International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture - by Dwight Heath (Hardcover)

About the Book

The first authoritative guide to how the world drinks, this reference details alcohol use in different countries and cultures. Variation is striking, with alcohol sometimes a food, a sacrament, a symbol, a tool, a tranquilizer, a medicine, a love potion, or an object of scorn--often with very different meanings and uses in a single country. This volume reveals multicultural and ethnic beliefs, practices, and attitudes about drinking around the world.

An extensive introduction discusses the close link between alcohol and culture and provides a foundation for the rest of the book. Each of the following chapters is written by an expert contributor and discusses alcohol and culture in a particular country. Chapters discuss historical trends, drinking among ethnic and religious minorities, national policies, and social outcomes. Countries range from industrial nations known for their alcohol research, to developing nations and to places famous for drinking. A concluding chapter highlights important similarities and differences.

Book Synopsis

The first authoritative guide to how the world drinks, this reference details alcohol use in different countries and cultures. Variation is striking, with alcohol sometimes a food, a sacrament, a symbol, a tool, a tranquilizer, a medicine, a love potion, or an object of scorn--often with very different meanings and uses in a single country. This volume reveals multicultural and ethnic beliefs, practices, and attitudes about drinking around the world.

An extensive introduction discusses the close link between alcohol and culture and provides a foundation for the rest of the book. Each of the following chapters is written by an expert contributor and discusses alcohol and culture in a particular country. Chapters discuss historical trends, drinking among ethnic and religious minorities, national policies, and social outcomes. Countries range from industrial nations known for their alcohol research, to developing nations and to places famous for drinking. A concluding chapter highlights important similarities and differences.

Review Quotes

?Articles in this Handbook review information about alcohol use in 27 different countries...As an anthropologist, the editor has successfully compiled a factually interesting account of the many different values and attitudes surrounding the use of this drug...The strength of this volume lies in its coherent presentation of factual material...This book is especially valuable for researchers interested in acquiring cross-cultural comparative insight in the use of this drug. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above.?-Choice

?It is imperative that we take culture--the shared beliefs, values, attitudes and practices associated with human groups--into account if we are to develop a complete and accurate understanding of the relationship between human beings and alcohol. This book represents a major contribution toward that goal.?-Journal of Studies on Alcohol

"It is imperative that we take culture--the shared beliefs, values, attitudes and practices associated with human groups--into account if we are to develop a complete and accurate understanding of the relationship between human beings and alcohol. This book represents a major contribution toward that goal."-Journal of Studies on Alcohol

"Articles in this Handbook review information about alcohol use in 27 different countries...As an anthropologist, the editor has successfully compiled a factually interesting account of the many different values and attitudes surrounding the use of this drug...The strength of this volume lies in its coherent presentation of factual material...This book is especially valuable for researchers interested in acquiring cross-cultural comparative insight in the use of this drug. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above."-Choice

About the Author

DWIGHT B. HEATH is Professor of Anthropology at Brown University. He has authored or edited half a dozen books, and his more than 200 articles have appeared in journals such as Current Anthropology, Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Journal of Substance Abuse, and Human Organization.