The Peoples of Southeast Asia Today

Robert Winzeler has written a balanced, intelligent, and refreshing book on the anthropology of Southeast Asia. The sensitivity shown on minority issues and non-urban populations is laudable. -- Jean Michaud, Université Laval
Southeast Asia is a remarkably diverse region: geographically, of mountains and lowlands, coasts and interior; ecologically, of hunters/gatherers, swidden cultivators, agriculturalists, and city dwellers; religiously, of multiple indigenous practices coexisting with the world's largest formal religions--Buddhism, Christianity (both Catholic and Protestant), Islam, and Hinduism. Winzeler (emer., anthropology, Univ. of Nevada, Reno) captures all of this in his remarkably inclusive book, a rare and very useful attempt to encompass the complete region, both the northern mainland and the southern islands. He succeeds by simultaneously sketching the region and the anthropological efforts to understand it, alternating broad-brush generalization with focused case example. This is a book, then, that is valuable as a resource both on the region and on how people have tried to understand it. Although the book as a whole is an essential reference, the three chapters that outline the range of religious beliefs and practices (including the difficult subject of conversion) deserve particular note for their insight and balance. Winzeler also provides a thoughtful review, pro and con, of tourism. * CHOICE *
This is a handy introduction to the region and peoples of Southeast Asia from an anthropological perspective which will appeal to undergraduate students as well as to those working in the development field. The author adopts a robust approach to questions of the integrity of the region, urging readers not to be unduly concerned with such issues, since all regions are imaginatively constructed There is no doubt that his knowledge of the region is profound and sympathetic, and the book’s gentle, authoritative expository tone will appeal to many. * Journal Of The Royal Anthropological Institute *