Een teleurstellend boek. J. Goudsblom over vuur en beschaving

Samenvatting

A Disappointing Book. J. Goudsblom on Fire and Culture. A review article on a book by J. Goudsblom, Vuur en Beschaving ([Fire and Culture] Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1992). Goudsblom investigates this interesting research topic via consideration of an almost encyclopedic variety of subtopics, eg, fire and poetry and fire and political propaganda. Although he presents himself primarily as a sociologist, considerable historical, anthropological, and ecological data are included in his analysis. The book is criticized for having little sociological depth. In Water en vuur (Water and Fire), Goudsblom responds that Van Doorn's criticism is insufficiently systematic. In Een teleurstellende repliek (A Disappointing Reply), Van Doorn presents a point-by-point argument against Goudsblom's rebuttal and charges that he dodges serious criticisms about his book. M. Meeks