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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Customs & folklore
Working for Christian Dior is a contemporary personal reflection by Jean Dawnay, taking from her autobiography Model Girl, on her season working as a salon model for Dior's Spring/Summer collection of 1950. Jean Dawnay's status as one of the first household names in modelling was cemented in 1950 when she became the first Englishwoman to work for Christian Dior as a mannequin in his Paris salon. Re-christened `Caroline' by the famed designer, she became the designer's muse, who embodied a quintessential sense of Englishness. She was a model following Dior's acclaimed `New Look'; a style of dress that revolutionised fashion in the aftermath of the lingering austerity of post war Europe, and which made him the foremost designer of the era. The designs and legacy of Christian Dior have fascinated both critics and the general public for decades. Yet, other than Dior's own autobiography, Jean Dawnay's insights are the only surviving first-hand account of the intricacies of daily life working at the fashion house. This unique account invites you to delve under the couture veneer and to glimpse both the man beneath and the extraordinary women who worked alongside him in this golden age of fashion.
Mexican American women have endured several layers of discrimination deriving from a strong patriarchal tradition and a difficult socioeconomic and cultural situation within the US ethnic and class organization. However, there have been groups of women who have defied their fates at different times and in diverse forms. Mexican American Women, Dress, and Gender observes how Pachucas, Chicanas, and Cholas have used their body image (dress, hairstyle, and body language) as a political tool of deviation and attempts to measure the degree of intentionality in said oppositional stance. For this purpose and, claiming the sociological power of photographs as a representation of precise sociohistorical moments, this work analyzes several photographs of women of said groups; with the aim of proving the relevance of "other" body images in expressing gender and ethnic identification, or disidentification from the mainstream norm. Proposing a diachronic, comparative approach to young Mexican American women, this monograph will appeal to students and researchers interested in Chicano History, Race and Ethnic Studies, American History, Feminism, and Gender Studies.
The ancient civilization of Mesopotamia thrived between the rivers
Tigris and Euphrates over 4,000 years ago. The myths collected
here, originally written in cuneiform on clay tablets, include
parallels with the biblical stories of the Creation and the Flood,
and the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, the tale of a man of great
strength, whose heroic quest for immortality is dashed through one
moment of weakness.
First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
This book sets forth the concepts relating to viewpoints concerning life. It identifies the principle behind these concepts and traces each such concept back to its source and origin, whether it emanates from the capitalist-democratic, communist-socialist, or Islamic principle. At the same time, it calls on people to establish bonds with one another, that is, intellectual bonds based on common principles. It also calls on them to distinguish one concept from another so that they can achieve the correct type of advancement and attain the exemplary ideology. First published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
The building of human towers (castells) is a centuries-old competitive practice where hundreds of men, women, and children gather in Catalan squares to create breathtaking edifices through a feat of collective athleticism. The result is a great spectacle of suffering and overcoming, tension and release. Catalonia's Human Towers is an ethnographic look at the thriving castells practice—a symbol of Catalan cultural heritage and identity amid debates around autonomy versus subsummation by the Spanish state. While the main function of building castells is to grow community through a low-cost, intergenerational, and inclusive leisure activity, Mariann Vaczi reveals that this unique sport also provides a social base, image, and vocabulary for the pro-independence movement. Highlighting the intersection of folklore, performance, and self-determination, Catalonia's Human Towers captures the subtle and unconscious processes by which the body becomes politicized and ideology becomes embodied, with all the risks and precarities of collective constructions.
Murder, mutilation, cannibalism, infanticide, and incest: the darker side of classic fairy tales figures as the subject matter for this intriguing study of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's Nursery and Household Tales. This updated and expanded second edition includes a new preface and an appendix containing new translations of six tales, along with commentary by Maria Tatar. Throughout the book, Tatar skillfully employs the tools not only of a psychoanalyst but also of a folklorist, literary critic, and historian to examine the harsher aspects of these stories. She presents new interpretations of the powerful stories in this worldwide best-selling book. Few studies have been written in English on these tales, and none has probed their allegedly happy endings so thoroughly.
