Synopses & Reviews
The 1992 Quincentennial of the encounter between the New Worldand the Old resulted in a veritable culture war- an extreme polarization of hardenedideological positions on different ideas of America. Monsters, Tricksters, andSacred Cows brings a fresh perspective to the confusing question of Americanidentity. It clears the minefields laid by the generals commanding the opposingcamps, while demonstrating that both sides have been primarily interested inprotecting and defending an idea of Americanness that cannot resist scrutiny. Someof the leading international scholars in anthropology, comparative literature, andhistory of the Americas show convincingly in this book that contacts between andamong peoples and ethnic groups have, since early colonial times, produced new- andtypically American- cultural forms throughout thehemisphere.
Monsters, Tricksters, and Sacred Cowswill appeal to the general reader and will attract a wide readership in folklore andcultural anthropology as well as in Caribbean and Latin American studies, comparative literature, and history.