The Flaming Womb

by Andaya, Barbara Watson

• ISBN13: 9780824829551
• ISBN10: 0824829557
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-08-31
• Publisher: Univ of Hawaii Pr

Summary

"The Princess of the Flaming Womb," the Javanese legend that introduces this pioneering study, symbolizes the many ambiguities attached to femaleness in Southeast Asian societies. Yet despite these ambiguities, the relatively egalitarian nature of male-female relations in Southeast Asia is central to arguments claiming a coherent identity for the region. This challenging work by senior scholar Barbara Watson Andaya considers such contradictions while offering a thought-provoking view of Southeast Asian history that focuses on women's roles and perceptions. Andaya explores the broad themes of the early modern era (1500-1800)--the introduction of new religions, major economic shifts, changing patterns of state control, the impact of elite lifestyles and behaviors--drawing on an extraordinary range of sources and citing numerous examples from Thai, Vietnamese, Burmese, Philippine, and Malay societies.

Author Biography

Barbara Watson Andaya is professor of Asian studies and director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Hawai'i.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Abbreviations	xi
Introduction	1	(10)
Women and ``Southeast Asia''	11	(31)
Early Modernity, Sources, and Women's History	42	(28)
Women and Religious Change	70	(34)
Women and Economic Change	104	(30)
States, Subjects, and Households	134	(31)
Women, Courts, and Class	165	(32)
Being Female in ``Early Modern'' Southeast Asia	197	(29)
Conclusion	226	(7)
Notes	233	(64)
Selected Bibliography	297	(20)
Index	317