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Fashion: A Very Short Introduction presents fashion's myriad influences and manifestations. Fashion is a dynamic global industry that plays an important role in the economic, political, cultural, and social lives of an international audience. It spans high art and popular culture, and is a significant part of material and visual culture. How does fashion reflect and shape contemporary culture? How has fashion developed since the Renaissance? What questions can we ask about its status, ethical credibility, and influence on consumers? How has globalization affected the fashion industry? Fashion as a creative force, a business, and a means of communication is explored.Less

Humour: A Very Short Introduction considers the relation of humour to emotion and cognition, explores the value of humour in its social functions, and examines the leading humour theories including The Superiority Theory and The Incongruity Theory. Humour, known in every human culture, can serve many functions; it can be used to relieve stress, to promote goodwill among strangers, to dissipate tension within a fractious group, and to display intelligence. This VSI argues that humour, and the comic amusement that follows it, has a crucial role to play in the construction of communities. It also demonstrates that the social aspect of humour raises questions such as ‘When is humour immoral?’.Less

Modern Italy: A Very Short Introduction addresses the question of what modernity means to Italy and explores the extent to which modernity still represents a shared vision among Italian intellectuals, political leaders, and ordinary people. It covers the history of Italy from the Risorgimento (Resurgence), the movement leading to the Italian Unification in 1861, to the present. Italy’s political system and style of government is considered along with its economic modernization and issues with emigration, internal migration, and immigration. This volume concludes by looking at Italian culture and lifestyle, including modern art and architecture, cinema, literature, gastronomy, fashion, and sport.Less

Pilgrimage is found in most religious cultures and pilgrimage sites around the world—including Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Lourdes in France, and Shikoku in Japan—attract millions of pilgrims annually, while a flourishing 'spiritual tourism' industry has grown to promote the practice. In the present day, new pilgrimage locations, including 'secular' ones with no official affiliation, such as Graceland, Elvis Presley's house, continue to emerge across the world. Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction explores the key issues and themes of pilgrimage through early history to the present, looking at its various forms, how people take part, what is learnt from the journeys, and why pilgrimage remains popular in an increasingly secular age.Less