5 comments about Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of Sex.

1. I would have to agree with the reader that said this book was completely incomprehensible!



2. This book drove me almost entirely insane. The essay if you can call it that on the film Paris is Burning is simply incendiary to any person with a trace element of logic in their scalp. This essay argues that Venus Extravaganza was murdered for having been a transvestite. In the film itself it says she/he is killed -- but what the NYPD cannot solve Butler solves in the twinkling of a phrase -- she claims he/she is erased for playing with the sexual line. Not for burning a customer, or for simply being in a dangerous business. Whores are wiped out all day and night for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ever hear of the Green River Killer? Still Butler knows the motive. She just invents anything she wants, and calls it truth. She actually infers that anybody has the right to invent their own reality, and everybody else has to honor this reality. Only an extremely stupid person who has never had to work for a living could keep such a dumb idea down without puking. Do you mean if I think I'm a millionaire and walk into a bank, they will give me a million dollars? Do you mean if I have cellulite all over my legs and breasts that I can be a top model, I just have to really believe it? Do you mean that if I think I'm a genius, then others will agree? Feminist academics who've never worked, but who love to dramatize their own victimization, will love this book. Everybody else will simply puke from laughing so hard.



3. The best thing about Judith Butler is that she is always willing to think through the consequences of her earlier writings. This book was a response to the criticism that emerged out of the groundbreaking conclusion to GENDER TROUBLE that argued for an understanding of gender as performative. Critics took Butler to task for arguing that gender is something that is simply an act of performative volition - one can "be" whatever one wants to be - irrespective of the materiality of the body. Here, Butler turns the tables (in a neat deconstructive move) by showing how this criticism presupposes the a priori existence of "bodies" and "matter" separate from discourse. Yet, after a brilliant introduction, the book becomes weighted down by its own psychoanalytic presuppositions and its tediously dense prose style. There is often no reason for Butler's writing to be as incomprehensible as it is, especially given the giant claims she's making about the nature of gender (other than to "perform" her writing's own indebtedness to Lacanian psychoanalysis and Althusserian critique).

   Moreover, her work has been rightly faulted (partiucularly by Martha Nussbaum) by holding out an ideal of "subversion" that is something (in the terms of how she frames it) that ultimately DOES have very little to do with the ways sexual inequality is experienced outside of a somewhat narrow bourgeois American academic purview. But, finally, given the indisputable pervasiveness of Butler's ideas within the academy and without it (particularly in the ways in which sexuality is viewed today), the work is clearly a seminal text nonetheless.




4. When I first read this book, I was pleased to see that Butler was returning to the problem of "gender performativity" she raised in *Gender Trouble.* I do believe that she was misunderstood as having claimed in *Gender Trouble* that the performativity constitutive of gender implies an infinite "plasticity" or freedom from the constraints of gender. Yet after reading *Bodies,* I felt that she evaded the question with which she opened the book: in what way can the "materiality" of anatomical sex be construed as a "discursive limit" to ideological constructions of gender without being understood as existing outside of discourse? I believe that Butler is ultimately indecisive about the status of the materiality of sex as either a pre- or extra-discursive "hard kernel of the Real" or (just like gender) another aspect of discourse. This is what leads to her very wrong-headed "critique" of the concept of "objet petit a" in the work of Slavoj Zizek and Jacques Lacan, very complex work which she oversimplifies and accuses of "reifying" or "essentializing" sex. Any serious student of Lacan knows that the a-object of fantasy is anything but "essential." It phantasmatically "dresses up" (to use Lacan's words in Seminar 14) a primordial psychic "hole," an *absence* or pure negativity where a "grounding" for discourse ought to be but is *lacking.* It's a shame that a book such as this which begins with a rigorous intellectual question degenerates into a sort of psychoanalytic dilettantism.



