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Cultural Robotics: First International Workshop, CR 2015, Held as Part of IEEE RO-MAN 2015, Kobe, Japan, August 31, 2015. Revised Selected Papers (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #9549)
by Jeffrey T.K.V. Koh Belinda J. Dunstan David Silvera-Tawil Mari VelonakiThis LNAI 9549 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First International Workshop in Cultural Robotics 2015, held as part of the 24th International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication held in Kobe, Japan, in August/September 2015. A total of 12 full papers and 1 short paper were accepted from a total of 26 initially submitted. The following papers are organized into four categories. These categories are indicative of the extent to which culture has influenced the design or application of the robots involved, and explore a progression in the emersion and overlap between human and robotic generated culture.
Cultural Robotics: Social Robots and Their Emergent Cultural Ecologies (Springer Series on Cultural Computing)
by Belinda J. Dunstan Jeffrey T. K. V. Koh Deborah Turnbull Tillman Scott Andrew BrownThis edited collection approaches the field of social robotics from the perspective of a cultural ecology, fostering a deeper examination of the reach of robotic technology into the lived experience of diverse human populations, as well as the impact of human cultures on the development and design of these social agents. To address the broad topic of Cultural Robotics, the book is sectioned into three focus areas: Human Futures, Assistive Technologies, and Creative Platforms and their Communities. The Human Futures section includes chapters on the histories and future of social robot morphology design, sensory and sonic interaction with robots, technology ethics, material explorations of embodiment, and robotic performed sentience. The Assistive Technologies section presents chapters from community-led teams, and researchers working to adopt a strengths-based approach to designing assistive technologies for those with disability or neurodivergence. Importantly, this section contains work written by authors belonging to those communities. Creative Platforms and their Communities looks to the creative cross-disciplinary researchers adopting robotics within their art practices, those contributing creatively to more traditional robotics research, and the testing of robotics in non-traditional platforms such as museum and gallery spaces. Cultural Robotics: Social Robots and their Emergent Cultural Ecologies makes a case for the development of social robotics to be increasingly informed by community-led transdisciplinary research, to be decentralised and democratised, shaped by teams with a diversity of backgrounds, informed by both experts and non-experts, and tested in both traditional and non-traditional platforms. In this way, the field of cultural robotics as an ecological approach to encompassing the widest possible spectrum of human experience in the development of social robotics can be advanced.
Cultural Severance and the Environment: The Ending of Traditional and Customary Practice on Commons and Landscapes Managed in Common (Environmental History #2)
by Ian D. RotherhamThis major book explores commons, lands and rights of usage in common, traditional and customary practices, and the cultural nature of 'landscapes'. Importantly, it addresses now critical matters of 'cultural severance' and largely unrecognized impacts on biodiversity and human societies, and implications for conservation, sustainability, and local economies. The book takes major case studies and perspectives from around the world, to address contemporary issues and challenges from historical and ecological perspectives. The book developed from major international conferences and collaborations over around fifteen years, culminating 'The End of Tradition?' in Sheffield, UK, 2010. The chapters are from individuals who are both academic researchers and practitioners. These ideas are now influencing bodies like the EU, UNESCO, and FAO, with recognition by major organisations and stakeholders, of the critical state of the environment consequent on cultural severance.
Cultural Space on Metaverse (KAIST Research Series)
by Ji-Hyun LeeThis book consists of some selected papers presented at the 4th cultural DNA workshop. The papers include topics from three different perspectives: insightful analysis, intelligent synthesis and cutting-edge tools to better understand cultural DNA.It is this diverse perspective toward cultural DNA that makes this book special and suggestive. This book can be suggestive especially for the designers trying to find the very essence, the archetype, and the building blocks of our environment for the incorporation of social and cultural factors into their designs.This book consists of some selected papers presented as first drafts at the 4th cultural DNA workshop. The papers include topics from three different perspectives: insightful analysis, intelligent synthesis and cutting-edge tools to better understand cultural DNA.
