Africa and the Middle East are undergoing dramatic environmental, demographic, economic, and political transformations. This volume turns the spotlight on 14 endangered cultures as examples of how diverse peoples are coping with these radical evolutions in the 21st century. Little-known groups such as the Ogoni of Nigeria, who face environmental degradation from multinational exploitation of oil resources and government collusion, are presented alongside well-known groups like the Kurds, some of whom have been displaced as a result of civil war and live beneath a repressive Iraqi regime....

The tremendous cultural diversity and distinct ways of life of many Southeast and East Asian peoples are in serious jeopardy today because of varying combinations of economic, political, and environmental threats, often linked to severe human rights violations. Endangered Peoples of Southeast and East Asia introduces 14 endangered cultures, from the Kubu of Central Sumatra in Indonesia, to the Ainu of Japan. The most pressing issues of these marginalized groups--such as the impact of tourism, prohibition against whaling, or dislocation due to nuclear testing--are brought to light by...

In the Arctic regions, virtually all inhabitants are cultural minorities within their own countries, and although their native culture is constantly evolving naturally, outside pressures are endangering their most important traditions. Endangered Peoples of the Arctic focuses on 14 endangered cultures, from the Inuit tribes in Canada, Alaska, and Greenland to the Saami in Sweden. Students and interested readers will become informed about the contemporary impacts on their traditional way of life, such as loss of language, military intrusions, oil drilling, and wildlife protection, and how...

Bringing a fresh perspective to multicultural studies, Greaves illuminates the current situation of 13 of our most traditional peoples in the United States and Canada. Included are small tribal groups, ethnic groups with a unique way of life, new immigrants, and refugees with strong roots in war-torn homelands. A broad diversity of cultures is presented, including the Lummi in Washington State, the African Americans in the coastal zone of Georgia, the Amish of Lancaster County, and the Hmong in Wisconsin. The relevant issues of their survival in today's global culture will engage students...

Latin America comprises varied biophysical environments and diverse populations living in widely disparate economic circumstances. "Endangered Peoples of Latin America: Struggles to Survive and Thrive" includes peoples hit hardest by the current globalization trend. Each chapter profiles a specific people or peoples with a cultural overview of their history, subsistence strategies, social and political organization, and religion and world view; threats to their survival; and responses to these threats. A section entitled Food for Thought provides questions that encourage a personal...

The European continent is the homeland for many diverse cultures struggling to maintain their ways of life and thrive or even to survive in the 21st century. Endangered Peoples of Europe: Struggles to Survive and Thrive profiles more than 12 endangered peoples, ranging from the Scottish Highlanders, the Basques in Spain, the former Yugoslavians, to the Cypriots. Their cultural identity, stemming from ancient times yet ever changing, is perhaps more at risk than at any other time in history because of such menaces as nation building, the drive toward homogenization, wars and ethnic...