5. My initial reaction to reading Bodies that Matter by Judith Butler is that she writes from a very unique perspective and theoretical standpoint: post-structuralism. While she maybe considered one of the foremost theorists on gender and feminism, I find her writings extremely difficult to follow. She presents key concepts readily but in a langue that is indicative of the post-structuralist perspective, convoluted and overly wordy. More often than not I found myself loosing focus and having to reread numerous passages just to maintain basic understanding.
   If language, as Butler suggests, is confined by the language used (Butler 91: 1993) then Butler is caged. Her critical deconstruction of Freud, which is the main focus of the text, is enlightening but far too complex within the language used for the critique. The concepts of Freudian psychology are not that difficult to understand when presented in a fashion that lends itself to understanding. Many of his theories are paramount to understanding basic anthropological concepts, not to mention human psychology.

No comments about The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found.

3 comments about Art of the Andes: From Chavin to Inca (World of Art).

1. This is an excellent overview of native Andean artform the earliest perod through Chavin, Paracas, Nasca, Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari, to Incan. Covers architecture, textiles ,pottery and metallic arts. Looks at the main themes of religious and secular art in these various mediums. Text is accompanied by many black and white photographs, drawings and plans. Some photographs are in colour.

   I found this work most interesting for the way it brings out the Andean worldview through the artistic artifacts remaining of those cultures. The work is also reasonably priced and up to date.




2. This book stands out, among many others, for the quality of insight that Rebecca Stone-Miller brings to her study of Andean art. Not content with simple typology and iconography, her account is illuminated by the cultural constants - "duality, reciprocity, hierarchy, and embeddedness in nature" (p. 218) that she finds in the underlying Andean cultures. Art history, in these terms, becomes an exploration of meaning, both of the art that is produced and of the culture that produces it. It's rare to find so much insight in an introductory book; I highly recommend it.

   Another strength of the book is the nicely-judged balance of attention that the author pays to the multitude of cultures (including the Chavin, Nasca, Moche, Wari, Tiwanaku, Chimu, and Inca, to name just some) that weave together into the Andean tapestry. The author also provides balanced coverage of all the arts -- metalwork, tapestry, featherwork, stone working, and architecture, in addition to the ever-popular ceramics (pottery).

   With so much ground to cover, there are relatively few individual ceramic examples in the book; this unfortunately gives a too-restricted an idea of the range of form, beauty, and variety of Pre-Columbian pottery from South America. I recommend a book such as "Ceramics of Ancient Peru," by Christopher B. Donnan, as a supplement to Rebecca Stone-Miller's study.

   A small number of errors have made it through the second edition. For example, the distance from Quito to Santiago is quoted as 3400 miles, rather than the correct 3400 kilometers. A bothersome number of specialized terms were left out of the index. A glossary would have been helpful, and one wishes that more of the photos had been printed in color rather than black and white.

   In summary, "Art of the Andes" is a balanced and insightful survey that should appeal to a wide variety of readers. It's the kind of book that doesn't just sit on the shelf after one reading, but gets picked up again, thumbed through, and read more than once.




3. Illustrations, analysis - all incredible. A wonderful first book for people curious about the indigenous Andean world

2 comments about Images of the Past.

1. This is a wonderful book on archaeology from a world wide perspective. Techniques and time periods are well illustrated with examples taken from work done all over the world. Some of the most famous archeological sites are discussed: Olduvai, Zhoukoudien, Sanidar Cave, Jericho, Cahokia, Teotihuacan, Tikal, Moche, Cuzco, Uruk, Giza, An-Yang, Great Zimbabwe, Knossos, and others possibly more familiar to those with other areas of archaeological interest. This would make a lovely addition to the library of those who have more specialized interests but who want to know more about other areas or who enjoy learning new things about archaeology itself. It's definitely a book I'll re-read, and I don't generally do that.



2. Having needed this book for a class I was pleased at the book for being rather detailed in the information that was needed brfore a test for review. I was rather pleased with this product.

