The Forest Of Taboos

Contends that the ambivalence felt by all humans about sex, death and eating other animals can be explained by a set of coordinated principles that are expressed in taboos. Valeri evokes the world of the Huaulu, to show the attractions of the animal world which invades the human world in many ways.

An interesting resource for learning about the cultural differences and characteristics of people across the globe, this encyclopedia covers the "do's" and "don'ts" of a breadth of countries and major ethnic groups. Readers of this one-volume reference will gain useful knowledge of what travelers should and shouldn't do when in countries outside of the United States. After a general introduction, approximately 100 alphabetically arranged entries cover topics such as greeting and meeting, appearance and dress, table manners, body language, social situations and hospitality, verbal communications, business etiquette, religious etiquette, gift-giving, and even "netiquette" regarding social media. Sidebars and images throughout make the text more accessible and engaging, and additional readings at the end of each entry as well as the bibliography offer opportunities for further research on the subject. The content also directly supports the National Geography Standards and the AP Human Geography curriculum for high school students as they learn about the cultural differences and characteristics of people in major ethnic groups across the globe.

This book explores the cultural and economic conditions fuelling the popularity of the polarizing Paleo diet in Australia. Based on ethnographic research in Melbourne and Sydney, Catie Gressier recounts the compelling narratives of individuals struggling with illness and weight issues. She argues that ‘going Paleo’ provides a sense of agency and means of resistance to the neoliberal policies and practices underpinning the growing prevalence of lifestyle diseases. From its nostalgic constructions of the past, to the rise of anti-elite sentiments inherent in new forms of health populism, Gressier provides a nuanced understanding of the Paleo diet’s contemporary appeal.

Global environmental change is occurring at a rate faster than humans have ever experienced. Climate change and the loss of ecosystem services are the two main global environmental crises facing us today. As a result, there is a need for better understanding of the specific and general resilience of networked ecosystems, cities, organisations and institutions to cope with change. In this book, an international team of experts provide cutting-edge insights into building the resilience and adaptive governance of complex social-ecological systems. Through a set of case studies, it focuses on the social science dimension of ecosystem management in the context of global change, in a move to bridge existing gaps between resilience, sustainability and social science. Using empirical examples ranging from local to global levels, views from a variety of disciplines are integrated to provide an essential resource for scholars, policy-makers and students, seeking innovative approaches to governance.

Taboo and Transgression in British Literature from the Renaissance to the Present develops an innovative overview of the interdisciplinary theoretical approaches to the topic that have emerged in recent years. Alongside exemplary model analyses of key periods and representative primary texts, this exciting new anthology of critical essays has been specifically designed to fill a major gap in the field of literary and cultural studies. This book traces the complex dynamic and ongoing negotiation of notions of transgression and taboo as an essential, though often neglected, facet to understanding the development, production, and conception of literature from the early modern Elizabethan period through postmodern debates. The combination of a broad theoretical and historical framework covering almost fifty representative authors and uvres makes this essential reading for students and specialists alike in the fields of literary studies and cultural studies.

There is probably no set of issues of greater importance in the contemporary world than those that are to do with the Earth on which we live and depend. The more alienated we become from it the more we contribute to our own destruction. Christianity’s complicity in this destruction is well-documented and hotly debated. Africa can ill afford to fall into the same trap that Western Christianity has in this regard. One senses the urgency of these concerns in Blasu’s African Theocology: Studies in African Religious Creation Care. Extremely well-informed in the field, Blasu not only draws on the three major religions in Africa—Christianity, Islam, and African traditional religion—but demonstrates familiarity with the most important recent contributions in the field from Western scholarship. With its emphasis on pedagogics, African Theocology will play a seminal role in the construction of curricula for an African Christian theology of the environment and is sure to be an essential contribution to all libraries in institutions of higher learning.

No detailed description available for "The Social Functions of Avoidances and Taboos among the Zulu".