Visual Typologies from the Early Modern to the Contemporary investigates the pictorial representation of types from the sixteenth to the twenty- first century. Originating in longstanding visual traditions, including street crier prints and costume albums, these images share certain conventions as they seek to convey knowledge about different peoples. The genre of the type became widespread in the early modern period, developing into a global language of identity. The chapters explore diverse pictorial representations of types, customs, and dress in numerous media, including paintings, prints, postcards, photographs, and garments. Together, they reveal that the activation of typological strategies, including seriality, repetition, appropriation, and subversion has produced a universal and dynamic pictorial language. Typological images highlight the tensions between the local and the international, the specific and the communal, and similarity and difference inherent in the construction of identity. The first full- length study to treat these images as a broader genre, Visual Typologies gives voice to a marginalized form of representation. Together, the chapters debunk the classification of such images as unmediated and authentic representations, offering fresh methodological frameworks to consider their meanings locally and globally, and establishing common ground about the operations of objects that sought to shape, embody, or challenge individual and collective identities.
An up to date look at Black beauty and fashion blogs and what it is to be an Afropolitan. Christelle Kedi is Director of the African Fashion and Arts Centre in London and is a well-known expert on beauty and fashion. In this book she looks at * Black European fashion trends* Black blogs and e-marketing* Business strategies an d web design* Marketing to female and male readershipShe provides case studies of fashion, beauty and lifestyle promotion and an overview of 21 examples of Black blogs.The argument is backed up by useful graphics, diagrams and photographs.
A sophisticated look into the eight Greek myths that remain the most relevant to us today, exploring their powerful cultural impact from their ancient origins to the present. The Greek myths have been retold countless times, first by the conquering Romans, then through the medieval and Renaissance eras of Europe, and finally finding new expression in masterworks of art, literature and cinema on the global stage. Classical scholar Richard Buxton explores the stories at the heart of this ancient mythology and how they have come to influence our society today. The Greek legends seem to speak to us universally, their deities tantalizingly human - often indulging in behaviours morally ambiguous at best and obscene at worst - and their heroes dealing with dilemmas and destinies that echo, if exaggeratedly, conflicts in our own lives. The dramatic choices that such figures as Prometheus, Medea and Oedipus face have resonated with audiences over thousands of years. Each chapter focuses on a mythical character and the powerful stories and interpretations that surround them. Yet the myths' relevance has not been uniform; they shift with the cultural tide. They have endured moments of censure, criticism, and even ridicule, but now their influence can be recognized almost everywhere, from opera to psychology, from fashion to contemporary art. How is it that these tales have retained their power to connect with our own fascinations, fears and desires, though they came from a world very different from our own? Here Buxton charts their cultural impact through a rich variety of re-imaginings, examining the many guises they have taken through the ages and the profound truths that they continue to illuminate.
Following on from the hugely successful Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells, comes the next bumper encyclopedia celebrating all facets of witchcraft. This definite book is the most comprehensive, authoritative and entertaining guide you'll ever find on the mythology, folklore and traditions of magic. In this mammoth magical treasure trove, Judika Illes explores the history, folklore, spirituality, and mythology of witchcraft. A feast of facts and curiosities, rooted in magical and spiritual traditions, from all over the world, there are recipes from the witch's cauldron, magical sacred dates, and methods of witches' flights. Discover how witchcraft has inspired popular culture from Shakespeare to Harry Potter, and how witches have suffered persecution and death in centuries past. Packed full of amazing facts, bizarre information and fascinating stories, you will also be introduced to mythic witches, modern witches, sacred goddess witches, even demon witches, male and female witches, and witches from all over the globe. Ideal for both the dedicated follower and casual reader, as a perfect gift for yourself or someone else to treasure, this definitive encyclopedia is essential reading for anyone interested in folklore, mythology and magic.
Bring ancient methods of healing and magic into the modern world with this impressive book on Ozark folk magic. Providing lore, herbs, magical alignments, verbal charms, and more, folk healer Brandon Weston sheds light on the region s secretive culture and shows you how to heal both yourself and others. Ozark Folk Magic invites you to experience the hillfolk s traditional magic through the eyes of an authentic practitioner. Discover how to optimize your healing work and spells according to the moon cycles, zodiac signs, and numerology. Explore medicinal uses for native Ozark plants and instructions for healing magical illnesses. Combining personal stories and practical advice, this grounded book makes it easy to incorporate Ozark folk magic into your practice.