5 comments about The Maya, Seventh Edition (Ancient Peoples and Places).

1. The ruins of the ancient Mayan city of El Mirador are deep in the jungles of northern Guatamala. Once one of the largest cities in North America with 80,000 people, El Mirador today is accessible only by helicopter or by long distance hiking. Before its mysterious abandonment in the third century AD, El Mirador boasted the Danta Pyramid, the largest structure of this type in the world. Michael Coe has written a facinating book about the world of the ancient Maya. His ability to make El Mirador and many similar sites come to life makes this book well worth the purchase price even if Yucatan and vicinity are not in one's travel plans.
   
   Professor Coe traces the rise of Mayan civilization from earliest times, to the splendor of the Late Classic Period when as many as ten million people lived in the lowlands, to the "Mayan Apocalypse"of the eighth century AD when the greatest cities of the New World were abandoned and returned to the jungle. Each of the major sites is described in detail with a complete description of artifacts and numerous photographs and maps. The author concludes with an extended discussion of Mayan thought and culture, and with his personal tribute to "The Enduring Maya". The Mayan population of southern Mexico and Central America has returned to over seven million people despite five hundred years of European diseases and economic oppression.
   
   It is important that we not miss the practical implications of this book. The "Mayan Apocalpse" had ecological roots. The population had increased beyond the carrying capacity of the land, and there was massive deforestation and soil erosion. Years of severe drought followed. There is currently a debate about whether global warming is real, and if so whether it matters. One of the first great civilizations in the New World came to a disastrous end because of its inability or unwillingness to deal with environmental issues. We need to draw proper conclusions from the Mayan experience.



2. This is an excellent introduction to the Maya. It is well-written and flows nicely. Of particular use are the fine illustrations that accompany the text; as you read the text you are refermed by numbers in the margin to a suitable illustration. One of the strong points of this book is that the author criticizes other works and himself in view of the latest research on the topic. The book also has an excellent bibliography that refers the reader to both scholarly and popular works.
   A final strong point of this work is that it is only one-half to one-third the length of other works; better a shorter book that you will read than a longer one that will rest upon a shelf!
   My only criticism of this book is the final chapter. Like many academics Prof Coe hates American influence (tourists innundate ruins, evangelical christianity threatens the shamans, and the cattle ranches that produce meat for "American hamburgers") and Republicans (things improved for the Maya with a Democrat in the White House). Also, he accepts the lies in Rigoberta Menchu's book as true.
   Yet, overall this is a valuable book.



3. Its not a bad book for someone whos just starting to read about them. Good pictures and drawings, not a great book but good enough.



4. I am very very pleased with this book; it was sent to me in a timely manner and it was delivered in excellent condition. thanks!



5. This offers more than a casual tourist might be interested in, but is a very readable and well-illustrated book with the most up to date information from archeologists and other scholars of the Maya.

5 comments about The Official Overstreet Identification and Price Guide to Indian Arrowheads 10th Edition (Official Overstreet Indian Arrowhead Identification and Price Guide).

1. Outstanding book for those (like me) who do not authenticate points but want to learn about the various types. Includes informative articles on the archaeology of certain points. Lots of beautiful color panels of points arranged by age, in addition to the B&W photos in the identification pages.



2. 10th edition is like the last 9 editions. But it does have an array of every type variant, albeit many, many variants that really are subjective at best. But as many collectors know. the book has ridiculous price estimates. And as a long time collector/dealer my biggest beef about many of the editions, and I can personally 100% say/witnessed that many of the points are not authentic and only make it into the book to increase their "provenance" and individual value. But that said, the book is on type variations for you and not whether the specimens are actually authentic or not. So its really a catch 22. Many people have made it a popular arrowhead book, unfortunately are the same people that think they have a dozen authentic Clovis points(a rare Paleo, high valued arrowhead) they bought at their local flea market.



