Synopses & Reviews
"Excellent."
--Tim Judah, The Economist
"An authoritative account of Albania's turbulent history since the death in 1985 of Enver Hoxha."
--Nigel Clive, The Spectator
"[The authors] are to be congratulated on the objective way in which they have presented the Albanian history of the last ten years."
--Tom Winnifrith, Times Literary Supplement
"Excellent."
--Tim Judah, The Economist
"An authoritative account of Albania's turbulent history since the death in 1985 of Enver Hoxha."
--Nigel Clive, The Spectator
"[The authors] are to be congratulated on the objective way in which they have presented the Albanian history of the last ten years."
--Tom Winnifrith, Times Literary Supplement
Situated between Greece on the south, the former Yugoslavia on the north and east, and the Adriatic Sea on the west, Albania is the country the world forgot.
Throughout this century, Albania has been perceived as primitive and isolationist by its neighbors to the west. When the country ended fifty years of communist rule in 1992, few outsiders took interest. Deemed unworthy of membership in the European Union and overlooked by multinational corporations, Albania stands today as one of the poorest and most ignored countries in Europe.
Miranda Vickers and James Pettifer take us behind the veil of former President Enver Hoxha's isolationist policies to examine the historic events leading up to Albania's transition to a parliamentary government. Beginning with Hoxha's death in 1985, Albania traces the last decade of Albania's shaky existence, from the anarchy and chaos of the early nineties to the victory of the Democratic Alliance in 1992 and the programs of the current government. The authors provide us with an analysis of how the moral, religious, economic, political and cultural identity of the Albanian people is being redefined, and leave no question that the future of Albania is inextricably linked to the future of the Balkans as a whole. In short, they tell us why Albania matters.
Review
"Excellent."-Tim Judah,The Economist
Review
"An authoritative account of Albania's turbulent history since the death in 1985 of Enver Hoxha." -Nigel Clive,The Spectator
Review
"Excellent." - Tim Judah, The Economist
"An authoritative account of Albania's turbulent history since the death in 1985 of Enver Hoxha." - Nigel Clive, The Spectator
"[The authors] are to be congratulated on the objective way in which they have presented the Albanian history of the last ten years." - Tom Winnifrith, Times Literary Supplement
"Excellent."
"An authoritative account of Albania's turbulent history since the death in 1985 of Enver Hoxha."
Review
"[The authors] are to be congratulated on the objective way in which they have presented the Albanian history of the last ten years."-Tom Winnifrith,Times Literary Supplement
Review
"A marvelous book, at once comprehensive and highly readable, a fascinating analysis of doomsday cults and apocalyptic anxiety." -Michael Owen Jones,University of California, Los Angeles
Review
"The End of the World As We Know It makes accessible to both scholars and general readers the amazing panorama of millenarian scenarios abounding in America at the end of the millennium." -Robert S. Ellwood,University of Southern California
Review
"Will stand for some time as the best survey and analysis of the meaning and place of apocalypticism and millennialism in American culture." -Religion and Literature,
Review
"Fascinating [and] intelligent . . . should be required reading." -Psychotronic,
Synopsis
Situated between Greece on the south, the former Yugoslavia on the north and east, and the Adriatic Sea on the west, Albania is the country the world forgot.
Throughout this century, Albania has been perceived as primitive and isolationist by its neighbors to the west. When the country ended fifty years of communist rule in 1992, few outsiders took interest. Deemed unworthy of membership in the European Union and overlooked by multinational corporations, Albania stands today as one of the poorest and most ignored countries in Europe.
Miranda Vickers and James Pettifer take us behind the veil of former President Enver Hoxha's isolationist policies to examine the historic events leading up to Albania's transition to a parliamentary government. Beginning with Hoxha's death in 1985, Albania traces the last decade of Albania's shaky existence, from the anarchy and chaos of the early nineties to the victory of the Democratic Alliance in 1992 and the programs of the current government. The authors provide us with an analysis of how the moral, religious, economic, political and cultural identity of the Albanian people is being redefined, and leave no question that the future of Albania is inextricably linked to the future of the Balkans as a whole. In short, they tell us why Albania matters.
Synopsis
From religious tomes to current folk prophesies, recorded history reveals a plethora of narratives predicting or showcasing the end of the world. The incident at Waco, the subway bombing by the Japanese cult Aum Supreme Truth, and the tragedy at Jonestown are just a few examples of such apocalyptic scenarios. And these are not isolated incidents; millions of Americans today believe the end of the world is inevitable, either by a divinely ordained plan, nuclear catastrophe, extraterrestrial invasion, or gradual environmental decay,
Examining the doomsday scenarios and apocalyptic predictions of visionaries, televangelists, survivalists, and various other endtimes enthusiasts, as well as popular culture, film, music, fashion, and humor, Daniel Wojcik sheds new light on America's fascination with worldly destruction and transformation. He explores the origins of contemporary apocalyptic beliefs and compares religious and secular apocalyptic speculation, showing us the routes our belief systems have traveled over the centuries to arrive at the dawn of a new millennium. Included in his sweeping examination are premillennial prophecy traditions, prophecies associated with visions of the Virgin Mary, secular ideas about nuclear apocalypse, the transformation of apocalyptic prophecy in the post-Cold War era, and emerging apocalyptic ideas associated with UFOs and extraterrestrials.
Timely, yet of lasting importance, The End of the World as We Know It is a comprehensive cultural and historical portrait of an age-old phenomenon and a fascinating guide to contemporary apocalyptic fever.
About the Author
Author of
The Albanians: A Modern History,
MIRANDA VICKERS is an historian of the Balkans and a regular contributor to newspapers and periodicals on Albanian affairs.
JAMES PETTIFER is Visiting Professor at the Institute of Balkan Studies at the University of Thessaloniki, and author of The Greeks: Land and People since the War and other books.