The Peoples of Southeast Asia Today Ethnography, Ethnology, and Change in a Complex Region

by Winzeler, Robert L.

• ISBN13: 9780759118638
• ISBN10: 0759118639
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-16
• Publisher: AltaMira Press

Summary

The Peoples of Southeast Asia Today offers an anthropological treatment of the ethnography and ethnology of Southeast Asia, covering both the mainland and the insular regions. Based on the proposition that Southeast Asia is a true culture area, the book offers background information on geography, languages, prehistory and history, with a particular emphasis on the role of colonialism and the development of ethnic pluralism. It then turns to classic anthropological topics of interest including modes of adaptation, ways of life, and religion, all illustrated with relevant, current case studies. Students will find well-supported discussions of subjects ranging from the development of agriculture and language dispersals, to fantasy and reality in hunter-gatherer studies, to disputed interpretations of Thai Buddhism and Javanese Islam, to ongoing government efforts to manage religion, create proper citizens, resettle and assimilate indigenous populations, end shifting cultivation and promote modernization.

Author Biography

Robert L. Winzeler is professor of anthropology emeritus at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Table of Contents

List of Maps and Photos	p. xi
Preface and Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Mainland and Insular Southeast Asia and other Contrasts	p. 6
Resources for the Study of Southeast Asian Peoples	p. 15
Ethnography and Ethnology	p. 17
Prehistory and Languages	p. 25
The Negrito Issue	p. 26
Transition to Farming and the Spread of Languages	p. 28
Cultivation and the Origin and Dispersal of Language Groups	p. 32
Southeast Asia at the Beginning of the Common Era	p. 39
Early States, Civilization, and Colonialism	p. 41
Indic Civilization in Southeast Asia	p. 41
Early States	p. 42
Colonialism	p. 50
The Nature of Colonialism	p. 56
Characteristics of Colonial Rule	p. 57
The End of Colonial Rule	p. 63
Ethnic Complexity in Modern Southeast Asia	p. 67
Plural Society	p. 68
Plural Society in Malaysia	p. 70
Indians	p. 71
Chinese	p. 79
Hunter-Gatherers, Real and Imagined	p. 85
An Overview	p. 86
Questions and Controversies About Southeast Asian Hunter-Gatherers	p. 89
Hunter-Gatherers as Objects of Interest, Controversy, and Concern	p. 94
Southeast Asian Hunter-Gatherers Today	p. 102
Swidden Farmers	p. 109
Rice	p. 110
Tribal Farmers	p. 113
Peasant Farmers and Their Transformations	p. 123
Development of Rice Cultivation in a Thai Village	p. 129
Changes in Peasant Farming across Southeast Asia	p. 132
Agrarian Developments in Nonsocialist and Socialist Countries	p. 134
Indigenous Religion	p. 143
Animism	p. 144
Malevolent Spirits and Bad Death	p. 153
Two-Stage Mortuary Practices	p. 160
Spirit Possession, Spirit Mediums, and Shamanism	p. 165
Sorcery and Witchcraft	p. 171
Religion, Society, and the State	p. 179
World Religions and their Characteristics in Southeast Asia	p. 179
Anthropological Study of World Religions	p. 183
Disputes and Disagreements about Islam and Buddhism	p. 184
Religion and the State	p. 191
Religious Conversion on the Ethnic Margins	p. 203
The Extent of Conversion	p. 205
Colonialism and Other Interpretations of Conversion	p. 206
Conversion, Ethnicity, and Development	p. 210
Consequences of Conversion	p. 213
Conversion and Marginalization	p. 217
Tourism and Local Peoples	p. 221
The Impact of Tourism on Local Peoples	p. 225
Bali	p. 226
Longhouse Tourism in Sarawak, Malaysia	p. 229
Ethnic Tourism in Northern Mainland Southeast Asia	p. 237
Development for Better or Worse	p. 251
Development and Making People Visible	p. 253
Development and Classification	p. 256
Development and Poverty	p. 261
Resettlement	p. 262
Land Enclosures and the Assault on Swidden Cultivation	p. 268
Development and Houses	p. 272
Development and Mobility	p. 277
Notes	p. 279
References and Suggested Reading	p. 287
Index	p. 303
About the Author	p. 319
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