Cultural Sutures: Medicine and Media
by Lester D. FriedmanMedicine and the media exist in a unique symbiosis. Increasingly, health-care consumers turn to media sources--from news reports to Web sites to tv shows--for information about diseases, treatments, pharmacology, and important health issues. And just as the media scour the medical terrain for news stories and plot lines, those in the health-care industry use the media to publicize legitimate stories and advance particular agendas. The essays in Cultural Sutures delineate this deeply collaborative process by scrutinizing a broad range of interconnections between medicine and the media in print journalism, advertisements, fiction films, television shows, documentaries, and computer technology. In this volume, scholars of cinema studies, philosophy, English, sociology, health-care education, women's studies, bioethics, and other fields demonstrate how the world of medicine engages and permeates the media that surround us. Whether examining the press coverage of the Jack Kevorkian-euthanasia controversy; pondering questions about accessibility, accountability, and professionalism raised by such films as Awakenings, The Doctor, and Lorenzo's Oil; analyzing the depiction of doctors, patients, and medicine on E. R. and Chicago Hope; or considering the ways in which digital technologies have redefined the medical body, these essays are consistently illuminating and provocative. Contributors. Arthur Caplan, Tod Chambers, Stephanie Clark-Brown, Marc R. Cohen, Kelly A. Cole, Lucy Fischer, Lester D. Friedman, Joy V. Fuqua, Sander L. Gilman, Norbert Goldfield, Joel Howell, Therese Jones, Timothy Lenoir, Gregory Makoul, Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, Faith McLellan, Jonathan M. Metzl, Christie Milliken, Martin F. Norden, Kirsten Ostherr, Limor Peer, Audrey Shafer, Joseph Turow, Greg VandeKieft, Otto F. Wahl
Cultural Understanding of Soils: The importance of cultural diversity and of the inner world
by Nikola Patzel Sabine Grunwald Eric C. Brevik Christian FellerCultural understandings of soil are diverse and often ambiguous. Cultural framing of soils is common worldwide and is highly consequential. The implications of what place the earth has in people's world view and everyday life can be in line with or in conflict with natural conditions, with scientific views, or with agricultural practices. The main assumption underlying this work is that soil is inescapably perceived in a cultural context by any human. This gives emergence to different significant webs of meaning influenced by religious, spiritual, or secular myths, and by a wide range of beliefs, values and ideas that people hold in all societies. These patterns and their dynamics inform the human-soil relationship and how soils are cared for, protected, or degraded.Therefore, there is need to deal inter-culturally with different sources and types of knowledge and experience regarding soil; a need to cultivate soil awareness and situationally appropriate care through inter- and intra-cultural dialogues and learning. This project focuses on the human and intangible dimensions of soil.To serve this aim, the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) founded a working group on Cultural Patterns of Soil Understanding that has resulted in this book, which presents studies from almost all continents, written by soil scientists and experts from other disciplines. A major objective of this project is to promote intercultural literacy that gives readers the opportunity to appreciate soil across disciplinary and cultural boundaries in an increasingly globalized world. . .
Cultural Urban Heritage: Development, Learning and Landscape Strategies (The Urban Book Series)
by Mladen Obad Šćitaroci Bojana Bojanić Obad Šćitaroci Ana MrđaThis book presents strategies and models for cultural heritage enhancement from a multidisciplinary perspective. It discusses identifying historical, current and possible future models for the revival and enhancement of cultural heritage, taking into consideration three factors – respect for the inherited, contemporary and sustainable future development. The goal of the research is to contribute to the enhancement of past cultural heritage renovation and enhancement methods, improve the methods of spatial protection of heritage and contribute to the development of the local community through the use of cultural, and in particular, architectural heritage. Cultural heritage is perceived primarily through conservation, but that comes with limitations. If heritage is perceived and experienced solely through conservation, it becomes a static object. It needs to be made an active subject, which implies life in heritage as well as new purposes and new life for abandoned heritage. Heritage can be considered as a resource that generates revenue for itself and for the sustainability of the local community. To achieve this, it should be developed in accordance with contemporary needs and technological achievements, but on scientifically based and professional criteria and on sustainable models. The research presented in this book is based on the approach of Heritage Urbanism in a combination of experiments (case studies) and theory.
Culturally Inclusive Instructional Design: A Framework and Guide to Building Online Wisdom Communities
by Charlotte Gunawardena Casey Frechette Ludmila LayneWINNER OF THE 2019 OUTSTANDING BOOK AWARD FROM AECT'S DIVISION OF DISTANCE EDUCATION! As online courses and digital learning enable more people from more places to learn together, it is crucial for instructional design to incorporate diverse cultural perspectives. Culturally Inclusive Instructional Design provides a framework for thinking about culture in digital learning, offering insight into how to build inclusive online communities that encourage reflection and growth, regardless of content domain. Chapters cover the foundation, components, and implementation of the authors’ Wisdom Communities (WisCom) framework, which enables learners from global backgrounds to experience long-lasting, transformative learning through real-world problem-solving. This book is a timely, resourceful guide to building truly collaborative, inquiry-based online learning experiences.
