Alcohol Customs And Rituals

Presents findings of studies done on drinking practices of different cultures and immigrant groups in the United States.

Presents findings of studies done on drinking practices of different cultures and immigrant groups in the United States.

This encyclopedia presents the many sides of America's ongoing relationship with alcohol, examining the political history, pivotal events, popular culture, and advances in technology that have affected its consumption. From the constant advertising messages from beer, wine and liquor manufacturers to parties, weddings, and other social gatherings where alcohol is served to after-work happy hours with coworkers, the influence and presence of alcohol are inescapable in the United States. According to a government source, 50 percent of American adults identified themselves as "regular drinkers" (having at least 12 drinks in the past year). This encyclopedia presents an overview of the entire history of alcohol in America from the first colonies to present day, focusing on the often-marginalized and pop culture aspects of alcohol use and misuse. Entries illuminate topics such as the favorite alcoholic beverages in America; how they are manufactured; the role of alcohol in everyday life, special events, and across history; the impacts of alcohol consumption on society and health; and much more. Connections and influences from outside the United States are also considered for some topics.

Information on the role of eating and drinking rituals in various geographic regions across the continent

Alcohol consumption goes to the very roots of nearly all human societies. Different countries and regions have become associated with different sorts of alcohol, for instance, the “beer culture” of Germany, the “wine culture” of France, Japan and saki, Russia and vodka, the Caribbean and rum, or the “moonshine culture” of Appalachia. Wine is used in religious rituals, and toasts are used to seal business deals or to celebrate marriages and state dinners. However, our relation with alcohol is one of love/hate. We also regulate it and tax it, we pass laws about when and where it’s appropriate, we crack down severely on drunk driving, and the United States and other countries tried the failed “Noble Experiment” of Prohibition. While there are many encyclopedias on alcohol, nearly all approach it as a substance of abuse, taking a clinical, medical perspective (alcohol, alcoholism, and treatment). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol examines the history of alcohol worldwide and goes beyond the historical lens to examine alcohol as a cultural and social phenomenon, as well—both for good and for ill—from the earliest days of humankind.

Alcohol: Social Drinking in Cultural Context critically examines alcohol use across cultures and through time. This short text is a framework for students to self-consciously examine their beliefs about and use of alcohol, and a companion text for teaching the primary concepts of anthropology to first-or second year college students.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First Conference on Creativity in Intelligent Technologies and Data Science, CIT&DS 2015, held in Volgograd, Russia, in September 2015. The 66 revised full papers and two short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 208 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on computational creativity for science and design; knowledge discovery in patent and open sources for creative tasks; software computer-aided design and agent-based systems; conceptual, cognitive and qualitative modeling with application in intelligent decision making; design creativity in CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM; intelligent decision support for continual improvement process; data science in energy management, transportation and urban development; data science in social networks analysis; natural language and image processing and analysis; game-based learning technologies in engineering education and educational games design; personalized learning in Web-based intelligent educational systems; e-inclusion: development of smart mobile applications for people with disabilities.