Asia and the Pacific [3 Volumes] An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society

This three-volume set profiles the contemporary culture and society in every country in Central, South, and East Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Hundreds of different languages are spoken across Asia, with each country and culture possessing a long history of practicing unique traditions and customs. This encyclopedia focuses on the contemporary lives of people in these countries, looking at what makes them distinct from one another but also what binds them together.

Asia and the Pacific provides readers with in-depth profiles of the 48 countries that make up Central, South, and East Asia; Oceania; and the Pacific-including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Russia, Thailand, and Uzbekistan. Each country profile examines contemporary topics such as religion, lifestyle and leisure, cuisine, gender roles, dress, festivals, music, visual arts, and architecture, among many others, while also providing contextual information on history, politics, and economics. Readers will be able to draw cross-cultural comparisons, such as comparing architecture styles in Indonesia to those in Japan. Coverage on every country in the region provides students with a useful compendium of cultural information, ideal for geography, social studies, global studies, and anthropology classes.

 Includes comprehensive coverage on every country in the region, painting a complete picture of Asia

 Includes contributions from Asian historians, geographers, anthropologists, political scientists, and literary scholars

 Features identical structure of entries so that readers can easily draw cross-cultural comparisons

 Provides at-a-glance information about each country in quick fact boxes at the beginning of each chapter

 Provides readers with opportunities to seek additional information in Comprehensive Further Reading lists at the end of each entry

 Illuminates the text through photos and maps that provide visual support for and complement the entries