• ISBN13: 9781509511259
• Binding: Paperback
• Subject: Sociology and Anthropology
• Publisher: Wiley
• Publisher Imprint: Polity Pr
• Publication Date: May 12, 2016
• Pages: 240
• Original Price: USD 26.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 318 grams

About the Book In this important new book Rein Raud develops an original theory of culture understood as a loose and internally contradictory system of texts and practices that are shared by intermittent groups of people and used by them to make sense of their life-worlds. This theory views culture simultaneously in two ways: as a world of texts, tangible and shareable products of signifying acts, and as a space of practices, repeatable activities that produce, disseminate and interpret these clusters of meaning. Both approaches are developed into corresponding models of culture which, used together, are able to provide a rich understanding of any meaning in action. <br /><br />In developing this innovative theory, Raud draws on a wide range of disciplines, from anthropology, sociology and cultural studies to semiotics and philosophy. The theory is illustrated throughout with examples drawn from both &#65533;high&#65533; and popular culture, and from Western and Asian traditions, dealing with both contemporary and historical topics. The book concludes with two case studies from very different contexts - one dealing with Italian poetry in the 13th century, the other dealing with the art scene in Eastern Europe in the 1990s. <br /><br />This timely and original work makes a major new contribution to the theory of culture and will be welcomed by students and scholars throughout the social sciences and humanities.