El Salvador, the smallest Hispanic country in the Western Hemisphere, has had a lion's share of international attention with its civil war of the 1980s." Culture and Customs of El Salvador" is the best source for an authoritative, intriguing narrative overview of a country with an embattled history, from wars to devastating earthquakes. Students and general readers will find a sympathetic portrayal of the land, history, people, economy, religion, education, traditional culture and popular entertainment, literature, media, and the arts.

El Salvador has been marginalized in Latin America and is still little-known outside of this region. "Culture and Customs of El Salvador "emphasizes the mixture of indigenous and Spanish heritage that colors the society. Boland brings special insight to the essential topics, from history to the arts. A chronology, glossary, and numerous photos enhance the text. As an up-to-date survey, the book brims with optimism for a better future with social, economic, and environmental reforms. This volume is crucial to understanding Salvadorans today and also the large numbers of Salvadoran immigrants who now live in the United States.

South Africa can be considered the newest of African nations, with the ending of Apartheid in 1994. It is one of the most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically varied countries on the continent and the economic powerhouse of southern Africa. This inclusive overview is a must-have for all readers wanting a meaty introduction to South Africa today, in an historical context that pulls the strands of all South Africans, from Zulu to Afrikaner to Indian, together. Some highlights from the myriad of topics covered include oral history, multireligious traditions, wood sculpture, communal ties, cone-on-cylinder housing, changing roles of women, conjugal arrangements, and British and Boer influences. This timely work expands our knowledge of South Africa beyond the headlines. The European angle with the story behind the Boers, the Afrikaners, and Apartheid is made clear. The African angle is the strongest, with balanced insights into various traditions and ways of life. A chronology, glossary, photos, and map complement the narrative.

"Egyptian Mummies" is regarded by egyptologists as the classic account of mummification in ancient Egypt. Originally published in 1924, its re-issue in complete form will be welcomed by all those who have sought rare second hand copies in vain. This book provides the most comprehensive account available of the technical processes and materials employed by the ancient Egyptian embalmers together with a historical analysis of their modification throughout the dynastic period. The authors draw on fully illustrated archaeological and pathological evidence together with Egyptian and Greek textual references to provide a thorough survey of the mummification process and attendant funeral ceremonies, and to offer clues to an understanding of the custom's significance and the reasons for its adoption.

First Published in 2000. This is Volume XIV of fourteen of a series on India- its language and literature. Collated in 1888, this is a collection of folk-tales by the author who was a missionary who had the primary object in collecting these tales was to obtain some knowledge of Kashmiri, which .is a purely colloquial language; and a secondary object was to ascertain something of the thoughts and ways of the people.

"Saul Diskin's extraordinary memoir is rich with unique and wonderful intimacy-the intimacy of twinship. For me this made that closest of bonds come alive in a way no other book I've read has succeeded in doing. Diskin makes one feel like a twin, see the world through a twin's eyes, suffer with him in a way that is at times almost unbearably close and poignant. One becomes immersed in the life and death struggle. The medical detail is wonderfully well-done, as are all the relationships. The peculiar and overwhelming nature of twinship is brought out in a way that's both uncannily spirited and wholly down-to-earth; completely unsentimental. The reader participates at every point and on every page in an intimacy that he knows only death can end."

-JOHN BAYLEY, author of Elegy for Iris

..".you have captured the essence of the twin relationship more eloquently than anyone else I have ever read."

Nancy Segal, author of Entwined Lives, Indivisible by Two and Someone Else's Twin.

"What is it like to lose your mirror-image, your other half, your secret sharer? The End of the Twins is an arresting memoir that evokes the mysteries of twinship and the irrevocability of loss."

-ERICA JONG, author of Fear of Flying and Becoming Light

"A moving account of a unique bereavement from which we can all learn about love and loss."

-HAROLD S. KUSHNER, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Fascinating case studies, the majority of which are based on original field work, are presented in this second volume of the "Food in History and Culture" book series. "Changing Food Habits" examines the integral connection between food and ongoing ecological, economic, political, and social transformations. This text also provides research on dietary changes resulting from direct interventions by individuals and food programs.
Among the topics discussed, authors consider rural and urban modes of food consumption, dietary changes in different societal contexts, and food-based rituals. Cases presented in this volume suggest alternative readings of some established models of changing food habits, and contribute to a more comprehensive history of dietary transformations.

'An important and timely book.' - Philippa Gregory Joan of Navarre was the richest woman in the land, at a time when war-torn England was penniless. Eleanor Cobham was the wife of a weak king's uncle - and her husband was about to fall from grace. Jacquetta Woodville was a personal enemy of Warwick the Kingmaker, who was about to take his revenge. Elizabeth Woodville was the widowed mother of a child king, fighting Richard III for her children's lives. In Royal Witches, Gemma Hollman explores the lives of these four unique women, looking at how rumours of witchcraft brought them to their knees in a time when superstition and suspicion was rife.

