Download or read book Plumes from Paradise written by Pamela Swadling and published by Sydney University Press. This book was released on 2019 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The natural resources of New Guinea and nearby islands have attracted outsiders for at least 5000 years: spices, aromatic woods and barks, resins, plumes, sea slugs, shells and pearls all brought traders from distant markets. Among the most sought-after was the bird of paradise. Their magnificent plumes bedecked the hats of fashion-conscious women in Europe and America, provided regalia for the Kings of Nepal, and decorated the headdresses of Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire. Plumes from Paradise tells the story of this interaction, and of the economic, political, social and cultural consequence for the island's inhabitants. It traces 400 years of economic and political history, culminating in the 'plume boom' of the early part of the 20th century, when an unprecedented number of outsiders flocked to the island's coasts and hinterlands. The story teems with the variety of people involved: New Guineans, Indonesians, Chinese, Europeans, hunters, traders, natural historians and their collectors, officials, missionaries, planters, miners, adventurers of every kind. In the wings were the conservationists, whose efforts brought the slaughter of the plume boom to an end and ushered in an era of comparative isolation for the island that lasted until World War II.

Download or read book Gender Ritual and Social Formation in West Papua written by Jan Pouwer and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study, based on a lifelong involvement with New Guinea, compares the culture of the Kamoro (18,000 people) with that of their eastern neighbours, the Asmat (40,000), both living on the south coast of West Papua, Indonesia. The comparison, showing substantial differences as well as striking similarities, contributes to a deeper understanding of both cultures. Part I looks at Kamoro society and culture through the window of its ritual cycle, framed by gender. Part II widens the view, offering in a comparative fashion a more detailed analysis of the socio-political and cosmo-mythological setting of the Kamoro and the Asmat rituals. These are closely linked with their social formations: matrilineally oriented for the Kamoro, patrilineally for the Asmat. Next is a systematic comparison of the rituals. Kamoro culture revolves around cosmological connections, ritual and play, whereas the Asmat central focus is on warfare and headhunting. Because of this difference in cultural orientation, similar, even identical, ritual acts and myths differ in meaning. The comparison includes a cross-cultural, structural analysis of relevant myths. This publication is of interest to scholars and students in Oceanic studies and those drawn to the comparative study of cultures.

Download or read book Tribal written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Each Wild Idea written by Geoffrey Batchen and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2002-02-22 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays on photography and the medium's history and evolving identity. In Each Wild Idea, Geoffrey Batchen explores a wide range of photographic subjects, from the timing of the medium's invention to the various implications of cyberculture. Along the way, he reflects on contemporary art photography, the role of the vernacular in photography's history, and the Australianness of Australian photography. The essays all focus on a consideration of specific photographs—from a humble combination of baby photos and bronzed booties to a masterwork by Alfred Stieglitz. Although Batchen views each photograph within the context of broader social and political forces, he also engages its own distinctive formal attributes. In short, he sees photography as something that is simultaneously material and cultural. In an effort to evoke the lived experience of history, he frequently relies on sheer description as the mode of analysis, insisting that we look right at—rather than beyond—the photograph being discussed. A constant theme throughout the book is the question of photography's past, present, and future identity.

Download or read book Lamak written by Francine Brinkgreve and published by . This book was released on 2016-11-10 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first study to examine in detail ritual objects known as 'Lamak', a fascinating and unique form of ephemeral material culture which is a prominent feature of Balinese creativity.

Download or read book Postcolonial Netherlands written by Gert Oostindie and published by Amsterdam University Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Netherlands is home to one million citizens with roots in the former colonies Indonesia, Suriname and the Antilles. Entitlement to Dutch citizenship, pre-migration acculturation in Dutch language and culture as well as a strong rhetorical argument ('We are here because you were there') were strong assets of the first generation. This 'postcolonial bonus' indeed facilitated their integration. In the process, the initial distance to mainstream Dutch culture diminished. Postwar Dutch society went through serious transformations. Its once lily white population now includes two million non-Western migrants and the past decade witnessed heated debates about multiculturalism. The most important debates about the postcolonial migrant communities centeracknowledgmentgement and the inclusion of colonialism and its legacies in the national memorial culture. This resulted in state-sponsored gestures, ranging from financial compensation to monuments. The ensemble of such gestures reflect a guilt-ridden and inconsistent attempt to 'do justice' to the colonial past and to Dutch citizens with colonial roots. Postcolonial Netherlands is the first scholarly monograph to address these themes in an internationally comparative framework. Upon its publication in the Netherlands (2010) the book elicited much praise, but also serious objections to some of the author's theses, such as his prediction about the diminishing relevance of postcolonial roots"--Publisher's description.

