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Science : A Four Thousand Year History - Thryft
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Patricia Fara | Oxford University Press

Science : A Four Thousand Year History

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Goodreads rating: 3.7

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Recommendation: - This book offers a refreshing perspective on the history of science by focusing on the practical world rather than abstract theories. It reveals the true stories of real scientists, their mistakes, and their quest for success, challenging the notion of scientific supremacy. Whether you're a science enthusiast or simply curious about the human side of scientific progress, this captivating journey through science's practical history is a must-read.
Haiti, History, And The Gods - Thryft
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Colin Dayan, Joan Dayan  | University Of California Press

Haiti, History, And The Gods

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Goodreads rating: 4.02

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This book would be a good read for individuals interested in Haitian history and voodoo religion. It provides a comprehensive look at how the two are intertwined and shaped Haiti's past and present. The unique aspect of this book is its focus on voodoo religion, rarely acknowledged in traditional historical texts.
AIDS and Accusation : Haiti and the Geography of Blame - Thryft
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This book could be a good read for people who want to understand how social inequalities such as poverty, racism, and ethnocentrism create a ripple effect in epidemics such as AIDS. It is a thought-provoking analysis of the relationship between social factors and public health outcomes, using the case of AIDS in Haiti as an example. Through his ethnographic study, author Paul Farmer underscores the importance of recognizing the role of systemic inequality in disease spread, which gives readers a much-required global perspective on HIV/AIDS.
From the Soil : The Foundations of Chinese Society - Thryft
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"From the Soil" offers a rare Chinese perspective on the distinguishing traits of Western and Chinese societies through Fei's in-depth analytical approach. This book is perfect for those interested in sociology and history, and seeks a fresh perspective on how society is shaped and organized differently across cultures.
The Ethnography of Reading - Thryft
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This book could be a good read for someone interested in the cultural and historical transformations of reading, and its impact on societies. It provides insights on reading practices and experiences in different parts of the world, from ancient Israel to contemporary Indonesia and Kashaya Pomo Indian reservation. The book erases the line between orality and textuality, making it an insightful read for those interested in anthropology, literature, history, philosophy, religious and cultural studies.
Comparative Musicology and Anthropology of Music - Thryft
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This book would be a valuable read for musicologists and ethnomusicologists who are interested in exploring the theoretical and methodological foundations of the discipline. It provides a critical analysis of the field's history and explores new directions in theory and analysis. Overall, this book is an enriching collection of articles that offers fascinating insights into the field of ethnomusicology.
How To Think Like a Neandertal - Thryft
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This book provides an intriguing look into the mental life and culture of Neanderthals. It explores their language abilities, complex technical skills, and hunting practices, giving readers insight into a long-vanished people. The book also draws comparisons to our own minds and culture, making it a fascinating read for anyone interested in anthropology or psychology.
House Home Family : Living and Being Chinese - Thryft
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Drawing on the work of leading scholars in the fields of anthropology, architecture, art, art history, geography, and history, House Home Family explores and analyzes the functional, social, and symbolic attributes of Chinese dwellings. It goes beyond generalization to clarify the diverse nature of house, home, and family in China, exploring such topics as the Chinese garden as an integral part of living, house-building ritual and fengshui, architectural aesthetics, the inter-relatedness of furniture and architecture, preservation of historical structures, the structure and development of the family (jia), gender and household space, the role of lineage in the construction of ritual and social space, the function and meaning of the architectural division of space, and domestic space and privacy. The Chinese house, the elementary space in which a family lives and works, resonates the tensions between continuity and innovation that characterize China today. As a dynamic instrument of socialization and a domain of propriety, its "inner" and "outer" spaces as well as ornamentation and ritual helped shape the identity of the Chinese and simultaneously serve as a reflection of this identity. This inaugural volume in the series Spatial Making and Meaning in Asia’s Vernacular Architecture contains more than five hundred illustrations, most in color and including a number of rare drawings that demonstrate the richness of domestic architecture and living patterns in traditional and contemporary China. Through its exploration of how Chinese families are organized and why Chinese construct their living spaces the way they do, this carefully researched, convincingly argues, and refreshingly insightful book yields a deeper and wider understanding of what it means to live and be Chinese. Nancy Berliner, Maggie Bickford, Francesca Bray, Myron L. Cohen, David Faure, James Flath, Wen Fong, Puaypeng Ho, Nancy Jervis, Ronald G. Knapp, Cary Liu, Kai-Yin Lo, Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt, Joseph Wang, Yan Yunxiang.
The East Asian Region : Confucian Heritage and Its Modern Adaptation - Thryft
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This book provides insight into the history and transformation of Confucian values in East Asia over the past 2,000 years. It is recommended for those with an interest in East Asian history and culture, specifically Confucianism, and how it has adapted in modern times. The book offers a broad historical context and expert analysis for readers to deepen their understanding of this complex topic.
Geography For The IB Diploma Global Interactions - Thryft
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Paul Guinness | Cambridge University Press

