Marriage and Mandatory Abortion Among the 17th-Century Siraya

by John Robert Shepherd

“This is an excellent piece of historical ethnography.”Masaharu~Asian Ethnology “a well- researched and elegantly written slim volume” Boomgaard~Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde “Fortunately, this important monograph has been reissued and is now readily available to those interested.” Jacobs, The China Journal A detailed ethnographic description of the Siraya, the Austronesian inhabitants of pre-Dutch southwestern Taiwan, and the practice of mandated abortion for all young wives. By placing Siraya customs of marriage, pregnancy taboos, and massage abortion in historical and cultural context, this monograph provides new solutions to the puzzle of Siraya mandatory abortion.

104 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995