Social and cultural anthropology Books

What happens to people, places and objects that do not fit the ordering regimes and progressive narratives of modernity? Conventional understandings imply that progress leaves such things behind, and excludes them as though they were valueless waste...

The first collection of its kind, this anthology documents a radically different geography and history of science fiction in the world. Focusing on the extensive cultural networks across the global South and East, the essays explore transnational...

The Iranian city experienced a major transformation when the Pahlavi Dynasty initiated a project of modernization in the 1920s. The Rite of Urban Passage investigates this process by focusing on the spatial dynamics of Muharram processions, a ritual that...

Exploring contemporary debates and developments in Roma-related research and forms of activism, this volume argues for taking up reflexivity as practice in these fields, and advocates a necessary renewal of research sites, methods, and epistemologies...

Elite Malay women's polygamy narratives are multiple and varied, and their sentiments regarding the practice are conflicted, as they are often torn between personal and religious convictions. This volume explores the ways in which this increasingly...

What does it mean to be a man in our biomedical day and age? Through ethnographic explorations of the everyday lives of Danish sperm donors, Being a Sperm Donor explores how masculinity and sexuality are reconfigured in a time in which the norms and...

Pilgrimage has always had a tendency to follow-and sometimes create-trade routes. This volume explores how wider factors behind transnational and global mobility have impacted on pilgrimage activity across the world, and examines the ways in which...

Based on an ethnographic account of subsistence use of Amazonian forests by Wapishana people in Guyana, Edges, Frontiers, Fringes examines the social, cultural and behavioral bases for sustainability and resilience in indigenous resource use. Developing...

Grounded in scholarly analysis and personal reflection, and drawing on a multi-sited and multi-method research design, Momentous Mobilities disentangles the meanings attached to temporary travels and stays abroad and offers empirical evidence as well as...

As we grapple with a growing refugee crisis, a hardening of anti-immigration sentiment, and deepening communal segregation in many parts of the developed world, questions of the nature of home and homemaking are increasingly critical. This collection...

Exploring the complex dynamics of twenty-first century spatial sociality, this volume provides a much-needed multi-dimensional perspective that undermines the dominant image of Northern Ireland as a conflict-ridden place. Despite touching on memories of...

Drawing from ethnographic material based on long-term research, this volume considers competing forms of power at micro- and macro-levels in Guyana, where the local is marked by extensive migration, corruption, and differing levels of violence. It shows...

As soon as Europeans set foot on African soil, they looked for the equivalents of their kings - and found them. The resulting misunderstandings have lasted until this day. Based on ethnography-driven regional comparison and a critical re-examination of...

Since its sovereign debt crisis in 2009, Greece has been living under austerity, with no apparent end in sight. This volume explores the effects of policies pursued by the Greek state since then (under the direction of the Troika), and how Greek society...

How do the Kara, a small population residing on the eastern bank of the Omo River in southern Ethiopia, manage to be neither annexed nor exterminated by any of the larger groups that surround them? Through the theoretical lens of rhetoric, this book...

As critical voices question the quality, authenticity, and value of people, goods, and words in post-Mao China, accusations of emptiness render things open to new investments of meaning, substance, and value. Exploring the production of lack and desire...

At once a social history and anthropological study of the world's oldest voluntary collective farms, All or None is a story of how landless laborers joined together in Ravenna, Italy to acquire land, sometimes by occupying private land in what they...

Much of world's documentary heritage rests in vulnerable, little-known and often inaccessible archives. Many of these archives preserve information that may cast new light on historical phenomena and lead to their reinterpretation. But these rich...

Examining materials from early modern and contemporary North India and Pakistan, Tellings and Texts brings together seventeen first-rate papers on the relations between written and oral texts, their performance, and the musical traditions these...

During the 1970s a wave of 'counter-culture' people moved into rural communities in many parts of Australia. This study focuses in particular on the town of Kuranda in North Queensland and the relationship between the settlers and the local Aboriginal...

What can anthropology and political science learn from each other? The authors argue that collaboration, particularly in the area of concepts and methodologies, is tremendously beneficial for both disciplines, though they also deal with some troubling...

European thought is often said to be a gift to the rest of the world, but what if there is no gift as such? What if there is only an economy where every giving is also a taking, and every taking is also a giving? This book extends the question of...

An ethnography of the development and travel of the New Zealand model of neoliberal welfare reform, this study explores the social life of policy, which is one of process, motion, and change. Different actors, including not only policy élites but also...

