Acknowledgments

They say it takes a village, and if that's true, this book owes its existence to the most brilliant and generous village anyone could wish for.Because of the breadth and scope of its content, it was only thanks to the kindness of an extraordinary circle of people, some of whom I had never met, that I was able to complete it.Each of them has left an indelible mark on its pages.First of all, I would like to mention the many colleagues whose wisdom lit my path.Many of them took time to read parts of the book and commented extensively on its contents, while others shared their insights into themes and regions that were relatively new to me.