This in-depth ethnography presents new and otherwise not easily accessible results of thirty years of anthropological field research among the Yupno people of Papua New Guinea. Anthropological studies about cultures in the Finisterre Range, where the Yupno live, have been quite scarce, and this comprehensive monograph about a local knowledge system offers an important contribution to this hitherto ethnographically little-known area. Ideas about personhood, including a unique personal melody as an individual's acoustic representation and sign of social belonging, and cultural conceptualisations of time and space are the main topics of this book. Following a strictly interdisciplinary approach, a cross-cultural psychologist, an anthropologist, a linguist, cognitive scientists and a musicologist participated in this study. These diverse forms and intensities of collaboration are mirrored in the distinctive structure of this book, with an emphasis on co-authored chapters to represent the joint research experience.
This work provides a healthy, comprehensive counterpoint to the ethnocentrism engrained in the widespread belief that scientific knowledge about education is typically Western. Stressing that the Western 'minority' perspective cannot hold true for the 'majority' of the world population situated outside Europe and North America, this edited volume explores traditional educational theories and practices developed in the majority world to study how they can improve modern schooling globally. Educational Theories and Practices from the Majority World probes the elements of culturally appropriate, quality schooling for various indigenous people in India, the Pacific and the Americas. One of the sections dwells on how to synergise the systems used in modern schools with the ones used in non-Western formal schools linked to religious institutions, such as Koranic, Sanskrit, Buddhist and Vodoo schools. Another section delves into educational policy issues in the context of globalization. This compilation brings together difficult-to-access theories and research by contributors from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. It is an invaluable resource for policy makers in Education and for students, researchers and academicians studying Education and Anthropology.
Egocentric spatial language uses coordinates in relation to our body to talk about small-scale space ('put the knife on the right of the plate and the fork on the left'), while geocentric spatial language uses geographic coordinates ('put the knife to the east, and the fork to the west'). How do children learn to use geocentric language? And why do geocentric spatial references sound strange in English when they are standard practice in other languages? This book studies child development in Bali, India, Nepal, and Switzerland and explores how children learn to use a geocentric frame both when speaking and performing non-verbal cognitive tasks (such as remembering locations and directions). The authors examine how these skills develop with age, look at the socio-cultural contexts in which the learning takes place, and explore the ecological, cultural, social, and linguistic conditions that favour the use of a geocentric frame of reference.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.