Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with books and culture

Books about Maine?

flummox — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:59:23 -0800

Suggestions for books on Maine history and culture, non fiction preferred but not a necessity. This would be for a person traveling to Maine in the near future, will be spending time on the coast and in the great north woods.

Let's say I'm a Russian student in my mid-twenties.

klue — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:58:36 -0800

Let's say I'm a Russian student in my mid-twenties. What Russian music am I likely to carry around on my mp3-player? Which Russian movies am I likely to have seen and discussed over the last few years, and which Russian books am I likely to have enjoyed?

I'm sure Russians are as exposed to foreign culture as anyone else, but that's not what I'm looking for here. Apologies in advance for my general ignorance.

Websites about South Asian culture

Ziggy500 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:49:48 -0800

Recommend me some neat blogs, websites or news sources about South Asian culture, please. I read Sepia Mutiny and Ultrabrown, and am looking for more intelligent, entertaining commentary and news about South Asian culture (books, film, etc) along the same lines. Bonus points for blogs with a Bollywood-focus. Thanks for your help!

Help me get lost in more books!

adverb — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:49:48 -0800

What books or series spur their own mythology or philosophy? I love getting lost in the world of a book or movie. Past books and series such as "Harry Potter," "The Da Vinci Code," "Lost," "The Matrix" movies, "Buffy" and "Star Wars" come with their own universe - people analyze them, look for mythological/philosophical undertones, solve puzzles and come up with their own theories. What others (books especially) might I like? I've read "Lord of the Rings" and the Narnia books; I'm not a Trekkie, either. His Dark Materials and Dune failed to capture my fancy.

New theories of Mimesis (in digital/hypertextual/hypermedial cultures)

0bvious — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:09:48 -0800

I am looking for writings on mimesis in regards new, digital, hypertext and hypermedial technologies and cultures. I am following the redefinition of mimesis. From Plato's disregard of oral culture, through his mimesis of Socrates' dialogues in writing. Following Plato, Aristotle's theory was always a written mimesis, thus the order and processes of representation and mimicry were fundamentally written.

In essence, I am interested in how the artefacts of oral culture differed in their mimesis to written culture, and thus, how our modern move from a written to a digital/hypertextual culture will similarly impact on mimetic embodiment.

(I am also concerned with the terms 'digital' and 'hypertextual' - perhaps they are too narrow. Oral, written cultures and then XXXXX? The terms 'Cybertext' and 'Ergodic' do not seem to cover the ground wide enough.)

I have been reading Marshall McLuhan, Jacques Derrida, Paul de Man and Gunter Gebauer's and Christoph Wulf's Mimesis: Culture--Art--Society. I am looking for writings on digital, hypertextual mimesis, and how it differs, how it has altered, the theoretical embodiment of representation in thought, artefacts, language and culture.

Your help, ideas and advice are much appreciated, as always

introduce me to the dark shadowed underbelly of London

crazylegs — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:02:02 -0800

Where are the best cheap used book shops and cheap used clothing shops in London? Heading into London tomorrow. Would like to find cheap used books, especially books on art, radical politics, sociology, etc. Also looking for funky used clothes shops and/or charity shops. I've got holes in my boots so wouldn't mind finding some new ones, or used, new-to-me ones. Help me to avoid Starbucks, chain stores, and all the other crap that is ruining London. Anything weird, underground, not advertised, and cheap would be of interest to me.

Can you recommend good books about Los Angeles?

jeremias — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:16:03 -0800

Can you recommend good books about Los Angeles? Non-fiction preferred but fiction as well. Have been fascinated with this city when visiting on business. I would think there would be some good books about the city out there. On the non-fiction side I would love to see a book that breaks down the cultural history of the neighborhoods and emphasizes the quirky, unusual and outrageous. Pictures would be great as well, though not necessary. On the fiction side anything that is able to give me that same sense of explaining the city's history in the context of narrative.

