Unwrapping Christmas : Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology - Cultura - Daniel Miller

Unwrapping Christmas

By: Daniel Miller (Editor)

Paperback | 5 October 1995

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In an age of secularization and the decline of ritual, Christmas has emerged as the most promising candidate for the first global festival, celebrated not only in the Christian West, but in many countries with either a minority or no Christian population. How is it that Christmas is not merely surviving, but actually gaining in importance? This book provides the first comparative study of the Christmas phenomenon, based on direct observation of how the festival is actually celebrated in diverse social contexts. It begins with some general theories of Christmas, including the first full English translation of "Father Christmas Executed" by Claude L´evi-Strauss, and then focuses on two controversial issues. First, the relationship between Christmas and materialism is examined and interpreted in the United States, Japan, and Trinidad. The second theme is the debate over the place of the family in Christmas celebrations; this section ranges from discussion of quarrels and tensions sparked off by the festival to a study of a deliberately anti- (or non-) nuclear family Christmas, and examines evidence from Sweden, Britain, and the Inupiat of Alaska. Christmas is rapidly becoming the focus for a constellation of activities such as gift-giving, the marking of the seasons, and the celebration of extended family networks which otherwise would have seemed to be in sharp decline. This collection represents a fascinating and significant contribution to understanding how and why Christmas has developed into the global festival celebrated today.
Industry Reviews
`Vastly entertaining' The Spectator `Stimulating and highly readable.' Sunday Telegraph `The book has its delights and surprises ... and it lights the fuse of many an odd train of thought.' The Times Literary Supplement `Stunning ... a good deal of enlightenment and academic entertainment.' Church Times `Here is a stunning, green, rather expensive stocking-filler for those who like to keep Christmas at a distance.' Church Times `The case studies are well written and well presented and the volume as a whole stands as a significant addition to the considerable literature on the nature, meaning, and significance of Christmas in Anglo countries and beyond.' Reviews in Anthropology

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