Geography For The IB Diploma Global Interactions

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Goodreads rating: 5.0

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This book is highly recommended for those who are pursuing their International Baccalaureate Diploma in Geography, particularly for those at the higher level. The book covers the seven topics included in the HL syllabus and emphasizes key global issues; it guides the students in building their geographical skills, and helps them to make connections between different areas of the Geography course and other concepts within the Theory of Knowledge. Furthermore, it encourages students to study primary and secondary sources, which helps to develop their analytical skills, making it a useful resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of global interactions.
The Hunting Apes - Meat Eating And The Origins Of Human Behavior - Thryft
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Craig Stanford | Princeton University Press

The Hunting Apes - Meat Eating And The Origins Of Human Behavior

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Goodreads rating: 3.58

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Recommendation: The Hunting Apes argues that meat eating drove human evolution, making it a must-read for those interested in anthropology, human biology, and nutrition. The book details the social significance of meat-sharing and consumption, making it a fascinating exploration of the origins and behavior of the human species.
This book provides a fascinating analysis of how state-led planning can lead to disastrous consequences. It highlights the importance of local knowledge and bottom-up approaches to problem-solving, making it a must-read for anyone interested in the limitations of top-down planning. With a clear and accessible writing style, Seeing Like a State offers an insightful critique of government-led initiatives and their impact on society and the environment.
Arabs in History - Thryft
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Bernard Lewis | Oxford University Press