Download or read book Collecting Kamoro written by Karen Jacobs and published by Sidestone Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of ethnographic collecting is one of cross-cultural encounters. This book focuses on collecting encounters in the Kamoro region of Papua from the earliest collections made in 1828 until 2011. Exploring the links between representation and collecting, the author focuses on the creative and pragmatic agency of Kamoro people in these collecting encounters. By considering objects as visualizations of social relations, and as enactments of personal, social or historical narrative, this book combines filling a gap in the literature on Kamoro culture with an interest in broader questions that surround the nature of ethnographic collecting, representation, patronage and objectification.

Download or read book Threadfins of the World family Polynemidae written by Hiroyuki Motomura and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2004 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume on the family Polynemidae includes 41 species belonging to 8 genera. There is an introductory section with general remarks on habitat and fisheries of the family, a glossary of technical terms, an illustrated key to each genus and all species, and a detailed account for all species. Species accounts include an illustration of each species, scientific and vernacular names, and information on habitat, biology, fisheries, size, relevant literature and distribution. Following the species accounts are a list of nominal species in the family, a table of species by major marine fishing areas, and color plates.

Download or read book Regarding the Dead written by Alexandra Fletcher (Museum curator) and published by British Museum Research Public. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A key publication on the British Museum's approach to the ethical issues surrounding the inclusion of human remains in museum collections and possible solutions to the dilemmas relating to their curation, storage, access management and display.

Download or read book Pacific Presences written by Lucie Carreau and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hundreds of thousands of works of art and artefacts from many parts of the Pacific are dispersed across European museums. They range from seemingly quotidian things such as fish-hooks and baskets to great sculptures of divinities, architectural forms and canoes. These collections constitute a remarkable resource for understanding history and society across Oceania, cross-cultural encounters since the voyages of Captain Cook, and the colonial transformations that have taken place since. They are also collections of profound importance for Islanders today, who have varied responses to their disp.

Download or read book Zoological Collections of Germany written by Lothar A. Beck and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-02-05 with total page 730 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is devoted to the knowledge of up to 250 years of collecting, organizing and preserving animals by generations of scientists. Zoological Collections are a huge resource for modern animal research and should be available for national and international scientists and institutions, as well as prospective public and private customers. Moreover, these collections are an important part of the scientific enterprise, supporting scientific research, human health, public education, and the conservation of biodiversity. Much of what we are beginning to understand about our world, we owe to the collection, preservation, and ongoing study of natural specimens. Properly preserved collections of marine or terrestrial animals are libraries of Earth's history and vital to our ability to learn about our place in its future. The approach employed by the editor involves not only an introduction to the topic, but also an external view on German collections including an assessment of their value in the international and national context, and information on the international and national collection networks. Particular attention is given to new approaches of sorting, preserving and researching in Zoological Collections as well as their neglect and/or threat. In addition, the book provides information on all big Public Research Museums, on important Collections in regional Country and local District Museums, and also on University collections. This is a highly informative and carefully presented book, providing scientific insight for readers with an interest in biodiversity, taxonomy, or evolution, as well as natural history collections at large.

