum volunteer motivated and happy? What can teens, adults and retiring professionals bring to your organization? How can your museum support a robust and active volunteer program? How do you reward volunteers and keep them for the long term? and, most importantly, How can you meet volunteer’s needs and still benefit from their work? The Guide highlights successful projects, incentives, and general museum culture which support volunteer activities and includes examples of Volunteer Job Descriptions, Calls for Volunteers, Evaluation forms, as well as volunteer project outlines. Written in a light hearted spirit, Recruiting and Managing Volunteers in Museums: A Handbook to Volunteer Management will engage and inform any professional tasked with developing and managing a volunteer program at their institution. Museums offer an amazing array of volunteer opportunities that help create a greater sense of belonging and purpose for the volunteer. With a growing number of retiring professionals and students looking for professional experiences, now is the time to embark on developing a volunteer program that will thrive in the years to come.
Revolutionaries for the Right
Author: Kyle Burke
Publisher: UNC Press Books
ISBN: 1469640740
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
Freedom fighters. Guerrilla warriors. Soldiers of fortune. The many civil wars and rebellions against communist governments drew heavily from this cast of characters. Yet from Nicaragua to Afghanistan, Vietnam to Angola, Cuba to the Congo, the connections between these anticommunist groups have remained hazy and their coordination obscure. Yet as Kyle Burke reveals, these conflicts were the product of a rising movement that sought paramilitary action against communism worldwide. Tacking between the United States and many other countries, Burke offers an international history not only of the paramilitaries who started and waged small wars in the second half of the twentieth century but of conservatism in the Cold War era. From the start of the Cold War, Burke shows, leading U.S. conservatives and their allies abroad dreamed of an international anticommunist revolution. They pinned their hopes to armed men, freedom fighters who could unravel communist states from within. And so they fashioned a global network of activists and state officials, guerrillas and mercenaries, ex-spies and ex-soldiers to sponsor paramilitary campaigns in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Blurring the line between state-sanctioned and vigilante violence, this armed crusade helped radicalize right-wing groups in the United States while also generating new forms of privatized warfare abroad.
Publisher: UNC Press Books
ISBN: 1469640740
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
Freedom fighters. Guerrilla warriors. Soldiers of fortune. The many civil wars and rebellions against communist governments drew heavily from this cast of characters. Yet from Nicaragua to Afghanistan, Vietnam to Angola, Cuba to the Congo, the connections between these anticommunist groups have remained hazy and their coordination obscure. Yet as Kyle Burke reveals, these conflicts were the product of a rising movement that sought paramilitary action against communism worldwide. Tacking between the United States and many other countries, Burke offers an international history not only of the paramilitaries who started and waged small wars in the second half of the twentieth century but of conservatism in the Cold War era. From the start of the Cold War, Burke shows, leading U.S. conservatives and their allies abroad dreamed of an international anticommunist revolution. They pinned their hopes to armed men, freedom fighters who could unravel communist states from within. And so they fashioned a global network of activists and state officials, guerrillas and mercenaries, ex-spies and ex-soldiers to sponsor paramilitary campaigns in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Blurring the line between state-sanctioned and vigilante violence, this armed crusade helped radicalize right-wing groups in the United States while also generating new forms of privatized warfare abroad.
