1916
in British and Irish Literature
Published online September 2012.
Article. 10280 words.
The Easter Rising of 1916 is seen as the most significant single event in modern Irish history. On Monday, 24 April 1916, a group of Irish Volunteers, led by members of the secret...
Aaron
in Biblical Studies
Published online March 2013.
Article. Subjects: biblical studies. 4600 words.
Aaron has an important role as priest in the Bible, particularly in the Hebrew Bible. When he is first introduced in Exodus 4:14, he is identified as the brother of Moses and as a...
Abbasid Caliphate
in Islamic Studies
Published online August 2012.
Article. Subjects: Islam. 7238 words.
The Abbasid dynasty ruled the central and eastern Islamic lands, at least nominally, and headed the Sunni Muslim community for five centuries from its capital Baghdad. The Abbasid claim...
Abhijñā/Ṛddhi (Extraordinary Knowledge and Powers)
in Buddhism
Published online January 2013.
Article. Subjects: Buddhism; Tibetan Buddhism; Zen Buddhism. 8346 words.
Abhijñā (Pali: abhiññā) is a Buddhist technical term that refers most specifically to a set of extraordinary powers and knowledge, including remembrance of past lives, telepathy,...
Abhinavagupta
in Hinduism
Published online January 2011.
Article. Subjects: Hinduism. 9787 words.
The polymathic Abhinavagupta (c. 950–1020 ce) was a pivotal figure in the histories of Hindu scholastic philosophy, tantra, and aesthetic theory. In long commentaries, he elaborated and...
Abnormal Psychology
in Psychology
Published online November 2011.
Article. Subjects: psychology; cognitive psychology; developmental psychology; health psychology; history and systems in psychology; school and educational psychology; social psychology. 3121 words.
Abnormal psychology is the subdiscipline of psychology concerned with aberrant behavior—its clinical description, etiology, developmental course, assessment, and treatment. Throughout...
Abolition
in Latin American Studies
Published online October 2011.
Article. Subjects: regional and area studies; history of the Americas. 8871 words.
The abolition of slavery in Latin America took place between the Wars of Independence of the 1810s and 1820s and the 1880s when slavery was finally suppressed in Cuba (in 1886) and...
Abolition of Slavery
in Atlantic History
Published online May 2010.
Article. Subjects: history of the Americas; European history; African history; history; regional and national history. 7055 words.
The abolition of slavery in the Atlantic world occurred during the 19th century, but its origins are generally recognized to be the intellectual ferment of the 18th-century...
Abortion
in Public Health
Published online April 2013.
Article. Subjects: public health and epidemiology. 5784 words.
An abortion refers to the termination of a pregnancy. It can be induced (see Definitions, Terminology, and Reference Resources) through a pharmacological or a surgical procedure, or it...
Abraham
in Islamic Studies
Published online August 2012.
Article. Subjects: Islam. 8352 words.
Abraham is one of the most important characters in Islamic faith and life. There is more about Abraham in the Qurʾan than about any figure except Moses—more than 240 verses in 25 of the...