Howard I. Kushner

On the Other Hand (eBook, ePUB)

Left Hand, Right Brain, Mental Disorder, and History

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Does being left-handed make a person different in any way that matters?Since the late Stone Age, approximately 10 percent of humans have been left-handed, yet for most of human history left-handedness has been stigmatized. In On the Other Hand, Howard I. Kushner traces the impact of left-handedness on human cognition, behavior, culture, and health. A left-hander himself, Kushner has long been interested in the meanings associated with left-handedness, and ultimately with whether hand preference can even be defined in a significant way. As he explores the medical and cultural history of left-handedness, Kushner describes the associated taboos, rituals, and stigma from around the globe. The words "e;left"e; and "e;left hand"e; have negative connotations in all languages, and left-handers have even historically been viewed as disabled.In this comprehensive history of left-handedness, Kushner asks why left-handedness exists. He examines the relationship-if any-between handedness, linguistics, and learning disabilities, reveals how toleration of left-handedness serves as a barometer of wider cultural toleration and permissiveness, and wonders why the reported number of left-handers is significantly lower in Asia and Africa than in the West. Written in a lively style that mixes personal biography with scholarly research, On the Other Hand tells a comprehensive story about the science, traditions, and prejudices surrounding left-handedness.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781421423340
• Artikelnr.: 49420514

Autorenporträt

Howard I. Kushner is the Nat C. Robertson Distinguished Professor of Science & Society Emeritus at Emory University and John D. Adams Professor of History Emeritus at San Diego State University. A visiting scholar in the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition at the University of California-San Diego, he is the author of A Cursing Brain? The Histories of Tourette Syndrome and American Suicide: A Psychocultural Exploration.