In this classic work Mary Douglas identifies the concern for pirity as a key theme at the heart of every society. She reveals its wide-ranging impact on our attitudes tp society, values, cosmology and knowledge.

This interdisciplinary volume is the first to explore the effect of genetic research on the Lemba Judaising community of southern Africa and the wider phenomenon of 'Israelite' identity.

Using the resources of a wide range of social science disciplines to provide a comparative approach to complex issues, this superb collection explores the local and global consequences of the new genetics.

Mixing theories of the everyday with a range of case studies, this book explains the 'character' of ethnicity, from being a political tool of exclusion, to a source of meaning and solidarity, and the relationship between culture, power and identity.

Introducing the concept of 'multicultural intimacies', this book offers a new form of critical engagement with the cultural politics of multiculturalism, one that attends to ideals of mixing, loving thy neighbour and feelings for the nation. In the first study of its kind, Fortier considers the anxieties, desires, and issues that form representations of 'multicultural Britain' available in the pub

Every year, leading anthropologists meet to debate a motion at the heart of current theoretical developments in their subject, and this book includes the first six of these debates, from 1988 to 1993.

This book provides a unique and comprehensive survey of changes and trends in the construction industry focusing on the post-war years and emphasizing their contemporary and future relevance.

Questions the very foundations of western sociological thought. A fascinating work that contains case studies from across South America and discussions on topics such as the efficacy of laughter.

This book demonstrates theoretically and empirically how aid practitioners shape the organisational, social and inter-cultural dynamics of development projects and industry.