Download or read book The Agency of Things in Medieval and Early Modern Art written by Grażyna Jurkowlaniec and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-22 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores the late medieval and early modern periods from the perspective of objects. While the agency of things has been studied in anthropology and archaeology, it is an innovative approach for art historical investigations. Each contributor takes as a point of departure active things: objects that were collected, exchanged, held in hand, carried on a body, assembled, cared for or pawned. Through a series of case studies set in various geographic locations, this volume examines a rich variety of systems throughout Europe and beyond. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/doi/view/10.4324/9781315401867, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license

Download or read book Creating Authenticity written by Alexander Geurds and published by Sidestone Press. This book was released on 2013-11-27 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘Authenticity’ and authentication is at the heart of museums’ concerns in displays, objects, and interaction with visitors. These notions have formed a central element in early thought on culture and collecting. Nineteenth century-explorers, commissioned museum collectors and pioneering ethnographers attempted to lay bare the essences of cultures through collecting and studying objects from distant communities. Comparably, historical archaeology departed from the idea that cultures were discrete bounded entities, subject to divergence but precisely therefore also to be traced back and linked to, a more complete original form in de (even) deeper past. Much of what we work with today in ethnographic museum collections testifies to that conviction. Post-structural thinking brought about a far-reaching deconstruction of the authentic. It came to be recognized that both far-away communities and the deep past can only be discussed when seen as desires, constructions and inventions. Notwithstanding this undressing of the ways in which people portray their cultural surroundings and past, claims of authenticity and quests for authentication remain omnipresent. This book explores the authentic in contemporary ethnographic museums, as it persists in dialogues with stakeholders, and how museums portray themselves. How do we interact with questions of authenticity and authentication when we curate, study artefacts, collect, repatriate, and make (re)presentations? The contributing authors illustrate the divergent nature in which the authentic is brought into play, deconstructed and operationalized. Authenticity, the book argues, is an expression of a desire that is equally troubled as it is resilient.

Download or read book Sharks of the World written by Leonard J. V. Compagno and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An extensively rewritten, revised and updated version of the original FAO Catalogue of Sharks of the World. This volume reviews all 15 families, 25 genera and 57 species of living bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks, including certain well-established but currently undescribed species, mainly from Australia.

Download or read book The Masculine Civilization written by Rene Hirsch and published by Rene Hirsch. This book was released on 2013-10-20 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For thousands of years, men have struggled to establish their supremacy. At first, they used spirits to secure for themselves a function in a natural world that seemed to have taken sides with the feminine. Eventually, they created an all-mighty divinity, and established their status as second to none other than that highest of all authority. Sailing through history, we show that the way procreation was perceived has determined how men and women positioned themselves in the universe. It has wielded consequences that have deeply affected our evolution, from the primal vision of an all-encompassing natural world in which Mother Nature represented the source of all life, to the subjection of nature and woman, with God the Father sitting at the summit of the creation. This emphasis on gender and nature brings into perspective the current social and economic resurgence of women and the new attitude towards environment that needs to be protected from our own deeds. These intricate leitmotifs make us witness a turning point in our history.

Download or read book Iran written by Ute Franke and published by . This book was released on 2022-01-25 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lying between deserts, mountain chains and seas, Iran developed a fascinating cultural landscape. 360 objects from the time of the first advanced civilisations during the 3rd millennium BC until the end of the Safavid Empire in the early 18th century illustrate the outstanding significance of Iran as the initiator and centre of intercultural exchange. Exquisite artworks from the Sarikhani Collection in London and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin invite visitors to embark on a journey in time through the cultural heritage of Iran. The highlights include the great pre-Islamic empires of the Achaemenids and the Sassanids, the establishment of a Persian-Islamic culture, the masterly artistic achievements of the 9th to the 13th centuries and the Golden Age of the Safavids. They are brought together as in a multifaceted kaleidoscope in the copious illustrations and provide insight into the art of the courts and the urban elites.

Download or read book Environment Trade and Society in Southeast Asia written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2015-03-20 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Environment, Trade and Society in Southeast Asia: A Longue Durée Perspective, eleven historians bring their knowledge and insights to bear on the long Braudelian sweep of Southeast Asian history. In doing so they seek both to debunk simplistic assumptions about fragile traditions and transformational modernities, and to identify real repeating patterns in Southeast Asia's past: clientelistic political structures, periodic tectonic and climatic disasters, ethnic occupational specializations, long cycles of economic globalization and deglobalization. Their contributions range across many centuries: from the Austronesian expansion to the Aceh tsunami, and from the Sanskrit cosmopolis to the Asian financial crisis. The book is inspired by, and dedicated to, Peter Boomgaard, a scholar whose work has embodied the Braudelian spirit in Southeast Asian historiography. This title is available online in its entirety in Open Access.