Plasticity refers to the ability of many organisms to change their biology or behaviour to respond to changes in the environment particularly when these are stressful. Humans are perhaps the most plastic of all species and hence the most variable. This book reflects... Lees meer.

When Ladislav Holy precipitately left Czechoslovakia for the UK in 1968 he was already one of the leading anthropologists in Central Europe. In the following decades he made important field studies in Africa. Since 1986 he has been engaged in research in the Czech Repub... Lees meer.

Every year there are over 1.6 million violent deaths worldwide making violence one of the leading public health issues of our time. And with the 20th century just behind us it s hard to forget that 191 million people lost their lives directly or indirectly through co... Lees meer.

The dwarf and mouse lemurs of Madagascar are two very species-rich lemur genera yet there is a relative paucity of information on this primate family in published literature. In this first ever treatment of the Cheirogaleidae international experts are brought together... Lees meer.

Among the people of Avatip a community in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea the most prestigious and valued forms of wealth are personal names. In this intriguing study Simon Harrison analyses the significance of names in the context of Avatip ritual cosmology an... Lees meer.

Some of the most interesting ethnographies of experience are concerned to highlight the indeterminate nature of life. Questioning Misfortune is very much within this tradition. Based on a long-term study of adversity and its social causes in Bunyole eastern Uganda it... Lees meer.

The Khoisan are a cluster of southern African peoples including the famous Bushmen or San hunters the Khoekhoe herders in the past called Hottentots and the Damara also a herding people. Most Khoisan live in the Kalahari desert and surrounding areas of Botswana... Lees meer.

Human behavioral ecology HBE applies the principles of evolutionary theory and optimisation to the study of human behavioural and cultural diversity. Among other things HBE attempts to explain variation in behaviour as adaptive solutions to the competing life-history... Lees meer.

When Ladislav Holy precipitately left Czechoslovakia for the UK in 1968 he was already one of the leading anthropologists in Central Europe. In the following decades he made important field studies in Africa. Since 1986 he has been engaged in research in the Czech Repub... Lees meer.

This is a detailed study of marriage among the Maduzai a tribal society in Afghan Turkistan. Nancy Tapper presents both male and female perspectives and includes detailed case studies and historical and statistical material. Bartered Brides is a detailed study of m... Lees meer.

In the Mount Hagen area of central New Guinea warfare has been replaced since the arrival of the Europeans by a vigorous development of moka a competitive ceremonial exchange of wealth objects. The exchanges of pigs shells and other valuables are interpreted as actin... Lees meer.

A full understanding of human action requires an understanding of what motivates people to do what they do. For too many years studies of motivation and of culture have drawn from different theoretical paradigms. Typically human motivation has been modelled on animal b... Lees meer.

Questions of ethnicity religion cultural change and the African national identity are probed in this study of the immigrant community of Kumasi Ghana. Dr Schildkrout probes questions of ethnicity religion cultural change and the African national identity in this... Lees meer.

Among the Tuareg people in the Air Mountain region of Niger women are sometimes possessed by spirits called the people of solitude . The evening curing rituals of the possessed featuring drumming and song take place before an audience of young men and women who jok... Lees meer.

This original study deals with a specific set of institutions in nineteenth century Athens. Relying on matrimonial contracts travellers accounts memoirs and popular literature the author shows how the distinctive forms of marriage kinship and property transmission... Lees meer.