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Ritual: Key Concepts In Religion (The International Library of Essays in Anthropology #3)
By Andrew Strathern. 2010
This volume consists of a number of carefully-selected readings that represent a wide range of discussions and theorizing about ritual.…
The selection encompasses definitional questions, issues of interpretation, meaning, and function, and a roster of ethnographic and analytical topics, covering classic themes such as ancestor worship and sacrifice, initiation, gender, healing, social change, and shamanic practices, as well as recent critical and reconstructive theorizing on embodiment, performance, and performativity. In their Introduction to the volume, the Editors provide an overall survey and critical consideration of topics, incorporating insights from their own long-term field research and reflections on the readings included. The Introduction and readings together provide a unique research tool for those interested in pursuing the study of ritual processes in depth, with the benefit of both historical and contemporary approaches.Internet and Change: An Ethnography of Knowledge and Flexible Work (Intervention Press Ser.)
By Jens Kjaerulff. 2010
In the lively debate over how Internet creates social and cultural change, the concept of change itself has not been…
well understood. Through an ethnographic exploration of telework and fine-grained descriptions of the material experience of Internet use, this book makes an important contribution to the theory of cultural change and the social analysis of technology. Kjaerulff argues that telework is mostly practiced informally, and that this form of flexible work is more prevalent than commonly assumed. Against conventional assertions that flexible work promotes alienation, he shows that the picture is far more complex and that the cultural conception ofwork changes through new practices of economic behavior.Minorities, Rights and the Law in Malaysia (Routledge Contemporary Asia Series)
By Thaatchaayini Kananatu. 2020
This book analyses the mobilisation of race, rights and the law in Malaysia. It examines the Indian community in Malaysia,…
a quiet minority which consists of the former Indian Tamil plantation labour community and the urban Indian middle-class. The first part of the book explores the role played by British colonial laws and policies during the British colonial period in Malaya, from the 1890s to 1956, in the construction of an Indian "race" in Malaya, the racialization of labour laws and policies and labour-based mobilisation culminated in the 1940s. The second part investigates the mobilisation trends of the Indian community from 1957 (at the onset of Independent Malaya) to 2018. It shows a gradual shift in the Indian community from a "quiet minority" into a mass mobilising collective or social movement, known as the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF), in 2007. The author shows that activist lawyers and Indian mobilisers played a crucial part in organizing a civil disobedience strategy of framing grievances as political rights and using the law as a site of contention in order to claim legal rights through strategic litigation. Highly interdisciplinary in nature, this book will be of interest to scholars and researchers examining the role of the law and rights in areas such as sociolegal studies, law and society scholarship, law and the postcolonial, social movement studies, migration and labour studies, Asian law and Southeast Asian Studies.The End of Territoriality?: The Impact of ECJ Rulings on British, German and French Social Policy
By Andreas J. Obermaier. 2009
Through analyzing the implementation of a series of European Court of Justice rulings in the key member states of Germany,…
France and the UK, The End of Territoriality brings the high impact issue of policy changes to the foreground. The time sequencing of such changes is traced and scrutinized through a detailed investigation by Obermaier, followed by a comprehensive illustration on the full impact the policy amendments have had on the welfare states. By drawing extensively on original sources and new material, this volume will be of key interest to those studying and working within social policy, welfare, political sociology, and European law.Ritual and the Sacred discusses some of the most important issues of modern socio-political life through the lens of a…
neo-Durkheimian perspective. Building on the main lesson of Durkheim's Elementary Forms of Religious Life, this book articulates values and practices common to non-Western and religious traditions that have the capacity to shape our modern way of living. Central to this volume is the question of modernity and scepticism with regard to mainstream Western wisdom; Rosati focuses on the notion of societal self-reassessment and self-revision, illustrating a willingness to learn from ’primitive’ societies. This reassessment necessitates us to rethink the central roles played by ritual and the sacred as building blocks of social and individual life, both of which remain salient features within the modern world. This title will be of key interest to sociologists of religion, philosophy politics and social theorists.Mortality, Mourning and Mortuary Practices in Indigenous Australia (Anthropology and Cultural History in Asia and the Indo-Pacific)
By Myrna Tonkinson, Victoria Burbank. 2009
Drawing on ethnography of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia, Mortality, Mourning and Mortuary Practices in Indigenous Australia…
focuses on the current ways in which indigenous people confront and manage various aspects of death. The contributors employ their contemporary and long-term anthropological fieldwork with indigenous Australians to construct rich accounts of indigenous practices and beliefs and to engage with questions relating to the frequent experience of death within the context of unprecedented change and premature mortality. The volume makes use of extensive empirical material to address questions of inequality with specific reference to mortality, thus contributing to the anthropology of indigenous Australia whilst attending to its theoretical, methodological and political concerns. As such, it will appeal not only to anthropologists but also to those interested in social inequality, the social and psychosocial consequences of death, and the conceptualization and manipulation of the relationships between the living and the dead.An Anthology of Russian Folktales (500 Tips)
