"Barbara Rogoff argues that human development must be understood as a cultural process. Individuals develop as participants in their cultural communities, engaging with others in shared endeavors and building on cultural practices of prior generations ... [This book] identifies patterns in the differences and similarities among cultural communities, such as children's opportunities to engage in mature activities of their community or in specialized child-focused activities. The book examines classic aspects of development afresh from a cultural angle--childrearing, social relations, interdependence and autonomy, developmental transitions across the lifespan, gender roles, attachment, and learning and cognitive development"--Jacket.