Ethics and Risk Management
Author: Lina Svedin
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 168123095X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 205
Book Description
The underlying rationale for this book is to present research that a) highlights the explosively political and deeply divisive issues involved in managing risk and b) address the empirical deficit and theoretical challenges related to managing societal risk ethically. Extant risk management research borrows heavily from engineering, systems theory and business management, and is primarily focused on probabilities, modeling, and abstractions of the value of mitigative action. This research engenders a false sense of objectivity and it de-politicizes fundamental political and democratic questions about the allocation of society’s scarce resources and about the balance of responsibilities between governing institutions and individuals with regard to risk. The quantitative and hard-science focus on risk also keeps a discussion of the consequences of the distribution of risk, resources and responsibilities for real people out of the lime light. The contributors to this book are experts in a wide range of academic fields and in this book they take on the challenge of examining their core research with a specific ethics perspective. They explore the ethics of risk management using theory, cases and data from a range of policy areas, countries and philosophical traditions. This book should be of interest to scholars and practitioners working in fields that deal either implicitly or explicitly with risk. This would include, but is not limited to, scholars and students of public management, public sector ethics, public policy, risk regulation, and risk management. The book deals directly with core problems of management in the public sector, value-conflicts, multiple principals and stakeholders, as well as information analysis and the application of sound and valid decision-making processes. The book can be adopted as a core text for graduate courses in public management, public policy, public administration ethics, and comparative politics. It would also work well as an applied theory text in comparative politics; ethics centered courses in political science, as well as more narrowly focused courses on risk, crisis and disaster management. For the practitioner audience, this book pin-points the ethical stakes, the analytical and managerial challenges, and the necessary tools to meet the many risks that societies face. This book, Ethics and Risk Management, provides a unique take on the realities of cost-benefit analysis, efforts to control and regulate risk and risky behavior, as well as the decidedly bounded rationality with which we, as decision-makers and citizens, perceive and take risks. The work of identifying, understanding, prioritizing and designing effective tools to mitigate and manage risk is an inherently analytical and strategic process best suited to take place before and between crises. Successful risk analysis and management reduces the general occurrence of crises, while the ethical analysis and management of risk serves to reduce the likelihood of subsequent socio-political turmoil should a crisis occur. Thus, the investment that any practitioner makes in risk management has the potential to yield both social and political benefits if the analysis and work is done with an eye toward ethics and stakeholder analysis.
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 168123095X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 205
Book Description
The underlying rationale for this book is to present research that a) highlights the explosively political and deeply divisive issues involved in managing risk and b) address the empirical deficit and theoretical challenges related to managing societal risk ethically. Extant risk management research borrows heavily from engineering, systems theory and business management, and is primarily focused on probabilities, modeling, and abstractions of the value of mitigative action. This research engenders a false sense of objectivity and it de-politicizes fundamental political and democratic questions about the allocation of society’s scarce resources and about the balance of responsibilities between governing institutions and individuals with regard to risk. The quantitative and hard-science focus on risk also keeps a discussion of the consequences of the distribution of risk, resources and responsibilities for real people out of the lime light. The contributors to this book are experts in a wide range of academic fields and in this book they take on the challenge of examining their core research with a specific ethics perspective. They explore the ethics of risk management using theory, cases and data from a range of policy areas, countries and philosophical traditions. This book should be of interest to scholars and practitioners working in fields that deal either implicitly or explicitly with risk. This would include, but is not limited to, scholars and students of public management, public sector ethics, public policy, risk regulation, and risk management. The book deals directly with core problems of management in the public sector, value-conflicts, multiple principals and stakeholders, as well as information analysis and the application of sound and valid decision-making processes. The book can be adopted as a core text for graduate courses in public management, public policy, public administration ethics, and comparative politics. It would also work well as an applied theory text in comparative politics; ethics centered courses in political science, as well as more narrowly focused courses on risk, crisis and disaster management. For the practitioner audience, this book pin-points the ethical stakes, the analytical and managerial challenges, and the necessary tools to meet the many risks that societies face. This book, Ethics and Risk Management, provides a unique take on the realities of cost-benefit analysis, efforts to control and regulate risk and risky behavior, as well as the decidedly bounded rationality with which we, as decision-makers and citizens, perceive and take risks. The work of identifying, understanding, prioritizing and designing effective tools to mitigate and manage risk is an inherently analytical and strategic process best suited to take place before and between crises. Successful risk analysis and management reduces the general occurrence of crises, while the ethical analysis and management of risk serves to reduce the likelihood of subsequent socio-political turmoil should a crisis occur. Thus, the investment that any practitioner makes in risk management has the potential to yield both social and political benefits if the analysis and work is done with an eye toward ethics and stakeholder analysis.
I Want You!
