Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife: [3 volumes]

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Description

This comprehensive compilation of entries documents the origins, transmissions, and transformations of Asian American folklore and folklife. Equally instructive and intriguing, the Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife provides an illuminating overview of Asian American folklore as a way of life. Surveying the histories, peoples, and cultures of numerous Asian American ethnic and cultural groups, the work covers everything from ancient Asian folklore, folktales, and folk practices that have been transmitted and transformed in America to new expressions of Asian American folklore and folktales unique to the Asian American historical and contemporary experiences. The encyclopedia's three comprehensive volumes cover an extraordinarily wide range of Asian American cultural and ethnic groups, as well as mixed-race and mixed-heritage Asian Americans. Each group section is introduced by a historical overview essay followed by short entries on topics such as ghosts and spirits, clothes and jewelry, arts and crafts, home decorations, family and community, religious practices, rituals, holidays, music, foodways, literature, traditional healing and medicine, and much, much more. Topics and theories are examined from crosscultural and interdisciplinary perspectives to add to the value of the work.

Reviews

This unique and well-documented reference is recommended for academic and large public library collections. * Booklist *
This is a good introduction to the history, culture, and traditions of Asian American communities. Summing Up: Recommended. * Choice *

Author Bio

Jonathan H. X. Lee is assistant professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. Kathleen M. Nadeau, PhD, is professor with the Department of Anthropology at California State University, San Bernardino.