{"title":"Roland Betancourt","description":"\u003cp\u003eRoland Betancourt’s work navigates the intersections of culture, society, and innovation with a keen analytical eye. His titles explore complex themes such as historical perspectives, the impact of automation, and the nuanced narratives hidden beneath everyday experiences, offering readers a thoughtful blend of education and cultural insight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a strong foothold in both \u003cem\u003eEducation \u0026amp; Reference\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBusiness \u0026amp; Entrepreneurship\u003c\/em\u003e, Betancourt’s books invite reflection on how technological and social changes shape modern life. His writing is ideal for those interested in critical thought within \u003cstrong\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/strong\u003e and transformative ideas that drive contemporary discourse.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-secrets-we-keep-by-roland-betancourt-9781606069080","title":"The Secrets We Keep","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn intriguing look at secrecy during the Byzantine Empire and the role of the art historian in seeking truth.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSecrecy has played a role throughout human history and continues to capture the popular imagination. Some of the most seductive aspects of the Byzantine Empire—such as the relics of the imperial palace and the military uses of Greek fire—have been shrouded in mystery for centuries. \u003cem\u003eThe Secrets We Keep\u003c\/em\u003e provides a brief history of secrecy in Byzantium and examines the role of the art historian in uncovering the truth, demonstrating how visual evidence can not only reveal new findings but also purposely conceal answers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eArt historians face many challenges in their search for hidden knowledge, including accessing accounts preserved in fragmentary glimpses and reconciling how practices of speculation and reconstruction result in different, and sometimes contradictory, understandings. With pressing urgency, \u003cem\u003eThe Secrets We Keep\u003c\/em\u003e asks scholars to consider their role in articulating the stories of marginalized people, particularly for queer and trans history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the core of these investigations is the quest to discover how clandestine knowledge was transmitted and how relationships were strengthened by collective secret keeping, as well as how concealment is used as a strategy for exercising power. With insights into the religious, imperial, military, and cultural uses of secrecy, \u003cem\u003eThe Secrets We Keep\u003c\/em\u003e offers an intriguing look at the ways secrecy manifested itself during the Byzantine Empire and the implications it has for the issues we face today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47428319084780,"sku":"9781606069080","price":40.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781606069080.jpg?v=1774477650"},{"product_id":"byzantine-intersectionality-by-roland-betancourt-9780691179452","title":"Byzantine Intersectionality","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fascinating history of marginalised identities in the medieval world. While the term \u003cem\u003eintersectionality\u003c\/em\u003e was coined in 1989, the existence of marginalised identities extends back over millennia. \u003cem\u003eByzantine Intersectionality\u003c\/em\u003e reveals the fascinating, little-examined conversations in medieval thought and visual culture around matters of sexual and reproductive consent, bullying and slut-shaming, homosocial and homoerotic relationships, trans and nonbinary gender identities, and the depiction of racialised minorities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRoland Betancourt explores these issues in the context of the Byzantine Empire, using sources from late antiquity and early Christianity up to the early modern period. Highlighting nuanced and strikingly modern approaches by medieval writers, philosophers, theologians, and doctors, Betancourt offers a new history of gender, sexuality, and race.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBetancourt weaves together art, literature, and an impressive array of texts to investigate depictions of sexual consent in images of the Virgin Mary, tactics of sexual shaming in the story of Empress Theodora, narratives of transgender monks, portrayals of same-gender desire in images of the Doubting Thomas, and stereotypes of gender and ethnicity in representations of the Ethiopian Eunuch. He also gathers evidence from medical manuals detailing everything from surgical practices for late terminations of pregnancy to save a mother's life to a host of procedures used to affirm a person's gender.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShowing how understandings of gender, sexuality, and race have long been enmeshed, \u003cem\u003eByzantine Intersectionality\u003c\/em\u003e offers a groundbreaking look at the culture of the medieval world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47595892474092,"sku":"9780691179452","price":171.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/6e30c26d1aa438949836f81c70adb36a.jpg?v=1777932963"},{"product_id":"disneyland-and-the-rise-of-automation-by-roland-betancourt-9780691255873","title":"Disneyland and the Rise of Automation","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA history of the engineering marvels behind one of America’s most innovative and beloved entertainment experiences.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Disneyland opened to the public in 1955, it demystified the hidden world of factory automation through its extraordinary new attractions. In this fascinating book, Roland Betancourt tells the story of how the visionary engineers and designers at Disney transformed the technologies of the postwar assembly line into an entertainment experience unlike anything the world had ever seen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDisneyland and the Rise of Automation\u003c\/em\u003e traces the origins and evolution of these technical innovations during the theme park’s first three decades in operation, exploring how engineers reimagined the systems and machines of industrial manufacturing and the military. The magnetic tape used to test ballistic missiles was repurposed to animate the talking macaws in the Enchanted Tiki Room. Programmable Logic Controllers, widely used on automotive assembly lines, brought to life the spectacular rides of the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Space Mountain. Betancourt shows how these and other attractions helped to allay fears about automation and job displacement in 1950s America. Along the way, he situates Disneyland’s remarkable creations within a broader history of the technologies that increasingly order and construct the world around us, from the Fordist factory to artificial intelligence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEssential reading for anyone interested in engineering, corporate histories, or popular culture, \u003cem\u003eDisneyland and the Rise of Automation\u003c\/em\u003e invites us to consider how technology and the logic of automation become integrated into our lives through entertainment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67708881600748,"sku":"9780691255873","price":69.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780691255873-disneyland-and-the-rise-of-automation-1.jpg?v=1791838968"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/roland-betancourt.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}