Book of Peoples of the World: A Guide to Cultures

K. David Harrison; Wade Davis

ISBN 10: 1426202385 / ISBN 13: 9781426202384

Published by National Geographic, 2008

Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G1426202385I4N01

Synopsis:

As cultures and languages disappear from the Earth at a shocking rate, it becomes all the more urgent for us to know and value the world’s many ethnic identities. National Geographic’s Book of Peoples of the World propels that important quest with concern, authority, and respect. Created by a team of experts, this hands-on resource offers thorough coverage of more than 200 ethnic groups—some as obscure as the Kallawaya of the Peruvian Andes, numbering fewer than 1,000; others as widespread as the Bengalis of India, 172 million strong. We’re swept along on a global tour of beliefs, traditions, and challenges, observing the remarkable diversity of human ways as well as the shared experiences. Spectacular photographs reveal how people define themselves and their worlds. Specially commissioned maps show how human beings have developed culture in response to environment. Thought-provoking text examines not only the societies and the regions that produced them, but also the notion of ethnicity itself—its immense impact on history, the effects of immigration on cultural identity, and the threats facing many groups today. Threading through the story are the extraordinary findings of the National Geographic Society’s Genographic Project—a research initiative to catalog DNA from people around the world, decoding the great map of human migration embedded in our own genetic makeup.

At once a comprehensive reference, an appreciation of diversity, and a thoughtful look at our instinct to belong, this uplifting book explores what it means to be human and alive.

About the Author: Wade Davis was named one of the Explorers for the Millennium by the National Geographic Society. He is an anthropologist and ethnobotanist whose books include the international bestseller The Serpent and the Rainbow.

K. David Harrison is a linguist whose work with endangered languages is receiving national attention. He conducts expeditions to remote places around the world in his study of global language loss.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Book of Peoples of the World: A Guide to ...
Publisher: National Geographic
Publication Date: 2008
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Edition: 2nd Edition