Countries and Their Cultures

Library Journal

Like the ten-volume Encyclopedia of World Cultures (Macmillan, 1996), the four-volume Countries and Their Cultures is based on the collection of ethnographic information known as the Human Relations Area Files based at Yale University. Unlike World Cultures, which is organized by culture, the new work is organized by country. This work's strength is that readers who know very little about a country can quickly obtain a good orientation to the major issues, history, and social structure of a nation. The 225 entries are between ten and 20 pages long and read like a cross between a well-written encyclopedia article, a travel guide, and a social science essay. They provide a good general overview of a country without greatly oversimplifying or distorting. All entries have the same structure, with sections on geography, history, demography, languages, food, economy, etiquette, politics, family, religion, and arts and humanities. A country's degree of cultural unity as well as its cultural variations are described in the sections on national identity, ethnic relations, and social stratification. Each entry has a map with a regional insert, black-and-white photographs, and a bibliography of recent scholarly books. Recommended especially for libraries that do not own Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Marc Meola, Coll. of New Jersey Lib., Ewing Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, this four-volume encyclopedic work focuses on the cultures of countries around the world. Although at 2,549 pages the work is quite long, the inclusion of 225 countries for coverage necessarily makes the material for each entry rather succinct. Authors for the entries were given some leeway in what was to be included, but all entries provide a mix of demographic, social, economic, political, religious information on the countries and follow a standard outline. A single common culture is not assumed for any one country, and authors were asked to describe how cultures vary within countries due to ethnicity, language, class, and other factors. Readers wishing to expand their understanding of a certain country can avail themselves of the bibliography at the end of each entry. Also included are country maps and illustrative photographs. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)