Anthropology
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The Sociolinguistics of Sign Languages
This is an accessible introduction to the major areas of sociolinguistics as they relate to sign languages and deaf communities. Clearly organised, it brings together a team of leading experts in sign linguistics to survey the field, and covers a wide range of topics including variation, multilingualism, bilingualism, language attitudes, discourse analysis, language policy and planning. The book examines how sign languages are distributed around the world; what occurs when they come in contact with spoken and written languages; and how signers use them in a variety of situations. Each chapter introduces the key issues in each area of inquiry and provides a comprehensive review of the literature. The book also includes suggestions for further reading and helpful exercises. The Sociolinguistics of Sign Languages will be welcomed by students in deaf studies, linguistics and interpreter training, as well as spoken language researchers, and researchers and teachers of sign language.Read more
£30.20£63.60The Sociolinguistics of Sign Languages
£30.20£63.60 -
Serpent, Siren, Maelstrom & Myth: Sea Stories and Folktales from Around the World
The sea is beautiful and alluring, but it is also dangerous and deadly. Above all, it is unknowable and untameable. Storytelling offered our ancestors a means to understand and interact with the natural world, and in time these stories coalesced into the mythological systems of the world. And the ocean features in every mythological system in history.To reflect and explore this, Gerry Smyth has gathered together myths and folktales from cultures around the world – Native American, Caribbean, Polynesian, Persian, Indian, Scandinavian and European. Just as these stories have been passed down through generations, he brings his own narrative interpretation with additional discussion on their meaning. Stories are divided into seven sections: Origin Stories; Gods and Humans; Voyages; Lost Places, Imagined Spaces; Weather and Nature; Down to the Sea in Ships; Fabulous Beasts; and embellished with illustrations from the wide-ranging collections of the Library.
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£23.70£28.50 -
Spirits, Seers & Séances: Victorian Spiritualism, Magic & the Supernatural
Spiritualism in the Age of Sherlock Holmes and Edgar Allan Poe
A woman wearing a black veil convenes a séance. A magician puts a volunteer into a trance. A fortune-teller leans over a crystal ball. Everyone knows what Victorian mysticism looks like because our modern imagery, language, and practice of magic borrows heavily from the Victorians. But we have little understanding of its spiritual, cultural, and historical foundations.
What made the Victorians turn to mediumship, hypnotism, and fortune-telling? What were they afraid of? What were they seeking?
This book explores the history of automatic writing, cartomancy, clairvoyance, and more. It reveals how Victorian belief in ghosts, fairies, and nature spirits shaped our celebrations of Halloween and Christmas. With historic examples and hands-on exercises, you will discover how spiritualism in the time of Jack the Ripper, Jane Eyre, “A Christmas Carol,” and Dracula left such a profound impact on both the past and present.
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£11.70£15.20 -
Everyday Life in Victorian London
Everyday Life in Victorian London explores the daily lives of adults and children, aristocracy and middle classes, working poor and the ‘submerged tenth’ underclass. It shows the different faces of London, with its many extremes and contrasts – by day and by night; busy and peaceful; ugly and beautiful; safe and dangerous. It looks at the River Thames and its importance; the City, West and East Ends; at work, leisure, health, hospitals, education, food, clothes, housing, shops and markets, transport and infrastructure, public services, crime, the police and prisons, immigrant communities, and important events such as the Great Exhibition of 1851 and Queen Victoria’s golden and diamond jubilees. Daily life in the capital will be explored at three levels – above ground (views from hot air balloons), at ground level, and below ground (the sewage system, the underground railway and cemeteries). A central theme is the rapid growth in population throughout the century due to immigration from the countryside and abroad, and the resulting expansion into ‘The Monster City’. The final chapter describes London at the end of the century with improved transport, a newly embanked Thames, a sewage system, housing for the poor, public buildings, hospitals and prisons – a transformed capital of a great empire and the embryo of the London we know today.Read more
£18.20£21.80Everyday Life in Victorian London
£18.20£21.80 -
The Hidden Injuries of Class
