Stories from an Ancient Land

Perspectives on Wa History and Culture

Magnus Fiskesjö (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

414 Seiten

2024
Berghahn Books (Verlag)
978-1-80539-737-3 (ISBN)

Infos

The Wa people have a rich civilization of their own, and a deep history in the mountains of Southeast Asia. Their mythology suggests their land is the first place inhabited by humans, which they care for on behalf of the world. This book introduces aspects of Wa culture, including their approach to the world’s troubles and the lessons others might learn from it. It also presents a new interpretation of Wa headhunting, questioning explanations that see it as a primitive custom, and instead placing it within the fraught history of the last few centuries.

Autor

Magnus Fiskesjö is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Asian Studies at Cornell University. He has published widely on topics such as ethnic relations, slavery and inequality, as well as heritage and museum issues, mainly in East and Southeast Asia.

Inhalt

List of Figures

Preface

Acknowledgements



Introduction: Sources, History, Issues



Chapter 1. Gifts and Debts: Fieldwork in the Wa Lands

Chapter 2. Naming Oneself, Naming the World

Chapter 3. Rice Beer and the Making of Wa Sociality

Chapter 4. Mining, Hierarchy, and the Anti-State Wa

Chapter 5. Slavery as a Threat to the Ideology of Kinship

Chapter 6. War, Headhunting, and the Erasure of Wa History

Chapter 7. Barbarian Ruse: Playing With the Fears of the Civilized

Chapter 8. Disease and Death in the Peripheral Situation

Chapter 9. Hope Against Hope: Border Prophets and Foreign Saviors

Chapter 10. The Power of the Exotic: Negotiating the Future



Epilogue



References

Index

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.12.2024
• Reihe/Serie: Asian Anthropologies
• Verlagsort: Oxford
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• ISBN-10: 1-80539-737-0 / 1805397370
• ISBN-13: 978-1-80539-737-3 / 9781805397373
• Zustand: Neuware