Recommend some cookbooks that are also history books. [more inside]
posted by Kurichina on Dec 21, 2009 - 27 answers

Looking for writing on how cultures/nations/tribes handled, fared, cope/d with alien influences. In the past or now, ongoing. [more inside]
posted by ebesan on Dec 5, 2009 - 9 answers

Americans: if you had to represent the USA with only three things, what would they be? [more inside]
posted by lapsangsouchong on Oct 22, 2009 - 95 answers

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.
posted by flummox on Aug 31, 2009 - 15 answers

I'm looking for books about Italy, specifically Rome and Venice, and also books set in Rome and/or Venice. What would you recommend? [more inside]
posted by garlic on Aug 24, 2009 - 19 answers

I'm looking for a recommendation for dealing with the relationship between food and culture/society/history [more inside]
posted by KilgoreTrout on May 18, 2009 - 8 answers

I am looking for writings on mimesis in regards new, digital, hypertext and hypermedial technologies and cultures. [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Feb 16, 2009 - 7 answers

Can you recommend good books about Los Angeles? Non-fiction preferred but fiction as well. [more inside]
posted by jeremias on Oct 29, 2008 - 25 answers

What are the reasons for and against constitutionally requiring a specific national language? [more inside]
posted by netbros on Aug 28, 2008 - 74 answers

A friend of mine has just returned from Mongolia and was describing roving mad-max style gangs of men using Nazi symbols, with apparently limited understanding of their meaning in the west. Where can I read more about Mongolian Nazis? Is this really prevalent? How did they come to hear about Nazis in the first place? Do they get along with western neo-nazis (despite being ethnically Mongolian)? [more inside]
posted by phrontist on Aug 16, 2008 - 19 answers

Why the long noodle? [more inside]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson on Jul 21, 2008 - 16 answers

I'd like to broaden my horizons by getting a better understanding of life in different cultures and time periods. Please recommend great books or films (fiction or non-fiction) which paint a broad, immersive, reasonably accurate picture of a place and time. [more inside]
posted by MetaMonkey on Jul 12, 2008 - 29 answers

I am looking for writings on the infinity of definition. [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Mar 13, 2008 - 32 answers

Can anyone reccomend good books, or documentaries, about Australia (history, culture, politics) written by people from outside Australia? [more inside]
posted by Jimbob on Feb 7, 2008 - 11 answers

What online reads can you recommend on the subject of circadian rhythms and rituals, preferably from an anthropological and/or historical point of view? [more inside]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane on Jan 13, 2008 - 6 answers

Bizarre curiosity: This family appears to be Asian. Their surname is Irish. What's the deal? [more inside]
posted by Ruby Doomsday on Jan 3, 2008 - 26 answers

Are there any reverse-chronological histories of culture? [more inside]
posted by electric water kettle on Dec 18, 2007 - 3 answers

I am searching for examples of The Infinite, or the immeasurably large, in our mythologies and archetypes. I am also interested in the categories of Truth which came out of the emergence of Western, ontological thought. Does the trust in a rationally conceivable reality deny us the infinity of the mythological realm? By rooting ourselves in the present, and denying atemporal mythologies, do we also deny the infinite origins from where we came? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Nov 28, 2007 - 22 answers

Can you recommend any great, scholarly books about the Napoleonic era in Europe? [more inside]
posted by Neilopolis on Nov 25, 2007 - 10 answers

Books about Burma? [more inside]
posted by UbuRoivas on Nov 19, 2007 - 17 answers

Which aspects of everyday life for Samuel Johnson or Benjamin Franklin have now essentially vanished from the world? [more inside]
posted by holgate on Sep 10, 2007 - 54 answers

is there a documented case of a human civilization or culture that has/had no form of music ? [more inside]
posted by k7lim on Jun 19, 2007 - 18 answers

Central Asia trip late May - early June. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by mammary16 on May 7, 2007 - 5 answers

St. Patrick's Day is coming up. Can you recommend books for getting into the mood and for appreciating Irish heritage and culture? [more inside]
posted by cadge on Feb 21, 2007 - 30 answers

What were some of the most idyllic communities to have ever existed? I’m not looking for opinions, I’m looking for hard anthropological examples or studies that have been carried out on such cultures. [more inside]
posted by heylight on Aug 29, 2006 - 9 answers

Can anyone recommend any good documentaries? Bonus points if its history or culture related. [more inside]
posted by Vindaloo on Aug 23, 2006 - 38 answers

Are blacks in the southern states of America more self reliant than blacks in the northern states and California ? [more inside]
posted by babyguru on Aug 8, 2006 - 27 answers

I'm on the hunt for sites and/or blogs about big ideas... Who wants to join me? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Jul 9, 2006 - 17 answers

The Protagonist: What can you tell me? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Jun 8, 2006 - 17 answers

I'm having trouble tracking down information about a movement in Dada-ist Art I heard about a few years ago. From what I remember Dadaist idealism inspired a group of artists to contemplate the organic development of urban environments. Art, using the defined structure of the city, to reflect the chaotic order which arises from nature. Did this century old movement exist or has my brain made it up?
posted by 0bvious on Apr 26, 2006 - 10 answers

A coworker is interested in broadening her general knowledge with an emphasis in History and Science. So, she's looking for a site she can set to be her home page where she can get bite sized chunks of interesting information (like 5 to 15 minutes at a time). Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by willnot on Apr 4, 2006 - 11 answers

Help us party like it's 1974! A friend is throwing a 1974 party (she was born in that year) and my partner and I would like to bring a gift to the party relevant to that year. We've already drawn up an extensive list of '74 references (see inside) but are really missing out on ideas for food and drink. [more inside]
posted by unclemonty on Mar 15, 2006 - 39 answers

In the U.S., we get all caught up in the decisions that adult women make and the consequences of those decisions. (To have children, not to have children, to work, to stay home with the children, not to work, to marry, to have children without marrying, etc.) Are there similar convulsions about these cultural issues in other countries, especially non-English speaking ones? How can I learn about them? I'm curious both about how women's roles in in their societies are changing and about how those societies are reacting to the changes.
posted by croutonsupafreak on Nov 30, 2005 - 6 answers

Good books to read before wandering about Central and South America for a few months? [more inside]
posted by airguitar on Nov 11, 2005 - 19 answers

German Culture circa 1850. Where on-line can I find information about daily life for a German child born 1847? [more inside]
posted by LadyBonita on Jul 5, 2005 - 3 answers

SensitiveFilter: This question might be construed as offensive. It deals with physical features of peoples from different parts of the globe. [more inside]
posted by yonation on May 2, 2005 - 31 answers

What should we do for our honeymoon? The soon-to-be Mr. Supafreak and I are planning to get married in summer '06. We have somewhat limited funds, speak only English, and want to learn about the world when we travel. [more inside]
posted by croutonsupafreak on Apr 21, 2005 - 22 answers

SinoFilter: I'm looking for a scholarly-but-accessible book (or books) about Chinese history and culture. (Web site recommendations also welcome.) I have done some Googling and poking around amazon.com, but frankly my ignorance is so deep that I have no good way of evaluating the quality of what I'm finding.
posted by enrevanche on Jan 8, 2005 - 16 answers