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Marion Holmes Katz's book "Wives and Work: Islamic Law and Ethics Before Modernity" delves into the historical debate within Islamic legal history on whether wives are obligated to do housework for their husbands. Katz examines primary legal texts from the mid-ninth to fourteenth centuries, highlighting the evolving views on this topic across different legal schools. The book also explores the intersection of ethics and law in shaping scholars' perspectives on wives' domestic labor, revealing a complex and nuanced understanding of marital relationships in premodern Islamic societies. [Extracted from the article]

The book review discusses "A Theory of Cultural Heritage: Beyond the Intangible" by Salvador Muñoz Viñas. The book explores the complexity of cultural heritage, both conceptually and materially, and offers theoretical and practical considerations for understanding this diverse phenomenon. It outlines the historical development of cultural heritage and identifies ten ontologies central to contemporary ideas of cultural heritage, ranging from tangible objects to sensorial experiences. The review highlights the ontological model proposed by Muñoz Viñas, which categorizes cultural heritage into objects, datasets, mindsets, and performances, and emphasizes the importance of a multidimensional approach to understanding cultural heritage. The book is recommended for scholars, practitioners, and individuals interested in cultural heritage. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Modernization and Social Life in the Historic Center of Quito: Planning, Mobility, and Tourism. 1967-1980" by María Ángela Cifuentes Guerra analyzes urban modernization in the city of Quito between 1967 and 1980. The book examines how different urban and political projects came together to shape what the author calls the "second modernity." Topics such as urban planning, tourism, rural-urban migration, mobility, and the daily practices of the city's inhabitants are addressed. Although the book presents a solid analysis, there is a lack of greater attention to the negotiations and conflicts generated by the projects, as well as the inclusion of maps for better visual understanding. [Extracted from the article]

The text is a review of the book "Ritual and Music Civilization and Life-Politics: The Book of Rites and Research in Confucian Political Philosophy" by Zhu Cheng. The book explores the concept of "life-politics" and its intersection with daily life in ancient Chinese society. It examines how rituals, music, clothing, food, shelter, and transportation were all influenced by and contributed to the political order of the time. The author also discusses the modern significance of these concepts in contemporary China and their role in shaping Chinese national identity. [Extracted from the article]

"Ancestral Presence" by Eric Hirsch explores the concept of historical understanding in different cultural contexts, focusing on the Fuyuge people of Papua New Guinea. The book highlights the influence of colonialism, missionization, and market relations on the Fuyuge's lifeworld, which is characterized by the presence of tidibe, a creator force, and gab, a ritual related to tidibe. Hirsch argues that understanding Fuyuge historical experience requires knowledge of their cosmology, which differs from Western notions of history. The book also critiques dominant theories of cultural change and emphasizes the importance of cultural hybridity and continuous change in Melanesian societies. While the book briefly touches on the interaction between Fuyuge cosmology and Christian cosmology, it does not extensively explore this topic. Overall, "Ancestral Presence" provides valuable insights into the Fuyuge's perspective on historical change and offers a nuanced approach to cultural continuity and change in Melanesia. [Extracted from the article]

A review of the book "Broken Lives: How Ordinary Germans Experienced the 20th Century," by Konrad H. Jarausch, is presented.