Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents: Introduction: Understanding cultural metaphors -- Authority-ranking cultures: The Thai kingdom -- The Japanese garden -- Bedouin jewelry and Saudi Arabia -- Don Ganh: the two sides of Vietnam -- Scandinavian egalitarian cultures: The Swedish Stuga -- The Finniah Sauna -- The Danish Christmas Luncheon -- Other Egalitarian cultures: The German symphony -- Irish conversations -- The Canadian Backpack and flag -- Australian outdoor recreational activities -- French wine -- Market-pricing cultures: American football -- The traditional British house -- Cleft national cultures: The Malaysian Balik Kampung -- The Israeli Kibbutzim and Moshavim -- The Italian Opera -- Belgian Lace -- Torn national cultures: The Mexican Fiesta -- The Turkish coffeehouse -- The base culture and its diffusion across borders (clusters of nations): the example of China -- India: tradition, modernity and diversity: India: the dance of Shiva -- India: A Kaleidoscope of diversity -- An African perspective: The Nigerian marketplace -- South African townships -- The Sub-Saharan African Bush Taxi -- The struggle for cultural identity and the splintering of nations: the case of the Russian empire: Russian Ballet -- Estonian singing -- The Polish village church -- Same metaphor, different meanings: The Spanish bullfight -- The Portuguese bullfight -- Popular music as cultural metaphors: The Brazilian Samba -- The Argentine Tango -- Overlapping cultural metaphors for geographically related nations: Cultural metaphors for the Caribbean --