In this reissue of the 1972 classic of social anatomy, Richard Sennets adds a new introduction to shows how the injuries of class persist into the 21st century. In this intrepid, groundbreaking book, Richard Sennett and Jonathan Cobb uncover and define a new form of class conflict in America?an internal conflict in the heart and mind of the blue-collar worker who measures his own value against those lives and occupations to which our society gives a special premium.The authors conclude that in the games of hierarchical respect, no class can emerge the victor; and that true egalitarianism can be achieved only by rediscovering diverse concepts of human dignity. Examining personal feelings in terms of a totality of human relations, and looking beyond the struggle for economic survival, The Hidden Injuries of Class takes an important step forward in the sociological critique of everyday life.Read more
£12.00£14.20The Hidden Injuries of Class
£12.00£14.20 -
Islam in a Zongo: Muslim Lifeworlds in Asante, Ghana: 62 (The International African Library, Series Number 62)
Zongos, wards in West Africa populated by traders and migrants from the northern savannahs and the Sahel, are a common sight in Ghana’s Asante region where the people of these wards represent a dual-minority as both foreigners and Muslims in a largely Christian area, facing marginalisation as a result. Islam provides the people of the zongos with a common ground and shared values, becoming central to their identity and to their shared sense of community. This detailed account of Islamic lifeworlds highlights the irreducible diversity and complexity of ‘everyday’ lived religion among Muslims in a zongo community. Benedikt Pontzen traces the history of Muslim presence in the region and analyses three Islamic phenomena encountered in its zongos in detail: Islamic prayer practices, the authorisation of Islamic knowledge, and ardently contested divination and healing practices. Drawing on empirical and archival research, oral histories, and academic studies, he demonstrates how Islam is inextricably bound up with the diverse ways in which Muslims live it.Read more
£68.10£71.30 -
The Chinese Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Legends
The essential guide to the complex, fascinating world of Chinese myths: retelling the stories and exploring their significance in Chinese culture.This is a concise and entertaining guide to the complex tradition of Chinese mythology. While many around the world are familiar with some aspects of Chinese myth – through Chinese New Year festivities or the classic adventures of the Monkey King in Journey to the West – few outside of China understand the richness of Chinese mythology, influenced by Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
Offering much more than any competing overview of Chinese mythology, The Chinese Myths not only retells the ancient stories but also considers their place within the patterns of Chinese religions, culture and history. Tao Tao Liu introduces us to an intriguing cast of gods, goddesses, dragons and monks, including: the ancient hero, Yi the Archer, who shot suns out of the sky to save humanity from a drought; Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, to whom there are temples dedicated all over East Asia; and Madame White Snake, a water snake spirit in the guise of a mysterious widow, her story adapted into countless films and operas. This book is for anyone interested in China, as knowing its myths allows readers to understand and appreciate its culture in a new light.
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£12.20£14.20The Chinese Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Legends
£12.20£14.20 -
Southeast Asia: A History in Objects (British Museum) (British Museum: A History in Objects)
A new take on Southeast Asia’s complex history, expertly told through art objects and cultural artefacts dating from the Neolithic Age to the present.Southeast Asia is home to numerous world heritage sites. Through engaging texts and expertly curated objects from the British Museum collection, arranged chronologically and thematically into seven chapters, this volume offers a new approach to one of the most complex and diverse areas of the world. Every object tells a story in a wide-ranging and accessible selection that illuminates the civilizations, societies and local cultures that have defined Southeast Asia over the past 6,000 years.
From the emergence of early agricultural communities and stratified societies to the rise of powerful empires and religious developments in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, and to the eras of colonial rule and independence, curator and art historian Alexandra Green traces and explores the variety of Southeast Asian cultures. The texts describe the region through a broad range of objects, including sculptures from the historic civilizations of Java, Angkor, Bagan and Sukhothai, as well as ceramics, furniture, religious items, basketry, textiles, popular posters and contemporary art. This book is an informative visual delight for curious minds everywhere.
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£24.80£30.40 -
A Brief History of Vietnam: Colonialism, War and Renewal: The Story of a Nation Transformed (Brief History Of Asia Series)
This accessible guide is your one-stop shop for discovering Vietnamese history.A Brief History of Vietnam explores the fascinating, turbulent history of a land that has risen from the ashes of war to become a leading economic power. This book expertly examines the history of a people and a nation with ancient roots but which only took its current shape in the 19th century under French colonial rule and its current name in 1945.