By Jack V. Haney. 2009
This anthology gathers a broad selection of Russian folktales, legends, and anecdotes, and includes helpful features that make them more…
accessible and engaging for English-language readers. Editor Jack V. Haney has selected some of the best tales from his seven-volume "Complete Russian Folktale" collection and added examples of anecdotes and the long 'serial tales' told in the far north.The 114 tales included here represent every genre found in the Russian tradition. They date from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries and come from all geographic regions of the Russian-speaking world. The collection is enhanced by a detailed introduction to the folktale and its types, brief introductions to each grouping of tales, head notes with interesting background for individual tales, and a glossary explaining Russian terms.This study examines how Japanese policy toward Middle East security issues is shaped by the need to both maintain Japan’s…
security alliance with the US and its oil relationship with states in the Middle East. Yukiko Miyagi introduces the historic roots of Japan’s policy, and then focuses on the major contemporary cases – the Iraq war, the Iranian nuclear crisis, and the Arab-Israeli conflict, to expose and explain how clashing interests and dilemmas were negotiated to arrive at policy outcomes. The author also sheds light on the utility of mainstream International Relations theories for understanding Japan’s behaviour. How do we understand the policy of a self-declared ‘anti-militarist’ state forced to operate in a realist world and for whom energy supplies are a matter of vital national security? This study shows how neither realism nor its rivals, such as constructivism, can wholly explain Japan’s behaviour and suggests a theoretical framework for doing so. Filling a major gap in our understanding of an increasingly important area of study Japan’s Middle East Security Policy is an essential read for those interested in Japan’s International Relations, Middle East politics, security studies and foreign policy.Women, Identity and India's Call Centre Industry (Routledge Research on Gender in Asia Series)
By J.K. Tina Basi. 2009
This book examines the concept of globalised identities and the way in which agency is exercised over identity construction by…
women working in India’s transnational call centre industry. Drawing on qualitative empirical data and extensive original fieldwork, the book provides a nuanced analysis of the experiences of Indian women call centre workers and the role of women’s participation in the global labour market. The author uses social, cultural, and historical factors to create a framework for examining the processes of identity construction. Within this framework, the book explores the impact of the call centre labour process on the social landscape of urban centres in India and the way in which this has impacted upon transformations and shifts in society with relation to gendered, sexual, and generational relationships. Highlighting the significance of identity in a globalised world, the author argues that identity acts as one of the most powerful constructs in transforming global ‘scapes’ and flows of culture and economics. This book will be of interest to academics working on South Asia, gender and labour studies and issues of globalization, identity and social change.Communist Indochina (Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia)
By R. B. Smith. 2009
This book examines the history of communist Indochina, from the foundation of the Indochinese Communist Party in 1929-30 to the…
end of the 1970s. It explores the impact of the Japanese invasion of Indochina in 1940, and the subsequent relationship between the Japanese occupiers and the Vichy French colonial regime. It considers why, following the Japanese surrender, the cause of Vietnamese independence was championed by the Communist-led Viet Minh movement headed by Ho Chi Minh, culminating in the August Revolution and the Viet Minh seizure of power, and analyses the record of the Viet Minh Provisional Government of 1945-46. It goes on to consider key episodes of the Vietnam War which followed partition in 1954, including the Tet Offensive of 1967-68 - a crucial turning point in the course of the conflict - and the Cambodia Crisis of 1969-70. Throughout, it considers events within Indochina in the context of wider regional and international developments, focusing in particular on the role played by the Chinese, including their support to the Viet Minh in their struggle against the French from 1947, and the issue of Cambodia which eventually precipitated the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979. The book also explores the main trends in social, economic and institutional development which characterised this period, including village and clan networks, economic and monetary developments, the contrasting systems of North and South after partition, and the consequences of choosing a Soviet economic alignment in preference to links with Japan and capitalist Asia. Written by the late Ralph Smith, a highly respected historian of Asia, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the history of Indochina.The first war between China and Japan in 1894/95 was one of the most fateful events, not only in modern…
