Weather, Climate, Culture

Sarah Strauss, Benjamin S. Orlove

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000213607
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

Throughout history, the weather has been both feared and revered for its powerful influence over living creatures. Not only does it control our moods, activities, and fashions, but it has also played a crucial role in broader issues of cultural identity, concepts of time, and economic development. In fact, the weather has become so ingrained in our everyday routines that many of us forget just how profoundly this omnipotent force shapes culture. With the continuing rise in global warming and consequential change in weather patterns, our awareness and understanding of this topic has never been so important. This fascinating book is the first to explore our close relationship with the weather. From folklore to visual representations, agricultural and health practices, and unusual weather events, Weather, Climate, Culture demonstrates that the way we discuss and interpret meteorological phenomena concerns not only the events in question but, more complexly, the cultural, political, and historical framework in which we discuss them. Why is it politically safe to discuss current weather conditions, but highly controversial to discuss long-term climate change? Why are the British renowned for talking about the weather and why, in the eighteenth century, was this regarded as genteel? How can accounts of cultural or moral change be associated with narratives of changing climate and vice-versa?Drawing on a wide range of case studies from around the world, this pioneering book provides an original and lively perspective on a subject that continues to have an incalculable impact on the way we live. It will serve as a landmark text for years to come.

Index

absolute time, 23

Accelerated Climate Prediction Initiative, 284, 289

Ackroyd, P., 149, 158

Addison, Joseph, 19, 29

addresses to spirits, 90-6

'Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, The' (Doyle), 150

Aegir (god of the sea), 261

Africa

pastoralist ecology model, 283

Sahel-Sudan region, 181-3

See also Burkina Faso

Agricultural Involution (Geertz), 234-5

agricultural seasons, 127

aibika, 163

air pollution, 141, 143, 145-6, 156

See also London, England, fog

Alaska, 218

alfalfa, 237, 240

algorithms for weather prediction, 44-5

Allen, B. J., 175, 178

almanacs, 28, 43-5, 49, 55, 59

Amazing Tempest, The, 26

American Anthropological Association, Anthropology and Environment Section, 11, 277

American Meteorological Society, 45

Americans and Their Weather (Meyer), 281, 289-90

ancestors, 89, 172-3

anemometers, 51

animals

behavior, 50, 218

captured in place names, 225

classification systems, 124-5

effected by climate and weather, 62, 168

faunal analysis, 223

annual cycles. See seasons

anthropologists, 4

Anyampanda (royal leaders), 90

apples, 237

Appletree, Thomas, 21

aquifer recharge with winter precipitation, 239, 246

Arbuthnot, John, 29

Essay Concerning the Effects of Air on Human Bodies...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Notes on Contributors
• INTRODUCTION
• DAYS
• YEARS
• GENERATIONS
• AFTERWORD
• Index