Bahá’í World/Volume 33/Selected New Publications
Selected New Publications in English[edit]
Alain Locke: Faith and Philosophy
Christopher Buck. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 2005. 317 pp.
Alain Locke was one of the leading African-American intellectuals of his day. Best known as the father of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, he also pioneered calls for multicultural democracy. This book is a study of Locke’s identity and commitment as a Bahá’í, and explores how the Bahá’í principles influenced Locke’s thinking.
Beyond the Culture of Contest: From Adversarialism to Mutualism in an Age of Interdependence
Michael Karlberg. Oxford: George Ronald, 2004. 288 pp.
In his analysis of contemporary society, Michael Karlberg puts forward the thesis that our present “culture of contest” is both socially unjust and ecologically unsustainable and that the surrounding “culture of protest” is an inadequate response to the social and ecological problems it generates. Rather, the development of non-adversarial structures and practices is imperative. Dr. Karlberg considers various historical and contemporary expressions of mutualism and presents a case study of the Bahá’í community and its experience as a working, non-adversarial model of social practice.
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Close Connections: The Bridge Between Spiritual and Physical Reality[edit]
John S. Hatcher. Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 2005. 314 pp.
An exploration of the relationship between the material and the metaphysical. Author and scholar John Hatcher employs axioms drawn from the Bahá’í Faith as tools for probing answers to questions about physical reality.
One Common Faith[edit]
Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 2005. 64 pp.
A document produced by the Bahá’í World Centre for the study of Bahá’ís worldwide. One Common Faith, the Universal House of Justice explains, “reviews relevant passages from both the writing of Bahá’u’lláh and the scriptures of other faiths against the background of the contemporary crisis.”
A Radiant Gem: A Biography of Jináb-i-Fáḍil-i-Shirazi[edit]
Houri Falahi-Skuce. Victoria, BC: Trafford Publishing, 2004. 218 pp.
An account of the life of this erudite Islamic mystic who embraced the Bahá’í Faith, this book also includes many Tablets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed in honor of Jináb-i-Fáḍil.
The Story of Bahá’u’lláh, Promised One of All Religions[edit]
Druzelle Cederquist. Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 2005. 376 pp.
This book brings to life in rich detail the compelling story of the prophet and founder of the Bahá’í Faith.
A Study Guide to the Constitution of the Universal House of Justice[edit]
Guy Sinclair. Oxford: George Ronald, 2005. 288 pp.
Bahá’u’lláh established the Universal House of Justice in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas as the supreme administrative body of the Bahá’í Faith. Its Constitution was hailed by Shoghi Effendi as the “Most Great Law of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.” This guide provides insights into how this remarkable document was developed, annotations giving the source of each line of the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, a short compilation on the station of the Universal House of Justice, and questions and exercises about the Constitution.
Ṭáhirih: A Portrait in Poetry[edit]
Edited and translated by Amin Banani with Jascha Kessler and Anthony A. Lee. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 2004. 151 pp.
Original text and translation of 23 poems by the renowned nineteenth-century Persian poetess and early follower of the Báb named Ṭáhirih, in the original language and translated into English. Ṭáhirih’s work is deeply spiritual,
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startling, mystical, and surprisingly modern. Dr. Banani provides a full introduction to her life and work and extensive notes for each poem. (Studies in the Bábí and Bahá’í Religions series, vol. 17)
Ṭáhirih in History: Perspectives on Qurratu’l-‘Ayn from East and West Edited by Sabir Afaqi. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 2004. 306 pp.
This book brings together, for the first time, the most serious research that has been done on Ṭáhirih’s life. Included are the tributes written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, new essays on Ṭáhirih’s literary impact, the work of Indian and Pakistani scholars, early essays by E.G. Browne and A.L.M. Nicolas, along with more recent studies by contemporary scholars. (Studies in the Bábí and Bahá’í Religions series, vol. 16)
The Bahá’í Faith and the World’s Religions: Papers presented at Irfan Colloquia Edited by Moojan Momen. Oxford: George Ronald, 2005. 288 pp.
Papers comparing the Bahá’í Faith with other religions. Includes essays by Moojan Momen, Todd Lawson, Julio Savi, Robert Stockman, O. Osei, Enoch Tanyi, Margaret and Crispin Pemberton-Pigott, Albert K. Cheung, and Zaid Lundberg.
The Laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas Baharieh Ma‘ani and Sovaida Ewing. Oxford: George Ronald, 2004. 352 pp.
The authors trace the evolution of the major laws found in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas through the Old and New Testaments, the Qur’án and the writings of the Báb. Their straightforward account places the laws of Bahá’u’lláh in their historical context and provides fresh insights into their significance for building a new world order.