Japanese and Chinese history, but in international history as well. The war and subsequent events catapulted Japan on its trajectory toward temporary hegemony in East Asia, whereas China entered a long period of domestic unrest and foreign intervention. Repercussions of these developments can be still felt, especially in the mutual perceptions of Chinese and Japanese people today. However, despite considerable scholarship on Sino-Japanese relations, the perplexing question remains how the Japanese attitude exactly changed after the triumphant victory in 1895 over its former role model and competitor. This book examines the transformation of Japan’s attitude toward China up to the time of the Russo-Japanese War (1904/5), when the psychological framework within which future Chinese-Japanese relations worked reached its erstwhile completion. It shows the transformation process through a close reading of sources, a large number of which is introduced to the scholarly discussion for the first time. Zachmann demonstrates how modern Sino-Japanese attitudes were shaped by a multitude of factors, domestic and international, and, in turn, informed Japan’s course in international politics. Winner of the JaDe Prize 2010 awarded by the German Foundation for the Promotion of Japanese-German Culture and Science RelationsRe-writing Culture in Taiwan (Asia's Transformations #10)
By Paul-François Tremlett, Fang-Long Shih, Stuart Thompson. 2009
This inter-disciplinary volume of essays opens new points of departure for thinking about how Taiwan has been studied and represented…
in the past, for reflecting on the current state of ‘Taiwan Studies’, and for thinking about how Taiwan might be re-configured in the future. As the study of Taiwan shifts from being a provincial back-water of sinology to an area in its own (albeit not sovereign) right, a combination of established and up and coming scholars working in the field of East Asian studies offer a re-reading and re-writing of culture in Taiwan. They show that sustained critical analysis of contemporary Taiwan using issues such as trauma, memory, history, tradition, modernity, post-modernity provides a useful point of departure for thinking through similar problematics and issues elsewhere in the world. Re-writing Culture in Taiwan is a multidisciplinary book with its own distinctive collective voice which will appeal to anyone interested in Taiwan. With chapters on nationalism, anthropology, cultural studies, media studies, religion and museum studies, the breadth of ground covered is truly comprehensive.Heritage and Identity: Engagement and Demission in the Contemporary World (Museum Meanings)
By Marta Anico, Elsa Peralta. 2009
Heritage and Identity explores the complex ways in which heritage actively contributes to the construction and representation of identities in…
contemporary societies, providing a comprehensive account of the diverse conceptions of heritage and identity across different continents and cultures. This collection of thought-provoking articles from experts in the field captures the richness and diversity of the interlinked themes of heritage and identity. Heritage is more than a simple legacy from the past, and incorporates all elements, past and present, that have the ability to represent particular identities in the public sphere. The editors introduce and discuss a wide range of interconnected topics, including multiculturalism and globalization, local and regional identity, urban heritage, difficult memories, conceptions of history, ethnic representations, repatriation, ownership, controversy, contestation, and ethics and social responsibility. The volume places empirical data within a theoretical and analytical framework and presents an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the representation of the past, invaluable for anyone interested in heritage and museum studies.Customary Law in the Modern World: The Crossfire of Sudan's War of Identities
By Francis Deng. 2009
Customary Law in the Modern World is the study of a coherent and well-established legal system, which is now operating…
in the context of a modern nation-state and therefore poised between remaining relevant and the threat of marginalization. Focusing on Sudan, the author places customary law in its historical and cultural context, analyzing the fundamental and traditional values that underlie customary law and the impact of the war between the North and the South that lasted intermittently for half a century. He deals with the substance of customary law, covering a wide variety of areas: family law, property law, torts and criminal liability. Drawing on interviews conducted with judges, legislators and practicing lawyers on customary law and its future in the modern context, the book challenges the development of customary law to build on the positives of tradition and the reform of its shortcomings, particularly in the areas of human rights, gender equality and the protection of children. This book fills a gap in the literature on customary law, and will be of great interest to anyone interested in law, anthropology and politics.This book provides a thorough analysis of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), from a variety of perspectives including…
its factions, party presidential elections, the distribution of posts, national elections, local organisations, the policy making process and partner organisations. Drawing on comprehensive and up-to-date data, as well as a large number of interviews, internal party documents and quantitative data, The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan explains the machinery of the Japanese government and ruling party, exploring how policies are made. In so doing, the chapters also analyse the strengths and weaknesses of today’s LDP through a comparison of Koizumi Juni’ichirō and Abe Shinzō, both having established long-lasting administrations through their strong leadership. Demonstrating how the LDP has changed significantly over recent years, particularly since the political reforms of 1994, this book will be extremely useful to students and scholars of Japanese and Asian politics.Muslims in Singapore: Piety, politics and policies (Routledge Contemporary Southeast Asia Series #26)
By Bryan S. Turner, Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir, Alexius A. Pereira. 2009
This book examines Muslims in Singapore, analysing their habits, practices and dispositions towards everyday life, and also their role within…
