Menzel, Peter, 1948- author, photographer

Material world : a global family portrait / by Peter Menzel ; introduction by Paul Kennedy ; text by Charles C. Mann ; photo editing by Sandra Eisert.

San Francisco : Sierra Club Books, 1994.

255 pages : color illustrations, color map ; 31 cm.

Photo spreads, with brief commentaries, of possessions of families in more than 50 countries. Awards: SLJ Best Book. Annotation. A fascinating project--sponsored by a number of international organizations--resulting in this richly intriguing book (it will get well-deserved promotion and distribution via all sorts of media). Sixteen photographers traveled to 30 nations to live for a week with families that are "statistically average" for that nation. At the end of each visit, photographer and subjects collaborated on a portrait of the family, outside of its home, surrounded by all of its material possessions--a few jars and jugs for some, an abundance of electronic gadgetry for others. The 360 color photos are accompanied by information about the standard of living in each country, notes by the photographers about their experiences, and profiles of family members and their lives. We are witnessing the emergence of a unified world economy, as exemplified by NAFTA and GATT, that will, in theory, make goods available at cheaper prices, create new jobs throughout the world, raise standards of living, and benefit the average family. However, population growth and resource exploitation will also affect these potential benefits as patterns of consumption change. In stunning photographs and text, Material World demonstrates the present context for the emerging global economy, what it means to be "statistically average," by displaying families in more than thirty nations outside their homes - with all their possessions in view. Among the 350 stunning images are those of a family in lush Samoa juxtaposed with a Kuwaiti family and the two Mercedes-Benzes parked outside their desert home a family in Iceland posing with their treasured string instruments while a family in Sarajevo huddles outside their bullet-ridden apartment. The text describes what it means to be "average" in each of thirty very dissimilar cultures and the impact of each way of life on the local environment. Statistical information about each country accompanies the photo-essays so that readers can easily compare one culture with another.

0871564378
9780871564375
0871564300 (pbk.)
9780871564306 (pbk.)

Material culture Cross-cultural studies.
Families Cross-cultural studies.
Economic development Cross-cultural studies.
Material culture Pictorial works.
Families Pictorial works.
Culture matérielle Études transculturelles.
Familles Études transculturelles.
Développement économique Études transculturelles.
Culture matérielle Ouvrages illustrés.
Familles Ouvrages illustrés.
Economic development
Families
Material culture
Materiële cultuur.
Gezin.
Family Pictorial works.
Family

Cross-cultural studies.
Pictorial Work
Statistics.
illustrated books.
Illustrated works
Pictorial works
Ouvrages illustrés.
Études transculturelles.

Kennedy, Paul T., 1941- writer of introduction.
Mann, Charles C., author.
Eisert, Sandra, editor.

Location: Library main 276878
Call No.: BIB 211386
Status: Available