The central concern of the authors of this book is to evolve a holistic approach to lifestyle studies, the distinguishing feature of which is to look for interacting factors in human cultures. The book demonstrates through case-studies that aspects such as economic pursuit, health, pilgrimage, music, religious images and ritual can be taken as an entry point to study creative life and configuration of styles of traditional cultures.

The book opens the way to a new methodology of lifestyle studies. The materials presented here are of great interest and value to anthropologists, folklorists, ethnoarchaeologists and art­historians.