Culturally Responsive Science Pedagogy in Asia: Status and Challenges for Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan (Routledge Series on Schools and Schooling in Asia)
by Lilia Halim Murni Ramli Mohd Norawi AliScience learning, for many, is often seen as learning a culture of science knowledge and practices - that is incongruent from one’s everyday experiences and cultural background of learners. This edited volume presents a systemic view of the current initiatives and challenges for the inclusion of Culturally Responsive Science Pedagogy (CRSP) in non-western and multicultural contexts in three Asian countries – Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan. Split into three parts, the book examines the history and current educational systems, curriculums, and socio-cultural diversities in each country, offering an updated review of equity in education. It reflects and expands on the role of CSRP in diverse societies, before going into case studies that feature the experiences of teachers in implementing CRSP in Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan. These snapshots reflect the multiple ways equity is addressed in the teaching and learning of science in Asian countries, allowing readers to extrapolate the possible challenges and best practices for designing and implementing CRSP in practice. The final section examines how these findings provide a sustainable platform for building capacity in understanding of the cultural complexities and realities of recruiting and retaining diverse students into science. One of few books to investigate the role of CRSP in diverse societies in Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan, this book makes a unique contribution to the field of science education with reference to culturally responsive pedagogy. Its strategies and solutions serve as an important comprehensive reference for researchers and science teacher educators.
Culturally Tuning Change Management (Best Practices in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management)
by Risto GladdenManaging change across cultures can be tricky, and universal approaches to change management may not serve their purpose in every cultural setting. This book examines the cultural dimensions that can influence the perceptions of and reactions to change in different cultural contexts and highlights the benefits of developing and applying cultural mindfulness when planning and running cross-cultural change initiatives. It offers practical advice to project and change management teams and leaders for developing Cultural Intelligence, tailoring plans to consider any cultural variables that could be barriers to (or catalysts for) effective change, and applying facilitating strategies.
Culture and Human-Robot Interaction in Militarized Spaces: A War Story (Emerging Technologies, Ethics and International Affairs)
by Julie CarpenterExplosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel are some of the most highly trained people in the military, with a job description that spans defusing unexploded ordnance to protecting VIP’s and state dignitaries. EOD are also one of the first military groups to work with robots every day. These robots have become an increasingly important tool in EOD work, enabling people to work at safer distances in many dangerous situations. Based on exploratory research investigating interactions between EOD personnel and the robots they use, this study richly describes the nuances of these reciprocal influences, especially those related to operator emotion associated with the robots. In particular, this book examines the activities, processes and contexts that influence or constrain everyday EOD human-robot interactions, what human factors are shaping the (robotic) technology and how people and culture are being changed by using it. The findings from this research have implications for future personnel training, and the refinement of robot design considerations for many fields that rely on critical small group communication and decision-making skills.
Culture and International Law: Proceedings of the International Conference of the Centre for International Law Studies (CILS 2018), October 2-3, 2018, Malang, Indonesia
by Hikmahanto Juwana Jeffrey Thomas Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli Dhiana PuspitawatiIn this era of globalization, International Law plays a significant role in facing rapid development of various legal issues. Cultural preservation has emerged as an important legal issue that should be considered by States. This book consists of academic papers presented and discussed during the 9th International Conference of the Centre of International Law Studies (9th CILS Conference) held in Malang, Indonesia, 2-3 October 2018. The title of the book represents the major theme of the conference: "Culture and International Law." It is argued that along with globalization, cultural preservation is slowly ignored by States. Various papers presented in the book cover five topics: cultural heritage; cultural rights; culture and economic activity; culture and armed conflict; and a general topic. The authors of the papers are outstanding academics from various countries, Lithuania, United States of America, Australia, Thailand and Indonesia.The conference was organized by Universitas Indonesia in collaboration with Brawijaya University. This book aims to give a useful contribution to the existing literature on International Law, specifically focussing on cultural issues from the perspective of cultural heritage and rights, economic as well as armed conflict.
Culture and Structure at a Military Charter School
by Brooke JohnsonTaking military charter schools as her subject, and drawing on years of research at one school in particular, Brooke Johnson explores the underpinings of a culture based on militarization and neoliberal educational reforms and probes its effects on individual identity and social interactions at the school.
Culture and Trust in Technology-Driven Organizations
by Frances AlstonThis book provides insight into the important role that culture and trust can play in the success of high-technology organizations. There has been little research to demonstrate a connection between organizational culture and trust. This book introduces a review of the literature and the result of an empirical study that investigated the relationship between mechanistic and organic cultures and the level of trust in technology-based organizations.
