Books in the The Cultural Histories Series series

A thematic overview of how animals were seen and used in the period from1920 to the present day, covering symbolism, hunting, domestication, sports and entertainment, science, philosophy, and art.

To call something modern is to assert something fundamental about the social, cultural, economic and technical sophistication of that thing, over and against what has come before. A Cultural History of Theatre in the Modern Age provides an interdisciplinary overview of theatre and performance in their social and material contexts from the late 19th century through the early 2000s, emphasizing key developments and trends that both exemplify and trouble the various meanings of the term 'modern', and the identity of modernist theatre and performance. Highly illustrated with 40 images, the ten chapters each take a different theme as their focus: institutional frameworks; social functions; sexuality and gender; the environment of theatre; circulation; interpretations; communities of production; repertoire and genres; technologies of performance; and knowledge transmission.

A thematic overview of how sexuality was perceived in the period from 1920 to 2000, covering homosexuality, heterosexuality, sexual variations, prostitution, medicine, religion, erotica and popular belief.

A thematic overview of how sexuality was perceived in the period from 1820 to 1920, covering homosexuality, heterosexuality, sexual variations, prostitution, medicine, religion, erotica and popular belief.

A thematic overview of how sexuality was perceived in the period from 350 to 1450, covering homosexuality, heterosexuality, sexual variations, prostitution, medicine, religion, erotica and popular belief.

A thematic overview of how the human body was perceived in the period from 1650 to 1800, covering birth and death, health and disease, sex and eroticism, medicine, popular beliefs and the self.

A thematic overview of how the human body was perceived in the period from 500 to 1500, covering birth and death, health and disease, sex and eroticism, medicine, popular beliefs and the self.

A thematic overview of how the human body was perceived in the period from 750 BCE to 1000 CE, covering birth and death, health and disease, sex and eroticism, medicine, popular beliefs and the self.

A thematic overview of how animals were seen and used in the period from 1600 to 1800, covering symbolism, hunting, domestication, sports and entertainment, science, philosophy, and art.

A thematic overview of how animals were seen and used in the period from 1400 to 1600, covering symbolism, hunting, domestication, sports and entertainment, science, philosophy, and art.

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries form a very distinctive period in European food history. This was a time when enduring feudal constraints in some areas contrasted with widening geographical horizons and the emergence of a consumer society.While cereal based diets and small scale trade continued to be the mainstay of the general population, elite tastes shifted from Renaissance opulence toward the greater simplicity and elegance of dining à la française. At the same time, growing spatial mobility and urbanization boosted the demand for professional cooking and commercial catering. An unprecedented wealth of artistic, literary and medical discourses on food and drink allows fascinating insights into contemporary responses to these transformations.A Cultural History of Food in the Early Modern Age presents an overview of the period with essays on food production, food systems, food security, safety and crises, food and politics, eating out, professional cooking, kitchens and service work, family and domesticity, body and soul, representations of food, and developments in food production and consumption globally.

In the 20th century, many aspects of life became 'a matter of perception' in the wake of the multiplication of media, stylistic experimentation, and the rise of multiculturalism. Life sped up as a result of new modes of transportation - automobiles and airplanes - and communication - telephones and personal computers - which emphasized the rapid movement of people and ideas. The proliferation of synthetic products and simulated experiences, from artificial flavors to video games, in turn, created heady virtual worlds of sensation. This progressive mediation and acceleration of sensation, along with the sensory and environmental pollution it often spawned, also sparked various countertrends, such as the 'back to nature' movement, the craft movement, slow food and alternative medicine. This volume shows how attending to the sensory dynamics of the modern age yields many fresh insights into the intertwined processes which gave the 20th century its particular feel of technological prowess and gaudy artificiality.A Cultural History of the Senses in the Modern Age presents essays on the following topics: the social life of the senses; urban sensations; the senses in the marketplace; the senses in religion; the senses in philosophy and science; medicine and the senses; the senses in literature; art and the senses; and sensory media.