Books
Browse or search ANU Press' range of books or find out more about the publications' authors and co-publishers. Download the book for free or buy a print-on-demand copy.
Displaying results 381 to 390 of 796.
Maudu' »
A Way of Union with God
Authored by: Muhammad Adlin Sila
Publication date: November 2015
This volume offers a fascinating case study of the Sayyid community of Cikoang in South Sulawesi – in particular, an examination of the role of the descendants of Sayyid Jalaluddin al-‘Aidid, a Hadhrami merchant-teacher of great authority and charisma who is said to have initially settled in Gowa in the 17th century. It is of particular interest because the migration of Sayydid Jalaluddin occurred well before the major Hadhrami diaspora to Southeast Asia in the mid-19th century. Of particular interest is the way Sayyid Jalaluddin and his descendants became integrated within the Makassar community.
Sayyid Jalaluddin’s legacy to the Cikoang community is the Tarekat Bahr ul-Nur, whose mystic teachings expound the creation of the world from the ‘Nur Muhammad’. A consequence of this teaching is an enormous emphasis on the celebration of Maudu’ (Maulid or the Birth of the Prophet) as expressed in the local assertion: ‘My existence on this earth is for nothing but Maudu’.’ Every year this prompts the Cikoang community to hold one of the most elaborate and colourful Maulid celebrations in Indonesia.
This study was originally submitted as an MA thesis at ANU in 1998, but soon became recognised as an important contribution to Hadhrami studies. Its author, M. Adlin Sila, has since gone on to complete his PhD at ANU, Being Muslim in Bima of Sumbawa, Indonesia: Practice, Politics and Cultural Diversity. This study of Bima and its religious history establishes him as a major researcher on the diverse traditions of Islam in eastern Indonesia.
Shared Destiny »
Publication date: November 2015
Humanity as never before shares a common destiny, whether it be in terms of the resources of the planet, the global environment, economic integration, or the movement of peoples, ideas, cultures. For better or worse humankind is a Community of Shared Destiny 命运共同体.
The People’s Republic of China under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and its ‘Chairman of Everything’, Xi Jinping, has declared that it shares in the destiny of the countries of the Asia and Pacific region, as well as of nations that are part of an intertwined national self-interest. The Party, according to Marxist-Leninist-Maoist theory, is the vanguard of progressive social forces; it cleaves to the concept of shared destiny and its historical role in shaping that destiny. Since its early days nearly a century ago it has emphasised the collective over the individual, the end rather than the means. It addresses majority opinion while guiding and moulding the agenda both for today, and for the future.
Chapter notes are available to view online.
The First Fleet Piano: Volume One »
A Musician’s View
Authored by: Geoffrey Lancaster
Publication date: November 2015
During the late eighteenth century, a musical–cultural phenomenon swept the globe. The English square piano—invented in the early 1760s by an entrepreneurial German guitar maker in London—not only became an indispensable part of social life, but also inspired the creation of an expressive and scintillating repertoire. Square pianos reinforced music as life’s counterpoint, and were played by royalty, by musicians of the highest calibre and by aspiring amateurs alike.
On Sunday, 13 May 1787, a square piano departed from Portsmouth on board the Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet, bound for Botany Bay. Who made the First Fleet piano, and when was it made? Who owned it? Who played it, and who listened? What music did the instrument sound out, and within what contexts was its voice heard? What became of the First Fleet piano after its arrival on antipodean soil, and who played a part in the instrument’s subsequent history? Two extant instruments contend for the title ‘First Fleet piano’; which of these made the epic journey to Botany Bay in 1787–88?
The First Fleet Piano: A Musician’s View answers these questions, and provides tantalising glimpses of social and cultural life both in Georgian England and in the early colony at Sydney Cove. The First Fleet piano is placed within the musical and social contexts for which it was created, and narratives of the individuals whose lives have been touched by the instrument are woven together into an account of the First Fleet piano’s conjunction with the forces of history.
View ‘The First Fleet Piano: Volume Two Appendices’.
The First Fleet Piano: Volume Two Appendices »
A Musician’s View
Authored by: Geoffrey Lancaster
Publication date: November 2015
During the late eighteenth century, a musical–cultural phenomenon swept the globe. The English square piano—invented in the early 1760s by an entrepreneurial German guitar maker in London—not only became an indispensable part of social life, but also inspired the creation of an expressive and scintillating repertoire. Square pianos reinforced music as life’s counterpoint, and were played by royalty, by musicians of the highest calibre and by aspiring amateurs alike.
On Sunday, 13 May 1787, a square piano departed from Portsmouth on board the Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet, bound for Botany Bay. Who made the First Fleet piano, and when was it made? Who owned it? Who played it, and who listened? What music did the instrument sound out, and within what contexts was its voice heard? What became of the First Fleet piano after its arrival on antipodean soil, and who played a part in the instrument’s subsequent history? Two extant instruments contend for the title ‘First Fleet piano’; which of these made the epic journey to Botany Bay in 1787–88?
