First published in 1965, The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in Historical Outline is a strikingly original work, the first real cultural history of India. The main features of the Indian character are traced back into remote antiquity as the natural outgrowth of historical process. Did the change from food gathering and the pastoral life to agriculture make new religions necessary? Why did the Indian cities vanish with hardly a trace and leave no memory? Who were the Aryans – if any? Why should Buddhism, Jainism, and so many other sects of the same type come into being at one time and in the same region? How could Buddhism spread over so large a part of Asia while dying out completely in the land of its origin? What caused the rise and collapse of the Magadhan empire; was the Gupta empire fundamentally different from its great predecessor, or just one more ‘oriental despotism’? These are some of the many questions handled with great insight, yet in the simplest terms, in this stimulating work. This book will be of interest to students of history, sociology, archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies, South Asian studies and ethnic studies.
Available for the first time in English, Martin Lamm's work on the evolution of the philosophy of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) has stood as one of the standard works on the Swedish theologian since its original publication in 1915. Lamm shows that Swedenborg's scientific worldview was not changed by his later religious revelations -- that the two complemented and corroborated each other.
The Cultural Geography Reader draws together fifty-two classic and contemporary abridged readings that represent the scope of the discipline and its key concepts. Readings have been selected based on their originality, accessibility and empirical focus, allowing students to grasp the conceptual and theoretical tools of cultural geography through the grounded research of leading scholars in the field. Each of the eight sections begins with an introduction that discusses the key concepts, its history and relation to cultural geography and connections to other disciplines and practices. Six to seven abridged book chapters and journal articles, each with their own focused introductions, are also included in each section. The readability, broad scope, and coverage of both classic and contemporary pieces from the US and UK makes The Cultural Geography Reader relevant and accessible for a broad audience of undergraduate students and graduate students alike. It bridges the different national traditions in the US and UK, as well as introducing the span of classic and contemporary cultural geography. In doing so, it provides the instructor and student with a versatile yet enduring benchmark text.