Women, Possession Trance Cults, and the Extended Nutrient‐Deficiency Hypothesis
(1977) has shown more clearly than I did, in Egypt and elsewhere where it occurs this cult is often associated with the embourgoisement of men and women--involving a curtailment of the latter's freedom (see also Ferchiou 1972:66; Lewis, forthcoming). Finally, while I have no quarrel with Kehoe and Giletti's characterization of my interpretation of possession cults as "political," I have never advocated a monocausal explanation of such protean phenomena. By the same token and contrary to their assertions, I have explicitly pointed out (Lewis 1966:325) that in this context the concepts "center" and "periphery" are relative and ambiguous. If authors choose to recycle the reductionist "explanations" of Marvin Harris and his school, they might at least take the trouble to get their facts right.
Mineral metabolism and behavior: abnormalities of calcium homeostasis.
Abnormalities of calcium homeostasis are often associated with a variety of behavioral disorders such as severe neuroses and psychoses which are frequently accompanied by anxious, depressed and delusional behavior. In our clinical studies of these abnormalities it is evident that hypocalcemia can be corrected to normocalcemia by dietary calcium supplements and vitamin D therapy. This result implies that in those regions where there are small amounts of calcium in the diet and/or limited sunlight for vitamin D synthesis the possibility of hypocalcemia and associated behavioral disorders is high. Our studies have centered on the Eskimo as an excellent example of this phenomenon. We are asking two kinds of questions: What are the biological, psychological, and socio-cultural adaptations that take place in response to these abnormalities of calcium homeostasis; and what do these adaptations have to do with natural selection? In order to answer these questions in our investigation of calcium homeostasis, we are developing a general model capable of showing its modes of interaction among the biological, psychological, and sociocultural variables. This model will emphasize the limitations of biological adaptations in this case and demonstrate the significance of psychological and socio-cultural adaptations in shifting the course of natural selection.
Can family language policy predict linguistic, socio-emotional and cognitive child and family outcomes? A systematic review
Multilingual families face decisions about the linguistic upbringing of their children. These decisions shape their family language policy (FLP) which potentially impacts the children and their fam...