Insects and Human Life - Softcover

Morris, Brian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845200756 ISBN 13: 9781845200756

Publisher: Berg Publishers, 2006

Synopsis

This pioneering book looks at the importance of insects to culture. While in the developed West a good deal of time and money may be spent trying to exterminate insects, in other cultures human-insect relations can be far more subtle and multi-faceted. Like animals, insects may be revered or reviled - and in some tribal communities insects may be the only source of food available. How people respond to, make use of, and relate to insects speaks volumes about their culture. In an effort to get to the bottom of our vexed relationship with the insect world, Brian Morris spent years in Malawi, a country where insects proliferate and people contend. In Malawi as in many tropical regions, insects have a profound impact on agriculture, the household, disease and medicine, and hence on oral literature, music, art, folklore, recreation and religion. Much of the complexity of human-insect relations rests on paradox: insects may represent the source of contagion, but they are also integral to many folk remedies for a wide range of illnesses. They may be at the root of catastrophic crop failure, but they can also be a form of sustenance.Weaving science with personal observations, Morris demonstrates a profound and intimate knowledge of virtually every aspect of human-insect relations. Not only is this book extraordinarily useful in terms of the more practical side of entomology, it also provides a wealth of information on the role of insects in cultural production. Malawian proverbs alone provide many such delightful examples - 'Bemberezi adziwa nyumba yake' ('The carpenter bee knows his own home'). This final volume in Morris' trilogy on Malawi's animal and insect worlds is certain to become a classic study of uncharted territory - the insect world that surrounds us and how we relate to it. Praise for The Power of Animals:Although based upon examination of a single culture, Morris incorporates ecological and anthropological concepts that expand this study of

About this title

About the Author:

Brian Morris is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Goldsmiths College, University of London

Review:

“Although based upon examination of a single culture, Morris incorporates ecological and anthropological concepts that expand this study of attitudes to nature to create a comprehensive ethnographic analysis, both informative and very readable.” ―Choice on The Power of Animals

“Deserves to become an anthropological landmark, setting the stage for a new generation of ethnographies that give proper weight and significance to people's interactions and interrelations with other animals and the natural world. The cultural depth and richness that emerges from Morris's approach makes other comparable studies seem shallow in comparison.” ―Anthrozoos on The Power of Animals

“Morris defends with great wit and intelligence his "philosophical" background and the methodology he uses...well researched, well edited, offers a valuable bibliography, and is written in a language that attracts attention, avoiding academic jargon...an example of ethnography at its best.” ―Zeitschrift für Ethnologie on Animals and Ancestors

About this edition

• Publisher: Berg Publishers
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1845200756
• ISBN 13: 9781845200756
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 334