Arabs in History

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Goodreads rating: 3.73

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"Arabs in History" is a well-researched and comprehensive guide to the history and identity of the Arab people. Bernard Lewis covers important issues such as the creation of the Islamic state, the social and economic pressures faced by the Arab Kingdom, and the eventual decline of the Islamic empire. This book is a great read for anyone interested in learning more about the Arab world and its rich history, as well as anyone seeking to understand current social and political challenges in the region.
Chinese Ritual And Politics - Thryft
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This book provides a fascinating insight into the intricate links between ritual and politics in China. Emily Ahern's research highlights the connection between ritual practices and political power, making it an essential read for anyone interested in Chinese history or anthropology.
Technics and Civilization - Thryft
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Recommendation: "Technics and Civilization" is an eye-opening, thought-provoking read that delves deep into the origins of modern technology. Lewis Mumford's in-depth research on the history of culture, philosophy, and science provides a unique perspective on the moral, economic, and political choices that have led to our present-day industrially-driven economy. This book is a must-read for those interested in understanding the impact of technology on society and how it continues to shape our world today.
This book is a must-read for history buffs and those interested in the intersection of religion, politics and popular culture. It is a fascinating insight into the worldview of a common individual during the tumultuous Renaissance period. The unique feature of the book is its use of trial records of Domenico Scandella to decode his beliefs and views on politics, religion, and society.
Two Cheers for Anarchism : Six Easy Pieces on Autonomy, Dignity, and Meaningful Work and Play - Thryft
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Two Cheers for Anarchism could be a good read for someone looking to challenge traditional structures of hierarchy. Scott offers a unique perspective on everyday social and political interactions that inspire readers to consider constructive anarchism. The book celebrates the ingenuity and judgement of individuals exercising their creative and moral capacities. Readers will enjoy relatable anecdotes and examples that touch on a wide range of subjects, including globalization, assembly-line production, and historical explanation.
Clues, Myths, and the Historical Method - Thryft
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Clues, Myths, and the Historical Method by Carlo Ginzburg could be a good read for those interested in exploring historical analysis in diverse methods and objects. The book delves into the works of an essential Italian historian and offers a fresh perspective in cultural studies. Users would appreciate the unique and distinctive feature of the author's approach to history through analyzing clues and myths.
The Death Of Authentic Primitive Art - And Other Tales Of Progress - Thryft
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The Death of Authentic Primitive Art is a provocative read that deconstructs the ways in which Western society has appropriated and fetishized non-Western art. Errington’s analysis sheds light on the complex intersection between art, culture, and politics, and is a must-read for anyone interested in cultural studies.
Maps of Time : An Introduction to Big History - Thryft
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"Maps of Time" is a must-read for anyone interested in an overview of the interconnectivity of the universe - from the origins of the Big Bang to present-day environmental concerns. David Christian's narrative style presents a comprehensive introduction to the emerging field of Big History while maintaining attention to detail. This book combines cosmology, geology, archeology, and population and environmental studies to present world history in a relatable and fascinating way.
This book is a must-read for those interested in understanding how Western colonial power has influenced social sciences and area studies. Mignolo's argument sheds light on the need to decolonize knowledge and to recognize the diverse and subaltern voices that have been historically silenced.
"The Darker Side of Western Modernity" argues that the world is undergoing a shift towards dewesternization and decoloniality, which require a break from the colonial matrix of Western power to imagine and create new global futures. This book will be relevant and enlightening for anyone interested in understanding the power structures that underlie Western modernity and the potential for a more equitable future.
Challenging Cosmopolitanism : Coercion, Mobility and Displacement in Islamic Asia - Thryft
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This book provides a critical perspective on Islamic cosmopolitanism, exploring its darker shades of power, violence, and economic control. Through new historical and ethnographic research, it contextualizes contemporary issues such as the global refugee crisis in relation to longer histories of Muslim mobility and coercion. A must-read for those interested in a nuanced understanding of Islamic cosmopolitanism.
Southeast Asia has never formed a unified political realm nor has it ever developed a cultural or civilizational unity. The present volume brings together observations about "Southeast Asia" drawn from a number of regional and disciplinary perspectives. The authors look at the region from the standpoint of Thailand and the Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong, Japan and the Asian mainland, the South China Sea and the seacoasts of the region. They also consider the significance of borders and of a monetary network, of transnational flows of people, goods and information, and of knowledge in shaping Southeast Asia both for its residents and in the eyes of a wider world.
Starting with the premise that Europe was made by its imperial projects as much as colonial encounters were shaped by events and conflicts in Europe, the contributors to Tensions of Empire investigate metropolitan-colonial relationships from a new perspective. The fifteen essays demonstrate various ways in which "civilizing missions" in both metropolis and colony provided new sites for clarifying a bourgeois order. Focusing on the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries, they show how new definitions of modernity and welfare were developed and how new discourses and practices of inclusion and exclusion were contested and worked out. The contributors argue that colonial studies can no longer be confined to the units of analysis on which it once relied; instead of being the study of "the colonized," it must account for the shifting political terrain on which the very categories of colonized and colonizer have been shaped and patterned at different times.
Asian Aesthetics - Thryft
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This book would be a good read for those who are curious about the artistic traditions and aesthetics of various Asian cultures. Through expert analysis and insights from specialists in different fields, it offers a comprehensive understanding of the commonalities and distinctive features of Asian aesthetics. Whether you are passionate about art, interested in philosophy, or simply fascinated by different cultures, this book will take you on a journey to explore the rich and diverse world of Asian aesthetics.
Cupid's Arrow : The Course of Love through Time - Thryft
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Robert J. Sternberg | Cambridge University Press

