Encyclopedia of world cultures

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Title:

Author:

Levinson, David, 1947-

ISBN:

9780816118083

9780816118090

9780816118120

9780816118113

9780816118144

9780816118106

9780816118137

9780816118168

9780816118175

Publication Information:

Boston, Mass. : G.K. Hall, 1991-

Physical Description:

v. : maps ; 29 cm.

Contents:

[v.1] North America -- [v.2] Oceania -- [v.3] South Asia -- [v.4] Europe (central, western, and southeastern -Europe) -- [v.5.] East and Southeast Asia -- [v.6] Russi-a and Eurasia, China -- [v.7] South America -- [v.8] Middle America and the Caribbean -- [v.9] Africa and the Middle East -- [v.10] Indexes.

Subject Term:

Ethnology -- North America -- Encyclopedias.

Added Author:

Levinson, David, 1947-

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library	Reference Book	GN307.E53 V. 1	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
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Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library	Reference Book	GN307.E53 V. 4	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library	Reference Book	GN307.E53 V. 5	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
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Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library	Reference Book	GN307.E53 V. 7	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library	Reference Book	GN307.E53 V. 8	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library	Reference Book	GN307.E53 V. 9	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library	Reference Book	GN307.E53 V.10	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

Features coverage of every Native American culture that exists today in the United States and Canada. In addition, there is full coverage of such diverse groups as Cajuns, African Americans, Amish, Mormons and Latinos.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

YA-- This is the first of ten projected volumes on the cultures of the world, published with the assistance of the Human Relations Area Files of Yale University. Its subjects are the various ethnic and national subcultures of the North American continent from the Alaskan Aleuts and the French-Canadians to the various ``hyphenated'' Americans and a whole host of Native American tribes. Topics covered for each group include history, location, religious beliefs and practices, arts, socio-political organization, language, economy, family, and kinship relationships. An invaluable reference work for YA students of American history, sociology, and folklore.-- Richard Lisker, Fairfax County Library, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Choice Review

Prepared under the auspices of the Human Relations Area Files, this work promises to satisfy a long-standing need for "a basic reference source that provides accurate, clear, and concise descriptions of the cultures of the world" (from the preface). Judging from its first volume, the promise has largely been kept. This initial offering covers cultures of North America, defined as Canada, the US, and Greenland. Included are more than 200 Native American groups (extinct cultures are not covered), as well as folk cultures such as the Amish, and distinctive ethnic groups such as the Basques. Summaries of these cultures form the bulk of the volume, with entries varying from a paragraph to several pages. The longer descriptions are fairly uniform, covering history, economy, kinship, sociopolitical organization, religion, etc. Each has a short up-to-date bibliography. Most of the more than 80 contributors are anthropologists; numerous unsigned entries were written by HRAF staff members. Articles are usually well written, although in a drive to be concise some read more like a laundry list of cultural traits. Sections on European Americans, European Canadians, Latinos, and other non-Native American ethnic groups rather too quickly summarize the variability in these broad categories. A preface outlines the goals, coverage, and organization of the encyclopedia, and will appear in each volume. An introductory essay discusses coverage of North America, Native American cultural regions, and the editors' typology of folk cultures and ethnic groups. A few maps show Native American group locations in 1600 and 1990, as well as folk culture locations, but no other illustrations accompany the text. Tying the volume together are an ethnonym index, a glossary of anthropological terms, and a filmography. Comparison must be made to the Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (CH, Jan'81), which provides superior coverage of the ethnic groups of European origin, but lacks the depth of Native American material assembled here. Carl Waldman's Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes (CH, Sep'88) also offers less depth, as it is written for a younger audience. In summary, this will be a useful resource for all academic libraries. -J. C. Wanser, Hiram College

Library Journal Review

This first of ten volumes covers the cultures of Native Americans, ethnic groups (e.g., African Americans), and folk cultures (e.g., the Amish) in the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Arranged alphabetically by group, the articles present cultural and historical data in an easily accessible uniform format. Scholars and other experts wrote the longest articles. The editors' stated aim is to provide ``accurate descriptions of the cultures for both the past and the present.'' While the concept of an encyclopedia devoted to diverse world cultures is excellent, most entries are descriptive summaries of traditional culture available elsewhere. For Native American groups, especially, information is extraordinarily sketchy on the 20th century. Ethnic and folk culture articles tend to be more comprehensive. Librarians wishing to have cultural summaries at their fingertips may want to consider purchase. Though the first volume is more detailed than the Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups ( LJ 12/1/80), that book includes more contemporary cultural information. Entries in Barbara A. Leitch's A Concise Dictionary of Indian Tribes of North America ( LJ 4/1/80) are less scholarly. Libraries that own the above two works need not buy this one.-- Mary B. Davis, Huntington Free Lib., Bronx, N . Y . (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.