The Golden Peninsula: Culture and Adaptation in Mainland Southeast Asia

by Keyes, Charles F.

• ISBN13: 9780824816964
• ISBN10: 082481696X
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-02-01
• Publisher: Univ of Hawaii Pr

Summary

The Golden Peninsula: Culture and Adaptation in Mainland Southeast Asia has long been recognized as the best all-around introduction to the diverse cultural traditions found in Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. First published in 1977, it continues to offer useful insights to students and travelers to the region. In five well-defined and succinct chapters, Professor Keyes, a leading specialist in the field, offers a jargon-free, copiously annotated synthesis of knowledge about the cultural history of tribal, Theravada Buddhist, and Vietnamese societies. He combines analysis of traditional cultural practices with examination of cultural conflict in the colonial and post-colonial periods. The book remains unique in providing a detailed examination of urban life as well as of life in rural communities.

Author Biography

Charles F. Keyes is professor of anthropology at the University of Washington and director of the Northwest Regional Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Reprint Edition	p. v
Introduction: The Study of Sociocultural Diversity in Mainland South-East Asia	p. 1
Primitive and Tribal Worlds and Their Transformations	p. 13
Development of Theravada Buddhist Civilization in Mainland Southeast Asia	p. 65
Rural Life in the Theravada Buddhist Societies	p. 113
Tradition and Revolution in Vietnam	p. 181
Cities in Changing Societies in Mainland Southeast Asia	p. 259
Language Groupings in Mainland Southeast Asia	p. 339
Size, Density, Urban Composition, and Ethnic Composition of Populations in the Countries of Mainland Southeast Asia	p. 343
Author Index	p. 347
Subject Index	p. 350
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