The concept of culture has long been criticized, with many scholars reformulating it or discarding it entirely. The field of intercultural communication and relations, however, still relies on culture to examine interculturality and this volume provides a comprehensive examination of the problems that the concept poses today.

An ideal resource for anyone interested in learning about Ethiopia, this accessible, single-volume work provides all-encompassing and up-to-date coverage of the ancient and diverse cultures of Africa's second-most populated nation. Explore the fascinating culture of Ethiopia, a highly diverse nation built on the foundations of ancient kingdoms-truly a melting pot of traditions from Africa as well as other continents. With increasing freedom of speech and growing access to technology, Ethiopians are better able-and more eager-than ever to share ideas, art, and information not only with each other, but with the rest of the world. This detailed volume offers readers informed perspectives on one of the world's oldest populations, covering its long-ago history as well as its evolution in the 21st century. Readers will discover Ethiopa's collection of written and oral stories, unique art and architecture inspired by royalty and religion, delicious cuisine, and many forms of music, dress, and dance. The book's chapters also describe important changes in Ethiopia's social customs, prevalent attitudes regarding women, and the nation's historically oppressive political system. Presents comprehensive, current coverage of Ethiopia that includes the latest archaeological findings and socio-economic and political developments as well as previously overlooked topics such as gender, slavery, and migration Addresses the major famines in Ethiopia in the 1980s that led to the deaths of thousands of people and served as the reason many Westerners first became aware of this African nation Describes all of the major ethnic groups of Ethiopia, including the Afar, Amhara, Oromo, Sidamo, Somalis, and Tigray

In Psychosocial aspects of niqab wearing Nina Bosankic explores the various motives which lead young women living in post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt the niqab (full face veil). She uses a grounded theory approach to examine this decision which is often viewed as controversial from both within and outside Islam.

This book examines the development of opposed Nationalist and Unionists identities as products of different economies, symbolically represented in religious differences, that impelled conflicting cultures and ideals of best interest that were fundamentally incompatible within a single identity.

This book explores the relationship between European Union law, culture, and identity. Community trade and competition rules have certainly affected many mundane, though highly formative, aspects of our day-to-day lives: when we shop, what we drink, even which football matches we watch on television. But Community law is not merely a vehicle for challenging established national rules which have a cultural dimension: Article 151 of the EC Treaty, which came into force in 1993, empowers the Community to 'contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States', whilst at the same time bringing the 'common cultural heritage to the fore'. This book explores some of the challenges facing the European Union in developing convincing and coherent policies in the cultural domain. These challenges stem not only from the Union's fragmented institutional structure and Member State sensitivities but also from the uncertainty which surrounds the very meaning of the term 'culture' itself. The wide-ranging contributions illustrate how cultural issues can be seen to permeate all aspects of European Union law, by focussing on areas as diverse as international trade and aid, education, sport, language use, and the mass media.

The different stages of a festival's evolution provide a plethora of opportunities for us to better understand our culture, the relationships we build, what we value in our culture and our communities, and how we socialize and interact with one another. Managing and Developing Community Festivals and Events brings together community festival and event research from nine different countries. It critically explores how festivals and their communities develop and impact upon one another. The chapters focus on a wide range of festivals such as food and culinary festivals, art events, religious pilgrimage and feast festivals, as well as a variety of diverse themes such as joy, civil unrest, preservation of cultures and authenticity.

This volume presents the most recent archaeological, historical, and ethnographic research that challenges simplistic perceptions of Native smoking and explores a wide variety of questions regarding smoking plants and pipe forms from throughout North America and parts of South America. By broadening research questions, utilizing new analytical methods, and applying interdisciplinary interpretative frameworks, this volume offers new insights into a diverse array of perspectives on smoke plants and pipes.

This book explores knightly stories of medieval manners and is a commentary on what people in the middle ages wore, how they prayed and what they hoped for in this life and the next. These stories range from the shockingly bawdy to the deeply pious, and often end with morals about the ways women can avoid 'blame, shame, and defame'.

Muslims in Amdo Tibetan Society: Multi-Disciplinary Approaches offers nine case studies from several academic disciplines. The chapters describe the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity within the Muslim communities of Amdo and illustrate complex social interactions with other Amdo communities. While relations between Han Chinese and Tibetans, and between Han Chinese and Muslims in Qinghai and Gansu, have already attracted scholarly attention, this volume has a special focus on Tibetan-Muslim interactions. These are rarely discussed and if so, then mostly in the contexts of trade relations and conflicts. This volume challenges some established stereotypes of Tibetan-Muslim relations and also highlights new facets of cross-cultural contacts and religious and linguistic influences.