Before that landmark year, Vietnam was known by many names, under many rulers. Located in the geographical center of Southeast Asia, the country we call “Vietnam” was ruled by China, a series of Vietnamese emperors, and the French. A devastating, decades-long conflict for independence ensued, ending with the conclusion of the Vietnam War in 1975.
Key topics include:
- China’s ancient conquest of Vietnam and the millennia-long struggle of the Vietnamese for independence from its powerful neighbor to the north.
- The reign of the Nguyen dynasty, the last dynasty to rule Vietnam, with its capital at the ancient city of Hue, today a UNESCO world heritage site.
- France’s eventual colonization of Vietnam, which lasted for over 60 years, culminating in the dramatic Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
- The story of Ho Chi Minh, educated in France, who attended the Treaty of Versailles to advocate for independence and became Vietnam’s first President after the Vietnam War.
- The violent political split between North and South, which resulted in a devastating war with the United States and eventual victory by the Communists.
- The country’s miraculous emergence from three decades of war and its path to becoming one of the world’s fastest-growing economies today.
- Perfect for history buffs of all kinds, the book includes 32 pages of vivid color photos that depict the country’s rich history. Journalist Bill Hayton’s accessible prose makes A Brief History of Vietnam an essential study of a beautiful, complex land in the heart of Southeast Asia and its worldwide influence.
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£12.20£14.20 -
Speak Out!: The Brixton Black Women’s Group
“We came to Britain in search of better opportunities or to get some of the wealth which had been misappropriated from the Caribbean, but what in reality did we find?”Speak Out brings together the writings of Brixton Black Women’s Group for the first time, in a landmark collection. Established in response to the lack of interest in women’s issues experienced in male-dominated Black organisations, the Brixton Black Women’s Group’s aim was to create a distinct space where women of African and Asian descent could meet to focus on political, social and cultural issues as they affected black women. BWG published its own newsletter, Speak Out, which kept alive the debate about the relevance of feminism to black politics and provided a black women’s perspective on immigration, housing, health and culture.
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£15.20£19.00Speak Out!: The Brixton Black Women’s Group
£15.20£19.00 -
Politics and Sociology: General Sociology, Volume 5 (Politics and Sociology, 5)
This is the fifth and final volume based on the lectures given by Pierre Bourdieu at the Collège de France in the early 1980s under the title ‘General Sociology’. In these lectures, Bourdieu sets out to define and defend sociology as an intellectual discipline, and in doing so he introduces and clarifies all the key concepts which have come to define his distinctive intellectual approach.
In this volume, Bourdieu develops his view of the social world as the site of a struggle for the legitimate vision of the world. The specific weapon used in these struggles is what Bourdieu calls symbolic capital, which is economic, cultural or social capital when perceived through suitable categories of perception. All forms of power seek to impose their own categories of perception in a way that is both recognised and misrecognised. This is how forms of power establish themselves as legitimate, because legitimacy is a force of recognition based on misrecognition, that is, recognised in a way that prevents us from recognising its arbitrariness.
By rejecting the opposition between structuralist objectification and subjectivist constructivism, sociology can seek to grasp both the objective structure of social fields and the properly political strategies that agents use in order to establish and impose their viewpoint. And it can do so without forgetting that the whole world of social construction is oriented by the perception agents have of the social world, which depends on their position in the structures of social fields and their dispositions, themselves fashioned by these structures.
An ideal introduction to some of Bourdieu’s most important ideas, the five volumes of this series will be of great value to students and scholars who study and use Bourdieu’s work across the social sciences and humanities, and they will be of interest to general readers who want to know more about the work of one of the most important sociologists and social thinkers of the twentieth century.
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£25.90£28.50 -
Gambling in Everyday Life: Spaces, Moments and Products of Enjoyment (Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies)
The book adopts a critical cultural studies lens to explore the entanglement of government and gambling in everyday life. Its qualitative approach to gambling creates a new theoretical framework for understanding the most urgent questions raised by research and policy on gambling.
In the past two decades, gambling industries have experienced exponential growth with annual global expenditure worth approximately 300 billion dollars. Yet most academic research on gambling is concentrated on problem gambling and conducted within the psychological sciences. Nicoll considers gambling at a moment when its integration within everyday cultural spaces, moments, and products is unprecedented. This is the first interdisciplinary cultural study of gambling in everyday life and develops critical and empirical methods that capture the ubiquitous presence of gambling in work, investment and play. This book also contributes to the growing cultural studies literature on video and mobile gaming. In addition to original case studies of gambling moments and spaces, in-depth interviews and participant observations provide readers with an insider’s view of gambling.