Resources wanted - cultural diversity, youth, arts

divabat — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:20:02 -0800

Cultural diversity, youth, and the arts/creative industries - where do I start looking for resources? I'm doing a work placement with an Australian youth arts organization (non-profit) that provides advice and services to young emerging artists. I've been tasked with preparing a cultural diversity strategy, both to get more young people from culturally diverse backgrounds using their services, and also to make their current programs more respectful of cultural needs.

I've never actually written a strategy paper before, but I personally find the topic interesting so I'd like to do as much work as possible. I'd like to know where I can get more information.

I'm guessing this is largely a question of terminology, as searching for resources in my local libraries haven't given me much - what should I be looking for? So far I can think of:

* Brisbane/Australia's policies re: cultural diversity and the arts sector
* How other countries and cultures regard the arts and creative industries (no idea how to search for this)
* Examples of strategy papers
* Efforts in integrating different cultures, not just with young people and/or the arts world

What else should I be looking at? What resources fit the above list and what else should go on that list? Are there any universities/organizations that would be helpful?

How does a strategy paper look like anyway? It seems like right now I'm writing a plan for a strategy paper. (This project is only a week old so far so there are opportunities for adjustment.)

The org is Queensland-based and has offices in Caboolture and Brisbane, but resources from anywhere in the world are fine. My supervisor's worked in Eastern Europe and USA, and I'm from Malaysia, so we're all pretty good at taking our multicultural backgrounds and incorporating it into our work. I don't want to rely on stereotypes though, so I'd like to look at as much info from everywhere.

Which books are most representative of each city?

reenum — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:21:37 -0800

What one book will allow others to gain the truest insight into the soul of each city or region Inspired by this recent Metafilter post and blatantly stealing the idea (and some text) from this AskMe post, I have decided to try and read a book about all of the major cities in the United States and the world. I've seen AskMe's in the past about various cities, such as London and New York.

So: which single book from each city is most revealing of the lifestyle, customs, struggles, and spirit of that nation? I lived in San Francisco a while back, and I would recommend any of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City' books to get a true idea of life in the City.

Good introductory books about Islam and Middle-Eastern geo-politics?

aheckler — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:21:05 -0800

As a student of international relations, I'm trying to acquire a broad understanding of Islam and Middle-Eastern culture. I'm looking for a few books to read in my spare time that touch on these subjects. More specifically, I'd like to read a few books that offer a broad introduction to Islam, Islamic culture, Middle-Eastern geo-politics, and perhaps U.S. foreign policy in that area of the world. They need not be extremely detailed, just well-written, informative, and not too dry. Ideally, the books I'm looking for are similar to this, but of course much lengthier.

Reza Aslan's No God But God was recently recommended by a friend, but I want to know what the Hive Mind thinks.

How Things 'Become': The Infinity of Definition

0bvious — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:18:41 -0800

I am looking for writings on the infinity of definition. I am interested in the exponentially divergent curve that is definition.

We create writings and art to better define the world, yet true definition is infinite.

We mediate the universe by erecting borders of definition, i.e. all striped, four-legged, hooved mammals are probably zebras. We categorise the universe into hierarchies, but the more we examine the more pronounced and expansive these hierarchies become.

Language is our greatest defining tool. Yet, the metaphors we evolve to expand the potential of language can themselves only be made to refer back to the language which created them. An infinite loop emerges in most definition.

As new technology emerges we use it to 'add' meaning to artifacts which are already partly defined. By looking at the world with ever more refined microscopes we bring reality into greater clarity. This metaphor can be expanded to refer to texts, art, archaeology, culture etc.

Who has written on the problem of definition? What critical theory has been written on the emergence of infinity?

This question adds on to past questions I have asked at MeFi including (in reverse order):

- Art and artifacts experienced through technology
- The mimetic and narrative capacities of artefacts
- Examples of 'The Infinite' in Myth and Their Effect on Conditions of Truth

Here's hoping you have some ideas...

