Some of the best scholars in the field of the anthropology of indigenous systems of theology such as Mary Douglas, Morton Klass, and Edith Turner are represented here. Explorations in Anthropology and Theology treats indigenous systems of religious thought, including 'popular' American secular rituals, with the respect and attention usually reserved for only the 'higher religions, ' covering topics such as feminist spirituality, traditional religions and the impact of modernization, alternative approaches to the sacred, implications for fieldwork, and the relationship and relevance of theology and anthropology to one another. The result is a stimulating exploration of a new field of research that is still being shaped and defined, the anthropology of theology. Papers represent most of the major ethnographic areas of the world, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, the United States and the Artic. Recommended for various courses in theology, anthropology of religion, symbolic anthropology, and fieldwork.

The possibility of violence beneath a thin veneer of civil society is a fact of daily life for twenty-first-century Guatemalans, from field laborers to the president of the country. "Crisis of Governance in Maya Guatemala" explores the causes and consequences of governmental failure by focusing on life in two K'iche' Maya communities in the country's western highlands. The contributors to this volume, who lived among the villagers for some time, include both undergraduate students and distinguished scholars. They describe the ways Mayas struggle to survive and make sense of their lives, both within their communities and in relation to the politico-economic institutions of the nation and the world.

Since Guatemala's thirty-six-year civil war ended in 1996, the state has been dysfunctional, the country's economy precarious, and physical safety uncertain. The intrusion of Mexican cartels led the U.S. State Department to declare Guatemala "the epicenter of the drug threat" in Central America. Rapid cultural change, weak state governance, organized crime, pervasive corruption, and ethnic exclusion provide the backdrop for the studies in this volume.

Seven nuanced ethnographies collected here reveal the complexities of indigenous life and describe physical and cultural conflicts within and between villages, between insiders and outsiders, and between local and federal governments. Many of these essays point to a tragic irony: the communities seem largely forgotten by the government until the state seeks to capture their resources--timber, minerals, votes. Other chapters portray villages responding to criminal activity through lynch mobs and by labeling nonconformist youth as gang members. In focusing on the internal dynamics of poor, marginal communities in Guatemala, this book explores the realities of life for indigenous people on all continents who are faced with the social changes brought about by war and globalization.

When the traditional meets the modern, nowhere is the impact felt as personally as in the realm of health care. Because practitioners trained in Western science tend to ignore traditional medicine in developing countries, conflict is inevitable.Health Care in Maya Guatemala examines medical systems and institutions in three K'iche' Maya communities to reveal the conflicts between indigenous medical care and the Guatemalan biomedical system. The editors and contributors show how people in this rapidly modernizing society think about traditional practices - and reveal that health conditions in traditional communities deteriorate over time as long-standing medical practices erode in the face of Western encroachment. The contributors first consider cultural, institutional, and behavioral aspects of health care in Guatemala. Then they look closely at the nature and treatment of specific health issues, such as dentistry and mental health - especially depression. Finally they provide new insight on midwifery, nutrition, ethnomedicine, and other topics. As a whole, the volume proposes steps toward a health care system more accessible to Mayas, incorporating K'iche' concepts with Western thought. Representing trends seen throughout the world, it shows the necessity of cultural understanding if poor people are to have access to medicine that combines the best of both local tradition and international biomedicine. Although Western medicine continues to ignore the importance of local culture in its attempt to be ""scientific,"" this book makes a strong argument for giving tradition its due.