Material Culture Books

New and Published Books

1. Cultural Heritage and Prisoners of War

   Creativity Behind Barbed Wire

   Edited by Gilly Carr, Harold Mytum

   Series: Routledge Studies in Heritage

   This book focuses on the numerous examples of creativity produced by POWs and civilian internees during their captivity, including: paintings, cartoons, craftwork, needlework, acting, musical compositions, magazine and newspaper articles, wood carving, and recycled Red Cross tins turned into plates...

   Published March 4th 2012 by Routledge
2. The Interpretation of Ritual

   Edited by J.S. La Fontaine

   First published in 1972. A revival of interest in primitive religion has been one of the most marked characteristics of British social anthropology of recent years. Inspired by the work of Audrey Richards, whose writing on ritual contains many of the insights that have been developed in later...

   Published December 12th 2011 by Routledge
3. Political Systems and the Distribution of Power

   Edited by Michael Banton

   Modern political anthropology began in 1940 with the first systematic comparative studies of how primitive societies maintained law and order. The focus was on government and the presence or absence of state institutions. Recently, interest has shifted to the study of power, to examining the...

   Published December 12th 2011 by Routledge
4. We the Tikopia

   A sociological study of kinship in primitive Polynesia

   By Raymond Firth

   Recognized as a major work when first published, this title has, over the years, become a classic. Forming the basis of modern social anthropology, We the Tikiopia stands in the forefront of its literature. The book is an excellent example of fieldwork analysis of a primitive society; a complete...

   Published December 12th 2011 by Routledge
5. Migration and New Media

   Transnational Families and Polymedia

   By Mirca Madianou, Daniel Miller

   How do parents and children care for each other when they are separated because of migration? The way in which transnational families maintain long-distance relationships has been revolutionised by the emergence of new media such as email, instant messaging, social networking sites, webcam and...

   Published November 16th 2011 by Routledge
6. International Law and the Protection of Cultural Heritage

   By Craig Forrest

   The world’s cultural heritage is under threat from war, illicit trafficking, social and economic upheaval, unregulated excavation and neglect. Over a period of almost fifty years, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has adopted five international conventions that...

   Published August 16th 2011 by Routledge
7. Making Japanese Heritage

   Edited by Christoph Brumann, Rupert A. Cox

   Series: Japan Anthropology Workshop Series

   This book examines the making of heritage in contemporary Japan, investigating the ways in which particular objects, practices and institutions are ascribed public recognition and political significance. Through detailed ethnographic and historical case studies, it analyses the social, economic,...

   Published June 29th 2011 by Routledge
8. How Institutions Think (Routledge Revivals)

   By Mary Douglas

   Series: Routledge Revivals

   First published in 1986 Mary Douglas’ theory of institutions uses the sociological theories of Emile Durkheim and Ludwig Fleck to determine not only how institutions think, but also the extent to which thinking itself is dependent upon institutions. Different kinds of institutions allow individuals...

   Published June 28th 2011 by Routledge
9. The Structural Study of Myth and Totemism

   Edited by Edmund Leach

   Designed to provoke controversy, the papers in this volume concentrate on two main themes: the study of myth and totemism. Starting with an English translation of La Geste d'Asdiwal, which is widely considered to be the most brilliant of all of Lévi-Strauss's shorter expositions of his technique of...

   Published November 10th 2010 by Routledge
10. Witchcraft Confessions and Accusations

    Edited by Mary Douglas

    Historians as well as anthropologists have contributed to this volume of studies on aspects of witchcraft in a variety of cultures and periods from Tudor England to twentieth-century Africa and New Guinea. Contributors include: Mary Douglas, Norman Cohn, Peter Brown, Keith Thomas, Alan Macfarlane,...

    Published November 10th 2010 by Routledge