Writers have previously placed the action of kissing into categories: kisses of love, affection, peace, respect and friendship. Each of the essays in this fascinating book take a single kind of kiss and uses it as an index to the past. For rather than offering a simple history of the kiss, this book is about the kiss in history. In this collection, an eminent group of cultural historians have explored this subject using an exceptionally wide range of evidence. They explore the kiss through sources as diverse as canonical religious texts, popular prints, court depositions, periodicals, diaries and poetry. In casting the net so wide, these authors demonstrate how cultural history has been shaped by a broad concept of culture, encompassing more than simply the canons of art and literature, and integrating apparently 'historical' and 'non-historical' sources. Furthermore, this collections shows that by analyzing the kiss and its position - embedded as it is as part of our culture - history can use small gestures to take us to big issues concerning ourselves and others, the past and the present. With an afterword by Sir Keith Thomas, this book will be fascinating reading for cultural historians working on a wide range of different societies and periods. -- .

"An imaginative and thought-provoking study of clowning in Rotuma, especially of ritual clowning in contexts of marriage ceremonies and the weaving of fine mats.... Completely fascinating." --Canberra Anthropology "A challenge to readers both in its form and content.... This book conveys the lively, complex and often hilarious elements, both of daily life and celebratory rituals, as they are expressed in contemporary culture." --Journal of Intercultural Studies

This handbook provides an overview of the society, culture, geography, history, and politics of contemporary Egypt. While such historic monuments as the pyramids at Giza, the Karnak Temple, and the Valley of the Kings draw visitors to Egypt each year, the country is today a large and varied collection of some 79 million people. An important political and cultural force in the Middle East and home to one of Africa's most advanced economies, Egypt is rapidly becoming a major player in the 21st-century world. This comprehensive text examines all facets of life in Egypt, including its land, history, politics, and culture. It is written in a manner that makes the subject accessible and engaging for readers with little prior knowledge about the country, but also provides a critical analysis of the latest research for students and scholars familiar with Egypt and its people. Special attention is given to the historical period following the rise of Islam to enable a greater understanding of Egypt's contemporary government, religious practices, popular culture, and current events. Includes informative sections on Egyptian art, literature, music, economy, politics, geography, and much more Provides a detailed, historical chronology of Egypt from ancient times to present day Contains a bibliography, glossary, and index to facilitate further research

This book examines the popular publications of the Victorian period, illuminating the intricacies of courtship and marriage from the differing perspectives of the working, middle, and upper classes. In contemporary culture, the near obsessive pursuit of love and monogamous bliss is considered "normal," as evidenced by a wide range of online dating sites, television shows such as Sex in the City and The Bachelorette, and an endless stream of Hollywood romantic comedies. Ironically, when it comes to love and marriage, we still wrestle with many of the same emotional and social challenges as our 19th-century predecessors did over 100 years ago. Courtship and Marriage in Victorian England draws on little-known conduct books, letter-writing manuals, domestic guidebooks, periodical articles, letters, and novels to reveal what the period equivalents of "dating" and "tying the knot" were like in the Victorian era. By addressing topics such as the etiquette of introductions and home visits, the roles of parents and chaperones, the events of the London season, model love letters, and the specific challenges facing domestic servants seeking spouses, author Jennifer Phegley provides a fascinating examination of British courtship and marriage rituals among the working, middle, and upper classes from the 1830s to the 1910s. A chronological examination of Victorian marriage law Various courtship and marriage cartoons; pictures of activities during the London Season; photographs of Victorian wedding attire; representations of Queen Victoria's engagement and wedding; illustrations of wedding gifts, dresses, and cakes; and an engraving of the London Divorce Court

Amid a Sudan's dark history, saturated with conflicts and tragic current events, lies a culture with deep roots, going back as far as 8000 BC. With several hundred ethnic groups and languages, Sudan is one of the world's most diverse countries. Learn how these cultures have blended and collided throughout the centuries, and examine how traditions and customs are kept alive today. Religious beliefs, social customs, arts, literature, and cuisine are among the topics discussed in this volume, which is ideal for high school and undergraduate students. Chapters include: BLLand, People, and History BLReligion and Worldview BLLiterature and Media BLArt and Architecture/Housing BLCuisine and Traditional Dress BLGender Roles, Marriage, and Family BLSocial Customs and Lifestyle BLMusic and Dance A timeline of key events and bibliographical essay including print and nonprint sources supplement the work.