Culture and Utilization of Live Food Organisms for Aquahatcheries
by Jham Lal Sahil H. S. MogalekarIn today's world, food scarcity and food security are significant global concerns, with 811 million people suffering from hunger and 3 billion individuals unable to afford healthy diets. This book discusses fisheries and aquaculture as crucial contributors to nutritional security and the need for sustainable practices to meet the growing demand. The subject matter of this book covers: Recycling of Waste Through Tubifex Culture and Used as Live Food in Aquahatcheries Culture Techniques of Daphnia Mosquito Larval Control Through the Larvivorous Fish Chlorella Live Food: Cultivation and Applications Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Culture by Design: Practical Strategies for Wellbeing, Engagement and Growth
by Hugo MetcalfeCulture by Design is about shifting focus from solely organisational outcomes and performance, towards organisational culture and wellbeing. It bridges the gap between two key organisational goals: (a) the drive for improving performance, outcomes and staff retention, and (b) strategies to encourage employee wellbeing, motivation and engagement within the workplace. For too long, organisations have focussed on each of these goals individually, with improvements in one area often coming at the expense of the other. This book demonstrates that this does not need to be the case, that what is required is a shift in perspective towards a culture-focussed approach where improved outcomes, performance and engagement are the added bonuses of a happy, connected staff team. You may be familiar with the phrase "Happy bees work harder"; this book demonstrates the fundamental truth in that statement and illustrates that "What is good for the bees is good for the hive".Through practical strategies and real-world examples, this book reveals that the application of evidence-led, self-directed and cost-effective strategies can support any organisation to cultivate the culture they need to encourage the outcomes they want. This book offers a synthesis of theory and practice from organisational and social psychology, neuroscience and systems dynamics, alongside examples of practical tools you can start using today, to offer a roadmap to cultivating a workplace culture that supports the wellbeing and performance of the organisation as a whole.Whether you are an HR director, People Manager, C-Suite Team member or Wellbeing and Culture Lead, this book is relevant to Leaders in organisations of any size. If you are interested in what works when it comes to improving staff wellbeing, how to go about the process of culture change or who makes the tea and why it matters, then this book is for you.
Culture Clash: Law and Science in America (Open Access Lib And Hc Ser.)
by Steven GoldbergIt is an article of faith in America that scientific advances will lead to wondrous progress in our daily lives. Americans proudly support scientific research that yields stunning breakthroughs and Nobel prizes. We relish the ensuing debate about the implications—moral, ethical, practical—of these advances. Will genetic engineering change our basic nature? Will artificial intelligence challenge our sense of human uniqueness? And yet the actual implementation of these technologies is often sluggish and much-delayed. From Star Trek to Jurassic Park, the American imagination has always been fascinated by the power of scientific technology. But what does the reality of scientific progress mean for our society? In this controversial book, Steven Goldberg provides a compelling look at the intersection of two of America's most powerful communities—law and science—to explain this apparent contradiction. Rarely considered in tandem, law and science highlight a fundamental paradox in the American character, the struggle between progress and process. Science, with its ethic of endless progress, has long fit beautifully with America's self image. Law, in accordance with the American ideal of giving everyone a fair say, stresses process above all else, seeking an acceptable, rather than a scientifically correct, result. This characteristic has been especially influential in light of the explosive growth of the legal community in recent years. Exposing how the legal system both supports and restricts American science and technology, Goldberg considers the role and future of three projects—artificial intelligence, nuclear fusion, and the human genome initiative—to argue for a scientific vision that infuses research with social goals beyond the pure search for truth. Certain to provoke debate within a wide range of academic and professional communities, Culture Clash reveals one of the most important and defining conflicts in contemporary American life.
