false 383680 1 <div>Beads have been used since antiquity, not only to dress the body, but as measures of value in economic and ritual exchanges. Their popularity has never waned, and in recent years their trade has enjoyed a world-wide revival. Beads have deep and multiple meanings: in many cultures, together with garments, they reflect age, gender and social status, and are a vehicle through which people store, exchange and transmit wealth.<br><br>This absorbing book analyzes techniques and gendered aspects of the making of beads, as well as their role in trade and body adornment, in a wide range of societies, from the ancient Mediterranean to Renaissance Venice and present-day Southern Africa and West Africa, where they have become a symbol of cultural survival and identity. Anyone interested in material culture, anthropology, art history, and gender studies will find that this book provides fascinating insights into attitudes toward the body and its dress as well as systems of social classification.<br></div> 373445 1 5 1998 Beads and Bead Makers: Gender, Material Culture and Meaning (Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Women) total:2|4:1|3:1| 2 7 4 1 3 0 false false Mon Mar 19 15:28:19 -0700 2007 Sat Mar 31 09:59:14 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat Oct 03 11:07:27 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 06:49:14 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 11:07:27 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 12:48:15 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 12:48:43 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Nov 06 11:12:05 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 06 11:12:05 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=383680