Global Clay

John A. Burrison is Regents Professor of English and Director of the Folklore Curriculum at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He is the author of numerous books, including From Mud to Jug: The Folk Potters and Pottery of Northeast Georgia and Roots of a Region: Southern Folk Culture.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. International Folk Pottery: A Brief Primer2. Monuments to Clay: Public Markers of Craft Identity3. The Human Image: Face Jugs and Other People-Pots4. The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Cross-Cultural Imitations5. A Clay Menagerie: The Animal World in Ceramics6. Idols with Feet of Clay: Ceramics and World Religions7. Returning to Clay: Death and the Afterlife8. The Last Folk Potters?: Prognosis for the FutureSuggested ReadingIndex

Ambitious in scope and successful in describing the central role that works of clay have played preserving common cultural narratives . . . Essential. All readers.(Choice Reviews) While researchers and educators may find individual chapters useful for discussions about pottery's relationship to people, communities, animals, religion, and the afterlife, the text as a whole is an enjoyable and quick read, with numerous beautiful illustrations that a general audience would also appreciate.(The Journal of American Folklore)