The tradition of Bride Price has been at the heart of marriage for many centuries in numerous cultures across the globe. The Dynamics of Bride Price presents new research data from Zimbabwe and the UK highlighting the transnational dimension of the...

High Priest of California is a the first published novel by Charles Ray Willeford III (January 2, 1919 - March 27, 1988). Willeford was an American writer. An author of fiction, poetry, autobiography, and literary criticism. [In his novels] Willeford...

This work focuses on contemporary Zimbabwean Stone Sculpture - widely known until the early 1990s as "Shona Sculpture" - from the perspective of a critical anthropological analysis of cultural identity and representation. The analysis frames the...

This early work by Franz Boas was originally published in 1927 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Primitive Art' is an attempt to give an analytical description of the fundamental traits of primitive art. Franz Boas...

Let Marcine take you on a journey into the distant past through her paintings. An accomplished artist, she brings to life the ancient tales of the peoples who call themselves the Haudenosaunee, People of the Longhouse. We know them better as the Iroquois...

Introductory Sketch of the Bantu Languages is a book written by Alice Werner and published in 1919. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the Bantu languages, which are spoken in various parts of Africa. The author begins by discussing the...

India For The Indians, And For England is a book written by William Digby in 1885. The book is a comprehensive analysis of British rule in India and its impact on the Indian people. The author argues that British rule has been detrimental to the Indian...

India And Its Problems is a book written by William Samuel Lilly in 1902. The book explores the various issues and challenges that India faced during the early 20th century. It covers topics such as the political and economic situation of India, the...

Home Life In Spain is a book written by Samuel Levy Bensusan in 1910. The book provides a detailed description of the daily life, customs, and traditions of the Spanish people. It covers topics such as family life, food, clothing, and religion, as well...

Holland-Tide: Or Munster Popular Tales is a book written by Gerald Griffin and published in 1827. The book is a collection of traditional Irish folk tales that were popular in the Munster region of Ireland. The stories are written in a simple and...

Hints Towards The Formation Of Character, With Reference Chiefly To Social Duties is a book written by an anonymous author who goes by the name of ""A Plain-Spoken Englishwoman."" The book was originally published in 1843 and is a guide to developing...

Helen Leeson: A Peep At New York Society (1855) is a novel written by an anonymous author that provides a glimpse into the high society of New York City during the mid-19th century. The story follows the titular character, Helen Leeson, as she navigates...

Hampa: Antropolog������a Picaresca (1898) es un libro escrito por Rafael Salillas. En �����l, el autor describe la vida de los delincuentes, ladrones y vagabundos de la �����poca, y analiza su comportamiento y su forma de vida. A trav�����s de una...

Greek Folksongs From The Turkish Provinces Of Greece is a book written by Lucy Mary Jane Garnett in 1885. The book is a collection of traditional Greek folk songs that were collected from the Turkish provinces of Greece. The songs are presented in their...

Govinda Samanta V2: Or The History Of A Bengal Raiyat (1874) is a historical novel written by Lal Behari Day. The book is a sequel to the first volume of the same title and continues the story of Govinda Samanta, a Bengali farmer who becomes embroiled in...

Great Future of America and Africa is an essay written by Jacob Dewees in 1854. The book discusses the relationship between America and Africa, particularly in relation to the Black man. Dewees argues that it is the duty of Americans to ensure the safety...

Gaddings With A Primitive People V2: Being A Series Of Sketches Of Alpine Life And Customs (1878) is a book written by William Adolph Baillie Grohman. The book is a collection of sketches that provide a detailed insight into the life and customs of the...

""Friends of Bohemia V2: Or Phases of London Life"" is a book written by Edward Michael Whitty and published in 1857. The book is a collection of sketches and stories that depict the various aspects of life in London during the mid-19th century. The...

From Dance Hall To White Slavery: The World�������s Greatest Tragedy (1912) is a book written by H.W. Lytle that explores the issue of white slavery in the early 20th century. The book describes how young women were lured into prostitution through...

Everyday Life in Turkey is a book written by Mrs. W. M. Ramsay in 1897. The book provides a detailed account of the author's experience living in Turkey during the late 19th century. It covers various aspects of daily life in Turkey, including the...

The Ethnology of the British Islands is a book written by Robert Gordon Latham in 1852. The book explores the various ethnic groups that inhabited the British Isles, including the Celts, Saxons, and Normans. Latham analyzes the physical and cultural...