3. Year after year these books are published with the same poor quality binding and paper. Even more disappointing is the same pictures and descriptions are reprinted in each volume. It appears that a variant point or two are added to "justify" a new printing. Don't waste your money. It's 98 percent old and 2 percent "new".



4. A new update from the 7th, 8th, and 9th Editions about Native North American Points which I have in my library. By having the most recent edition (the 10th) you can compare how items have increased in value.
   A host of new material, including new points, geographic area renaming, etc.
   A must for the beginning and advanced collector.



5. I am not a professional arrowhead collector by any means but I enjoy learning about them and have been fortunate once in awhile to come across one. This book is excellent for the purpose of learning about the different kinds of arrowheads, lance points, knives, hand axes etc. It includes history of points. There is a choronological gallery of color points in the front, the rest of the photos are in black & white and the book is sectioned into regions to make it easier to learn what is most likely to be found in your area. For those inclined, it also includes what to look for as a collector and the estimated value of your point/s etc. I like this book!

5 comments about The Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Complete).

1. When I ordered this book I didn't realize what it was. I thought it was going to tell me about the contents of the Dead Sea Scrolls. No, it isn't that kind of book. I wouldn't have ordered it had I known what it was.
   
   It is more about the discovery of the scrolls, the caves, etc.
   
   So let this review be a warning to a prospective buyer. If what you are interested in is simply to learn the stories contained in the scrolls, read some of the other reviews to find out where that information can best be found. Not here.
   
   Anyone who gives this review a negative rating doesn't understand the process. This review is exactly the kind of information I could have used before I bought the book.
   
   Get the right tool for the job. If you need a Phillips head screwdriver get a Phillips head screwdriver. If you are looking for a book that concentrates on the stories contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls, get one. It's not this.



2. Like most Thames & Hudson productions, this book is a very beautiful text. Printed in vibrant, full-colour process, every page has graphics, pictures, colours, maps, or some other piece of visual interest. When dealing with a subject like the Dead Sea Scrolls, the material for visual presentation is grand, as are the settings in which many of the scrolls have been found.
   
   After a brief introduction and chronology, the book is divided into five primary sections. The first section explores the early discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the famous Damascus document, a 'Dead Sea Scroll' actually not from the Dead Sea area - 50 years prior to the 1947/48 discoveries, Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University discovered manuscripts in a Cairo genizah, and after the discovery of the DSS, the particular 'Damascus document' was recognised as being related to the DSS texts. This section also looks at the editorial process and the personalities first involved in reconstruction and editing of the texts. This involves the many controversies (such as the charges of cover-ups of damaging material, intentional delays, and simply old fashioned academic rivalries) as well as controversial personalities (Allegro, for example, wrote extensively apart from his DSS assignments calling into question the origins of Christianity).
   
   The second section looks at the world of the DSS. This sets the historical context of Judea/Palestine in the centuries before and during Roman domination and occupation. From the Babylonian exile to the revolts against Rome and the formation of Rabbinic Judaism, the culture of the communities is important for understanding the context in which the biblical and extra-biblical texts of the DSS were written.
   
   The longest section of the book is the third section, looking specifically at the scrolls themselves. The authors take a cave-by-cave approach, showing the discoveries of each cave from Cave 1 to Cave 4 in great detail (these were the earliest and largest discoveries), Cave 5 to 10 as a set piece, and Cave 11 which includes the famous Temple Scroll and an important Psalm Scroll. One of the issues the authors highlight is the difficulty in using the term 'biblical' with regard to the scrolls - the canon of the Bible was not set until well after the scroll writing/copying period, and despite the fact that every book of the Hebrew Bible is represented among the scrolls save Esther, 'it seems that other texts were regarded as having equal status.' Some appear in the official Apocrypha of Christian Bibles, and others were unknown until the discovery of the scrolls.
   