Cupid's Arrow : The Course of Love through Time

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Goodreads rating: 3.95

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Cupid's Arrow presents a thought-provoking psychological approach to love, delving into the ways in which humans experience and perceive love, while offering interesting perspectives on the subject throughout history. Sternberg's triangular theory provides a unique perspective on the different types of love and how they interact with intimacy, passion, and commitment. With its well-researched content and relatable insights, this book is an excellent read for anyone exploring the boundaries of love and relationships.
Juvenescence : A Cultural History of Our Age - Thryft
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Robert Pogue Harrison | University Of Chicago Press

Juvenescence : A Cultural History of Our Age

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Goodreads rating: 3.93

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How old are you?  The more thought you bring to bear on the question, the harder it is to answer.  For we age simultaneously in different ways: biologically, psychologically, socially. And we age within the larger framework of a culture, in the midst of a history that predates us and will outlast us. Looked at through that lens, many aspects of late modernity would suggest that we are older than ever, but Robert Pogue Harrison argues that we are also getting startlingly younger―in looks, mentality, and behavior. We live, he says, in an age of juvenescence. Like all of Robert Pogue Harrison's books, Juvenescence ranges brilliantly across cultures and history, tracing the ways that the spirits of youth and age have inflected each other from antiquity to the present. Drawing on the scientific concept of neotony, or the retention of juvenile characteristics through adulthood, and extending it into the cultural realm, Harrison argues that youth is essential for culture’s innovative drive and flashes of genius. At the same time, however, youth―which Harrison sees as more protracted than ever―is a luxury that requires the stability and wisdom of our elders and the institutions. “While genius liberates the novelties of the future,” Harrison writes, “wisdom inherits the legacies of the past, renewing them in the process of handing them down.” A heady, deeply learned excursion, rich with ideas and insights, Juvenescence could only have been written by Robert Pogue Harrison. No reader who has wondered at our culture's obsession with youth should miss it.
Biology and Ideology from Descartes to Dawkins - Thryft
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Over the course of human history, the sciences, and biology in particular, have often been manipulated to cause immense human suffering. For example, biology has been used to justify eugenic programs, forced sterilization, human experimentation, and death camps—all in an attempt to support notions of racial superiority. By investigating the past, the contributors to Biology and Ideology from Descartes to Dawkins hope to better prepare us to discern ideological abuse of science when it occurs in the future.   Denis R. Alexander and Ronald L. Numbers bring together fourteen experts to examine the varied ways science has been used and abused for nonscientific purposes from the fifteenth century to the present day. Featuring an essay on eugenics from Edward J. Larson and an examination of the progress of evolution by Michael J. Ruse, Biology and Ideology examines uses both benign and sinister, ultimately reminding us that ideological extrapolation continues today. An accessible survey, this collection will enlighten historians of science, their students, practicing scientists, and anyone interested in the relationship between science and culture.
Compulsory ujamaa villages in Tanzania, collectivization in Russia, Le Corbusier’s urban planning theory realized in Brasilia, the Great Leap Forward in China, agricultural "modernization" in the Tropics—the twentieth century has been racked by grand utopian schemes that have inadvertently brought death and disruption to millions. Why do well-intentioned plans for improving the human condition go tragically awry?In this wide-ranging and original book, James C. Scott analyzes failed cases of large-scale authoritarian plans in a variety of fields. Centrally managed social plans misfire, Scott argues, when they impose schematic visions that do violence to complex interdependencies that are not—and cannot—be fully understood. Further, the success of designs for social organization depends upon the recognition that local, practical knowledge is as important as formal, epistemic knowledge. The author builds a persuasive case against "development theory" and imperialistic state planning that disregards the values, desires, and objections of its subjects. He identifies and discusses four conditions common to all planning disasters: administrative ordering of nature and society by the state; a "high-modernist ideology" that places confidence in the ability of science to improve every aspect of human life; a willingness to use authoritarian state power to effect large- scale interventions; and a prostrate civil society that cannot effectively resist such plans.
