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Meredith F. Small

    Meredith F. Small is an author whose work offers an anthropological lens on parenting, sexuality, and mental illness. Her writing delves into the intricacies of human behavior and its cultural underpinnings. Through her prose, she seeks to illuminate the complexity and diversity of the human experience.

    Meredith F. Small
    Here Begins the Dark Sea
    Inventing the World
    Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent
    • Here Begins the Dark Sea

      • 320 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      The remarkable story of the cartographic masterpiece-the Venetian mappa mundi- that revolutionized how we see the world.

      Here Begins the Dark Sea2023
      3.5
    • Inventing the World

      • 336 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      An epic cultural journey that reveals how Venetian ingenuity and inventions- from sunglasses and forks to bonds and currency-shaped modernity.

      Inventing the World2021
      3.7
    • A thought-provoking blend of practical parenting information and scientific analysis, this book explores the reasons behind our child-rearing practices and encourages a reevaluation of traditional parenting views. New parents face countless decisions about caring for their babies and often seek guidance from family and friends. However, emerging scientific research suggests that much of the conventional wisdom passed down through generations warrants careful reconsideration. Anthropologist Meredith Small presents her findings in the field of ethnopediatrics, collaborating with pediatricians, child-development researchers, and anthropologists nationwide. They investigate the balance between biological needs and cultural influences in parenting practices, revealing that cultural norms may not always align with what is best for infants. Key questions addressed include whether infants should sleep alone, the validity of breast-feeding versus bottle-feeding, how quickly a mother should respond to a crying baby, and the significance of talking and singing to infants. The answers to these questions are not only surprising but have the potential to transform our approach to raising children.

      Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent1999
      4.2