Indonesian Sea Nomads
Money, Magic and Fear of the Orang Suku Laut
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:6th Feb '03
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£47.99(9781138863484)
The Orang Suku Laut consider themselves indigenous Malays. Yet their interaction with others who call themselves Malays is characterised on both sides by fear of harmful magic and witchcraft. The nomadic Orang Suku Laut believe that the Qur'an contains elements of black magic, while the settled Malays consider the nomads dangerous, dirty and backward. At the centre of this study, based on first-hand anthropological data, is the symbolism of money and the powerful influence it has on social relationships within the Riau archipelago. The first major publication on these maritime nomadic communities, the book also adds fresh perspectives on anthropological debates on exchange systems, tribality and hierarchy. It also characterises the different ways of being Malay in the region and challenges the prevailing tendency to equate Malay identity with the Islamic faith.
'Finely crafted ... an important and welcome addition to the anthropology of modern Southeast Asia.' - ASEASUK News
'Chou's book makes an important contribution to the study of identity of indigenous peoples in insular Southeast Asia, particularly in the Malay World, and more so of sea nomads. The frequent use of excerpts of interviews with Orang Laut and other people in these maritime communities well illustrates the author's arguments and make this book very pleasant to read, giving the interviewees a voice they normally do not have in most (Indonesian) publications.' - Manon Osseweijer, Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV)
'Finely crafted ... an important and welcome addition to the anthropology of modern Southeast Asia.' - ASEASUK News
'Only a few major works have been published on [the Orang Laut] world since the 1960s, and Chou's thick ethnography makes a welcome contribution.' - Asian Journal of Social Science
ISBN: 9780700717248
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 453g
176 pages