   The fourth section looks specifically at the ruins at Qumran, the archaeological digs and discoveries as well as the competing interpretations placed on the ruins and artifacts. Qumran has been envisioned as a monastery, a military outpost, a Herodian villa, and a proto-city. Whether or not the scrolls have any real connection to Qumran is also a debated topic, although most scholars currently think there is a connection.
   
   The final section looks at the meaning of the scrolls as a set piece. What are the implications for Judaism? What does the scroll material reveal about early Christianity? 'The Dead Sea Scrolls have revolutionised our perception of Early Judaism,' the authors write. They are a unique witness to their time, offering contemporary, first-hand evidence of the sectarian issues of the day. With regard to early Christianity, the scrolls predate the origins of the early Christian writings, but they were by most accounts still being written, and then hidden, during the time of the Apostles. Scholars continue to speculate about the Essene connections with John the Baptist and Jesus (although the New Testament never mentions this sect, and yet does mention Pharisees and Sadduccees). There are important parallels, but neither the early Christian movement nor the Dead Sea Scroll community were unique in their messianic expectation.
   
   This is a book about the scrolls. It discusses the context, the framework, the history and the discovery in good form. It is a good introductory text to what the scrolls are, and includes brief synopses of the contents of the scrolls. This is not a collection of the scrolls with translations; while it has pictures from all of the sets of scrolls, it is not a comprehensive compendium of photographic plates of all of the scrolls and scroll fragments. There are other (much more expensive) collections with these. This is a good book for use with study groups, classes, and for the general reader who wants an overview of the scrolls, their history, their basic contents, and the surrounding issues and controversies. The text was well written by Philip Davies, George Brooke, and Phillip Callaway, noted scholars in the field .



3. I cannot imagine that there is a better book available on the Dead Sea Scrolls than this one. It has lots of great photos, as well as much research that has gone into the writing of it. It is a MUST for anyone interested in the greatest archeological discovery of all times.



4. I am still making my way through all of the material, however I will say that the book is very informative.



5. It is just a dull, boring book to read! I don't recommend buying the book!

5 comments about Primitive Technology.

1. This is a pretty good overview and introduction, with good illustrations. The field of primitive skills has more advanced techniques that are not covered in this book.



2. It has occurred to me that a primitive technology for instant communication has existed for a long time: heliography. All you need it silver or gold metallurgy to make a decent mirror. A very simple way to precisely aim a beam of sunlight from a mirror exists, for the geomentrically unimpaired. With a large mirror, signalling from one mountain peak to another over distances of 50 miles is achievable.
   
   I wonder if any ancient empires practiced this. The crusader kingdoms in Lebanon used fire beacons to indicate they had not yet been overrun by those pesky Arabs and Kurds, but there was no actual telegraphing of text. The earliest telegraph I know of was done in Sweden in the early 19th century, by semaphore assisted with telescopes. Sunny day and batteries not required, as long as there was daylight and a clear view.
   
   One thing about this book... I went out right away, cut off a yucca spine, and started making string out of it. Yep, it really works (but is very labor intensive). Stone chipping was not so successful because you really need the right kind of stone. I've GOT TO TRY IT when I find a good stone!



3. The book is an overview of a wide range of skills and lacks details on how on how to do them.



4. Long ago our knowlegdge was passed down from the elder generations. This book fills the void our society of alienation has created with detailed accounts of "how-to" knowledge. Tempered with instruction, the reader will find scientific analysis of all facets of "primitive" survival methodologies. By far, these are the best encyclopedic volumes of information that would otherwise be lost to us all. If you share any penchant for living with the earth, buy this book...immediately! You should also check out the society of primitve technology online. This group publishes bi-annual journals on primitive skills. I gave this a four because some of the instructions can be vague and for all intents and purposes should be used in conjunction with hands on interaction with a skilled mentor. Enjoy this awe-inspiring collection of knowledge!



