|
Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > Time (chronology) > General
Time forms such an important part of our lives that it is rarely
thought about. In this book the author moves beyond the time of
clocks and calendars in order to study time as embedded in social
interactions, structures, practices and knowledge, in artefacts, in
the body, and in the environment. The author looks at the many
different ways in which time is experienced, in relation to the
various contexts and institutions of social life. Among the topics
discussed are time in the areas of health, education, work,
globalization and environmental change. Through focusing on the
complexities of social time she explores ways of keeping together
what social science traditions have taken apart, namely, time with
reference to the personal-public, local-global and natural-cultural
dimensions of social life.
Barbara Adam's time-based approach engages with, yet differs
from postmodernist writings. It suggests ways not merely to
deconstruct but to reconstruct both common-sense and social science
understanding.
This book will be of interest to undergraduates, graduates and
academics in the areas of sociology, social theory
environmental/green issues, feminist theory, cultual studies,
philosophy, peace studies, education, social policy and
anthropology.
The Mexica (Aztecs) used a solar calendar made up of eighteen
months, with each month dedicated to a specific god in their
pantheon and celebrated with a different set of rituals.
Panquetzaliztli, the fifteenth month, dedicated to the national god
Huitzilopochtli (Hummingbird on the Left), was significant for its
proximity to the winter solstice, and for the fact that it marked
the beginning of the season of warfare. In The Fifteenth Month,
John F. Schwaller offers a detailed look at how the celebrations of
Panquetzaliztli changed over time and what these changes reveal
about the history of the Aztecs. Drawing on a variety of sources,
Schwaller deduces that prior to the rise of the Mexica in 1427, an
earlier version of the month was dedicated to the god Tezcatlipoca
(Smoking Mirror), a war and trickster god. The Mexica shifted the
dedication to their god, developed a series of ceremonies -
including long-distance running and human sacrifice - that would
associate him with the sun, and changed the emphasis of the
celebration from warfare alone to a combination of trade and
warfare, since merchants played a significant role in Mexica
statecraft. Further investigation shows how the resulting festival
commemorated several important moments in Mexica history, how it
came to include ceremonies associated with the winter solstice, and
how it reflected a calendar reform implemented shortly before the
arrival of the Spanish. Focused on one of the most important months
in the Mexica year, Schwaller's work marks a new methodology in
which traditional sources for Mexica culture, rather than being
interrogated for their specific content, are read for their
insights into the historical development of the people. Just as
Christmas re-creates the historic act of the birth of Jesus for
Christians, so, The Fifteenth Month suggests, Panquetzaliztli was a
symbolic re-creation of events from Mexica myths and history.
|
You may like...
Time and Memory
Rosine Jozef Perelberg
Hardcover
R3,990
Discovery Miles 39 900
Time and Memory
Rosine Jozef Perelberg
Paperback
R922
Discovery Miles 9 220
|