Fieldnotes : The Makings of Anthropology - Thryft
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Thirteen distinguished anthropologists describe how they create and use the unique forms of writing they produce in the field. They also discuss the fieldnotes of seminal figures--Frank Cushing, Franz Boas, W. H. R. Rivers, Bronislaw Malinowski, and Margaret Mead--and analyze field writings in relation to other types of texts, especially ethnographies. Unique in conception, this volume contributes importantly to current debates on writing, texts, and reflexivity in anthropology.
Of all the horrors human beings perpetrate, genocide stands near the top of the list. Its toll is staggering: well over 100 million dead worldwide. Why Did They Kill? is one of the first anthropological attempts to analyze the origins of genocide. In it, Alexander Hinton focuses on the devastation that took place in Cambodia from April 1975 to January 1979 under the Khmer Rouge in order to explore why mass murder happens and what motivates perpetrators to kill. Basing his analysis on years of investigative work in Cambodia, Hinton finds parallels between the Khmer Rouge and the Nazi regimes. Policies in Cambodia resulted in the deaths of over 1.7 million of that country's 8 million inhabitants―almost a quarter of the population--who perished from starvation, overwork, illness, malnutrition, and execution. Hinton considers this violence in light of a number of dynamics, including the ways in which difference is manufactured, how identity and meaning are constructed, and how emotionally resonant forms of cultural knowledge are incorporated into genocidal ideologies.
Rise of the West : A History of the Human Community - Thryft
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The Rise of the West, winner of the National Book Award for history in 1964, is famous for its ambitious scope and intellectual rigor. In it, McNeill challenges the Spengler-Toynbee view that a number of separate civilizations pursued essentially independent careers, and argues instead that human cultures interacted at every stage of their history. The author suggests that from the Neolithic beginnings of grain agriculture to the present major social changes in all parts of the world were triggered by new or newly important foreign stimuli, and he presents a persuasive narrative of world history to support this claim. In a retrospective essay titled "The Rise of the West after Twenty-five Years," McNeill shows how his book was shaped by the time and place in which it was written (1954-63). He discusses how historiography subsequently developed and suggests how his portrait of the world's past in The Rise of the West should be revised to reflect these changes. "This is not only the most learned and the most intelligent, it is also the most stimulating and fascinating book that has ever set out to recount and explain the whole history of mankind. . . . To read it is a great experience. It leaves echoes to reverberate, and seeds to germinate in the mind."—H. R. Trevor-Roper, New York Times Book Review
Sundanese Print Culture and Modernity in 19th Century West Java traces the development of modern printed books written in Sundanese, the dominant language in West Java, Indonesia, and the mother tongue of about 30 million people.Starting with the 'discovery' of Sundanese by Europeans in the early 19th century, Mikihiro Moriyama follows the developments in the ensuing century when a small group of Dutch scholars and colonial officials reshaped the language and its literature over the next one hundred years. Schools taught Sundanese, and printed materials based on western concepts began to influence indigenous writing and oral tradition. The imposition of European standards of literary aesthetics shaped a modernity that rejected traditional knowledge in favour of rational and empirical paradigms. Interest in traditional poetry and its mythologies declined, and new forms of prose, including novels, captured the attention of the reading public. These materials promoted useful knowledge and morality, and encouraged deference and loyalty towards colonial authority.Early in the 20th century, the establishment of the Commissie voor de Inlandsche School- en Volkslectuur (Committee for Indigenous Schoolbooks and Popular Reading Books), a government-subsidised institution, provided the growing number of literate people in the Indies with 'good' and 'appropriate' reading materials. Its development marked the end of an era when Sundanese writing competed with Western-style schools and publications, and signalled the triumph of the new colonial modernity.
The Aesthetic Experience : Anthropologist Looks at the Visual Arts - Thryft
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Examines how we experience art, discusses the symbolic and cultural aspects of aesthetic objects, and considers the effect of art from other cultures
Explores the relationship between architectural history and the current practice of architecture. The authors draw on insights from anthropology, ancient history, theology, philosophy and the Holocaust. They also provide practical ideas which should help students build a more human world.
Albion's Seed : Four British Folkways in America - Thryft
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David Hackett Fischer | Oxford University Press