Let your children unleash the magic of Scotland's myths and legends with this remarkable magic painting book! Unveil dragons, unicorns and even Nessie with the magic paint brush! Go on a journey of discovery through this exquisite and stimulating book that will entertain children of all ages. Just dip the brush (included with the book) in water and apply directly to the page to bring the illustrations to vibrant life!
What happens to punks, clubbers, goths, riot grrls, soulies,
break-dancers and queer scene participants as they become older?
From Romans to royalty and hypochondriacs to holiday-makers, natural water spas have been a common feature in society since the first century. Even today, we periodically abandon the cities to 'take the waters'. In their heyday, Europe's spas were the main meeting places for aristocracy, politicians and cultural elites. They were the centres of political and diplomatic intrigue, and were fertile sources of artistic, literary and musical inspiration. The spas epitomised style and were renowned for their cosmopolitan atmosphere in a glittering whirl of balls, gambling and affairs, as much as for their healing waters. Health, Hedonism & Hypochondria reveals the hidden histories of traditional spas of Europe, including such well-known resorts as the original Spa in Belgium; Bath, Buxton & Harrogate in Britain; Baden-Baden & Bad Ems in Germany; Vichy & Aix-les-Bains in France; Bad Ragaz in Switzerland; Bad Ischl & Baden bei Wien in Austria and Karlovy Vary & Marianske Lazne? in the Czech Republic. At once luxurious sanctuaries of relaxation and resorts of the upper classes, they were also the haunts of melancholics, scoundrels and those seeking escape and excitement.
Arizona's history is liberally seasoned with legends of lost mines, buried treasures, and significant deposits of gold and silver. The famous Lost Dutchman Mine has lured treasure hunters for over a century into the remote, treacherous, and reportedly cursed Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. Gold and silver bars discovered in Huachuca Canyon by a soldier stationed at nearby Fort Huachuca just before World War II remain inaccessible despite years of laborious attempts at recovery. Outside the town of Yucca, bandits eager to make a fast getaway buried a strongbox filled with gold, unaware they wouldn't survive the pursuit of a law-enforcing posse to recover their plunder. And somewhere in the Little Horn Mountains northeast of Yuma lies an elusive wash containing hundreds of odd gold-filled rocks. Selected from hundreds of tales passed down from generation to generation since the days of the gold-seeking Spanish explorers, the tales included here are among the most compelling that Arizona has to offer.
'Handsomely illustrated and meticulously assembled' - Shahidha Bari, author of Dressed: The Secret Life of Clothes 'An exuberant romp through footwear evolution ... a cornucopia of footwear delights' - Flora McLean, Royal College of Art, UK 'A memorable walk through a story of innovation, fashion, invention and eroticism' - Giorgio Riello, European University Institute, Italy 'An elegantly updated and illustrated edition of an invaluable reference book' - Alicia Kerfoot, The College at Brockport, SUNY, USA From chopines to stilettos, Louis XIV to Louboutin, Shoes: An Illustrated History is the definitive guide to footwear. This revised, updated edition expands the classic work to include new content on environmental and sustainability issues, and increased coverage of more diverse, inclusive and contemporary designers - such as Rupert Sanderson, Sophia Webster, Nicolas Kirkwood, Charlotte Olympia, Amina Muaddi, Noritaka Tatehana. Shoes have always been more than just a practical necessity. They reveal the culture of the times in which they were worn - the sexual morals, the social power play, as well as the endless shifting of fashion. Rebecca Shawcross takes the reader on a fascinating journey - packed with social and historical detail - of making and wearing, of the spectacular and the everyday, of conforming and rebelling. Lavishly illustrated with a dazzling array of shoes from all over the world and now including a new closing chapter covering the latest developments in design and technology, the influence of social media and celebrity endorsement, this revision consolidates the book's position as the leading reference work and overview of this ultimate object of desire, from antiquity to the present.
