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Carrie Mae Weems brings together for the first time five of this American photographer's most recent groups of work: the Sea Islands Series (1991-92), the Africa Series (1993), From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried (1995-96), Who What When Where (1998), and Ritual & Revolution (1998). These series, which rely mostly on photography and include other media such as sculpture, are powerful expressions of Weems's provocative, complex, and often humorous social observations. The themes that have dominated Weems's work over the course of her twenty-year career - identity, race, gender, class, the legacy of slavery, the African diaspora - are all highlighted here. An artist and a cultural critic, she has sought not only to criticize, but also to confront the viewer and provoke a change in attitudes.

"The work of sixty-six ceramic artists ... Featuring large, full color illustrations and extensive biographies"--Cover.

In The Roots of Pope Francis’s Social and Political Thought Thomas R. Rourke traces the development of Pope Francis’s thinking from his time as a Jesuit provincial through today. Meticulously researched, the book draws on decades of previously untranslated writings from Father Jorge Bergoglio, SJ, who went on to become archbishop and cardinal; this volume also references his recent writings as pope. The book explores the deepest roots of Pope Francis’s thinking, beginning with the experience of the Jesuit missions in Argentina (1500s – 1700s), showing how both the success and tragedy of the missions profoundly formed his social and political views. Subsequent chapters explore influences from the Second Vatican Council through today regarding culture, politics, and economics. In Pope Francis’s understanding, there is a perpetual tension between the attempts to redeem the social order through the Gospel and the never-ending attempts to dominate peoples and their lands through a variety of imperial projects that come from the powerful. What emerges is a profoundly Christian approach to the social, political, and economic problems of our time. The Pope is portrayed as an original thinker, independent of ideological currents, rooted in the Gospels and the tradition of Catholic social thought. In a time of division and violence, the writings of Pope Francis often point to the path of peace and justice.

"My story begins in Montreal on August 6, 1931, the day before my father died. I was not quite 5 years old, and I was the fourth of six siblings that my mother was left to raise -- at the height of the so-called 'Great Depression'. "I trace and comment on my life struggles through public school, high school and thence to my first university degree. Throughout, I faced the dual problem of going to school without having the mandatory fees. But I point out that I completed my education debt-free, never having applied for or received a student loan. "I also reveal how I coped with the double-edged difficulty of being both black and ambitious, while persevering in a mostly unwelcoming, white dominated environment. Then I tell how I managed to overcome numerous obstacles, to obtain a doctorate (in Organic Chemistry), and eventually go on to become a pioneering Canadian-born black scientist and educator -- more than 40 years ago. Parenthetically, the pivotal breakthrough in my professional career, took place at about the same time (1947) in the same city (Montreal), that Jackie Robinson was making his breakthrough into organized baseball. "So in every sense, this is the story of a 'Native Son'." Thomas (Tom) F. Massiah

A thoughtful reflection on how the "Francis revolution" can address the practical concerns of ordinary Catholics on a range of contemporary issues The papacy of Pope Francis has ushered in remarkable changes for the Roman Catholic Church. From a new emphasis on collegiality in ecclesial governance to a transformed set of public priorities for the global Church, Francis's unique model of pontifical leadership has far-reaching implications for virtually every aspect of Catholic practice. Catholic moral theology—particularly in the United States—has still not grappled fully with the emphases of Francis's pontificate. To address this lacuna, The Moral Vision of Pope Francis brings together a range of Catholic ethicists to reflect on Pope Francis's implicit approach to moral theology, establishing the unique insights of this first Jesuit pope. This evaluation of Pope Francis's teachings and actions draws out the moral vision animating his work and demonstrates how his moral vision should apply to Catholic ethical reflection on a range of contemporary issues. The Moral Vision of Pope Francis shows how the "Francis revolution" meaningfully addresses the practical concerns of Catholics in the United States.

Mercy in Action explores Pope Francis's remarkable efforts to renew catholic social teaching. The book examines what he has said, done, and written on six critical issues--economic inequality, worker justice, the environment, family life, refugees, and peacemaking--and highlights both continuity and change in Catholic social teaching.

"This work describes and analyzes the contribution of Pope Francis as an ethicist, a practitioner of discernment, a skilled communicator, and a strong advocate for social justice on the global stage"--