25 posts tagged with history and anthropology.
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Books about the history of the Americas

I've just returned to my home in the US from my first trip to Mexico City. I'm really interested in the history of the indigenous people of the Americas, especially in the differences between North and South American cultures and how they were each affected by the arrival of Europeans. Can you recommend some books on this subject? Thanks.
posted by something something on Aug 13, 2021 - 14 answers

Mesoamerica for dummies

I'm looking for an accessible and fairly recently written history of Mesoamerica, in English. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by latkes on Feb 23, 2020 - 3 answers

Is my university a particularly leftist bubble?

I'm constantly confused. I go to university. I study Anthropology and History. I'm not the best student, but I try and do my readings. I'm constantly told in some nominally progressive places online that I'm living in some sort of leftist alternate reality, that doesn't reflect the consensus on a range of issues. Well, Marx is in the syllabus, and Hayek isn't. Is that unusual? [more inside]
posted by Acid Communist on Dec 15, 2019 - 20 answers

Like The Golden Bough, but accurate

As a high school student, I discovered Frazer's The Golden Bough and was fascinated. Unfortunately, it turns out that "whenever the evidence did not fit he simply altered the evidence". Is there any book you can recommend which is as wide-ranging in its anthropological and historical interests but more truthful?
posted by clawsoon on Mar 8, 2018 - 7 answers

Help me understand and deal with my cynical comrades

I love my leftist allies, but their attitudes can sometimes turn me off, and I am looking for resources to help me process this. Deets inside! [more inside]
posted by shalom on Aug 3, 2017 - 14 answers

What are the "big shifts" that have changed humanity?

I'm looking to explore the big shifts and major revolutions that have made a historical impact. Examples in the modern age: the rise of democracy, the proliferation of capitalism, and the Information Age / Internet. What other big shifts and major revolutions have changed humanity? [more inside]
posted by markbao on Jun 5, 2014 - 35 answers

[Book Recommendation Filter] A comprehensive history of Savile Row

I'm looking for book recommendations for thorough, engaging, and rigorous histories of Savile Row tailoring and/or books that talk about the history and philosophy of fine men's tailoring and dress. I'm not averse to books with technical information, as well as historical and cultural information. Thank you!
posted by moxie_milquetoast on Sep 15, 2013 - 4 answers

Medical anthropology and history: what to read next?

I'm about to finish The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Before that, I read Nancy Scheper-Hughes' Death Without Weeping. What's next? [more inside]
posted by oinopaponton on Aug 22, 2013 - 8 answers

Have norms surrounding eating chicken changed over time?

Was there ever a period in time before widespread acceptance of germ theory, or, is there a current culture where raw or undercooked chicken is an accepted part of cuisine? [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Jan 10, 2013 - 19 answers

I am trying so hard not to make a joke about prawns.

I get to go to South Africa to do field work next summer, hurray! I know very little about South African history and culture beyond what I get from the (US) media. I'd like to read a few books between now and then to try and get caught up. [more inside]
posted by TungstenChef on Dec 5, 2012 - 7 answers

Books about the beginning needed.

I saw Cave Of Forgotten Dreams and loved it. Now I want to read more about early human history. Please recommend some good books on the beginnings of human art in particular and the emergence of human society and the beginnings of conciousness in general. I'm not a scientist and I'm not looking for a textbook, but I'm not afraid of a challenging read, either.
posted by vibrotronica on Mar 26, 2012 - 16 answers

So I want to be a social studies textbook editor...

A few years ago I landed on this idea of what I think may really be the perfect fun-and-interesting job for me: a textbook editor. But even more so with social studies content. How do I do it? [more inside]
posted by AnOrigamiLife on May 12, 2011 - 3 answers

What are the top academic journals in various fields?

What are the best academic journals in each field? [more inside]
posted by ollyollyoxenfree on Jan 30, 2010 - 49 answers

cultures in transition, over time

Looking for writing on how cultures/nations/tribes handled, fared, cope/d with alien influences. In the past or now, ongoing. [more inside]
posted by ebesan on Dec 5, 2009 - 9 answers

Should Immigrants Be Required to Learn a National Language?

What are the reasons for and against constitutionally requiring a specific national language? [more inside]
posted by netbros on Aug 28, 2008 - 73 answers

Fluorescent flat caffeine lights / It's furious balancing

What online reads can you recommend on the subject of circadian rhythms and rituals, preferably from an anthropological and/or historical point of view? [more inside]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane on Jan 13, 2008 - 6 answers

Help me find interesting anthropology/sociology books.

Books about anthropology, psychology, sociology, modern rituals...I think. Can you point me in the right direction? [more inside]
posted by lhall on Dec 20, 2007 - 11 answers

Examples of 'The Infinite' in Myth and Their Effect on Conditions of Truth

I am searching for examples of The Infinite, or the immeasurably large, in our mythologies and archetypes. I am also interested in the categories of Truth which came out of the emergence of Western, ontological thought. Does the trust in a rationally conceivable reality deny us the infinity of the mythological realm? By rooting ourselves in the present, and denying atemporal mythologies, do we also deny the infinite origins from where we came? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Nov 28, 2007 - 22 answers

Took courses, got A's, still not sure what it is.

When I was younger, I read a sociology textbook trying to find out why sociology was treated as a separate discipline and how it differs fundamentally from the other social sciences. I learned a lot about Weber and Durkheim, but I still don't get it. Can you help? [more inside]
posted by StrikeTheViol on Sep 11, 2007 - 12 answers

History, Anthropology, and Fiction

I'm looking for any historical or anthropological studies of fiction. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by Ms. Saint on Jun 21, 2007 - 13 answers

Calling all anthropologists!

What were some of the most idyllic communities to have ever existed? I’m not looking for opinions, I’m looking for hard anthropological examples or studies that have been carried out on such cultures. [more inside]
posted by heylight on Aug 29, 2006 - 9 answers

whence do you love

what are some good theoretical works on the concepts of love, monogamy, and so forth? [more inside]
posted by yonation on Apr 30, 2006 - 15 answers

Lumpy Earth---gravity's effects on us?

Gravity/Life/SocietyFilter: So the Earth is all lumpy, with more or less gravity in some places. Has anyone ever corroborated it with life/social/world things? Many questions inside... [more inside]
posted by amberglow on Feb 18, 2006 - 33 answers

What can I learn about women's changing roles in the world?

In the U.S., we get all caught up in the decisions that adult women make and the consequences of those decisions. (To have children, not to have children, to work, to stay home with the children, not to work, to marry, to have children without marrying, etc.) Are there similar convulsions about these cultural issues in other countries, especially non-English speaking ones? How can I learn about them? I'm curious both about how women's roles in in their societies are changing and about how those societies are reacting to the changes.
posted by croutonsupafreak on Nov 30, 2005 - 6 answers

books about india?

Can anyone recommend some good books on Indian (particularly South Indian) culture/history/politics/etc? [more inside]
posted by introcosm on Jul 28, 2005 - 8 answers

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