Covering the political, social and historical background of each language, Dictionary of Languages offers a unique insight into human culture and communication. Every language with official status is included, as well as all those that have a written literature and 175 'minor' languages with special historical or anthropological interest. We see how, with the rapidly increasing uniformity of our culture as media's influence spreads, more languages have become extinct or are under threat of extinction. The text is highlighted by maps and charts of scripts, while proverbs, anecdotes and quotations reveal the features that make a language unique.

Zambia is a nation with a long record of peace, that has enjoyed decades of constitutional rule, and even, in recent years, an increasingly competitive democracy. Peace, constitutionalism, democracy, and nationhood face constant challenges, such as in the elections of 2006 when the ugly language of ethnic confrontation found renewed currency. Moreover, Zambia's economic record and prospects are less equivocal: after over four decades, per capita incomes are lower than they were at the dawn of independence. Historical Dictionary of Zambia, Fourth Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 1,000 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Zambia.

Experiencing Ritual is Edith Turner's account of how she sighted a spirit form while participating in the Ihamba ritual of the Ndembu. Through her analysis, she presents a view not common in anthropological writings—the view of millions of Africans—that ritual is the harnessing of spiritual power.

This selection of texts introduces students and researchers to the multi- and interdisciplinary field of mission history. The four parts of this book acquaint the readers with methodological considerations and recurring themes in the academic study of the history of mission. Part one revolves around methods, part two documents approaches, while parts three and four consist of thematic clusters, such as mission and language, medical mission, mission and education, women and mission, mission and politics, and mission and art.Critical Readings in the History of Christian Mission is suitable for course-work and other educational purposes.

This nineteenth volume in the African Historical Dictionaries series is devoted to Zambia - a country whose south-central location on the African continent makes it an essential link between independent states of Central, East and West Africa and southern Africa region. Its crucial political position has made it vulnerable to many pressures, especially in view of its long-time economic and communication links with Zimbabwe. The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Zambia has been thoroughly updated for the 1990s. All entries from the previous edition have been revised and rewritten for greater accuracy and intelligibility, and new entries provide information on current literature and authors, popular music and radio, AIDS, and other health-related issues. The authors have expanded the coverage of Zambia's colonial and Federation eras, as well as information on the rural Copperbelt, and added informed entries on Zambian archaeology. With map and bibliography. Review of the Previous Edition: "An excellent guide on the Republic of Zambia..." -BOOKNOTES