Describes the work of E. Warren Clark, a lay missionary officially employed by the Japanese government as a university teacher during the 1870s. Provides excerpts from Clark's book, "Life and Adventure in Japan" (1878), written after his return. (JDH)

Describes the origin of the Druze people, a group of approximately 300,000 people living mainly in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. The secret Druze religion, often mistaken for Moslems, is characterized in the contemporary customs displayed by the Druzes of Israel. (JDH)

Examines the cultural and social history of personal cleanliness. Discusses the cultural origins of U.S. washing habits and explores the question of why such practices spread throughout society. Describes how, between 1750 and 1900, washing became a regular practice of most people in the United States. (GEA)

Social, economic, and popular scientific trends converged in the early twentieth century to support the mass popularity of cosmetics. Twentieth-century magazine ads for personal care and beauty products reflected the contemporary belief that "science" was on the verge of being able to cure almost anything, including physical flaws and…

Educational materials such as textbooks often reflect and define a culture through the use of symbols and metaphors. The use of visual metaphors in frontispieces of reading and spelling texts during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries show the emergence of a patriotic iconography. (DF)

This examination of nation-building in Ireland portrays a successful example of an enclave people who first developed a consciousness of nationhood and then acquired statehood. Both processes were problematic. Factors which influenced this transformation are the following: (1) the definition of Irishness; (2) language; (3) religion; (4) history;…

The sociological characteristics of the ethnic and racial groups comprising the New Orleans, Louisiana, population are described in this paper. The immigration and settlement patterns of whites, blacks, Latin Americans, and Vietnamese are reviewed. The present needs of these groups are discussed and, finally, a chart delineating and comparing…

Describes the practical and spiritual lives of Shaker women at the mid-nineteenth century height of the utopian community located at Harvard, Massachusetts. Also provides an extensive bibliography and general history of this religion. (JDH)

Australians are known for their egalitarian spirit, manifested by a dislike of social pretension and affectation. A brief history of the country from the time of its establishment in 1788 as a dumping ground for Britain's unwanted criminals to the present is presented. (RM)

This book is a political, cultural, economic, and historical analysis of the Filipino experience in Hawaii. In the first chapter an historical overview of the Philippines is found. The second chapter reviews the Filipino worker's role in the plantation system in Hawaii and details the immigration patterns of Filipinos to Hawaii from 1907 to 1929.…

This booklet about the cultural background of Cambodia is one of three booklets that serve as a foundation for understanding the cultural diversity and values of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese students. Cambodia, or Kampuchea, has a population of about 7,000,000 and is located in mainland Southeast Asia. Its history is divided into the…

An historical survey of the Norwegian educational system is provided. Education in Norway is universal, pluralistic, and at government expense through the upper secondary school. Higher education has an open-door policy, and the tuition fees are very modest. (RM)

Defining "little" cultural traditions as those customs, behaviors and attitudes of ordinary people involved in the day-to-day problems of living and survival, this article traces the origins, historic influences and general characteristics of Hispanic culture and of its Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban subcultures. (DS)

Discusses the diverse cultures in Africa, and the effects of colonization by the French, English, and Portuguese. Explores how culture is used for political purposes in emerging African nations and as a tool for rewriting a past misinterpreted by colonial powers. Discusses issues of cultural pluralism in African countries. (JS)

Examines the influence of Norwegian populism, with its emphasis on rural roots and community values, on the development of Norwegian education. Discusses populist traits in Norwegian society and populist educational features: strong common school, weak academic tradition, use of New Norse vernacular, importance of informal learning at home,…