the broader framework of the secularist Singapore state and the cultural dominance of its Chinese elite, who are predominantly Buddhist and Christian. Singapore has a highly unusual approach to issues of religious diversity and multiculturalism, adopting a policy of deliberately ‘managing religions’ - including Islam - in an attempt to achieve orderly and harmonious relations between different racial and religious groups. This has encompassed implicit and explicit policies of containment and ‘enclavement’ of Muslims, and also the more positive policy of ‘upgrading’ Muslims through paternalist strategies of education, training and improvement, including the modernisation of madrassah education in both content and orientation. This book examines how this system has operated in practice, and evaluates its successes and failures. In particular, it explores the attitudes and reactions of Muslims themselves across all spheres of everyday life, including dining and maintaining halal-vigilance; education and dress code; and practices of courtship, sex and marriage. It also considers the impact of wider international developments, including 9/11, fear of terrorism and the associated stigmatization of Muslims; and developments within Southeast Asia such as the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist attacks and the Islamization of Malaysia and Indonesia. This study has more general implications for political strategies and public policies in multicultural societies that are deeply divided along ethno-religious lines.Rise of China: Beijing’s Strategies and Implications for the Asia-Pacific (Politics in Asia)
By Cheng-Yi Lin, Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao. 2009
Despite the growing internal social unrest and disparity of economic development, the People’s Republic of China is the third largest…
world economy and the second largest defense spender. Showing no clear signs of slowing down, China’s rise is seen as both an opportunity and a challenge by the major world powers. This book examines every aspect of Beijing's strategies, ranging from political, economic and social challenges, to the Taiwan and Hong Kong issues, to the implications of these strategies in terms of China's place within the Asia Pacific, and indeed within the world system. Written by a stellar line-up of international contributors the book will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese politics, foreign policy, political economy and social policy, and China-watchers alike.This book is concerned with the role of financial intermediation in economic development and growth in the context of Malaysia.…
Using an analytical framework, the author investigates the Malaysian economy from 1960 onwards to examine how far financial development has progressed in the course of economic development, and whether it has been instrumental in promoting economic growth. A significant improvement in the Malaysian financial system, coupled with rapid economic growth and a rich history of financial sector reforms, makes Malaysia an interesting case study for this subject. The author shows that some government interventions seem to have impacted negatively on economic growth, whereas repressionist financial policies such as interest rate controls, high reserve requirements and directed credit programmes seem to have contributed positively to financial development. The analysis concludes that financial development leads to higher output growth via promoting private saving and private investment. Shedding light on the evolutionary role of financial system and the interacting mechanisms between financial development and economic growth, this book will be of interest to those interested in economic and financial development, financial liberalization, saving behaviour and investment analysis and Asian Studies.Management Training and Development in China: Educating Managers in a Globalized Economy (Routledge Contemporary China Series)
By Malcolm Warner, Keith Goodall. 2009
One of the critical issues facing both the Chinese government and businesses operating in China is the lack of trained…
managers. This book, with contributions by internationally-known scholars from a wide range of countries, examines the Chinese response to the challenges of management training and development. It considers the development of business schools in the PRC and the impact of foreign partnerships on their operation. It summarizes the current trends in management training and development and outlines the likely course of future developments. Overall, this book is a comprehensive account of management training and development in China, and is an important resource in an area that has hitherto seen little substantive research.A Discourse on Domination in Mandate Palestine: Imperialism, Property and Insurgency
By Zeina B. Ghandour. 2009
British discourse during the Mandate, with its unremitting convergence on the problematic ‘native question’, and which rested on racial and…
cultural theories and presumptions, as well as on certain givens drawn from the British class system, has been taken for granted by historians. The validity of cultural representations as pronounced within official correspondence and colonial laws and regulations, as well as within the private papers of colonial officials, survives more or less intact. There are features of colonialism additional to economic and political power, which are glaring yet have escaped examination, which carried cultural weight and had cultural implications and which negatively transformed native society. This was inevitable. But what is less inevitable is the subsequent collusion of historians in this, a (neo-) colonial dynamic. The continued collusion of modern historians with racial and cultural notions concerning the rationale of European rule in Palestine has postcolonial implications. It drags these old notions into the present where their iniquitous barbarity continues to manifest. This study identifies the symbolism of British officials’ discourse and intertwines it with the symbolism and imagery of the natives’ own discourse (from oral interviews and private family papers). At all times, it remains allied to those writers, philosophers and chroniclers whose central preoccupation is to agitate and challenge authority. This, then, is a return to the old school, a revisiting of the optimistic, vibrant rhetoric of those radicals who continue to inspire post and anti-colonial thinking. In order to dismantle, and to undo and unwrite, A Discourse on Domination in Mandate Palestine holds a mirror up to the language of the Mandatory by counteracting it with its own integrally oppositional discourse and a provocative rhetoric.