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The Dictionary of Global Culture : What Every American Needs to Know as We Enter the Next Century
The Dictionary of Global Culture What Every American Needs to Know as We Enter the Next Century Author:Kwame Anthony Appiah (Editor), Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Editor) Reference/World History — "Consistently informative, lively, and accurate... a pathbreaking achievement."??--The New York Times Book Review — As the world's axes of population, power, and commerce shift from North to South and from West to East, the old Eurocentric model of culture is giving way to a new global paradigm. This dictionary, which has... more » been compiled by two of our most esteemed scholars, is the first work of its kind to devote equal emphasis to the cultural contributions of the non-Western world alongside those of Europe and North America.
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This dictionary's 1200 entries were submitted by esteemed scholars from all over the world who were asked to name the 50 most significant events in their cultures. Entries include literature, political groups, religion, and concepts, and vary in length from a paragraph to more than a full page. Connections are made between the entries' original contexts and the ways they have been expanded globally over time. For example, readers learn that the Chinese examination system served as the model for our civil service system. A sampling of people included are Jan Hus, a 15th-century religious reform leader; Taha Husayn, an Egyptian writer; Shi Hu, a Chinese scholar, educator, and diplomat; and Juana de Ibarbourou, an Uruguayan poet. Information about each individual includes the dates of birth and death, nationality, and significance to the culture. This exceptional work is useful for reference and is entertaining reading as well.
"Detailed, accurate and solid. . . . It contains much to interest and inform."? --Baltimore Sun« less