Culture and Customs of Mali (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780313359125)

Touching on everything from its rich musical heritage to its varied cultural traditions, this is a thorough and accessible introduction to the contemporary lives of the different peoples who call Mali their home.

Rated among the world's ten poorest nations, Mali has a glorious past and a less-certain present. Culture and Customs of Mali touches on the first as background for understanding the second, exploring multiple facets of contemporary social life and cultural practices in this landlocked, West African nation.

The book offers an overview of diverse aspects of everyday social, cultural, and religious life in Mali, paying particular attention to regional and ethnic variations. It shows how current social conventions and cultural values are the product of a centuries-long history, while at the same time dispels the common perception that African societies are rooted in unchanging tradition. Readers will come away with a better understanding of the multiple ways in which Malians, starting from their own customs and cultural foundations, integrate themselves into an international economic order and a globalized world of shared media images and cultural practices.

Author: Dorothea E. Schulz Ph D.
ISBN-10: 0313359121
ISBN-13: 9780313359125
Publisher: Greenwood
Language: English
Published: 01/06/2012
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.10w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 04/01/2012 pg. 32