Nature and Policy in Iceland 1400-1800: An Anthropological Analysis of History and Mentality [Hardcover]

Kirsten Hastrup (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 1990 | ISBN-10: 0198277288 | ISBN-13: 978-0198277286 | Edition: First Edition

In this ambitious study, Kirsten Hastrup offers an analysis of Icelandic Society from 1400 to 1800--a period of remarkable social disintegration and technological decline. Juxtaposing the economic, social, and political orders with concepts of humanity, fate, and nature, her study shows how the dissolution of the ancient order must be attributed to internal factors of culture and mentality, as well as to the external ones of natural catastrophe and commercial exploitation. The book ends with an invaluable analysis of the nature of causation in history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An engrossing study of the ways in which people define themselves in relation to their environment. Her analysis doubles as a valuable introduction to the social history of the period....Readers familiar with the Iceland of the sagas will find much food for thought here, and those unfamiliar with Iceland will find this an insightful introduction. Even readers with no particular interest in Iceland will find that the book contributes to our overall understanding of the interaction between representation and experience, culture and society."--Journal of Interdisciplinary History

About the Author

Kirsten Hastrup is a Professor of Social Anthropology at University of Copenhagen.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (December 27, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198277288
• ISBN-13: 978-0198277286
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,451,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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