Western societies draw crucially on concepts of the 'individual' in constructing their images of the ethnic group and nation and define these in terms of difference. This study explores the implications of these constructs for Western understanding of social order and ethnic conflicts. Comparing them with the forms of cultural identity characteristic of Melanesia as they have developed since pre-colonial times, the author arrives at a surprising conclusion: he argues that these kinds of identities are more properly and adequately viewed as forms of disguised or denied resemblance, and that it is these covert commonalities that give rise to, and prolong, social divisions and conflicts between groups.

Deals with all aspects of adaptive resemblance Full colour Covers everything from classic examples of Batesian, Mullerian, aggressive and sexual mimicries through to human behavioural and microbial molecular deceptions Highlights areas where additonal work or specific exeprimentation could be fruitful Includes, animals, plants, micro-organisms and humans

Mimicry, and Other Protective Resemblances Among Animals by Alfred Russel Wallace takes you on a fascinating journey into the natural world, exploring the captivating phenomenon of mimicry and camouflage in animals. Wallace's keen observations, drawn from his extensive research and travels, weave together intricate patterns of survival tactics, illuminating how animals adapt to evade predators or capture prey. His meticulous descriptions and deep understanding of nature will leave readers awestruck at the ingenuity of evolution. Mimicry, and Other Protective Resemblances Among Animals is not just a scientific study, but an homage to the miracles of nature. Wallace invites readers to contemplate the unending marvels of the animal kingdom and the delicate balance that sustains it. Join Alfred Russel Wallace in his quest to unravel the enigma of nature's own illusionists. This is a book that every nature lover, biologist, and enthusiast of the natural sciences should read. Get your copy today and dive into the fascinating world of animal mimicry.

Literary Nonfiction. Hybrid Genre. Poetry. Fiction. Art. Cultural Studies. When we talk about hybrid literary genres, what do we mean? Unprecedented in both its scope and approach, FAMILY RESEMBLANCE is the first anthology to explore the answer to that question in depth, providing craft essays and examples of hybrid forms by 43 distinguished authors. In this study of eight hybrid genres--including lyric essay, epistolary, poetic memoir, prose poetry, performative, short-form nonfiction, flash fiction, and pictures made of words--the family tree of hybridity takes delightful shape, showcasing how cross-genre works blend features from multiple literary parents to create new entities, forms that feel more urgent than ever in today's increasingly heterogeneous landscape. Introductions and an afterword discuss the importance and current popularity of hybridity in literature and culture and offer methods for teaching hybrid works. Intended for both scholarly and general readers, this seminal collection sparkles with inventiveness and creative zeal--an essential guidebook to a developing field. Contributors: Kazim Ali - Susanne Paola Antonetta - Andrea Baker - Jennifer Bartlett - Mira Bartók - Jenny Boully - Julie Carr - Katie Cortese - Nick Flynn - Sarah Gorham - Arielle Greenberg - Carol Guess - Terrance Hayes - Robin Hemley - Takashi Hiraide - Tung-Hui Hu - Mark Jarman - A. Van Jordan - Etgar Keret - Joy Ladin - Miriam Libicki - Bret Lott - Stan Mack - Sabrina Orah Mark - Brenda Miller - Ander Monson - Maggie Nelson - Amy Newman - Gregory Orr - Julio Ortega - Jena Osman - Kathleen Ossip - Pamela Painter - Craig Santos Perez - Khadijah Queen - David Shields - Mary Szybist - Sarah Vap - Patricia Vigderman - Julie Marie Wade - Diane Wakoski - Joe Wenderoth - Rachel Zucker

It’s a platitude – which only a philosopher would dream of denying – that whereas words are connected to what they represent merely by arbitrary conventions, pictures are connected to what they represent by resemblance. The most important difference between my portrait and my name, for example, is that whereas my portrait and I are connected by my portrait’s resemblance to me, my name and I are connected merely by an arbitrary convention. The first aim of this book is to defend this platitude from the apparently compelling objections raised against it, by analysing depiction in a way which reveals how it is mediated by resemblance. It’s natural to contrast the platitude that depiction is mediated by resemblance, which emphasises the differences between depictive and descriptive representation, with an extremely close analogy between depiction and description, which emphasises the similarities between depictive and descriptive representation. Whereas the platitude emphasises that the connection between my portrait and me is natural in a way the connection between my name and me is not, the analogy emphasises the contingency of the connection between my portrait and me. Nevertheless, the second aim of this book is to defend an extremely close analogy between depiction and description. The strategy of the book is to argue that the apparently compelling objections raised against the platitude that depiction is mediated by resemblance are manifestations of more general problems, which are familiar from the philosophy of language. These problems, it argues, can be resolved by answers analogous to their counterparts in the philosophy of language, without rejecting the platitude. So the combination of the platitude that depiction is mediated by resemblance with a close analogy between depiction and description turns out to be a compelling theory of depiction, which combines the virtues of common sense with the insights of its detractors.