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Living Under the Shadow

Cultural Impacts of Volcanic Eruptions

John Grattan Robin Torrence

$90.99

Paperback

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English
Left Coast Press Inc
15 April 2010
Popularist treatments of ancient disasters like volcanic eruptions have grossly overstated their capacity for death, destruction, and societal collapse. Contributors to this volume—from anthropology, archaeology, environmental studies, geology, and biology—show that human societies have been incredibly resilient and, in the long run, have often recovered remarkably well from wide scale disruption and significant mortality. They have often used eruptions as a trigger for environmental enrichment, cultural change, and adaptation. These historical studies are relevant to modern hazard management because they provide records for a far wider range of events and responses than have been recorded in written records, yet are often closely datable and trackable using standard archaeological and geological techniques. Contributors also show the importance of traditional knowledge systems in creating a cultural memory of dangerous locations and community responses to disaster. The global and temporal coverage of the research reported is impressive, comprising studies from North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific, and ranging in time from the Middle Palaeolithic to the modern day.

Edited by:   ,
Imprint:   Left Coast Press Inc
Country of Publication:   United States
Volume:   v. 53
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 18mm
Weight:   498g
ISBN:   9781598742695
ISBN 10:   1598742698
Pages:   320
Publication Date:  
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Primary ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

John Grattan is a Reader in the Institute of Geology and Earth Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth Robin Torrence is Principle Research Scientist in the Department of Anthropology, Australian Museum, Sydney.

Reviews for Living Under the Shadow: Cultural Impacts of Volcanic Eruptions

Ringgold embroiders her vision of King's life and message with scenes from a dream the narrator has had: Young Martin is turned away from a white school, gets caught up in a civil rights demonstration and is jailed, and marches with his parents in front of a huge crowd, all carrying bags of prejudice, ignorance, hate, violence and fear, which they intended to trade for hope, freedom, peace, awareness and love. She notes that some people had bigger bags than others, but everybody had something to trade. Her dream ends at King's funeral, with those bags in a huge pyre. Using a limited palette of subdued colors, Ringgold gives her scenes a simple, direct, childlike look, focusing attention on eloquent faces and large, particularly expressive eyes. This is her most accessible work since Tar Beach (1991), much less moiled and private than Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky (1992). (Kirkus Reviews)


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