Building on ethnographic fieldwork and extensive historical evidence, Crying Shame analyzes lament across thousands of years and nearly every continent.

Explores the enduring power of lament: expressing grief through crying songs, often in a collective ritual context

Draws on the author's extensive ethnographic fieldwork, and unique long-term engagement and participation in the phenomenon

Offers a startling new perspective on the nature of modernity and postmodernity

An important addition to growing literature on cultural globalization