Category: Weekly Selection

Book of the Week: “Holocaust representations in history: an introduction”, by Daniel H. Magilow and Lisa Silverman

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“How the Holocaust is depicted and memorialized is key to our understanding of the atrocity and its impact. Through 18 case studies dating from the immediate aftermath of the genocide to the present day, Holocaust Representations in History explores this in detail.

Daniel H. Magilow and Lisa Silverman examine film, drama, literature, photography, visual art, television, graphic novels, memorials, and video games as they discuss the major themes and issues that underpin the chronicling of the Holocaust. Each chapter is focused on a critical debate or question in Holocaust history; the case studies range from well-known, commercially successful works about the Holocaust to controversial examples which have drawn accusations of profaning the memory of the genocide. This 2nd edition adds to the mosaic of representation, with new chapters analysing poetry in the wake of the Holocaust and video games from the here and now.

This unique volume provides an unmatched survey of key and controversial Holocaust representations and is of vital importance to anyone wanting to understand the subject and its complexities.”

Publisher: London, Bloomsbury, 2015
Call number: 940.53 HEIA 108574

Illustration (cropped): “Deutsche Kriegsgefangene in den Vereinigten Staaten sehen einen Bildbericht aus den deutschen Konzentrationslagern“, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Joseph Eaton.

Series of the Week: “Chernobyl”, by Johan Renck

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“Dramatising the true story of the 1986 nuclear accident, one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history, Chernobyl shines a light on the brave men and women who fought an unprecedented war against an invisible enemy, and who suffered and sacrificed, saving millions of lives, often at the cost of their own. “

Chernobyl has received the Golden Globe Award 2020 for the best miniseries.

5 episodes of 60 mns, 2019
Call number: 4.1 CHE2, HEIDVD 3652

Book of the Week: “Banking on climate change: How finance actors and regulatory regimes are responding”, by Megan Bowman

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The climate finance field is extremely new. This qualitative study on corporate climate finance spells out the importance of private capital finance and public finance in facilitating the transition to a low-carbon economy. You’ll find a thorough discussion and analysis of the discrete topics of finance and climate change, which will help you in your lending, investing and advising activities.

Megan Bowman draws upon the access she has received to senior bank managers and international workshops to explore the activities of multilateral development banks and specialized climate funds. She also considers the influences of corporate law and corporate governance norms on directors’ decision-making.

She examines the risk/return theory for a range of private finance actors, and explores how business case logic and corporate social responsibility influence financial behaviors. She also looks at the case for Chinese ‘state capital’ for global green investment.

Banking on Climate Change includes personal interviews with senior bank personnel, corporations and non-government organizations in the United States, Europe and Australia. This data will give you a key insight into how and why the banks make their decisions, and will be helpful for legal practitioners, policy-makers and anyone working in other private finance sectors.

Publisher: Alphen aan den Rijn, Kluwer Law International, 2015
Call Number: 347.73(050) HEIA 37833/24

Illustration (cropped): CC By-NC-SA 2.0 Lausanne Action Climat

Series of the week: “Years and years”, by Simon Cellan Jones and Lisa Mulcahy

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As we will very soon start a new decade, it may be time to have a look at the coming challenges.

“Years and Years follows the Lyons, a busy Manchester family. Daniel’s getting married to Ralph. Stephen and Celeste worry about their kids. Rosie’s chasing a new fella. Edith hasn’t been home for years. All presided over by Gran, the imperial Muriel. But when their lives all converge on one crucial night in 2019, the story accelerates into the future, following the lives and loves of the Lyons over the next 15 years.

And what a world! Everything we fear, and everything we hope for, happening around this tight-knit family. Society gets hotter, faster, madder, with the turmoil of politics, technology and distant wars affecting the Lyons in their day-to-day lives. Set against this, the Lyons have to navigate their everyday hopes and fears, knowing that one ordinary family could never change the world. Or could they?”

Season 1, 6 episodes of 59 mns, 2019
Call number: 942 YEA HEIDVD 3656

Book of the week: “Hong Kong under Chinese rule: economic integration and political gridlock”, by Zheng Yongnian and Yew Chiew Ping

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“This edited volume is a compilation of the analyses written by East Asian Institute experts on Hong Kong since the handover. It covers most, if not all the important events that have taken place in Hong Kong since 1997, including its economic integration and relations with China, its governance conundrums, the Hong Kong identity and nation-building, the implementation of the minimum wage, and the elections from 2011–2012.

The book’s panoramic view of Hong Kong makes it a useful resource for readers who seek a broad understanding of the city and how it has evolved after its return to China. It also offers some glimpses into the direction Hong Kong is heading in its socio-economic relations with China at both the state and society levels, as well as its domestic political developments and the prospects for democratization.”

Publisher: Hackensack, NJ, World Scientific, 2013
Call number: 951.231.7 HEIA 96347

Illustration (cropped and edited): Hong Kong, Cloud City by Andy Leung (Pixabay license)