Exploring the intersection of mind, materiality, and historical context, this work engages with contemporary discussions about consciousness and its implications. It highlights the importance of studying children in understanding social dynamics, emphasizing their role in shaping societal structures and norms. The book offers a fresh perspective on how mental processes are intertwined with material conditions and historical developments, making it a significant contribution to social analysis.
Cognition as Social Process in Fiji: Fijian Hierarchy and Its Constitution in Everyday Ritual Behavior
Exploring the intricate Fijian social hierarchy, this book delves into how traditional rituals reflect and reinforce constitutional structures within the community. It examines the interplay between cultural practices and social organization, highlighting the significance of everyday rituals in maintaining societal norms and values. Through a detailed analysis, the author sheds light on the complexities of Fijian identity and the role of rituals in shaping interpersonal relationships and community cohesion.
Alexander von Humboldt explored the Spanish Empire on the verge of its collapse (1799-1804). He is the most significant German travel writer and the most important mediator between Europe and the Americas of the nineteenth century. His works integrated knowledge from two dozen domains. Today, he is at the center of debates on imperial discourse, postcolonialism, and globalization. This collection of fifty essays brings together a range of responses, many presented here for the first time in English. Authors from Schiller, Chateaubriand, Sarmiento, and Nietzsche, to Robert Tucholsky, Ernst Bloch, and Alejo Carpentier paint the historical background. Essays by contemporary travel writers and recent critics outline the current controversies on Humboldt. The source materials collected here will be indispensible to scholars of German and French, Latin and North American as well as comparative literature, cultural and postcolonial studies, history, art history, and the history of science.