Race, religion, language, culture, and national character are full of contradictions. Brazil, the largest country in South America, embodies so much paradox that it defies neat description. This book will help students and general readers dispel stereotypes of Brazil and begin to understand what country's "bigness" means in terms of its land, people, history, society, and cultural expressions. This is the only authoritative yet accessible volume on Brazil that surveys a wide range of important topics, from geography, to social customs, art, architecture, and more. Highlights include discussions of the fluid definitions of race, rituals of candomble, the importance of extended family networks, beach culture, and soccer madness. A chronology and glossary supplement the text.

The Cambridge Guide to African and Caribbean Theatre is an exploration of the rich diversity of theatrical traditions in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. Beautifully illustrated throughout, the book traces the ancient and complex roots of African theatre - still evident in community festivals and religious rituals - through the centuries of colonial domination, to the African diaspora and its manifestation in Caribbean theatre. Drawing upon the parent Cambridge Guide to Theatre, material is updated and refocused to offer a specific view of traditional and contemporary theatre activity in over 40 countries. National essays are followed by alphabetically arranged entries on the major figures in the theatrical arts of that country, whilst additional entries concentrate on specific aspects of theatre, from rituals and festivals to theatre companies and language.