The First Fleet Piano: A Musician’s View answers these questions, and provides tantalising glimpses of social and cultural life both in Georgian England and in the early colony at Sydney Cove. The First Fleet piano is placed within the musical and social contexts for which it was created, and narratives of the individuals whose lives have been touched by the instrument are woven together into an account of the First Fleet piano’s conjunction with the forces of history.
View ‘The First Fleet Piano: Volume One’.
Bayesian Methods for Statistical Analysis »
Authored by: Borek Puza
Publication date: October 2015
Bayesian methods for statistical analysis is a book on statistical methods for analysing a wide variety of data. The book consists of 12 chapters, starting with basic concepts and covering numerous topics, including Bayesian estimation, decision theory, prediction, hypothesis testing, hierarchical models, Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, finite population inference, biased sampling and nonignorable nonresponse. The book contains many exercises, all with worked solutions, including complete computer code. It is suitable for self-study or a semester-long course, with three hours of lectures and one tutorial per week for 13 weeks.
Managing Under Austerity, Delivering Under Pressure »
Performance and Productivity in Public Service
Edited by: John Wanna, Hsu-Ann Lee, Sophie Yates
Publication date: October 2015
Contemporary public managers find themselves under pressure on many fronts. Coming off a sustained period of growth in their funding and some complacency about their performance, they now face an environment of ferocious competitiveness abroad and austerity at home. Public managers across Australia and New Zealand are finding themselves wrestling with expenditure reduction, a smaller public sector overall, sustained demands for productivity improvement, and the imperative to think differently about the optimal distribution of responsibilities between states, markets and citizens.
Given ever-shrinking resources, in terms of staffing, budgets and time, how can public managers and public services become more productive, more outcome-driven and more agile? How can we achieve better alignment between ever-growing citizen expectations and the realities of constrained service provision? What can we learn from the best combination of innovation and austerity already being delivered in other countries and sectors, including harnessing the grounded wisdom of frontline service delivery practitioners?
This book focuses on practical ways public managers at home and abroad are dealing with these shared dilemmas. It brings together renowned scholars in the fields of public sector productivity, performance management, ‘frugal innovation’ and budget stringency, with leading international and Australasian practitioners sharing their successes and challenges.
They Came to Murramarang »
A History of Murramarang, Kioloa and Bawley Point
Edited by: Sue Feary, Alastair Greig
Authored by: Bruce Hamon
Publication date: October 2015
Bruce Hamon’s They Came to Murramarang, first published in 1994, provides a unique combination of local history and personal recollections from a writer who witnessed the transformation of the Murramarang region from the timber era to modern times. This new edition retains the original character of Bruce’s engaging prose with additional chapters relating to Bruce’s life, the writing of the book, the Indigenous history of the region and the transformation of the area since the book was written. The book has also been enhanced by the insertion of additional photographs.
The Social Sciences in the Asian Century »
Publication date: September 2015
In this collection of essays, we reflect on what it means to practise the social sciences in the twenty-first century. The book brings together leading social scientists from the Asia-Pacific region. We argue for the benefit of dialogue between the diverse theories and methods of social sciences in the region, the role of the social sciences in addressing real-world problems, the need to transcend national boundaries in addressing regional problems, and the challenges for an increasingly globalised higher education sector in the twenty-first century. The chapters are a combination of theoretical reflections and locally focused case studies of processes that are embedded in global dynamics and the changing geopolitics of knowledge. In an increasingly connected world, these reflections will be of global relevance.
Deepening Reform for China's Long-term Growth and Development (Chinese version) »
深化改革与中国经济长期发展
Authored by: 宋立刚 ［澳〕(Ross Garnaut）蔡昉／主编
Publication date: September 2015
本书分为五个部分，共21篇文章。第一部分讨论了决 定经济增长速度的巨大力量。这些基本力量的相互作用， 决定着中国是否能够继续向前发展，并最终跨入发达经济 体行列。第二部分讨论了中国国内和全球正在盛行的环境 保护优先观念如何对经济发展某些方面产生重要影响。本 书的第三部分详细论述了金融领域的改革。它是贯彻经济 增长新模式的必备条件，具有效果直接、情况复杂、风险 较大的特点。在论述了金融领域改革后，本书第四部分重 点关注了要素市场，即土地市场、劳动力市场和外国直接 投资的作用。本书的第五部分共五篇文章，对决定生产力 增长的重要因素进行了考察。
Chinese print version of this book is available from Social Science and Academic Press
A Dissident Liberal »
The Political Writings of Peter Baume
Edited by: John Wanna, Marija Taflaga
Authored by: Peter Baume
Publication date: September 2015
In the ‘broad church’ of the Australian Liberal Party, rarely has there been a maverick so unrelenting in his commitment to personal principles as Senator Peter Baume. Over a parliamentary career spanning 17 years, three ministerial portfolios and five party leaders, Baume was increasingly pitted against his own party room.
In A Dissident Liberal: The Political Writings of Peter Baume, we learn of personal threats, crises, constitutional confrontation and the tension between conservatism and classical liberalism—and between ideology and toeing the party line. This collection of personal observations, speeches and commentaries on contentious policy issues presents a valuable resource for students of Australian political history.