Written by some of the best-known independent scholars, citizen journalists, cyber-activists, and bloggers living in Cuba today, this book presents a critical, complete, and unbiased overview of contemporary Cuba. In this era of ever-increasing globalization and communication across national borders, Cuba remains an isolated island oddly out of step with the rest of the world. And yet, Cuba is beginning to evolve via the important if still insufficient changes instituted by Raul Castro, who became president in 2008. This book supplies a uniquely independent, accurate, and critical perspective in order to evaluate these changes in the context of the island's rich and complex history and culture. Organized into seven topical chapters that address geography, history, politics and government, economics, society, culture, and contemporary issues, readers will gain a broad, insightful understanding of one of the most unusual, fascinating, and often misunderstood nations in the Western Hemisphere. Pays special attention to the opportunities, limitations, and challenges presented by the leadership of Raul Castro and his reforms Provides an accurate, insider's perspective into contemporary Cuba supplied by Cubans who currently live and work on the island, in stark contrast with most accounts that are filtered through the lens of an outside observer Supplies readers with a critical, comprehensive review of Cuban history, economics, politics, culture, and society that places current developments in historical context Includes a glossary, an appendix of up-to-date statistical information, dozens of sidebars on a variety of important and unusual topics, and an annotated bibliography

Part of a series that offers mainly linguistic and anthropological research and teaching/learning material on a region of great cultural and strategic interest and importance in the post-Soviet era.

The West Virginia University Mountaineer is not just a mascot: it is a symbol of West Virginia history and identity embraced throughout the state. In this deeply informed but accessible study, folklorist Rosemary Hathaway explores the figure's early history as a backwoods trickster, its deployment in emerging mass media, and finally its long and sometimes conflicted career - beginning officially in 1937 - as the symbol of West Virginia University. Alternately a rabble-rouser and a romantic embodiment of the state's history, the Mountaineer has been subject to ongoing reinterpretation while consistently conveying the value of independence. Hathaway's account draws on multiple sources, including archival research, personal history, and interviews with former students who have portrayed the mascot, to explore the complex forces and tensions animating the Mountaineer figure. Often serving as a focus for white, masculinist, and Appalachian identities in particular, the Mountaineer that emerges from this study is something distinct from the hillbilly. Frontiersman and rebel both, the Mountaineer figure traditionally and energetically resists attempts (even those by the University) to tame or contain it.

Originally published between 1920-70, the "History of Civilization" was published at a formative time within the social sciences, and during a period of decisive historical discovery. The aim of the general editor, C.K. Ogden, was to summarize the most up to date findings and theories of historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and sociologists. This reprinted material is available as a set or in the following groupings: "Prehistory and Historical Ethnography" set of 12 (0-415-15611-4, u800); "Greek Civilization" set of 7 (0-415-15612-2, u450); "Roman Civilization" set of 6 (0-415-15613-0, u400); "Eastern Civilizations" set of 10 (0-415-15614-9, u650); "Judaeo-Christian Civilization" set of 4 (0-415-15615-7, u250); "European Civilization" set of 11 (0-415-15616-5, u700).

Here is help for anyone who has to produce a public event -- from a church social or school fundraiser to a national conference. This comprehensive and practical handbook is the first to reveal all the tricks and techniques of the professional event organizer. Packed with step-by-step instructions, checklists, schedules, and lists of organizations, addresses, and publications, this edition includes updated resources that will prove indispensable to event planners.

Japan is one of the most urbanised and industrialised countries in the world. Yet the Japanese continue to practise a variety of religious rituals and ceremonies despite the high-tech, highly regimented nature of Japanese society. Ceremony and Ritual in Japan focuses on the traditional and religious aspects of Japanese society from an anthropological perspective, presenting new material and making cross-cultural comparisons.
The chapters in this collection cover topics as diverse as funerals and mourning, sweeping, women's roles in ritual, the division of ceremonial foods into bitter and sweet, the history of a shrine, the playing of games, the exchange of towels and the relationship between ceremony and the workplace. The book provides an overview of the meaning of tradition, and looks at the way in which new ceremonies have sprung up in changing circumstances, while old ones have been preserved, or have developed new meanings.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203429540

Touching on everything from its rich musical heritage to its varied cultural traditions, this is a thorough and accessible introduction to the contemporary lives of the different peoples who call Mali their home. Rated among the world's ten poorest nations, Mali has a glorious past and a less-certain present. Culture and Customs of Mali touches on the first as background for understanding the second, exploring multiple facets of contemporary social life and cultural practices in this landlocked, West African nation. The book offers an overview of diverse aspects of everyday social, cultural, and religious life in Mali, paying particular attention to regional and ethnic variations. It shows how current social conventions and cultural values are the product of a centuries-long history, while at the same time dispels the common perception that African societies are rooted in unchanging tradition. Readers will come away with a better understanding of the multiple ways in which Malians, starting from their own customs and cultural foundations, integrate themselves into an international economic order and a globalized world of shared media images and cultural practices. A chronology of important political events and developments from the medieval empires of Mali until the contemporary period Photographs of Malian life A glossary of key terms, such as polygyny, marriage payments, and oral tradition A bibliography of important work written in English on Mali, its history, peoples, culture, religion, and social customs