May Edel's The Chiga of Uganda is in the grand tradition of Franz Boas, Margaret Mead, and Leslie Spier. Written at a time when older ways were menaced by contact with other cultures, Edel's effort was part of a descriptive urgency that aimed to capture the past before the past disappeared. And that past should be viewed from the perspective of the people themselves, by students going into the field to observe, question, and report. This book is an enlarged and amplified edition of The Chiga of Western Uganda published in 1957 by the Oxford University Press for the International African Institute. It is enlarged by a major section on material culture hitherto unpublished. The Chiga of Uganda provides a special insight into a culture at that time (1933) still intact under the British protectorate. It is for the most part a picture of life as it was then still being lived. Where significant changes were already taking place, the various changes are discussed in the contexts in which they seemed relevant in social structure, kinship, marriage, economics, social control, religion, and education. What makes this edition unique is the new segment on material culture. This delves into Chiga patterns of food supply and preparation, horticulture, fire and heating, water supplies, cattle raising, hunting, fishing, and problems related to shelter, clothing, and hygiene. Two new special sections deal with tools and utensils, and, no less important, the physical skills and motor habits of the people. Edel's concrete yet wide-ranging descriptions provide an irreplaceable insight into a people and a culture at a unique point in world and colonial history. The new introduction, written by Abraham Edel, provides a special sort of insight, drawing heavily upon the correspondence that May Edel wrote at the time. The introduction shows how the clouds of war and Nazism in Europe at the time were already changing the character and context of anthropology no less than every other area of human endeavor. A final new aspect of The Chiga of Uganda is May Edel's last reflections focusing on African tribalism, which turns out to be not all that different from ethnic and national rivalries in the Western world. This book will be indispensable to anthropologists, Africanists, and historians.
For centuries Iran hosted numerous travellers and visitors of diverse nationalities and backgrounds. Many of these travellers left behind documents in which they recorded their observations during their residence in Iran, and these embody a vast range of firsthand information about the land and its people at different periods of time. This book, first published in 1990, takes as its subjects the nature and history of Iranian folk narrative scholarship. The contributions of travellers are given their due recognition as important source documents.
One of the quickest ways to understand a people or a culture is to learn their proverbs. This anthology, first published in 1984, compiles in dictionary form proverbs from the Islamic world, particularly the Middle East and North Africa. The Arabs were the first to gather and annotate their own proverbs - the earliest collections date from the n
Dressy men as a type of celebrity have played a distinctive part in the cultural - and even in the political - life of Britain over several centuries. But unlike the twenty-first-century hipster, the dandies of the British past provoked intense degrees of fascination and horror in their homeland and played an important role in British society from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. This book - illustrated with contemporary prints, portraits and caricatures - explores that social and cultural history through a focus on the macaroni, the dandy and the aesthete. The first was noted for his flamboyance, the second for his austere perfectionism and the third for his sexual perversity. All were highly controversial in their time, pioneering new ways of displaying and performing gender, as demonstrated by the impact of key figures such as Lord Hervey, George 'Beau' Brummell and Oscar Wilde. This groundbreaking study tells the scandalous story of fashionable men and their clothes as a reflection of changing attitudes not only to style but also to gender and sexuality.
Fairies of the water, air, and earth, the trees and flowers, the house and hearth: all these mysterious, elusive creatures materialize on the pages of this distinctively beautiful guide to fairyland. Illustrated throughout with captivating artwork in glorious color, it examines fairy legend and lore through the ages and leads us into fairy cities, landscapes, rings, and paths. Find out what clothes they wear (fairies can be fussy about their dress), what they like to eat and drink, and what plants and animals they cherish. Discover the secrets of fairy festivals, and the various names they like to be called--including the Little Folk and Good Neighbors. Altogether, it's a privileged glimpse into a paradise that vibrates at a different frequency than ours...and that few can ever see.
Details of all published Arthurian work post 1978 to 1992. If one wants to scoop up nearly everything on an Arthurian subject, there is no substitute for the Arthurian Bibliography series. ANGLIA In 1981 the first Arthurian Bibliography appeared, an exhaustive alphabetical author-listing of all critical material recorded in the standard Arthurian bibliographies up to 1978. This was followed in 1983 by the second volume, giving full indexes by topic, key-word and individual work/author to form a complete subject-index of every topic in Arthurian literature. Summaries and reviews were also indicated where they existed. Arthurian Bibliography III updates this invaluable reference work for Arthurian scholars to 1992. Compiled from the BBSIA, it conveniently contains both author-listing and subject-index in one volume. |
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