With their return to Germany, wolves leave their traces in personal feelings, in the atmospheres of rural landscapes and even in the sentiments and moods that govern political arenas. Thorsten Gieser explores the role of affects, emotions, moods and atmospheres in the emerging coexistence between humans and wolves. Bridging the gap between anthropology and ethology, the author literally walks in the tracks of wolves to follow their affective agency in a more-than-human society. In nuanced analyses, he shows how wolves move, irritate and excite us, offering answers to the primary question: What does it feel like to coexist with these large predators?

What is »materiality« in dance and performance? What role does »the material« play in the formation for the cultural memory of ephemeral arts? The contributors to this volume examine concepts of materiality in dance and performance, the use of materials in artistic practices and the role of social media in changing the perception of time-based artefacts. The volume shows how the focus on materiality transforms contemporary artistic work and challenges established concepts of dance and performance research.

To achieve social and environmental sustainability, the performing arts' modes of production are in urgent need of significant transformation, as global crises have dramatically shown. The contributors to this volume challenge the predominant notions of professionalization that have underpinned theatre training practices and discuss the role of producers and arts managers towards changing problematic paradigms of authorship and leadership. They examine how regimes of artistic creation, production and management intersect in the field of theatre, dance and performance – and turn their attention to alternative ways of collective organization.

This essential introduction to American studies examines the core foundational myths upon which the nation is based and which still determine discussions of US-American identities today. These myths include the myth of »discovery,« the Pocahontas myth, the myth of the Promised Land, the myth of the Founding Fathers, the melting pot myth, the myth of the West, and the myth of the self-made man. The chapters provide extended analyses of each of these myths, using examples from popular culture, literature, memorial culture, school books, and every-day life. Including visual material as well as study questions, this second revised and expanded edition will be of interest to any student of American studies and will foster an understanding of the United States of America as an imagined community by analyzing the foundational role of myths in the process of nation building.

The South American coca plant was established in 19th-century Britain as a medical product before it became a globally restricted drug. Drawing on botanical, economic, pharmaceutical, social, and political perspectives, Kim Embrey analyses how the use and perception of coca changed as it was transferred to Europe. In a process of “cultural dissimilation”, coca was not simply adopted, but embedded into new medical, social, and scientific contexts. The study shows how a plant from the Andes was repositioned in British modernity.

Ndebele material culture in South Africa was appropriated and commodified during the apartheid era. Craniv Boyd traces Ndebele art back to its origins and examines its creation as enduring practices of identity construction and of cultural articulation, placing particular emphasis on mural painting and beadwork. He traces the historical trajectories of these art forms and considers their ongoing transformation in contemporary contexts. Focusing on the creative labor of Ndebele women, this study conceptualizes these practices as »assemblages of belonging« that mediate personal and collective identity, sustain cultural continuity, and navigate the shifting dynamics of heritage, modernity, and global circulation.