David Tipton is the Managing Editor for the World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, World History: The Modern Era, Daily Life through History, and World Religions databases. He received his BA and MA in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara with an emphasis on ancient and medieval history. He has completed doctoral coursework at University of California, Santa Barbara in the study of ancient Rome and early Christianity.
Rob Kiely is an adjunct assistant professor of liberal arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is also an instructor in such courses as the history of biology and the history of philosophy at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois. Kiely has also delivered many lectures at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. He received his PhD from Northwestern University, where he studied the history of ideas and the history of science. His awards include a National Science Foundation Research Grant, an Outstanding Teaching Award from Northwestern University, and the Faculty of the Year Award from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Peter N. Stearns is Professor of History and Provost Emeritus at George Mason University. Professor Stearns has written widely on world and emotions history, including two popular textbooks. Other books include A History of Shame (forthcoming), The Industrial Turn in World History (forthcoming), Guiding the American University: Challenges and Choices, Doing Emotions History, Gender in World History, Satisfaction Not Guaranteed: Dilemmas of Progress in Modern Society, Childhood in World History, and American Fear: The Causes and Consequences of High Anxiety, among many others. He also edited the Encyclopedia of World History, 6th edition. Before coming to George Mason University, Professor Stearns taught at the University of Chicago, Rutgers University, and Carnegie Mellon University. He served as vice president of the American Historical Association, Teaching Division, from 1995 to 1998. He was also founder and editor of the Journal of Social History from 1967 to 2015.
Michelle Tusan is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her research and teaching interests are in the field of British, gender, and imperial history. She published Women Making News: Gender and Journalism in Modern Britain in 2005; Smyrna's Ashes: Humanitarianism, Genocide and the Birth of the Middle East in 2012; and is currently writing a book on the Armenian Genocide.
Vincent Burns is the Vice President of Editorial for ABC-CLIO. Burns has worked in digital and print publishing for twenty years, during which he has edited and created award-winning reference products for the education and library market. A Fulbright Scholar and former journalist, Burns has published books and scholarly articles in the history of terrorism and Roman history. He received a doctorate in History from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1994.
Reviews
"This appealing, thoroughly engaging, easy-to-navigate site is culled in part from Greenwood's Culture and Customs around the World series, supplemented by selected Greenwood reference sources and specially commissioned articles. The home page offers myriad ways to find information. Quick Search allows keyword or phrase searching; Advanced Search allows enhanced keyword searching, enables the use of Boolean operators, and offers Tips and Tricks. One can also search by the broad categories of History, Geography, Social Customs, Family Life, Leisure, Food, Religion, Holidays and Festivals, Family Life, and Arts; or by country or region. Search results may be sorted by number of terms found, country, or region. Results are organized by articles, resources, and images tabs, with articles being the most numerous. Sidebars accompany each article and link to relevant topics including chronologies, images, maps, and external resources....Searching World Cultures Today could make staying on task a challenge—one is easily led astray by the diverse, fascinating information it offers. Highly recommended. Lower-/upper-level undergraduates, high school students, and general readers."—Choice
"The fonts and colors used here provide excellent contrast while effortlessly guiding the eye through the possibilities the system offers....The design alone is superb and deserves a 10....The current content is excellent....An essential addition to all public and high school libraries: World Cultures Today is also highly recommended for academic libararies."—Library Journal
"The opening page for this continually updated website provides for a variety of search options for the new user. A quick search bar, an advanced search option, subject browse, and a country or region browse take the user on a quest for fascinating information pertaining to many cultural aspects of selected countries from around the world....Each article provides in-depth material and a sidebar of related resources for further reading with links to chronologies, images, maps, external links, culture and customs, the CIA World Factbook, and more....Users will enjoy the lively writing of the articles, and exploring and investigating the wealth and depth of information....An invaluable resource for students. Recommended."—Library Media Connection
"World Cultures Today features an exceptionally accessible interface. The Welcome screen offers four ways to access information. A Quick Search box allows researchers to type in a specific keyword. The Advanced Search option helps refine queries through standard Boolean operators and pull-down menus. Researchers can choose to browse by broad subject division (history, geography, social customs, family life, leisure, food, religion, holidays and festivals, clothing, or the arts). Users can also select specific geographic regions, either by accessing a drop-down country menu or by rolling the cursor over a map of the world....Equally useful for checking quick facts, compiling introductory material or conducting in-depth research, users will appreciate the breadth of information and ease of access....World Cultures Today is highly recommended for senior high, academic, and large public libraries."—Booklist, Starred Review
Endorsements
"The Wayne School district has adopted a thematic curriculum for the teaching of World and US History. As a result of this curriculum shift, we have decided not to rely on a textbook as the primary instrument for instruction. In this age of digital technology, we have found that there are many wonderful digital resources that students and teachers can utilize to enrich the learning experience. One of the best is ABC-CLIO. We find their databases of information to be rich in primary source materials, their readings to be clear and concise, and their videos, graphs, and charts very engaging. Furthermore, the ABC-CLIO databases are easy to navigate for students and teachers. Searches are easily obtained including advance searches. ABC-CLIO even provides stimulating lessons and discussion points to further enhance the classroom experience. We are very happy with their product including their support services. I would recommend ABC-CLIO to any school district looking to move their curriculum into the 21st century."
—Carmine J. Picardo, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Wayne Public Schools