Social Dynamics in the Highlands of Southeast Asia: Reconsidering Political Systems of Highland Burma by E.R. Leach

by François Robinne (Editor), Mandy Sadan (Editor)

Drawing on long term fieldwork and research in communities from Assam through to Laos, this book offers a unique level of reappraisal of the work of Edmund Leach and is a significant contribution to the development of a new regional anthropology of Southeast Asia.

Genres: Politics

332 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

François Robinne is anthropologist, director of research at CNRS, head of IRASEC (2012-16), Bangkok.

Reviews

[André]

This book really helped me to see Leach's book in another light, and also to interpret it in the right ways. Most interesting for me was the insight of Maran La Raw into how the Kachin themselves view Leach's work. It also gave me some valuable insight into what the (artificial) ethnic category "Kachin" actually entails and how this is filled by the members. It also made me realize how pluriethnic identities are formed among the peoples of Northern Burma (something that also applies to other regions in the world, of course). I'm positive that I can use a lot of the information in my own research.

[Squalid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides fascinating insight into how cultures interface and how societies fail to live up to their ideals. Brings new meaning to the old joke "In conclusion, __BLANK__ is a land of contrasts."