Alan J. Osborn - Böcker

Africa and the Middle East are undergoing dramatic environmental, demographic, economic, and political transformations. This volume turns the spotlight on 14 endangered cultures as examples of how diverse peoples are coping with these radical evolutions in the 21st century. Little-known groups such as the Ogoni of Nigeria, who face environmental degradation from multinational exploitation of oil resources and government collusion, are presented alongside well-known groups like the Kurds, some of whom have been displaced as a result of civil war and live beneath a repressive Iraqi regime. The issues, viewpoints, and solutions presented by chapter authors are often controversial, and the format allows students and interested readers to use critical-thinking skills as they gain knowledge of other cultures.Endangered Peoples of Africa and the Middle East is the only reference for the high school and public library that gives a unique perspective on the threats to and responses of these groups. Each chapter gives an overview of the group to provide a context for discussing the challenges they face. A helpful Resource Guide lists further reading, films and videos, Web Sites, and organizations. Maps and photos complement the text.

Scattered throughout the Great Plains are many isolated areas of varying size and ecology, quite distinct from the surrounding grasslands. Such spaces can be uplands like the Black Hills, low hills like the Nebraska Sand Hills, or linear areas such as shallow river valleys and deeply incised canyons. While the notion of ""islands"" is not a new one among ecologists, its application in Plains archaeology is.The contributors to this volume seek to illustrate the different ways that the spatial, structural, and temporal nature of islands conditioned the behavior and adaptation of past Plains peoples. This as a first step toward a more detailed analysis of habitat variation and its effects on Plains cultural dynamics and evolution. Although the emphasis is on ecology, several chapters also address social and ideological islands in the form of sacred sites and special hunting grounds.