Women and Alcohol in a Highland Maya Town : Water of Hope, Water of Sorrow Revised Edition [Paperback]

Christine Eber (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0292721048 | ISBN-13: 978-0292721043 | Publication Date: November 2000 | Edition: Revised

This pioneering ethnography looks at women and drinking in the Highland Chiapas, Mexico, community of San Pedro Chenalhó to address the issues of women's identities, roles, relationships, and sources of power. In a new epilogue, Christine Eber describes how events of the last decade, including the Zapatista uprising, have strengthened women's resolve to gain greater control over their lives by controlling the effects of alcohol in the community.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Women and Alcohol is a book worth reading.... The book's informal tone and interesting topic make it appealing to a wide audience, including casual readers and undergraduate classes. Furthermore, Eber's cross-cultural insight into alcohol dependency is relevant not only for anthropologists but also for health care professionals and others who deal with substance abuse. (Latin American Indian Literatures Journal )

In this well-written ethnography, Christine Eber weaves together the critical issues of gender relations, religious change, domestic violence, and drinking in highland Chiapas.... This is a fine ethnography that is a must-read for all interested in gender relations in contemporary Latin America. It is also one of the best current discussions on the little-studied phenomenon of religious change in Mexico.... Eber also provides a wonderful model of how to write a readable ethnography that treats its subjects with dignity and respect and honestly integrates the trials and tribulations of the ethnographer in the process. (Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute )

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; Revised edition (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292721048
• ISBN-13: 978-0292721043
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rum, chicha, or coca-cola?, June 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Women & Alcohol in a Highland Maya Town: Water of Hope, Water of Sorrow (Paperback)

The scope of this book is much broader than the title implies. Like all good ethnographers, the author sought answers about alcohol use and abuse in the daily activities and religious practices of the community. Thus, she lived in the highland Mayan town of San Pedro Chenalhó in Chiapas, Mexico, and looked at the place of alcohol in the social structure, including the paradoxical role of rum which is aligned with religious experience, but with the potential to do harm. However, in living in the community and in asking questions about drinking, the author necessarily broadened her theme to include child-rearing practices, shamanism, and the control exerted over envy among community members. Although based in anthropological research, this book is very readable. The anecdotes are interesting. Moreover, the author is forthright about her own role in the community, her personal experience with drunkenness in Tenejapa, and the potential problems she generated for one family by her presence in their household. I have only minor quibbles with this book. The inclusion of Aztec traditions with respect to gender and alcohol could have been omitted, and terms such as "time-out" might have been briefly defined the first time they were used. But, overall, this is an essential resource for anyone interested in contemporary Mayan culture.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great ethnography!, November 18, 2011

By 

Meli311ssa - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women and Alcohol in a Highland Maya Town : Water of Hope, Water of Sorrow Revised Edition (Paperback)

I really liked this ethnography. Granted, I purchased it as a requirement for a college anthropology course; however, it was easy to read and very interesting material. The author really immersed herself within the Mayan culture and it adds personal anecdotes that I feel the book would be lacking without. I would recommend this text to anyone interested in the subject matter.

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex culture, easy to read for an academic piece, October 10, 2007

By 

Chi CEO (IL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women and Alcohol in a Highland Maya Town : Water of Hope, Water of Sorrow Revised Edition (Paperback)

The history, culture and lives of Mayan women are complex, there isn't an easy way to describe the family relationships and the struggles - family, economic and with alcohol.

This is an academic research book, so it isn't light reading, but the author's style helped me to visualize and understand the challenges women face in Chiapas