Looking for immersion journalism books

reenum — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:53:18 -0800

I'm looking for books where the author immerses himself in an experience and then writes about it I've been reading these books for years, but I recently found out that the term for them is immersion journalism. I'm talking about books where an author tries something or goes somewhere and becomes completely enmeshed with the subject.
Some of my favorites in this area are:

Stuart Stevens- Malaria Dreams
Danny Wallace- Yes Man, Join Me
Henry Alford- Big Kiss
Bill Buford- Heat
A.J. Jacobs- The Year of Living Bibilically
J. Maarten Troost- The Sex Lives of Cannibals

Any more suggestions? Bonus points if it's a funny book.

Books about Down Under

Jimbob — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:42:42 -0800

Can anyone reccomend good books, or documentaries, about Australia (history, culture, politics) written by people from outside Australia? I'm interested in how we look from an international perspective - not from people who've spent a significant part of their lives here, or ex-pats, but people who are really writing from the outside, or who have only visited for a short time and grabbed a glance at the place.

Academic or humorous, either would be good. I've read Chatwin's "Songlines", enjoyed Bill Bryson's efforts, and even Billy Connolly's touring TV show was pretty good. What else is there that people can reccomend?

A Freakonomics for urban sprawl: Does such a book exist?

stedman15 — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:34:24 -0800

Are there any books that take a Freakonomics like approach to explaining and analyzing urban sprawl? I've been interested in urban planning, urban sprawl in particular, for many years.

I want to learn more about this phenomenon. However, most of the books I've attempted to read have been academic in tone and intended for urban planners. Anything out there that takes a Freakonomics like approach to explaining urban sprawl to the layman (or laywoman)?

How do I find authors the same age as me?

aclevername — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:33:08 -0800

Is there any resource online that lists fiction (and possibly non-fiction) authors by age? I'm looking to find and read books by authors of a similar age to me (I'm 29). Similar to the idea that Douglas Coupland, being of Generation X, had a age-based cultural type of writing, I'm curious to read any of "my" generation (whatever that may be).

Really what I'd like is some way to search a list of authors by age or birthdate. Nothing turns up on google. Nothing I want, anyway. My searches have only turned up listings of authors by historical "age" (e.g. Elizabethan, etc).

Short of looking up individual biographies of authors, is there any way to do this?

Improving basic geography and cultural knowledge

shirobara — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:54:16 -0800

I'm looking for books that will help me improve my basic knowledge of geography, other countries and cultures. Ideally what I would like would be a book, or a series of books, with some information about the countries of the world: basic things such as a country's capital, location, population, religions, languages, and so on, but also an overview of its current politics, history, cuisine, important places, culture, etc. So, not an overwhelming amount of information on each country, but a basic, neutral overview containing such information for many countries. I'd like to get it out from the library, so an encyclopedia or something I can't borrow isn't what I'm looking for. Can anyone recommend any specific books or series?

After the Terror...

Neilopolis — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:26:50 -0800

Can you recommend any great, scholarly books about the Napoleonic era in Europe? I'm in the middle of reading Richard K. Riehn's 1812: Napoleon's Russian Campaign and really enjoying it. However, I want to learn more. I'm interested in hearing your book recommendations that deal with Napoleonic Europe from a more general perspective - art, politics, culture, etc. I'd love to hear what you come up with.

Social Entreprenuership in Print

divabat — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:49:34 -0800

What are some good books and magazines related to social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, and the Fourth Sector? I've seen a lot of management/business books but they tend to focus on "MAKE MORE MONEY YAY" and not much on benefiting society or community development. Some I've found useful are:

* GOOD magazine
* Let's Not Screw It, Let's Just Do It by Richard Branson
* Occasional issues of Fast Thinking

any others?

St. Patrick's Day is coming up. Can you recommend books for getting into the mood and for appreciating Irish heritage and culture?

cadge — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 11:59:27 -0800

St. Patrick's Day is coming up. Can you recommend books for getting into the mood and for appreciating Irish heritage and culture? One of my little personal traditions is reading Irish-themed books around St. Patrick's Day.

Can anyone recommend any good books for this year's reading? I'm especially interested in any of the following:

* Contemporary Irish authors (I've already read all of Roddy Doyle's published novels but don't know many other authors)

* Stories set in Ireland that really give a feel for the place besides having it as a convenient backdrop

* The early Irish-American experience - what their lives were like

* Contemporary Irish culture

(These are the interests that pop in my head, but I'm up for reading anything. Mainly I'm looking for something different to read this year and not just "Listen to *How the Irish Saved Civilization* again on audiotape".)