"Culinary Art and Anthropology" is an anthropological study of food. It focuses on taste and flavor using an original interpretation of Alfred Gell's theory of the "art nexus." Grounded in ethnography, it explores the notion of cooking as an embodied skill and artistic practice. The integral role and concept of "flavor" in everyday life is examined among cottage industry barbacoa makers in Milpa Alta, an outer district of Mexico City. Women's work and local festive occasions are examined against a background of material on professional chefs who reproduce "traditional" Mexican cooking in restaurant settings. Including recipes to allow readers to practice the art of Mexican cooking, "Culinary Art and Anthropology" offers a sensual, theoretically sophisticated model for understanding food anthropologically. It will appeal to social scientists, food lovers, and those interested in the growing fields of food studies and the anthropology of the senses.

Kristen Richardson, from a family of debutantes, chose not to debut but her curiosity drove her to research this enduring custom. The story begins in England six hundred years ago when wealthy fathers needed an efficient way to find appropriate husbands for their daughters. Elizabeth I's presentations at court expanded into London's season of dances, dinners and courting, extending to the corners of the British empire and beyond. Richardson traces the social seasons of young women, and shares their captivating stories, often through their words from diaries, letters and interviews. While exploring why the debutante tradition persists-and why it has spread to Russia, China and other nations-Richardson has uncovered its extensive cultural influence on the lives of daughters in Britain and the US.

Presenting sixty theoretical ideas, David Zeitlyn asks 'How to write about anthropological theory without making a specific theoretical argument.' "David Zeitlyn has written a wryly engaging, short book on, essentially, why we should not become theoretical partisans-that, indeed, being a serious theorist means accepting precisely that principle."-Michael Herzfeld, Harvard University To answer, he offers a series of mini essays about an eclectic collection of theoretical concepts that he has found helpful over the years. The book celebrates the muddled inconsistencies in the ways that humans live their messy lives. There are, however, still patterns discernible: the actors can understand what is going on, they see an event unfolding in ways that are familiar, as belonging to a certain type and therefore, Zeitlyn suggests, so can researchers. From the introduction: This book promotes an eclectic, multi-faceted anthropology in which multiple approaches are applied in pursuit of the limited insights which each can afford.... I do not endorse any one of these idea as supplying an exclusive path to enlightenment: I absolutely do not advocate any single position. As a devout nonconformist, I hope that the following sections provide material, ammunition and succour to those undertaking nuanced anthropological analysis (and their kin in related disciplines).... Mixing up or combining different ideas and approaches can produce results that, in their breadth and richness, are productive for anthropology and other social sciences, reflecting the endless complexities of real life. ...This is my response to the death of grand theory. I see our task as learning how to deal with that bereavement and how to resist the siren lures of those promising synoptic overviews. This book is relevant to anthropology, communication studies, cultural studies and sociology.

'A rich achievement full of glorious anecdotes' Hugo Vickers A Royal Christmas is a Christmas pudding of a book, enticingly full of silver threepenny pieces. Organised thematically, it covers such topics as Christmas and conflict in the 20th century, Christmas pastimes, festive feasts, Christmas and the Commonwealth, and many more, to reveal the many ways in which the Royal Family have celebrated the festive season through the ages. Jeremy Archer has delved into the Royal Archives to uncover the personal thoughts of many members of the Royal Family during the Christmas period. What comes over most strongly from Queen Victoria's journals is the importance of family: the joys they shared, the trials they endured, and the carefully-selected gifts they exchanged. Although there is much happiness, tragedy is a common bed-fellow, particularly in earlier times. And conflict is seldom very far away. But this is a celebration - both of an enduring festive season and an extraordinary family. 'An easy to read treat for royal enthusiasts, skilfully assembled to highlight significant episodes in our history from the comic to the tragic informative and enjoyable' Sarah Bradford 'Jeremy Archer has an eye for an anecdote and a clever way of arranging his material. The result is like an enormous bran tub: dip in, and you're sure to find something to keep you entertained' Kathryn Hughes, The Mail on Sunday

"Cultural Change and Persistence "addresses the complex challenge of pursuing development while safeguarding cherished aspects of deeply-rooted cultural practices and beliefs. Through cases from multiple world regions, the authors tackle the thorny problem of how to define and identify cultural aspects worthy of persistence. They document how leaders and activists use culture to shape development and vice versa, with examples ranging from the use of historical understandings to promote or critique economic development strategies, to efforts to modify cultural practices in order to prevent their decline. The cases provide penetrating insights into effective strategies for pursuing both cultural integrity and development.