Advanced students of sociology, cultural theory, and political science, academic researchers in the field of gambling studies will find this an original and useful text for understanding the cultural and political work of gambling industries in liberal societies.
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£33.30 -
Pantheon: Gods and Goddesses of the Greco-Roman World (Wooden Books U.K. Series)
How many Muses are there? Who were the original twelve Titans? Why is Zeus (Jupiter) associated with power stations, and Poseidon (Neptune) with salt-cellars? Who were Aphrodite’s (Venus’) handmaidens? In this beautiful little book, packed with helpful details and rare early illustrations, picture-researcher Philippa Lewis reveals the fabulous deities of the Classical world, their colourful characters, memorable stories and visual attributes, showing how the immortals live on even today.Read more
£6.40£6.60 -
African Religion: Asarian Theology: Volume 4
18.ASARIAN RELIGION: RESURRECTING OSIRIS The path of Mystical Awakening and the Keys to Immortality NEW REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION! The Ancient Sages created stories based on human and superhuman beings whose struggles, aspirations, needs and desires ultimately lead them to discover their true Self. The myth of Aset, Asar and Heru is no exception in this area. While there is no one source where the entire story may be found, pieces of it are inscribed in various ancient Temples walls, tombs, steles and papyri. For the first time available, the complete myth of Asar, Aset and Heru has been compiled from original Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Coptic Texts.Read more
£16.50£19.30African Religion: Asarian Theology: Volume 4
£16.50£19.30 -
Why Study Religion?
Can the study of religion be justified? Scholarship in religion, especially work in “theory and method,” is preoccupied with matters of research procedure and thus inarticulate about the goals that motivate scholarship in the field. For that reason, the field suffers from a crisis of rationale. Richard B. Miller identifies six prevailing methodologies in the field, and then offers an alternative framework for thinking about the purposes of the discipline. Shadowing these various methodologies, he notes, is a Weberian scientific ideal for studying religion, one that aspires to value-neutrality. This ideal fortifies a “regime of truth” that undercuts efforts to think normatively and teleologically about the field’s purpose and value. Miller’s alternative framework, Critical Humanism, theorizes about the ends rather than the means of humanistic scholarship.Why Study Religion? offers an account of humanistic inquiry that is held together by four values: Post-critical Reasoning, Social Criticism, Cross-cultural Fluency, and Environmental Responsibility. Ordered to such purposes, Miller argues, scholars of religion can relax their commitment to matters of methodological procedure and advocate for the value of studying religion. The future of religious studies will depend on how well it can articulate its goals as a basis for motivating scholarship in the field.
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£27.10Why Study Religion?
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Religion and Culture in Native America
Religion and Culture in Native America presents an introduction to a diverse array of Indigenous religious and cultural practices in North America, focusing on those issues in which tribal communities themselves are currently invested. These topics include climate change, water rights, the protection of sacred places, the reclaiming of Indigenous foods, health and wellness, social justice, and the safety of Indigenous women and girls. Locating such contemporary challenges within their historical, religious, and cultural contexts illuminates how Native communities’ responses to such issues are not simply political, but deeply spiritual, informed by sacred traditions, ethical principles, and profound truths.
In collaboration with renowned ethnographer and scholar of Native American religious traditions Inés Talamantez, Suzanne Crawford O’Brien abandons classical categories typically found in religious studies textbooks and challenges essentialist notions of Native American cultures to explore the complexities of Native North American life.
Key features of this text include:
- Consideration of Indigenous religious traditions within their historical, political, and cultural contexts
- Thematic organization emphasizing the concerns and commitments of contemporary tribal communities
- Maps and images that help to locate tribal communities and illustrate key themes.
- Recommendations for further reading and research
Written in an engaging narrative style, this book makes an ideal text for undergraduate courses in Native American Religions, Religion and Ecology, Indigenous Religions, and World Religions.