Culture Clash: Law and Science in America
by Steven GoldbergIt is an article of faith in America that scientific advances will lead to wondrous progress in our daily lives. Americans proudly support scientific research that yields stunning breakthroughs and Nobel prizes. We relish the ensuing debate about the implications—moral, ethical, practical—of these advances. Will genetic engineering change our basic nature? Will artificial intelligence challenge our sense of human uniqueness? And yet the actual implementation of these technologies is often sluggish and much-delayed. From Star Trek to Jurassic Park, the American imagination has always been fascinated by the power of scientific technology. But what does the reality of scientific progress mean for our society? In this controversial book, Steven Goldberg provides a compelling look at the intersection of two of America's most powerful communities—law and science—to explain this apparent contradiction. Rarely considered in tandem, law and science highlight a fundamental paradox in the American character, the struggle between progress and process. Science, with its ethic of endless progress, has long fit beautifully with America's self image. Law, in accordance with the American ideal of giving everyone a fair say, stresses process above all else, seeking an acceptable, rather than a scientifically correct, result. This characteristic has been especially influential in light of the explosive growth of the legal community in recent years. Exposing how the legal system both supports and restricts American science and technology, Goldberg considers the role and future of three projects—artificial intelligence, nuclear fusion, and the human genome initiative—to argue for a scientific vision that infuses research with social goals beyond the pure search for truth. Certain to provoke debate within a wide range of academic and professional communities, Culture Clash reveals one of the most important and defining conflicts in contemporary American life.
Culture, Communication and National Identity: The Case of Canadian Television
by Richard Collins‘There can be no political sovereignty without culture sovereignty.’ So argued the CBC in 1985 in its evidence to the Caplan/Sauvageau Task Force on Broadcasting Policy. Richard Collins challenges this assumption. He argues in this study of nationalism and Canadian television policy that Canada’s political sovereignty depends much less on Canadian content in television than has generally been accepted. His analysis focuses on television drama, at the centre of television policy in the 1980s.Collins questions the conventional image of Canada as a weak national entity undermined by its population’s predilection for foreign television. Rather, he argues, Canada is held together, not by a shared repertoire of symbols, a national culture, but by other social forces, notably political institutions. Collins maintains that important advantages actually and potentially flow from Canada’s wear national symbolic culture. Rethinking the relationships between television and society in Canada may yield a more successful broadcasting policy, more popular television programming, and a better understanding of the links between culture and the body politic. As the European Community moves closer to political unity, the Canadian case may become more relevant to Europe, which, Collins suggests, already fears the ‘Canadianization’ of its television. He maintains that a European multilingual society, without a shared culture or common European audio-visual sphere and with viewers watching foreign television, can survive successfully as a political entity – just as Canada has.
Culture in International Construction
by Wilco Tijhuis Richard FellowsDespite the wide range of technologies involved, the construction industry still relies heavily on one old-fashioned component: the human. The clients, managers, designers, investors, and a whole host of other stakeholders are all involved in a crucial series of relationships that are just as important to project success as technical know-how. As construction projects become increasingly international as well as interdisciplinary, the risk and cost of disharmonious working grows ever larger. The growth of IT and the increased reliance on large mergers and joint-ventures have created new problems, which require a new set of solutions. Recent research has generated profound insights into international differences in business culture. This new work presents up-to-date theory and practical guidance, identifying situations in which cultural differences present challenges. A focus on "critical incidents", demonstrated in a range of case studies will help readers to foresee such situations in their own projects and processes, and so improve strategic and operational decision-making in construction collaborations. Detailed examples are taken from the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Turkey, the UAE, and China, to explore a variety of problems in very different economic and cultural surroundings. A range of professionals (contractors, developers, investors, architects, engineers, governments, public/private clients) will find this book highly valuable, as will researchers and students.
Culture, Learning, and Technology: Research and Practice
by Angela D. Benson Roberto Joseph Joi L. MooreCulture, Learning, and Technology: Research and Practice provides readers with an overview of the research on culture, learning, and technology (CLT) and introduces the concept of culture-related theoretical frameworks. In 13 chapters, the book explores the theoretical and philosophical views of CLT, presents research studies that examine various aspects of CLT, and showcases projects that employ best practices in CLT. Written for researchers and students in the fields of Educational Technology, Instructional Design, and the Learning Sciences, this volume represents a broad conceptualization of CLT and encompasses a variety of settings. As the first significant collection of research in this emerging field of study, Culture, Learning, and Technology overflows with new insights into the increasing role of technology use across all levels of education.
The Culture of Wilderness
by Frieda KnoblochIn this innovative work of cultural and technological history, Frieda Knobloch describes how agriculture functioned as a colonizing force in the American West between 1862 and 1945. Using agricultural textbooks, USDA documents, and historical accounts of western settlement, she explores the implications of the premise that civilization progresses by bringing agriculture to wilderness. Her analysis is the first to place the trans-Mississippi West in the broad context of European and classical Roman agricultural history. Knobloch shows how western land, plants, animals, and people were subjugated in the name of cultivation and improvement. Illuminating the cultural significance of plows, livestock, trees, grasses, and even weeds, she demonstrates that discourse about agriculture portrays civilization as the emergence of a colonial, socially stratified, and bureaucratic culture from a primitive, feminine, and unruly wilderness. Specifically, Knobloch highlights the displacement of women from their historical role as food gatherers and producers and reveals how Native American land-use patterns functioned as a form of cultural resistance. Describing the professionalization of knowledge, Knobloch concludes that both social and biological diversity have suffered as a result of agricultural 'progress.'
