Political Systems of Highland Burma
Political Systems of Highland Burma

Author: E. R. Leach

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-01-07

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1000324613

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The main body of the book is concerned with the theme that empirical political behaviour among the Kachin is a compromise response to the polarised political doctrines of gumsa and gumlao.. Nearly one-third of this book consists of Chapter V entitiled 'The Structural Categories of Kachin Gumsa Society'. It is concerned with the interpretation of a series of verbal concepts and their interconnections. This long chapter is placed between a relatively short account of a particular Kachin community directly observed (Chapter IV) and a series of chapters (VI, VII, VIII) containing secondhand ethnographic and historical evidence.

The Kachin Conflict
The Kachin Conflict

Author: Carine Jaquet

Publisher: Institut de recherche sur l’Asie du Sud-Est contemporaine

Published: 2018-07-03

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13: 2355960151

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Fighting in Kachin state flared back up just months after President Thien Sein came to power in March 2011. The new government almost immediately began negotiating a series of peace agreements with ethnic armed groups declaring that the signature of a nationwide ceasefire with all ethnic armed groups would be a priority for this first civilian administration. By convincing the majority of groups involved in armed struggle against the Tatmadaw to sign ceasefire agreements, the predominantly civilian government succeeded in winning some credibility, both nationally and internationally. At the same time, several old fault lines have re-emerged, among them the conflict in Kachin and Northern Shan States. The roots of the conflict in Kachin State between the KIO and government troops go back to grievances over control of the territory (and its lucrative natural resources) and the preservation of ethnic identity after the end of British colonial rule in 1948. The rekindling of this old conflict, after seventeen years of ceasefire, serves as a powerful reminder of the fragility of certain aspects of the transition process. The setback to conflict and blockage of peace process with the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and its Army (KIA) show that some structural political issues remain, such as the recognition of local power structures and decentralization. While much has been written in the media about the legal, economic, and political reforms in Myanmar; academic research about the Kachin Conflict, as well as firsthand information remains scarce. Analyzing the causes of the conflict and current impediments to peace in Kachin territories provides an illustration of the limits of the transition process. This research examines the personal experiences of a strong sample of influential Kachin people, shows the complexity of notions of war and peace in the collective Kachin memory, as well as the reinterpretation of these by local leadership for political ends.

Social Dynamics in the Highlands of Southeast Asia
Social Dynamics in the Highlands of Southeast Asia

Author: François Robinne

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2007-09-30

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 9047420624

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This reappraisal of Political Systems of Highland Burma, the seminal work by E.R. Leach, presents much new material on the highlands of Southeast Asia and its borders from writers with long-term research experience in these areas. The Introduction establishes in detail both the theoretical and regional ethnographic significance of Leach’s work and the chapters to follow. Part One discusses issues relating to Leach’s fieldwork, including the background to his research and issues arising from his fieldwork practice. Part Two presents a variety of engagements with Leach’s theoretical approach, particularly his ideas of socio-political oscillation. This theory is considered in relation to the historical experience of culture contact in Assam and Laos, particularly between Tai and non-Tai groups. Part Three considers once more Leach’s ideas with respect to communities that are, or could be considered, Kachin sub-groups in Burma, Tibet and Yunnan, this time focusing on interpretations of exchange and the notion of ritual language. A discussion of approaches towards the study of transethnicity concludes the work. The book is a significant contribution to the development of a new regional anthropology of Southeast Asia, incorporating material from areas that were, until recently, closed to researchers.

Anthropology and Autobiography
Anthropology and Autobiography

Author: Judith Okely

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 1992-07-02

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 1134941390

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Anthropological writings by anthropologists in the field have long been a valuable tool to the profession. But until now, the theoretical implications of its use have not been fully explored. Anthropology and Autobiography provides unique insights into the fieldwork, autobiographical materials and/or textual critiques of anthropologists, many of whose ethnographies are already familiar. It considers the role of the anthropologist as fieldworker and writer, examining the ways in which nationality, age, gender, and personal history influence the anthropologist's behavior towards the individuals he is observing. This volume also contributes to debates about reflexivity and the political responsibility of the anthropologist, who, as a participant, has traditionally made only stylized appearances in the academic text. The contributors examine their work among peoples in Africa, Japan, the Caribbean, Greece, Shetland, England, indigenous Australia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. Autobiography is developed alongside political, intellectual, and historical changes. The anthropologists confront and examine issues of racism, reciprocity and friendships. Anthropology and Autobiography will appeal to anthropologists and social scientists interested in ethnographic approaches, the self, reflexivity, qualitative methodology, and the production of texts.

Rethinking Anthropology
Rethinking Anthropology

Author: E. R. Leach

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2021-01-07

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13: 1000320901

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A collection of brilliant and provocative essays from Edmund Leach, one of the most original voices in the social anthropological tradition.

Being and Becoming Kachin
Being and Becoming Kachin

Author: Mandy Sadan

Publisher: OUP/British Academy

Published: 2013-09-26

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780197265550

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Ethnic conflict has troubled the Kachin region of Burma since 1961. The area is of increasing contemporary interest because it borders India and China and it has the potential to affect Burma's reintegration into mainstream geopolitics. The book examines the conflict within a historical context of marginalisation in the region.

The Kachin
The Kachin

Author: Bertil Lintner

Publisher: Art Media Resources

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13:

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Remarkable for their military prowess, their receptivity to Christianity, and their intricate all-embracing kinship network, the Kachins are a hardy mountain people living in the remote hills of northern Burma and on the peripheries of Indian and China. During the Second World War they strongly aided the Allies in defending Burma against the imperialist designs of the Japanese, earning themselves sorbriquets such as 'amiable assassins' and 'Ghurkas of Southeast Asia.' After Burma's independence in 1948, the Kachins were given their own state, but in the early 1960s they went to war again, this time fighting for autonomy for their homeland. For over thirty years, funded largely by the world-renowned jade mines they control, they maintained their armed insurgency, playing a key role in Burma's internecine struggles. In 1994 the Kachins signed a cease-fire agreement which they hope marks the start of an era of peace.