New Books from WACC

Who Owns the Media, Global Trends and Local Resistances edited by Pradip Thomas and Zaharom Nain, published by Zed Books. Description: "The US model of media control and policy making is being rapidly exported across the world. Some countries are attempting to preserve their own cultural production, and there are moves to try to keep culture out of the control of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Many books on the political economy of communications have either focused on general tendencies internationally, or have focused on the links between markets and media freedom in specific countries and regions. The uniqueness of this book lies in its focus on both local and international forces. While critiquing international capital, it also acknowledges the bargains that are struck between the local operators and transnationals. The contributors demonstrate the misfit between media ownership and public accountability and look ahead for ways to enable citizens around the world become effective participants in media policy making."

Virtual Christianity, Potential and Challenge for the Churches by Jean-Nicolas Bazin and Jerome Cottin. Published by Risk books. How is the emerging Internet culture affecting Christian churches? How can churches influence the formation of the "virtual" world? Should we expect to find a new form of Christian faith evolving on the web, or simply to encounter a fresh means of experiencing Christian traditions? To what extent must churches resist tendencies present in the new media? Using both theoretical and practical approaches, the authors look at interactions between the churches and the Internet. They examine new information and communication technologies, and the philosophies -- secular and religious -- that accompany them; suggest ways in which Christian communities can realise the Internet's potential for supporting and strengthening the church's witness; and give examples of how websites may assist in the rediscovery of the gospel and inspire worship based in Christianity's unique vision of God's relationship to humanity.

Die Mauern des Schweigens brechen, Schritte auf dem Weg zu einer demokratischen Medienkultur .

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A New World is Possible, Ten Good Reasons to Educate for Peace, Practice Tolerance, Promote Interfaith Dialogue, Be in Solidarity, Promote Human Rights, by Marcelo Rezende Guimaraes. Finding reasons to educate for peace, promoting tolerance that does not just mean putting up with another person, following a path of inter-religious ad intercultural dialogue, developing solidarity as a principle of coexistence and defending human rights as the basis of civilization is the only ay of making a new world possible. Knowing that peace and violence are cultural constructs created by people is good news, because it means we have the power to change cultures and to educate ourselves for a more loving and just way of living together. Behind the expertise with which the author tackles the complexity of thhis book's themes lies a great love of humanity and the people that make up our world. More details from Philip Lee