Publisher's Synopsis
This collection of 24 recent, in-depth articles by noted international, ethnographic art historians and anthropologists is divided into six topical sections-Aesthetic Systems, The Artist as Individual, Art and Social Structure, Passages, Shelter as Symbol, and Continuity and Change in Fourth World Arts- each with its own introductory essay. The authors careful editing provides a well-balanced selection of artistic traditions from sub-Saharan Africa, the South Pacific, and the Native New World that covers a full spectrum of media from historical tradition to contemporary performance arts.