Author: Bernard D. Rostker
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833040685
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 833
Book Description
As U.S. military forces appear overcommitted and some ponder a possible return to the draft, the timing is ideal for a review of how the American military transformed itself over the past five decades, from a poorly disciplined force of conscripts and draft-motivated "volunteers" to a force of professionals revered throughout the world. Starting in the early 1960s, this account runs through the current war in Iraq, with alternating chapters on the history of the all-volunteer force and the analytic background that supported decisionmaking. The author participated as an analyst and government policymaker in many of the events covered in this book. His insider status and access offer a behind-the-scenes look at decisionmaking within the Pentagon and White House. The book includes a foreword by former Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird. The accompanying DVD contains more than 1,700 primary-source documents-government memoranda, Presidential memos and letters, staff papers, and reports-linked directly from citations in the electronic version of the book. This unique technology presents a treasure trove of materials for specialists, researchers, and students of military history, public administration, and government affairs to draw upon.
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833040685
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 833
Book Description
As U.S. military forces appear overcommitted and some ponder a possible return to the draft, the timing is ideal for a review of how the American military transformed itself over the past five decades, from a poorly disciplined force of conscripts and draft-motivated "volunteers" to a force of professionals revered throughout the world. Starting in the early 1960s, this account runs through the current war in Iraq, with alternating chapters on the history of the all-volunteer force and the analytic background that supported decisionmaking. The author participated as an analyst and government policymaker in many of the events covered in this book. His insider status and access offer a behind-the-scenes look at decisionmaking within the Pentagon and White House. The book includes a foreword by former Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird. The accompanying DVD contains more than 1,700 primary-source documents-government memoranda, Presidential memos and letters, staff papers, and reports-linked directly from citations in the electronic version of the book. This unique technology presents a treasure trove of materials for specialists, researchers, and students of military history, public administration, and government affairs to draw upon.
The Revolution That Wasn’t
Author: Jen Schradie
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674240448
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 417
Book Description
This surprising study of online political mobilization shows that money and organizational sophistication influence politics online as much as off, and casts doubt on the democratizing power of digital activism. The internet has been hailed as a leveling force that is reshaping activism. From the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street to Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, digital activism seemed cheap, fast, and open to all. Now this celebratory narrative finds itself competing with an increasingly sinister story as platforms like Facebook and Twitter—once the darlings of digital democracy—are on the defensive for their role in promoting fake news. While hashtag activism captures headlines, conservative digital activism is proving more effective on the ground. In this sharp-eyed and counterintuitive study, Jen Schradie shows how the web has become another weapon in the arsenal of the powerful. She zeroes in on workers’ rights advocacy in North Carolina and finds a case study with broad implications. North Carolina’s hard-right turn in the early 2010s should have alerted political analysts to the web’s antidemocratic potential: amid booming online organizing, one of the country’s most closely contested states elected the most conservative government in North Carolina’s history. The Revolution That Wasn’t identifies the reasons behind this previously undiagnosed digital-activism gap. Large hierarchical political organizations with professional staff can amplify their digital impact, while horizontally organized volunteer groups tend to be less effective at translating online goodwill into meaningful action. Not only does technology fail to level the playing field, it tilts it further, so that only the most sophisticated and well-funded players can compete.
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674240448
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 417
Book Description
This surprising study of online political mobilization shows that money and organizational sophistication influence politics online as much as off, and casts doubt on the democratizing power of digital activism. The internet has been hailed as a leveling force that is reshaping activism. From the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street to Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, digital activism seemed cheap, fast, and open to all. Now this celebratory narrative finds itself competing with an increasingly sinister story as platforms like Facebook and Twitter—once the darlings of digital democracy—are on the defensive for their role in promoting fake news. While hashtag activism captures headlines, conservative digital activism is proving more effective on the ground. In this sharp-eyed and counterintuitive study, Jen Schradie shows how the web has become another weapon in the arsenal of the powerful. She zeroes in on workers’ rights advocacy in North Carolina and finds a case study with broad implications. North Carolina’s hard-right turn in the early 2010s should have alerted political analysts to the web’s antidemocratic potential: amid booming online organizing, one of the country’s most closely contested states elected the most conservative government in North Carolina’s history. The Revolution That Wasn’t identifies the reasons behind this previously undiagnosed digital-activism gap. Large hierarchical political organizations with professional staff can amplify their digital impact, while horizontally organized volunteer groups tend to be less effective at translating online goodwill into meaningful action. Not only does technology fail to level the playing field, it tilts it further, so that only the most sophisticated and well-funded players can compete.
