Product Description

As a meeting point for world cultures, the USA is characterized by its breadth and diversity. This Encyclopedia answers the need for an accesible insight and introduction to contemporary American culture, offering a comparative and interdisciplinary approach. It provides a starting point for interested browsers and serious scholars, pointing the way to more specialised sources and in-depth study. The Encyclopedia gives a wide definition of culture - including age groups, cities, civil rights, consumption, ethnicity, production, sports, technology and transport alongside film, literature, music and visual arts. Entries give contextual information as well as factual details and coverage spans from the end of World War II to the present day. Extensive cross-referencing and a thematic contents list helps readers make links between more than 1200 entries. Suggestions for further reading, which follow most articles, are invaluable in guiding the user to additional research. Consultant editors: Sandra Gilchrist, New College, Florida, USA Rick Halpern, University College, London, UK Gail Henson, Bellarmine College, Louisville, USA James Kraus, Stony Point, USA Dewar Macleod, University of Montclair, USA Ed Miller, City University of New York Randall Miller, Saint Joseph's University, USA Enrique Sacerio-Gari, Bryn Mawr College, USA

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3462512 in Books
• Published on: 2000-12-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 880 pages

Review
"An outstanding reference work... The range is breathtaking... Should be part of the reference collection of every library." - Choice

From the Back Cover
As a meeting point for world cultures, the USA is characterized by its breadth and diversity. Acknowledging that diversity is the fundamental feature of American culture, this volume is organized around a keen awareness of race, gender, class and space, and with over 1,200 alphabetically arranged entries - spanning "the American century" from the end of World War II to the present day - the Encyclopedia provides a one-stop source for insightful and stimulating coverage of all aspects of that culture. Topics include age groups, cities, civil rights, consumption, ethnicity, production, sexuality, sports, technology and transport, alongside film, literature, music and the visual arts.

Historically focused 2,000-word articles offer comprehensive overviews of the fundamental issues in contemporary American culture and society. Shorter entries provide open-ended and provocative discussion of the central institutions of cultural production , while succinct summaries and critiques of ongoing debates over values, imagery and ideology complement entries identifying and situating key personalities, places and cultural practices.

With full cross-referencing, extensive indexing, and a thematic contents list, this volume provides essential cultural context for both teachers and students of American Studies, as well as providing fascinating insights into American culture for the general reader. The suggestions for further reading, which follow most entries, are also invaluable guides to more specialized sources.

Entries include: