Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia

Take a walk in someone else's shoes in this fascinating examination of shoes and feet around the world! This one-of-a-kind A-Z reference work contains over 150 fascinating entries and intriguing sidebars that look at feet and adornment of feet across the many cultures of the world throughout time. A wide range of international and multicultural topics are covered, including foot binding, fetishes, diseases of the foot, customs and beliefs related to the foot, shoe construction, myths and folktales featuring feet or shoes, the history of footwear, iconic brands and types of shoes, important celebrities associated with shoes, and the types of footwear worn around the world. This exhaustive compilation is ideal for students and general readers interested in the human body, fashion, and medicine, and even scholars looking for more in-depth coverage on the social and cultural uses of the body will find it as a useful starting point in their research. Cross-references, suggestions for further reading, and a full bibliography of print and electronic resources are valuable tools for all readers.

Students can use this reference work to draw cross-cultural comparisons, as well as study the evolution of footwear in terms of social, religious, and ethnic parameters. Aside from iconic American brands and types of shoes, this volume will also look at how feet are treated and viewed around the globe: removing shoes upon entering a house, washing feet for religious purposes, giving feet the spa treatment, and covering feet up for social customs. Perfect for undergraduate and high school students studying anthropology and world culture.

MARGO DEMELLO currently lectures at Central New Mexico Community College, teaching sociology, cultural studies, and anthropology. She is the author ofEncyclopedia of Body Adornment (Greenwood, 2007, RUSA 2007 Outstanding Reference Title).