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£16.70 -
Eyeliner: A Cultural History
A dazzling exploration of the intersections of beauty and power around the globe, told through the lens of an iconic cosmetic
‘Awe-inspiring and fascinating’ Funmi Fetto
‘A treat to read’ Kassia St ClairFrom the distant past to the present day, humans have been drawn to lining their eyes. The aesthetic trademark of figures ranging from Nefertiti to Amy Winehouse, eyeliner is one of our most enduring cosmetic tools; ancient royals and Gen Z beauty influencers alike would attest to its uniquely transformative power. It is undeniably fun – yet it is also far from frivolous.
Seen through Zahra Hankir’s (kohl-lined) eyes, this ubiquitous but seldom-examined product becomes a portal to history, proof both of the stunning variety among cultures across time and space and of our shared humanity. Through intimate reporting and conversations – with nomads in Chad, geishas in Japan, dancers in India, drag queens in New York, and more – Eyeliner embraces the rich history and significance of its namesake, especially among communities of colour. What emerges is a delightful, surprising, and unexpectedly moving journey through streets, stages, and bedrooms around the world, and a thought-provoking reclamation of a key piece of our collective history.
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£14.60£18.00Eyeliner: A Cultural History
£14.60£18.00 -
I Wanna Do That!: The Magic of Mardi Gras Marching Krewes
The move from spectator to participant is a quantum leap. Yet each Mardi Gras in New Orleans, thousands of people make that leap, abandoning inhibition and reveling in the ever-growing creative phenomenon of marching krewes.
To celebrate this untold story, I Wanna Do That! Celebrating the Magic of Mardi Gras Marching Krewes, bursts with over 200 full color photographs that document this important New Orleans-centered cultural movement. As local arts critic Doug McCash says, “At this juncture, marching krewes are one of the best art stories in the city.”
Ok…so, what is a marching krewe?
Simply put, a marching krewe is a group of like-minded people who get together for the purpose of marching in parades that take place during the Carnival (Mardi Gras) season.
These krewes come in all shapes, sizes, and variations, yet they all share the attributes of creativity, artistry, quirkiness, humor, inclusiveness, and accessibility. Krewes are composed of people who practice dance moves, sew costumes, and create “throws” to hand out to a covetous public. People for whom participation is a badge of civic identity. People who at one point stood on the curb and said “I wanna do THAT!!”
Realizing that the marching krewe field has expanded exponentially, our team knew it was a story that must be told. Two incredibly talented local photographers worked tirelessly to document the creative energy of the 2020 Mardi Gras season for this book, to tell and share the unique story of the 300+ marching krewes in New Orleans. I Wanna Do That! is perfect gift for anyone who loves New Orleans.
“‘I Wanna Do That!: The Magic of Mardi Gras Marching Krewes’ is a must-have book for Carnival aficionados. Leafing through the 272-page volume, illustrated with lusciously funky photos by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee and Patrick Niddrie, seems especially precious these days, since the coronavirus has put the kibosh on most upcoming Mardi Gras-season events.” – Doug MacCash, Staff Writer, The New Orleans Advocate
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£27.50 -
Ruth Asawa Through Line
A groundbreaking examination of how the act of drawing was a vital component of Ruth Asawa’s multifaceted art“A revelatory exhibition. . . . [A] fine exhibition catalog.”―Nancy Princenthal, New York Times, “Critic’s Pick”
Ruth Asawa (1926–2013), widely known for her looped-wire sculptures, was an inveterate drawer. She filled sketchbook after sketchbook and even stated that drawing was central to her sculpture. This volume is the first to consider the significance of drawing in Asawa’s oeuvre throughout her career, featuring essays that examine the range of Asawa’s aesthetic maneuvers across materials and techniques; how Asawa’s drawing intertwined with the Bay Area arts community and her contributions to public education as a teacher and organizer; and the influence of Josef Albers’s pedagogy and Asawa’s lifelong adoption of his type of paper folding. Tracing Asawa’s artistic journey from her first formal art lessons in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II through her time at Black Mountain College and beyond, this comprehensive overview of the artist’s drawings includes reproductions of more than one hundred works―many of which have never been published―organized into eight thematic sections that cut through time, reflecting an art-making practice that was more circular or cyclical than linear.
Distributed for the Menil Collection and the Whitney Museum of American Art
Exhibition Schedule:
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
(September 16, 2023–January 15, 2024)
The Menil Collection, Houston
(March 22–July 21, 2024)Read more
£38.00Ruth Asawa Through Line
£38.00