Thanks!

What works of fiction are most firmly embedded in the American cultural consciousness?

zadermatermorts — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:41:10 -0800

What works of fiction are most firmly embedded in the American cultural consciousness? That is, what books are most frequently alluded to or drawn from in popular culture and daily life? I suspect they need not be books that everyone has read but probably are ones that many (to use a contentious term) culturally literate people are familiar with.

Some that spring to mind are Catcher in the Rye, the Hitchhiker's series, Catch-22, Lord of the Flies. A Christmas Carol? The Odyssey? (The Bible clearly fits my definition, but I don't wanna get into whether it's fiction or whatnot.) Lots of children's books too: Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan. What else?

While I'm asking from an American point of view, it would also be interesting to see how this varies in other countries.

A Persian in Peru

bethm — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 12:20:47 -0800

I just finished an excellent book-- An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie-- which details an Togolese man's interactions with the Inuit. I was wondering if anyone could recommend other books which are one non-Western culture's take on another. (To me, at least, the more apparently unrelated the two cultures the better.)

Here Comes Everybody!

josh — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:10:06 -0800

Have you read Finnegan's Wake? How did you do it? I'm teaching a class on the Wake this fall and want it to be as enjoyable as possible. Tell me about your experience reading it. What did you do to make it as fun as possible? (Or: what are some ideas for making it fun?)

Help me nourish my brain.

Vindaloo — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:10:23 -0800

Can anyone recommend any good documentaries? Bonus points if its history or culture related. Recently I've been on a huge documentary kick (most with a leftist bent) but I'm having trouble finding new ones to watch. Here is a short list of the ones I've seen, that way you can hopefully get an idea of what I'm looking for.

The cream of the crop:
BBC - The Power of Nightmares
BBC - Why We Fight
BBC - Century of the Self
The Corporation
The Revolution will not be Televised
Orwell Rolls in his Grave
PBS Frontline - The Dark Side

Good ones but not "meaty" enough:
How William Shatner Changed the World
CBC - Stupidity
OutFoxed
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Supersize Me
BBC - Time (4 part series)

Things I'd rather avoid:
Micheal Moore (seen em all anyways)
Nova (educational but too basic)

A lot of the documentaries I listed changed the way I see the world, and made me go out and research the topics and people presented (for example, after watching The Corporation I read the book Ecology of Commerce mentionned in the film, what an enjoyable read). In a sense I feel like I know and understand a little bit more of our extremely complex world, and I hunger for more knowledge, can anyone help? Oh and I'll accept good book recommendations too!

Books about nomads?

deadtrouble — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 08:15:39 -0800

I have an idle craving for knowledge. Specifically, I'd like to read some books about nomadic cultures - the Bedouin, Mongolian, Gypsies, Train-riding... any group really. Any suggestions?

Surviving a Total Perspective Vortex

0bvious — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 08:39:35 -0800

I'm on the hunt for sites and/or blogs about big ideas... Who wants to join me? I am interested in the nature of the human, the self, consciousness, space-time and infinity, the future, cultural evolution, the emergence and destruction of civilisation, physics, biology, technology, science fiction, this self perceiving universe, the narrative, the protagonist, belief, faith and the Gods, mathematics, language, truth, semiotics, theory of mind, theory of relativity, philosophy, transhumanism, the base of humour, of love, of art, of literature, chemistry, the stars and how they shine, justice, anger, naivety, pop-culture, culture shock, poetry, evolution, devolution, darwinism vs subjectivity, how to and how not to, how it is, how it could have been, perspectives of 'the idea', how the perspective shifts, surviving a total perspective vortex....

I want to find people who find these things interesting too, I want them to come over and chat liberally with me, with my like-minded associates, with other web-portal psychonauts.

Apart from Metafilter where do you get your intellectual, mind exploding fix? Where should I begin my search for new minds to meld with?