In Chicano/a popular culture, nothing signifies the working class, highly-layered, textured, and metaphoric sensibility known as "rasquache aesthetic" more than black velvet art. The essays in this volume examine that aesthetic by looking at icons, heroes, cultural myths, popular rituals, and border issues as they are expressed in a variety of ways. The contributors dialectically engage methods of popular cultural studies with discourses of gender, sexuality, identity politics, representation, and cultural production. In addition to a hagiography of "locas santas," the book includes studies of the sexual politics of early Chicana activists in the Chicano youth movement, the representation of Latina bodies in popular magazines, the stereotypical renderings of recipe books and calendar art, the ritual performance of Mexican femaleness in the quinceañera, and mediums through which Chicano masculinity is measured.

Don't just see the sights-get to know the people. The volcanic island of Iceland has erupted onto the world travel scene in recent years. With otherworldly landscapes of steaming turquoise geysers set among rugged snowy peaks, miles of icy black sand beaches, and the breath-taking splendor of the northern lights, one can only wonder what took so long. But what of the people who call this island home? Behind a stoic veneer lies a proud, industrious, and egalitarian people, whose straightforwardness and ability to wing it have seen them thrive in this beautiful but unforgiving environment. Culture Smart! Iceland will take you to the heart of this plucky Nordic nation. It will equip you with a deeper understanding of your hosts and with the tools to turn your visit into a more meaningful and enriching experience, whatever your reason for traveling. Have a richer and more meaningful experience abroad through a better understanding of the local culture. Chapters on history, values, attitudes, and traditions will help you to better understand your hosts, while tips on etiquette and communicating will help you to navigate unfamiliar situations and avoid faux pas.

This classic ethnography, now in second edition, describes the traditional way of life of the Kaluli, a tropical forest people of Papua New Guinea. The book takes as its focus the nostalgic and violent Gisaro ceremony, one of the most remarkable performances in the anthropological literature. Tracking the major symbolic and emotional themes of the ceremony to their sources in everyday Kaluli life, Schieffelin shows how the central values and passions of Kaluli experience are governed by the basic forms of social reciprocity. However, Gisaro also reveals that social reciprocity is not limited to the dynamics of transaction, obligation, and alliance. It emerges, rather, as a mode of symbolic action and performative form, embodying a cultural scenario which shapes Kaluli emotional experience and moral sensibility and permeates their understanding of the human condition.

A popular genre from colonial times to 1900, the conduct book provides the youthful reader with authoritative guidance about right moral, religious, and gender role behavior. With the aim of teaching the young what they need to know--and believe--about society's expectations for the ideal young man and woman, the genre codified true American manhood and womanhood. Until now, conduct books have been mixed in and cataloged with books on manners, etiquette, education, religion, or success. This guide provides an analytic and historical overview of the conduct book as a genre and its cultural work in America. With an annotated bibliography of over 500 books, it is the first work to provide scholars interested in studying the cultural stance, intent, and importance of conduct-of-life texts with easy access to conduct books. The book provides an extensive overview of the conduct book, with separate chapters on the development of conduct books for children, men, and women. The fully annotated bibliography, which lists the conduct books by their intended audience, includes 196 conduct books for children, 142 texts for young men, 188 titles for young women, and 57 texts for adults of either sex. In addition, the work includes a short selected bibliography of secondary sources and an index. This guide opens the genre for further study.

Don't just see the sights-get to know the people. Morocco is a joy to the senses. Graced with spectacular scenery, the country's rich history is carved into its architecture and baked into its cuisine. Its marketplaces are filled with tantalizing scents and colorful sights, and the call of the muezzin seems to draw people from every corner of the globe. In 1956 Morocco gained independence from French colonial rule and was jolted into the 20th century. Today it is a country in transition-a unique blend of Arab, African, and European ways of life. The teeming cities have an air of sophistication and joie de vivre, but life in rural areas has stayed much the same. And while the cities are highly Westernized, tradition and religion still play a vital role in the everyday life of most people. Culture Smart! Morocco describes the life of Moroccans today, as well as the key customs and traditions that punctuate daily life. It examines the impact of religious beliefs and history on their lives, and provides insight into the values that people hold dear, as well as recent social and political developments. Tips on communicating, socializing, and on navigating the unfamiliar situations that visitors are likely to encounter ensure that they get the very best out of their time in this welcoming yet complex land. Have a richer and more meaningful experience abroad through a better understanding of the local culture. Chapters on history, values, attitudes, and traditions will help you to better understand your hosts, while tips on etiquette and communicating will help you to navigate unfamiliar situations and avoid faux pas.