Albion's Seed : Four British Folkways in America

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Goodreads rating: 4.36

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Albion's Seed is a great read for a history enthusiast, particularly those interested in the formation of America's regional cultures. Fischer's work effectively outlines the folkways and cultural differences between early British settlers in America, and how they have persisted to varying degrees in different areas of the country. This book is a valuable resource for understanding American cultural history, and would be a particularly good fit for those studying the social sciences or anyone with a keen interest in American regionalism.
Melayu : The Politics, Poetics and Paradoxes of Malayness - Thryft
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People within the Malay world hold strong but diverse opinions about the meaning of the word Melayu, which can be loosely translated as Malayness. Questions of whether the Filipinos are properly called "Malay", or the Mon-Khmer speaking Orang Asli in Malaysia, can generate heated debates. So too can the question of whether it is appropriate to speak of a kebangsaan Melayu (Malay as nationality) as the basis of membership within an aspiring postcolonial nation-state, a political rather than a cultural community embracing all residents of the Malay states, including the immigrant Chinese and Indian population.In Melayu: The Politics, Poetics and Paradoxes of Malayness, the contributors examine the checkered, wavering and changeable understanding of the word Melayu by considering hitherto unexplored case studies dealing with use of the term in connection with origins, nations, minority-majority politics, Filipino Malays, Riau Malays, Orang Asli, Straits Chinese literature, women's veiling, vernacular television, social dissent, literary women, and modern Sufism. Taken as a whole, this volume offers a creative approach to the study of Malayness while providing new perspectives to the studies of identity formation and politics of ethnicity that have wider implications beyond the Southeast Asian region.
If you're intrigued by the complex tapestry of cultures in modern societies, this book provides a deep dive into Singapore's multiethnic landscape. Ah Eng Lai's meticulous study offers insights not just into how a diverse nation builds its collective identity, but also into the personal significance of ethnicity for individuals. Taking you from intimate, detailed ethnography to broader socio-political discussions, it carves out an understanding of ethnic relations that's both nuanced and highly relevant in today's world.
In this book readers are invited to explore a fascinating but neglected field of English letters; the books written by British men and women about their experience in the Indian subcontinent. Over forty individual works are surveyed, covering the time period from when the East India Company began consolidating its powers to the eve of the Mutiny. The author balances generous excerpts from the original texts with her own exegeses to produce a work which offers rich insights to lay readers as well as to professional students of literature, history, sociology, anthropology, and travel writing.
The Sumerians - Thryft
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Samuel Noah Kramer | University Of Chicago Press

The Sumerians

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Goodreads rating: 4.03

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The Sumerians, the pragmatic and gifted people who preceded the Semites in the land first known as Sumer and later as Babylonia, created what was probably the first high civilization in the history of man, spanning the fifth to the second millenniums B.C. This book is an unparalleled compendium of what is known about them.Professor Kramer communicates his enthusiasm for his subject as he outlines the history of the Sumerian civilization and describes their cities, religion, literature, education, scientific achievements, social structure, and psychology. Finally, he considers the legacy of Sumer to the ancient and modern world.