Abstract
In our “global village,” things and practices are currently diffused over such large areas that few, if any, relationships seem to exist anymore between their spatial distribution and salient cultural boundaries. Global products, such as powder milk, canned fish, or digital watches, are found everywhere, from the fringes of Greenland to the heart of the rainforest, as are cities congested with Japanese cars, boys impersonating the football star of the day, or adults greeting each other with a handshake. These elements have given rise to a form of “world cultural landscape,” so pervasive in our daily experience that we do not pay attention to it anymore.
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Notes
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For example: “One may add dung to the clay if the amount of grog available is not sufficient”; “One may add millet husk to the clay if it is too wet.” Note that if local representations change, secondary techniques may regain a primary status.
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Both are available in comparable quantities in the region.
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Gosselain, O.P. (2011). Fine if I Do, Fine if I Don’t. Dynamics of Technical Knowledge in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Roberts, B., Vander Linden, M. (eds) Investigating Archaeological Cultures. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6970-5_11
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