Gardens of Madeira—Gardens of the World: Contemporary Approaches - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1443822752 ISBN 13: 9781443822756

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010

Synopsis

The volume Gardens of Madeira Gardens of the World. Contemporary Approaches displays present tendencies in calling upon the idea of gardens, being a wide-range approach to their literary, sociological and cultural representations. The book`s four parts: 'Madeira: A Garden in the Sea?', 'Gardens as Temporal and Spatial Category. Cultural and Literary Approaches', 'Gardens as an Expression. Socio-cultural Perspectives' and 'Re-Creating the Archetypal Garden Discourses and Practices' refer to vast geographical and cultural areas, starting with the very complex sample of the overseas-yet-European Island of Madeira, and then joining the exemplification material from historical and contemporary European communities (with some luso-centric accents), including examples from the less known Slavonic and Eastern European countries. Those European issues are confronted with various non-European societies such as from Africa, Asia, and both Americas. Gardens evoke and express in many ways the present human condition, and - as such a process goes on - this book provides proposals for patterns to connect them to the modern and post-modern rules of self defining, reading the Other, interpreting world/national/cultural literatures, as well as to the various attempts to introduce the idea of gardens into the basic spatial and temporal aspects of contemporary communities. It also demonstrates the theoretical and practical attempts to project our 'gardens` dependence' on to one of the essentials for contemporary societies which are multicultural, urbanised, technologically equipped and dependent, but which still are keen on reading and constructing paradises as environmental and cultural spaces for both asylum and encounter. The huge advantage of the book is showing to scholars and the wider public how discourses from the past meet with the quests of both the Humanities and the Sciences for gardening inspirations, not only for the sake of the today s societies, but also when projecting the future of the Earth.

About this title

About the Author

JOSÉ EDUARDO FRANCO was awarded his PhD in 2004 in History and Civilisations at École de Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales about the myth of Jesuits in Portugal and Brazil. He is a Researcher and the Vice Director of CLEPUL Centre for Lusophone and European Literatures and Cultures, Faculty of Letters University of Lisbon and Coordinator of its Research group CLEPUL 4: European Literatures and Cultures. He is also the Vice President of CompaRes International Society for Iberian-Slavonic Studies, as well as the President of the European Institute of Culture of S.J. Manuel Antunes in Lisbon. Research interests: Myths of origin in the creation of nationalities, Ideas of Europe in the Portuguese Culture, Crossings of Cultural and Religious studies. Main publications: O Mito dos Jesuítas em Portugal, no Brasil, no Oriente e na Europa, Preface by Eduardo Lourenço, Bernard Vincent, Philippe Boutry and Luís Filipe Barreto, 2 Vols., Lisboa São Paulo, Gradiva e Editora Arkê, 2006; O mito do Marquês de Pombal: A mitificação do Primeiro-Ministro de D. José I pela Maçonaria, (co-authored by Annabela Rita), Lisboa, Prefácio Editora, 2004. ANA CRISTINA DA COSTA GOMES was awarded her PhD in 2008 in Modern History (Portuguese Culture) at the University of Lisbon. In 2001 she gained her Master degree on Modern History (Portuguese Culture), University of Lisbon. She is a Researcher at the Macao Scientific and Cultural Centre (CCCM), working on the Project 'Tomás Pereira (1646-1708), S.J., Life, Work and World'. She is the Director of the CCCM s library and a Member of the CCCM s Scientific Committee. Responsible for organizing eight international symposia, of which the most important are: 'Macau during the Ming Dynasty' (CCCM, 2007) and 'Tomas Pereira, S.J. (1646-1708): Life, Work and World' (CCCM, 2008). Teacher of Palaeography at the School of Decorative Arts of Foundation s Ricardo Espírito Santo and at the CCCM. BEATA ELZBIETA CIESZYNSKA was awarded her PhD in 1999 in Literary Studies at the University of Gdansk, Poland. She is a Researcher of CLEPUL Centre for Lusophone and European Literatures and Cultures, Faculty of Letters University of Lisbon and the Coordinator of its Research group 'CLEPUL 5' -: Iberian and Slavonic Literatures and Cultures, as well as the President of CompaRes International Society for Iberian-Slavonic Studies.

Review

'This collection is a highly successful encounter of interpretations of the idea of the garden in historical and present-day societies by joining different methods, points of view, research areas and perspectives well introduced by the titles of its four parts: 'Madeira: A Garden in the Sea?', 'Gardens as Temporal and Spatial Category. Cultural and Literary Approaches', 'Gardens as an Expression. Sociocultural Perspectives' and 'Re-Creating the Archetypal Garden Discourses and Practices'. Among the advantages of the book Gardens of Madeira Gardens of the world. Contemporary approaches one could point to the editors´ tendency to unite both practical and theoretical dimensions of the research field under discussion. It allows its readers to join the philosophical and literary analysis dedicated to gardens in the context of the triad 'Nature Art Science' with the very concrete and actual attempts to introduce the archetypical aspects of gardens in various social activities, such as the search for recreational spaces or intergenerational approximation.' --Danuta Künstler-Langner (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland)

'This book under review certainly could be of interest to a wider public with an interest in the Humanities as it offers a fresh attempt to reconstruct social and cultural spaces through the ideas of gardens. It is also worth mentioning that the Gardens of Madeira Gardens of the world. Contemporary approaches covers very wide topical and geographical areas, joining e. g. the analysis from the well represented European communities (including noticeable representations from the less known former Eastern Bloc countries), and some non-European societies (American, African and Asian). That certainly makes the referred book the widest present day approach to the literary, sociological and cultural representations of gardens. This book under review is also an excellent attempt to join leading research and social activity related to this topic. In fact, the volume provides a pattern to connect gardens to the modern and post-modern rules of self defining, reading the Other, interpreting the world/national/cultural literatures, as well as to the various attempts to introduce the idea of gardens into the basic spatial and temporal structures of contemporary mostly urban societies.' --Maria do Carme Fernández Pérez-Sanjulián (University of Coruña, Spain)

'This book under review certainly could be of interest to a wider public with an interest in the Humanities as it offers a fresh attempt to reconstruct social and cultural spaces through the ideas of gardens. It is also worth mentioning that the Gardens of Madeira Gardens of the world. Contemporary approaches covers very wide topical and geographical areas, joining e. g. the analysis from the well represented European communities (including noticeable representations from the less known former Eastern Bloc countries), and some non-European societies (American, African and Asian). That certainly makes the referred book the widest present day approach to the literary, sociological and cultural representations of gardens. This book under review is also an excellent attempt to join leading research and social activity related to this topic. In fact, the volume provides a pattern to connect gardens to the modern and post-modern rules of self defining, reading the Other, interpreting the world/national/cultural literatures, as well as to the various attempts to introduce the idea of gardens into the basic spatial and temporal structures of contemporary mostly urban societies.' --Maria do Carme Fernández Pérez-Sanjulián (University of Coruña, Spain)

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1443822752
• ISBN 13: 9781443822756
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 340
• Editor: Beata Elżbieta Cieszyńska, José Eduardo Franco, Ana Cristina Da Costa Gomes