Social scientists and philosophers confronted with religious phenomena have always been challenged to find a proper way to describe the spiritual experiences of the social group they were studying. Th
The "managerial revolution," or the rise of management as a distinct and vital group in industrial society, might be identified as a major development of the modernization processes, similar to the sc
Since 1989 neo-nationalism has grown as a volatile political force in almost all European societies in tandem with the formation of a neoliberal European Union and wider capitalist globalizations. Foc
Across Africa, funerals and events remembering the dead have become larger and even more numerous over the years. Whereas in the West death is normally a private and family affair, in Africa funerals
Convinced before the onset of Operation "Barbarossa" in June 1941 of both the ease, with which the Red Army would be defeated and the likelihood that the Soviet Union would collapse, the Nazi regime e
Abortion in the Weimar Republic is a compelling subject since it provoked public debates and campaigns of an intensity rarely matched elsewhere. It proved so explosive because populationist, ecclesias
When researchers want to study indigenous populations they are dependent upon the highly variable way in which states or territories enumerate, categorize, and differentiate indigenous people.In this
Grassroots memorials have become major areas of focus during times of trauma, danger, and social unrest. These improvised memorial assemblages continue to display new and more dynamic ways of represen
"...One of the very few books to have been published in the last 10 years on the declared topic of ecofeminism…the volume is a necessary and timely rethinking of ecofeminism; it includes some striking
The rapidly expanding population of youth gangs and street children is one of the most disturbing issues in many cities around the world. These children are perceived to be in a constant state of dest
While the current discussion of ethnic, trade, and commercial diasporas, global networks, and transnational communities constantly makes reference to the importance of families and kinship groups for
Dennis (modern German history, U. of Wolverhampton, England) and LaPorte (history, U. of Glamorgan, Wales) examine the experiences of minority groups in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) i
Abandoning the usual Cold War oriented narrative of postwar European protest and opposition movements, this volume offers an innovative, inter-disciplinary, and comprehensive perspective on two decade
The wave of anti-authoritarian political activity associated with the term “1968” can by no means be confined under the rubric of “protest,” understood narrowly in terms of street marches and other re
The Muhammad cartoon crisis of 2005/06 caught the world by surprise as Denmark decided to ridicule, mug, and insult Muslims because they were Muslims. Through the methodologies of media anthropology,
Focusing on ethnicity and its relation to conflict, this book goes beyond sterile debates about whether ethnic identities are “natural” or “socially constructed.” Rather, ethnic identity takes differe
"...it was not just factories, offices or national economies that were to be planned and rationalized, but homes, minds, and bodies..." states Clarke (French studies, U. of Southampton, UK) in her int
Amit (anthropology, Concordia U., Canada) assembles nine chapters that consider different hierarchies and criteria of status and privilege as travelers move from one context to another. Chapters addre
Obesity is a rising global health problem. On the one hand, a clearly defined medical condition, it is at the same time a corporeal state embedded in the social and cultural perception of fatness and
Buckler seeks reasons for why Gypsies and local officials in northern England are not able to reach agreement on what seem tractable, if not easy, conflicts even when everyone is clearly making a sust
Politicians argued that providing a Croatian homeland would develop national identity and prevent ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and virulent nationalism. However, those who were more or less forced to
Based on anthropological studies across the globe, this book explores the social practice of home-making amongst people whose lives are characterized by movement and violence. Social scientific and po
Anthropologists mostly from Oxford University describe how some anthropologists over the past decade or so have been paying more attention to developments in the study in social and biological evoluti
As part of the ongoing research project Med-Voices, anthropologists and other social scientists analyze contentious politics in the Mediterranean region using a number of approaches. The overall theme
In 1926/27 the Soviet Central Statistical Administration initiated several year-long expeditions to gather primary data on the whereabouts, economy, and living conditions of all rural peoples living i
The war in the Middle East is marked by a lack of cultural knowledge on the part of the western forces, and this book deals with another, widely ignored element of Islam - the role of dreams in everyd
One of the foremost scholars on Turkish migration, the author offers in this work the summary of her experiences and research on Turkish migration since 1963. During these forty years her aim has bee
One of the major historians of pre-revolutionary Russia has collected in this volume some of his most important essays. Written over a number of years, these pioneering works have been revised and up
Anthropology is particularly well suited to explore the contemporary predicament in the coming of age of young men. Its grounded and comparative empiricism provides the opportunity to move beyond stat
Eickelkamp's (anthropology, U. of Sydney) collection of scholarly essays, as well as her own research, explores Aboriginal children's education and cultural changes in recent years and the effect on i
Anthropologists, food and beverage scientists, psychologists, health professionals, and other scholars explore connections between bread and beer as closely related staples from the earliest records i
The art of German painter Max Liebermann was suppressed during Hitler's Third Reich, and Liebermann is still primarily known as a Jewish painter rather than as a modern artist who happened to be Jewis
Due to the demand for flexible working hours and employees who are available around the clock, the time patterns of childcare and schooling have increasingly become a political issue. The book compar
Karlsson (social anthropology, Stockholm U., Sweden) explores the nature-society interface and its evolution in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya. Offering individual chapters on forests, lan
Two of the most destructive moments of state violence in the twentieth century occurred in Europe between 1933 and 1945 and in China between 1959 and 1961 (the Great Leap famine). This is the first bo
Asceticism, so it is argued in this volume, is a modern category. The ubiquitous cult of the body, of fitness and diet equally evoke the ongoing success of ascetic practices and beliefs. Nostalgic mem
While not denying the importance of "white" Westerners to the global historical experience of racism in recent centuries, Berg (American history, U. of Heidelberg, Germany) and Wendt (American studies
There are few areas of society today that remain outside the ambit of policy processes, and likewise policy making has progressively reached into the structure and fabric of everyday life. An instrume
Anthropologists, sociologists, and scholars of religion fill out the considerable literature on Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity by focusing on its ritual, especially in the global south--Africa,
There are few areas of society today that remain outside the ambit of policy processes, and likewise policymaking has progressively reached into the structure of everyday life. An instrument of modern