Composing for the Revolution
Author: Joshua H. Howard
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824885732
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
In Composing for the Revolution: Nie Er and China’s Sonic Nationalism, Joshua Howard explores the role the songwriter Nie Er played in the 1930s proletarian arts movement and the process by which he became a nationalist icon. Composed only months before his untimely death in 1935, Nie Er’s last song, the “March of the Volunteers,” captured the rising anti-Japanese sentiment and was selected as China’s national anthem with the establishment of the People’s Republic. Nie was quickly canonized after his death and later recast into the “People’s Musician” during the 1950s, effectively becoming a national monument. Howard engages two historical paradigms that have dominated the study of twentieth-century China: revolution and modernity. He argues that Nie Er, active in the leftist artistic community and critical of capitalism, availed himself of media technology, especially the emerging sound cinema, to create a modern, revolutionary, and nationalist music. This thesis stands as a powerful corrective to a growing literature on the construction of a Chinese modernity, which has privileged the mass consumer culture of Shanghai and consciously sought to displace the focus on China’s revolutionary experience. Composing for the Revolution also provides insight into understudied aspects of China’s nationalism—its sonic and musical dimensions. Howard’s analyses highlights Nie’s extensive writings on the political function of music, examination of the musical techniques and lyrics of compositions within the context of left-wing cinema, and also the transmission of his songs through film, social movements, and commemoration. Nie Er shared multiple and overlapping identities based on regionalism, nationalism, and left-wing internationalism. His march songs, inspired by Soviet “mass songs,” combined Western musical structure and aesthetic with elements of Chinese folk music. The songs’ ideological message promoted class nationalism, but his “March of the Volunteers” elevated his music to a universal status thereby transcending the nation. Traversing the life and legacy of Nie Er, Howard offers readers a profound insight into the meanings of nationalism and memory in contemporary China. Composing for the Revolution underscores the value of careful reading of sources and the author’s willingness to approach a subject from multiple perspectives.
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824885732
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
In Composing for the Revolution: Nie Er and China’s Sonic Nationalism, Joshua Howard explores the role the songwriter Nie Er played in the 1930s proletarian arts movement and the process by which he became a nationalist icon. Composed only months before his untimely death in 1935, Nie Er’s last song, the “March of the Volunteers,” captured the rising anti-Japanese sentiment and was selected as China’s national anthem with the establishment of the People’s Republic. Nie was quickly canonized after his death and later recast into the “People’s Musician” during the 1950s, effectively becoming a national monument. Howard engages two historical paradigms that have dominated the study of twentieth-century China: revolution and modernity. He argues that Nie Er, active in the leftist artistic community and critical of capitalism, availed himself of media technology, especially the emerging sound cinema, to create a modern, revolutionary, and nationalist music. This thesis stands as a powerful corrective to a growing literature on the construction of a Chinese modernity, which has privileged the mass consumer culture of Shanghai and consciously sought to displace the focus on China’s revolutionary experience. Composing for the Revolution also provides insight into understudied aspects of China’s nationalism—its sonic and musical dimensions. Howard’s analyses highlights Nie’s extensive writings on the political function of music, examination of the musical techniques and lyrics of compositions within the context of left-wing cinema, and also the transmission of his songs through film, social movements, and commemoration. Nie Er shared multiple and overlapping identities based on regionalism, nationalism, and left-wing internationalism. His march songs, inspired by Soviet “mass songs,” combined Western musical structure and aesthetic with elements of Chinese folk music. The songs’ ideological message promoted class nationalism, but his “March of the Volunteers” elevated his music to a universal status thereby transcending the nation. Traversing the life and legacy of Nie Er, Howard offers readers a profound insight into the meanings of nationalism and memory in contemporary China. Composing for the Revolution underscores the value of careful reading of sources and the author’s willingness to approach a subject from multiple perspectives.