The astronomer’s observing chair as both image and object, and the story it tells about a particular kind of science and a particular view of history. The astronomer’s chair is a leitmotif in the history of astronomy, appearing in hundreds of drawings, prints, and photographs from a variety of sources. Nineteenth-century stargazers in particular seemed eager to display their observing chairs—task-specific, often mechanically adjustable observatory furniture designed for use in conjunction with telescopes. But what message did they mean to send with these images? In The Astronomer’s Chair, Omar W. Nasim considers these specialized chairs as both image and object, offering an original framework for linking visual and material cultures. Observing chairs, Nasim ingeniously argues, showcased and embodied forms of scientific labor, personae, and bodily practice that appealed to bourgeois sensibilities. Viewing image and object as connected parts of moral, epistemic, and visual economies of empire, Nasim shows that nineteenth-century science was represented in terms of comfort and energy, and that “manly” postures of Western astronomers at work in specialized chairs were contrasted pointedly with images of “effete” and cross-legged “Oriental” astronomers. Extending his historical analysis into the twentieth century, Nasim reexamines what he argues to be a famous descendant of the astronomer’s chair: Freud’s psychoanalytic couch, which directed observations not outward toward the stars but inward toward the stratified universe of the psyche. But whether in conjunction with the mind or the heavens, the observing chair was a point of entry designed for specialists that also portrayed widely held assumptions about who merited epistemic access to these realms in the first place. With more than 100 illustrations, many in color; flexibound.

Crossing Cultures provides a bold and refreshing new resource for teachers and trainers with proven methods for developing coping strategies and problem-solving skills in the cross-cultural arena. A comprehensive study structured to provide a framework for teaching; each chapter contains a teaching module, highlighting the potential difficulties, dialogues and variations in cross-cultural teaching. Ideal for those teaching Business across borders, this is a uniquely practical guide that features contributions from the leading lights of the field.

Traces the history of the chair and provides guidelines to assist the reader in choosing a chair that suits one's body.

Featuring contributions from some of the world's most renowned cross-cultural management theorists and commentators, this breakthrough text explores the cross-cultural dynamics within organizations. The book examines the evolving role of cultural diversity in the workplace, the application of cultural comprehension to organizations, and the measurement of various aspects of intercultural competence.

Transcultural Realities is an important collection of essays written by an outstanding cast of critical scholars who discuss the importance of transculture in interdisciplinary contexts. The primary goal of the contributors is to help the reader to understand that a state of "community" or "harmony" cannot be achieved in the world until we are all ready to accept different cultural forms, norms, and orientations. In this book, transculture is defined as a form of culture created not from within separate spheres, but in the holistic forms of diverse cultures. It is based on the principle that a single culture, in and of itself, is incomplete and requires interaction and dialogue with other cultures. Transcultural Realities is divided into five parts: Transcultural issues in international and cross-cultural contexts Historical and religious struggles within and between nations Socially constructed racial identities and their consequences for transculturalism in the United States The transformative effects of sojourning in diverse cultural environments The fundamentals of transcultural research Editors Virginia H. Milhouse, Molefi Kete Asante, and Peter O. Nwosu set out to meet three specific needs. First, that the book′s interdisciplinary approach to theory and practice in cross-cultural relations will make it an important book for several fields of study, including intercultural and interpersonal communication, international relations, human relations, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and sociology. Second, that the book will be a reference tool for scholars of transcultural researcch, providing up-to-date information on cross-cultural relations that are transcultural in nature. And finally, through the use of research is critical to a fuller understanding of cross-cultural relations in a transcultural world.