5. If you are curious about what primitive technology is about this book will give you a good introduction. Lots of cool drawings and pics but don't expect step by step, hand held instructions for the multitude of topics covered in this compilation. If you don't know much about this stuff then some vocabulary may be new to you such as atlatls, celt, haft, biface, pecking and the list goes on. It was new for me but I found that my interests grew deeper and soon found myself buying books on flintknapping (did I have money for that...?) which I knew next to nothing about not too long ago. Inspirational in so many regards with some reasonable instruction from pics and words combined but I think these articles were intended for those with some background in the subject. Many short articles with great tidbits for the outdoorsman. A taste of this and a flavor of that by leading authorities whose expertise is compiled into one book. I recommend it highly not only for the curious but the outdoorsman, survivalist and tinkerer! I love that little knife in the middle foreground on the cover!

5 comments about Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa.

1. I had to read this book, and a less then enjoyeable textbook, for a cultural anthropolgy course I just got done taking. This book presents various concepts important to anthropological field work in an interesting and an understandable way. Often times reading the examples found in Dettwyler's book, helped me understand some of the concepts "defined" in my other text. I personaly recomend it to anyone taking a course concering cultural anthropolgy or anyone wondering how anthropologists do field work in foreign places.



2. I am not an anthropologist but a tourist who has visited Africa and is interested in learning more about African people. I found Katherine Dettwyler's book an excellent introduction to how real people live and deal with their lives in Africa. Dettwyler tells us how mothers and children interact, the way families view their children, what day-to-day life in rural Africa is really like. I found it fascinating especially because Dettwyler talks honestly about her reactions to what she found. This book shouldn't be restricted to anthropoogy students.



3. This is a good insight into the malnutritional anthropology study of the women and children in Mali. At the very end, her work left me with the feeling that her work is just a drop of water in the wide ocean of the malnutrition dilemma worldwide. So much is needed to be done, yet the man power and the funding for this cause are very much lacking.
   
   I read this book for my Human Diet class at UCB, and it took me a day to finish it. It is an easy read. The author however went overboard about her feelings and her financial situations, which weren't what I was expecting in an ethnographic work. She got a bit personal about her life too.
   
   It is nothing new that Western countries' diplomats posted to the third world nations do live much well-off compared to the people in the countries that they are posted to. It just seems plain ironic to me in terms of the disparity of wealth among nations across the globe. It is just disheartening, but there is nothing we can do about it. We just hope that the situation improves as we progress => to alleviate poverty, hunger and disease.



4. The other reviews give you the flavor of this book so I will bring up a few items they and the author ignore. First, it is a vivid illustration of the more general problem in the world of what constitutes "help". If what one does causes more misery in the long run then it is clearly not helpful and this is what nearly all of the "aid" to the third world does. Anything that prolongs lifespans, increases child survival or increases standard of living is eventually disastrous as prosperity is ultimately bought at the expense of the future. The whole world is going down the drain but Africa is the worst case and likely by mid-century, and certainly by it's end, there will be starvation, disease, social violence and war on a staggering scale and as a permanent state. The world has only one problem--too many people--and only one solution--decrease the population at any cost. Of course it's not politically correct to say anything about it and certainly not to do anything really effective and Dettwyler is in a delicate position. These people seem to average a dozen pregnancies and above all they need birth control.
   
   Regarding her personal choices she tells how her young daughter almost died of malaria and it clearly was quite insane of her to take a young child with her for several years of constant exposure to this and other diseases when she knew that people died of it constantly in spite of medication. The last point that I could not forget was the fact that she produced three children of her own. If she does not know the dire situation the world is in due to overpopulation she ought to go back to school. Like virtually all parents, she is not a responsible member of society.



5. I read this book for a cultural anthopology class. It was a very easy read which I enjoyed. As far as cultural anthropology, I found this book very interesting. It is amazing hoe different the culture and the health of the people are. She did talk about herse;f a lot but it would be difficult just to focus on your subjects when you are so far from home.

No comments about Europe Between the Oceans: 9000 BC-AD 1000.