This is an ethnographic study of the inhabitants of the North-Eastern area of Scotland in the mid-19th century, at a time when an agrarian, barter economy still prevailed. Life was hard among these remote coastal communities, and they lived in fear of maleficent witches and the 'Evil Eye'. Many of the rituals, taboos and folkways in this book are to ward off witchcraft directed against economic mainstays such as livestock and fishing. Chapters include; Birth; The Child; Baptism; The Nurser...

For millions of Africans, the social situation is dire. Over half of the population of Sub-Sahara Africa do not have access to improved sanitation facilities, and about a quarter are undernourished. If factors such as armed conflicts in the region, the impact of climate change, or the widespread presence of a broad range of infectious agents are considered, it shows a large number of Africans living in very fragile circumstances, highly vulnerable to any kind of shock or rapid change. Smal...

Bits and Atoms explores the governance potential found in the explosive growth of digital information and communication technology in areas of limited statehood. Today, places with weak or altogether missing state institutions are tied internally and to the larger world by widely available digital technology. The chapters in the book explore questions of when and if the growth in digital technology can fill some of the governance vacuum created by the absence of an effective state...

The Folk-Lore of the North-East of ScotlandBy Walter Gregor"This is an ethnographic study of the inhabitants of the North-Eastern area of Scotland in the mid-19th century, at a time when an agrarian, barter economy still prevailed. Life was hard among these remote coastal communities, and they lived in fear of maleficent witches and the 'Evil Eye'. Many of the rituals, taboos and folkways in this book are to ward off witchcraft directed against economic mainstays such a...

For years Dayo Olopade struggled to reconcile the medias image of Africa as warring, impoverished and pitiful with the Africa shes known since childhood: resilient, joyful and innovative, a continent of impassioned community leaders. She reports first-hand on the explosion of commercial opportunities and technological innovations that are improving outcomes for families, children and the environment. The Bright Continent joins the conversation started by authors such as Jeffrey Sachs, Nich...

The tales in the book are fables, using animals in an anthropomorphic manner to give moral lessons. The verses of The Law of the Jungle, for example, lay down rules for the safety of individuals, families, and communities. Kipling put in them nearly everything he knew or "heard or dreamed about the Indian jungle." Other readers have interpreted the work as allegories of the politics and society of the time. The best-known of them are the three stories revolving around the adventures of Mow...

Participation has established itself as a significant approach to project implementation, policy-making and governance in developing and developed countries alike. Recently, however, it has become fashionable to dismiss participation as more rhetoric than substance, and subject to manipulation by agencies and social change agents intent simply on pursuing their own agendas under cover of community consent. In this important new volume, development and other social policy scholars and pract...

Of all the characters in myths and legends told around the world, it's the wily trickster who provides the real spark in the action, causing trouble wherever he goes. This figure shows up time and again in Native American folklore, where he takes many forms, from the irascible Coyote of the Southwest, to Iktomi, the amorphous spider man of the Lakota tribe. This dazzling collection of American Indian trickster tales, compiled by an eminent anthropologist and a master storyteller, serves as...

A guide to the history of the Undead and supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and monsters.This is a book for all those who are interested in the darker side of the human mind—the side that examines and even embraces those beliefs and imaginings that form the basis of our most archetypical fears. This is the book for those brave enough to plumb the depths of our worst nightmares!What lurks out there in the fog?What was that eeri...

Peasants and the Art of Farming: A Chayanovian Manifesto focuses on the structure and dynamics of peasant farms and the historically highly variable relations that govern the processes of labour and production within peasant farms. Jan Douwe van der Ploeg argues that peasant agriculture can play an important, if not central, role in augmenting food production and creating sustainability. However, peasants today, as in the past, are materially neglected. By building on the pioneering work o...

Sustainability is now the greatest business imperative, yet how do you actually develop and implement a sustainability plan if you aren‘t an expert?From the authors of the award-winning handbook The Business Guide to Sustainability comes this highly practical guide to designing and implementing a customized sustainability plan in any business, organization or government department of any type and scale.This step-by-step guide explains how to create a sustainability plan and...

Are you one of those people who, when someone tells you they've seen a UFO, think that they must be one can short of a six pack? Do you still believe there has been no proof in all these years as to their existence? If so, then think again! One summer's day, Reg Presley, whose band The Troggs shot to fame in the sixties with unforgettable songs such as 'Wild Thing' and 'Love Is All Around Us' walked into a crop formation that changed his life forever. Through remarkable meetings with crop ...