Cultures in Human-Computer Interaction (Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Informatics)
by Sergio SayagoThis book provides an interdisciplinary synthesis of the topic of culture in the context of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and a structured overview of a large body of HCI research on (and with) culture. The book presents a short and guided overview of the concept of culture. It offers some background on the origin and development of the term culture. It also outlines some of its key traits and ingredients and summarizes three main perspectives of culture across disciplines. The book argues that culture matters considerably in HCI and discusses a number of reasons for and against its relevance. Arguments against include a lack of a universal or common definition of the term culture and globalization. Arguments in favor touch upon important aspects of HCI, including a diversely growing user base, the need to provide designers with enough support to design across cultures, and the inseparable relationship between culture and technology. The issues explored in this book can be classified into three, non-mutually exclusive, categories: theoretical, practical, and controversial. The book outlines the main conceptual perspectives of culture within HCI, including Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, Edward T. Hall’s cross-cultural theory of communication, and Richard Nisbett’s cultural cognitive systems of thought as well as examining the ways in which culture has been operationalized in HCI research and the main functions of culture in this area. It closes with a discussion of some open issues intended to spark debate and future research. The literature this book draws upon covers a wide range of research disciplines, including Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Robotics, Disability Studies, Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology, Usability, and Design. This book aspires to provide a useful overview of culture for HCI scholars at all levels.
Cultures in Orbit: Satellites and the Televisual
by Lisa Ann ParksIn 1957 Sputnik, the world's first man-made satellite, dazzled people as it zipped around the planet. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, more than eight thousand satellites orbited the Earth, and satellite practices such as live transmission, direct broadcasting, remote sensing, and astronomical observation had altered how we imagined ourselves in relation to others and our planet within the cosmos. In Cultures in Orbit, Lisa Parks analyzes these satellite practices and shows how they have affected meanings of "the global" and "the televisual." Parks suggests that the convergence of broadcast, satellite, and computer technologies necessitates an expanded definition of "television," one that encompasses practices of military monitoring and scientific observation as well as commercial entertainment and public broadcasting.Roaming across the disciplines of media studies, geography, and science and technology studies, Parks examines uses of satellites by broadcasters, military officials, archaeologists, and astronomers. She looks at Our World, a live intercontinental television program that reached five hundred million viewers in 1967, and Imparja tv, an Aboriginal satellite tv network in Australia. Turning to satellites' remote-sensing capabilities, she explores the U.S. military's production of satellite images of the war in Bosnia as well as archaeologists' use of satellites in the excavation of Cleopatra's palace in Alexandria, Egypt. Parks's reflections on how Western fantasies of control are implicated in the Hubble telescope's views of outer space point to a broader concern: that while satellite uses promise a "global village," they also cut and divide the planet in ways that extend the hegemony of the post-industrial West. In focusing on such contradictions, Parks highlights how satellites cross paths with cultural politics and social struggles.
Cultures of Milk
by Andrea S. WileyMilk is the only food mammals produce naturally to feed their offspring. The human species is the only one that takes milk from other animals and consumes it beyond weaning age. Cultures of Milk contrasts the practices of the world's two leading milk producers, India and the United States. In both countries, milk is considered to have special qualities. Drawing on ethnographic and scientific studies, popular media, and government reports, Andrea Wiley reveals that the cultural significance of milk goes well beyond its nutritive value. Shifting socioeconomic and political factors influence how people perceive the importance of milk and how much they consume. In India, where milk is out of reach for many, consumption is rising rapidly among the urban middle class. But milk drinking is declining in America, despite the strength of the dairy industry. Milk is bound up in discussions of food scarcity in India and food abundance in the United States. Promotion of milk as a means to enhance child growth boosted consumption in twentieth-century America and is currently doing the same in India, where average height is low. Wiley considers how variation among populations in the ability to digest lactose and ideas about how milk affects digestion influence the type of milk and milk products consumed. In India, most milk comes from buffalo, but cows have sacred status for Hindus. In the United States, cow's milk has long been a privileged food, but is now facing competition from plant-based milk.