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Soil has been called the final frontier of environmental
research. The critical role of soil in biogeochemical
processes is tied to its properties and place—porous,
structured, and spatially variable, it serves
as a conduit, buffer, and transformer of water,
solutes and gases. Yet what is complex, life-giving,
and sacred to some, is ordinary, even ugly, to
others. This is the enigma that is soil. Soil
and Culture explores the perception of soil in
ancient, traditional, and modern societies. It
looks at the visual arts (painting, textiles,
sculpture, architecture, film, comics and stamps),
prose & poetry, religion, philosophy, anthropology,
archaeology, wine production, health & diet,
and disease & warfare. Soil and Culture explores
high culture and popular culture—from the
paintings of Hieronymus Bosch to the films of
Steve McQueen. It looks at ancient societies and
contemporary artists. Contributors from a variety
of disciplines delve into the mind of Carl Jung
and the bellies of soil eaters, and explore Chinese
paintings, African mud cloths, Mayan rituals,
Japanese films, French comic strips, and Russian
poetry. This is a non traditional volume which
will serve the soil science community well while
also reaching a broader earth science community
such as geologists and geographers, as well as
in the arts and social science communities.
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